Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park is a

Florida State Park There are 175 state parks and 9 state trails in the U.S. state of Florida which encompass more than , providing recreational opportunities for both residents and tourists. Almost half of the state parks have an associated local 501(c)(3) non-pr ...

located in White Springs off U.S. 41, along the Suwannee River in north Florida.

Stephen Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known also as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, inc ...

is famous for having written the song "

Old Folks At Home "Old Folks at Home" (also known as " Swanee River") is a minstrel song written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Since 1935, it has been the official state song of Florida, although in 2008 the original lyrics were revised. It is Roud Folk Song Ind ...

," also known as "Way Down Upon the Suwannee River." The song, referring nostalgically to "home far, far away," is Florida's state song.

Stephen Foster Museum

The Stephen Foster Museum honors the accomplishments of American composer

and features

dioramas A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

and exhibits about his famous songs, including ''

Old Folks at Home "Old Folks at Home" (also known as " Swanee River") is a minstrel song written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Since 1935, it has been the official state song of Florida, although in 2008 the original lyrics were revised. It is Roud Folk Song Ind ...

'', more commonly known by the words of its first line as "(Way Down Upon the) Swanee River." Honoring Foster, who never visited Florida, was the idea of Josiah K. Lilly, Sr., the son of

Eli Lilly Eli Lilly (July 8, 1838 – June 6, 1898) was an American soldier, pharmacist, chemist, and businessman who founded the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical corporation. Lilly enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War and ...

. He proposed the memorial in 1931.

Carillon

The carillon was originally constructed by J. C. Deagan, Inc. for the spire of the Florida exhibit building at the

1939 World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purcha ...

. It had 75 bells, weighed 25 tons, and was the largest carillon in the world (by number of bells). It was a gift of Florida's Stephen Foster Memorial Association, who intended to place it at a new Foster memorial building in White Springs after the fair. The installation in at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park didn't occur until the summer of 1958; by which the bell count had increased to 97. More than a year was required by Deagan craftsmen to build the huge set of bells, perhaps the greatest single manufacturing project in the firm’s 78-year history. The carillon plays Foster's songs throughout the day. A second museum area inside the tower also features exhibits about Stephen Foster and the carillon. The carillon was damaged by an electrical storm in 2017, repairs have begun to restore the bells.

Gallery

File:Stephen Foster FCCSP Suwannee01.jpg, Suwannee River File:Stephen Foster FCCSP museum01.jpg, Stephen Foster Museum File:White Springs FL spring house04.jpg, Spring House, from the historic health resort

References

External links

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park
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Florida State Parks

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Florida Parks

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Absolutely Florida

Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center
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WildernetExplore Southern History - Information on Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park
{{authority control Parks in Hamilton County, Florida State parks of Florida Museums in Hamilton County, Florida Foster, Stephen Music museums in Florida Protected areas established in 1950 1950 establishments in Florida Folk museums in the United States Stephen Foster Bell towers in the United States Towers completed in 1957

Stephen Foster Museum

Carillon

Gallery

See also

References

External links