White Springs in Hamilton County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

“There’s an art to everything you do”

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, July 29, 2023

1. “There’s an art to everything you do” Marker

Inscription. In the Upper Suwannee River Valley folks continue to make items for decorative and daily use. As local quilter Nancy Morgan says, "There's an art to everything you do." From christening dresses to gourd birdhouses, handmade items reflect the values, beliefs and aesthetics of a community.

(captions)
Native people began using gourd birdhouses thousands of years ago. Locals continue the tradition to attract mosquito-eating purple martins.

Nancy Morgan often recalls the quilting bees of her youth. "We'd go to a different home each week to sit around the quilting frame and sew. Everybody took a covered dish. Young women came to learn the skills from older quilters. In late afternoon when the work was done, the women would wrap the finished quilt around one of the young girls and tell her she was the next to be married.”

Elizabeth Knight made this christening dress for her granddaughter from a pattern that has been in their family for generations.

Erected by Florida Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas

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Location. 30° 19.84′ N, 82° 46.146′ W. Marker is in White Springs, Florida, in Hamilton County. It can be reached from the intersection of Lillian Saunders Drive and Foster Barnes Drive, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located within the Stephen Foster State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10690 Lillian Saunders Dr, White Springs FL 32096, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Florida.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Tradition and Change (within shouting distance of this marker); Foodways of the Suwannee (within shouting distance of this marker); Folklife of the Upper Suwannee

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, July 29, 2023

2. “There’s an art to everything you do” Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); A Love Letter from ”Way Down Upon the Suwannee River “ (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Commemorating the Organization of the Second Girl Scout Troop in America (about 500 feet away); The Historic Architecture of White Springs (approx. half a mile away); White Sulphur Springs (approx. half a mile away); Welcome to the White Springs Historic District (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in White Springs.

Also see . . . Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. (Submitted on August 9, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 191 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 9, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.