Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park


Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park is a Florida State Park and historic site located on the former homestead of Pulitzer Prize-winning Florida author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. A National Historic Landmark, it is located in Cross Creek, Florida, between Ocala and Gainesville at 18700 South County Road 325.

Setting

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park is located on the eastern shore of Orange Lake, a short way south of the village of Cross Creek. The park is about in size, but is adjacent to public lands totalling about historically part of the Rawlings property. A public parking area and boat ramp are located south of the house, gardens, and outbuildings of the Rawlings home. The home is a rambling single-story wood frame structure, whose central core is a dogtrot house dating to the 19th century. Other buildings include a pump house, barn, and a small tenant house. Of these, only the pump house is also of 19th-century origin.

History

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, a native of Washington, DC, and her husband Charles purchased a orange grove in 1929, including the old dogtrot house. They set about enlarging and adapting the house to their use, and both developed their careers as writers. Marjorie first achieved significant notice with stories published in Scribner's Magazine, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1939 for The Yearling. Her writing was infused with details from the central Florida region where she made her home.
Upon her death in 1953, the property was bequeathed to a foundation of the University of Florida. It has been managed by the state ever since, the house opening to the public in 1970.

Park activities

Activities include hiking and hourly tours Thursday through Sunday, at 10 a.m. 11 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., except in August and September. Amenities include two short hiking trails and park employees that bring 1930s rural Florida to life with period clothing and stories. In addition, guests are invited to pick and sample oranges from the many trees within the property.
Florida state parks are open between 8 a.m. and sundown every day of the year. The cost is $3 per car to enter the park.