Cross Creek/The Rawlings House/The Yearling Restaurant
VISIT TO CROSS CREEK
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Kinnan_Rawlings
We went up to Cross Creek on Saturday and toured the home and surrounding grounds of Majorie Rawlins, the author of "The Yearling" and many other books associated with the Cross Creek area.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Marjorie-Kinnan-Rawlings
It was a fine visit. We arrived just after the last morning tour, so we went to lunch and came back.
Often the contents of such houses are not filled with original furniture and such, but this one had almost all original furnishings and it was clear that the staff worked hard to keep things as they were when Marjorie lived there.
http://floridatraveler.com/marjorie-rawlings-cross-creek/
Marjorie found the place when she was married to her first husband, another writer, Charles. They lived in Rochester, NY, but once she saw this place, she knew where she wanted to live. The plan was to let the citrus groves support them so that they could write.
She continued to love the place, but Charles tired of it and left after a few years. She owned the house, so he only left with a suitcase, but he did continue to write his material on fishing and such.
She became interested in the people of the area. At the time she was writing mystery stories and sending them to the editor Maxwell Perkins. But she was also a prolific letter writer and she sent letters to Maxwell filled with details of the people and the life of Cross Creek. He advised her to drop her mystery novels and write about what she knew best. So Cross Creek and Perkins' guidance put her on the path to being a very popular author.
http://www.rawlingssociety.org/rawlings-bio
When she first moved there, the housing was very basic. It lacked electricity and screens. The mosquitoes were aggressive and she did get malaria. As she made money on her writing, she put it into the house and grounds. An addition was added. Electricity was added running at first on a small generator. She took some kitchen bowls to make shades as she hated the bare bulbs. There is one in this photograph.
There were plenty of young citrus trees by the house, but some of the land was no longer part of the Park, and some of what was used for growing food and citrus no longer did that.
The stove in the kitchen is still being used for cooking meals by the staff. They also still can fruits from the garden.
She often slept on this bed on the porch. She liked the open breeze.
Also on the porch was her writing table where she worked many hours a day.
If neighbors saw her there, they did not disturb her, but if she moved to the back porch, they would stop to visit.
This was the guest bedroom. many famous writers slept here. She knew quite a few including Robert Frost, but Hemingway never visited. She was good friends with Margaret Mitchell. Spencer Tracy was supposed to be in one of the pictures made from her book. He quit immediately because of the heat and humidity.
Her bed was covered with this wedding quilt, but she had not owned it. It was a quilt interesting in its own right, and similar to what she might have used. It was made of scraps and hand stitched by many people, each contributing a large square. In one spot was the initials of the people being married and the date.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/charlestonmuseum/sets/72157631890820414
Her bed was covered with this wedding quilt, but she had not owned it. It was a quilt interesting in its own right, and similar to what she might have used. It was made of scraps and hand stitched by many people, each contributing a large square. In one spot was the initials of the people being married and the date.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/charlestonmuseum/sets/72157631890820414
This was the ice box. It reminded me of the one my grandfather had at Lime Lake.
Kitchen utensils
In the kitchen she had a place where meals would be kept after they were prepared. To keep the ants from finding the food, the legs of the storage piece were set into buckets of water.
Field workers lived in this building. It was very basic.
She had chickens and mallards
This is not her boat and Johnson motor but typical of the time
Here is a display of all her books translated into many languages.
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For our lunch we were sent to The Yearling Restaurant just down the the road.
http://yearlingrestaurant.net/
It was itself a museum, much of it reflecting Rawlins. They even served a sour orange pie from a recipe she had used. I had a taste. We took half home and each day I just take a little taste. It is very good.
I had fried quail and a double portion of collard greens. It was tasty. I'd definitely go again.
There was a large stuffed animal display
While we ate, in stepped Willie Green and we heard his guitar and harmonica, his jokes and stories. He was quite a character. The blues he played was authentic and pretty good, although I do think he should let the high harmonica section alone. That tended to be shrill.
The link gives you some video sense. This is the photo from where I ate my lunch.
The place was also a bookstore with old books all over the place. The owners father had run a bookstore, and when he died they filled the restaurant with the old books. They weren't priced cheap, however, They had some interesting fishing books. I recommended the Nick Lyons "Secret Life of Fishing" to a woman looking for a good fishing book.
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