This look at Emerald Coast history is brought to you by the folks at Okaloosa Gas!
1898: The residents of DeFuniak Springs look on as a fire consumed downtown.
The blaze is commonly believed to have taken place on September 19.
The fire would char most of the wooden structures on Baldwin Avenue – the main drag through town – in total, 22 buildings were set ablaze.
Much like a forest fire ultimately fuels new growth, the fire that destroyed much of the city’s commercial heart meant change would come to DeFuniak.
The fire forced downtown merchants to build new brick buildings that would be more fire-resistant in a denser area. DeFuniak Springs officially incorporated three years later to bring more services, like fire and police, to the area, provide protection, and ensure another fire like the one they experienced could not happen again.
Perry Biddle, the owner of most of the buildings that burned in the downtown area. He’d moved to Florida from Pennsylvania because he “was attracted to West Florida by the mild climate and development opportunities associated with the organization of the Florida Chautauqua in DeFuniak Springs.”
He would be the man most responsible for the reconstruction of the downtown area – and the man to choose more enduring, fire-resistant brick with which to rebuild. He’d rent the buildings out to merchants.
