DEBARY, Fla. -- Learn about the history of DeLeon Springs State Park during a free presentation at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at DeBary Hall Historic Site, 198 Sunrise Blvd., DeBary.
Brian Polk will lead a journey through the park’s past, beginning with the first Floridians.
"He’ll share tales about a famous visitor, three wars, a plantation, the Western Hemisphere’s oldest canoes, and interesting local stories," Pat Kuehn, a Volusia County community information specialist, told Headline Surfer. "He will also offer his thoughts on whether Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon visited the area during his supposed search for the Fountain of Youth in the 16th century."
Polk is the park manager at DeLeon Springs State Park and chair of Volusia County’s Historic Preservation Board.
Brian Polk will lead a journey through the park’s past, beginning with the first Floridians.
"He’ll share tales about a famous visitor, three wars, a plantation, the Western Hemisphere’s oldest canoes, and interesting local stories," Pat Kuehn, a Volusia County community information specialist, told Headline Surfer. "He will also offer his thoughts on whether Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon visited the area during his supposed search for the Fountain of Youth in the 16th century."
Polk is the park manager at DeLeon Springs State Park and chair of Volusia County’s Historic Preservation Board.
DeBary Hall Historic Site, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is owned by the State of Florida and managed by the county’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Division. Tours of the 1871hunting lodge are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission prices are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children 2 and younger.