Dudley Farm Historic State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Dudley Farm
|
|
Dudley Farm visitor center
|
|
 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Alachua County, Florida, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Newberry |
| Area | 325 acres (1.32 km2) (NRHP-listed area) 240 acres (97 ha) (NHL-designated area) |
| Built | October 4, 2002 |
| NRHP reference No. | 100006234 |
| Designated NHLD | January 13, 2021 |
Dudley Farm Historic State Park, also called Dudley Farm, is a special place in Newberry, Florida. It's like a living museum where you can see what farm life was like long ago. This farm became a historic district in 2002. Later, in 2021, it was named a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important place in American history! The farm shows us how people lived and worked from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s.
Contents
Exploring Dudley Farm: A Step Back in Time
Dudley Farm is a big park, covering about 325 acres. It has 21 old buildings and 13 other structures. You can see the original family farmhouse and a kitchen from the 1880s. There's also a general store, a post office, and a place where they made cane syrup. All these buildings still have their original furniture and tools.
What You Can See and Do at the Farm
The southern part of the park has a visitor center and a gift shop. You can also see old barns and farm equipment there. There's a short nature walk through a Florida hammock, which is a type of forest. The visitor center used to be a house built in Newberry in 1918. The gift shop looks just like an old store from a 19th-century Florida turpentine plantation.
Animals and Plants on the Farm
You can reach the historic farm area from a trail near the visitor center. This trail follows part of the old Gainesville-Newberry Road. The farm keeps Cracker cattle and Florida Cracker horses, which are special Florida breeds. You'll also see chickens and turkeys, just like those found on farms in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Long ago, this farm was known for producing many eggs.
The farm also grows different fruit trees. There are old Duncan grapefruit trees, which remind us how important citrus was in north Florida from the 1840s to the 1890s. Other fruits grown here include figs, bananas, peaches, pecans, and black walnuts.
How the Farm Changed Over Time
Dudley Farm is a working farm that shows how farming developed in Florida. It covers the period from the late 1850s to the mid-1940s. After that, a few family members continued to farm just enough to feed themselves. This is called subsistence farming.
The last family member, Myrtle Dudley, passed away in 1996. She left the farm to the Florida Park Service. This made it possible for everyone to visit and learn about this amazing piece of history.
Fun Events at Dudley Farm
Dudley Farm hosts many exciting events throughout the year. You can experience "living histories," where people dress up and act like they did in the past. There are also cane boils, corn grinding, and special days for children. Rangers lead tours for visitors and school groups. The Friends of Dudley Farm group helps organize many of these activities.
Because of its beautiful old buildings, the farm is also a popular place for family photos. Many people come here to capture special moments in a historic setting.
See Also
