Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, Folk culture state park in White Springs, Florida.
Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park lies off U.S. 41 in White Springs, along the Suwannee River. It holds the Stephen Foster Museum, with dioramas and exhibits on his songs, and a 97-bell carillon tower whose second museum area covers Foster and the instrument.
Josiah K. Lilly Sr., son of pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly, proposed a memorial to Stephen Foster in 1931, though Foster never visited Florida. The carillon was built by J. C. Deagan, Inc. for the 1939 World's Fair spire and installed at White Springs in summer 1958 with 97 bells.
The museum holds dioramas and exhibits on Stephen Foster's songs, including "Old Folks at Home", whose first line names the Suwannee River; the song is Florida's state song. A second museum area inside the carillon tower covers Foster and the instrument itself. The carillon plays Foster's melodies through the day.
The park sits off U.S. 41 in White Springs, along the Suwannee River. The carillon tower holds a second museum area with exhibits on Foster and the bells, so allow time for both the museum and the tower. The carillon was damaged by an electrical storm in 2017 and repairs to restore the bells have begun, so its playing may be affected.
The carillon was built by J. C. Deagan, Inc. for the 1939 World's Fair in New York, where its 75 bells made it the largest carillon in the world by bell count. It was installed at White Springs only in the summer of 1958, by then with 97 bells, after more than a year of work by Deagan craftsmen. An electrical storm damaged it in 2017, and repairs to restore the bells began.
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