Literary Landmark: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings house

Cross Creek, Fla.

Dedicated: 1988

Partners: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society and the Florida Center for the Book

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ home in Cross Creek, Florida was designated a Literary Landmark on August 8th, 1996 by the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society and the Florida Center for the Book during a celebration of Rawlings’ 100th birthday.

Cross Creek was the beloved home of Rawlings from 1928 to 1953 and a source of inspiration for her most timeless works including Cross Creek and The Yearling. The virgin Florida territory and near isolation of the Cross Creek farm became the colorful and memorable backdrop for The Yearling, the story of a backwoods Florida boy and his pet deer.

The Tampa Tribune noted in an August 8th, 1996 article that “after more than a year of renovation, her home at Cross Creek, located between Ocala and Gainesville, is preserved as it was when Mrs. Rawlings pounded her typewriter on her screened porch.” The Yearling won Rawlings’ the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1939. She also received two honorary college degrees before her untimely death at the age of 57.

Resources:

Welcome to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park (Florida State Parks)