Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, the author of the classic The Yearling and known primarily for her relationship with the people of Cross Creek, Florida, also had very significant ties to St. Augustine. She bought her cottage in Crescent Beach in 1939, spending time in that locale in addition to Cross Creek. In 1942 she married Norton Baskin who owned and managed the Castle Warden Hotel in St. Augustine. These and the years that followed in St. Augustine and Crescent Beach were the years of Cross Creek, Cross Creek Cookery, the Zelma Cason lawsuit, World War II, and The Sojourner.

Barbara C. Wingo is an historian and attorney. She is the president of the Friends of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm, Inc. She received her Ph.D. in United States history from Tulane University and worked in the General Counsel’s Office and as an adjunct history professor at the University of Florida for over 30 years. She is a member of the Historic Architectural Review Board of St. Augustine and is a past president of the St. Augustine Historical Society. She currently serves as an officer and as a board member of a number of history, historic preservation, law and music-related organizations.

This program is free and open to the public. Seating begins at 11:00 am and the presentation starts at 11:30 am. Light refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine. For additional information, please call the Main Library at 904.827.6940.