Gram Parsons Derry Down

Gram Parsons Derry Down (HM24AA)

Location: Winter Haven, FL 33881 Polk County
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Country: United States of America
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N 28° 1.493', W 81° 43.915'

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Inscription
On December 20, 1964, Winter Haven businessman Bob Parsons opened the Derry Down in this building. The English-themed teen club's primary purpose was to give his stepson, Gram Parsons, a performance venue for his folk band, The Shilos. The club not only provided a venue for local youth musicians, but it helped elevate Winter Haven as a destination for traveling groups in the region. The Derry Down became part of a circuit of Florida teen centers in the 1960s that provided fledgling musicians a place to hone their skills as performers. In 1968, Gram Parsons joined the American folk rock standard-bearers The Byrds. In 1969, he founded the country rock band, Flying Burrito Brothers. Parsons recorded two genre-bending solo albums with then-unknown folk singer, Emmylou Harris. He died in 1973 in Joshua Tree, California, at age 26. In 2013, author Bob Kealing raised awareness that the building was slated for demolition. The building's owner, Six/Ten, LLC donated the building to the community-driven Derry Down Project, a Main Street Winter Haven initiative, to restore the building and preserve its legacy by nurturing new artists.
Details
HM NumberHM24AA
Tags
Year Placed2015
Placed ByDerry Down Project, Main Street Winter Haven, Inc., Bob Kealing, and the Florida Department of State
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, January 2nd, 2018 at 7:04am PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17R E 428051 N 3100174
Decimal Degrees28.02488333, -81.73191667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 28° 1.493', W 81° 43.915'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds28° 1' 29.58" N, 81° 43' 54.9" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)813, 863
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 187-249 5th St NW, Winter Haven FL 33881, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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