Bunnell, Florida
Bunnell is the county seat of Flagler County with a small population of about two thousand eight hundred people. The town itself occupies about five square miles in the Palm Coast metro area. The community was named after Alva A. Bunnell, who founded the town in 1880.
About The Community
The community is served by the Advent Health Hospital, a modern state of the art hospital set by the Seventh Day Adventists. There are several public schools that look after the educational needs of the children including alternate schools. There are numerous churches of many denominations where the locals gather to pray.
The Flagler auditorium is the pride of the community. It is Flagler County’s premier performing arts center and educates, enriches, and exposes children and adults to thrill of high quality live performances. Its mission is to provide a healthy climate for growth of culture in the community. Nationally touring Broadway, family theater, big band and symphonic orchestras have all performed here and delighted the community.
Important Links
Vicinity of Bunnell
Additional Details
The Flagler Court House and County offices were located in a building formerly occupied by the Bunnell State Bank. The second floor courtroom was used by the Masonic Lodge. A new court house building was constructed in 1924. A beautiful nature park in Bunnell has been created around the Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic site. In 1821, Major Bulow acquired over 4 thousand acres of wilderness bordering a tidal creek that was later named after him. He planted sugarcane, rice, cotton and indigo on half of it. His son took over after his father’s death and Bulow’s sugar mill, constructed of local coquina rock, was the largest mill in East Florida. His business of shipping sugar and molasses from Bulow’s Creek ended with the Second Seminole War. In January 1836, a band of raiding Seminole Indians looted and burned the plantation. Today, the ruins of the sugar mill are a monument to the rise and fall of the sugar plantations of East Florida. One can walk the nature trail to the sugar mill passing “cat faced” pines that were worked for turpentine prior to World War II. The Interpretive Center has original artifacts and exhibits on Bulow Plantation.
Bulow Creek is a charming location that has been recognized as a State Canoe Trail. One can rent a canoe for the day or even by the hour and move gently through the channels. Each bend reveals new scenery and opportunity for wildlife sightings. Bald eagles, swallow-tailed kites and Florida manatees are often seen here. A small picnic area is located along the scenic banks of Bulow Creek and it is a popular spot for celebrations. The Bulow Woods Trail is a hiking trail that runs from the Fairchild Oak in Bulow Creek State Park to Bulow Plantation Ruins State Historic Site. The sun dappled path winds around massive trunks under a canopy of Live Oaks. White-tailed deer, barred owls, and raccoons are commonly seen, and, occasionally, a diamondback rattlesnake.