Union Springs, the county seat of Bullock County, was founded in 1835 and in 1844 was incorporated by the State of Alabama Legislature. History records Bullock County as having been first settled by the Creek Indians during the early 1800’s. As the Indians moved out, families from surrounding states moved in. Homes, churches and schools were built, laying the foundation for Union Springs.     Today, I am very proud of my city, its history and heritage, and especially the lives of those who built, worked, and worshipped here.
You are invited to take a “Windshield Tour” of the city. Special interest is the central business district consisting of 47 commercial and governmental buildings that found on the National Register of Historic Places. We have one of the finest courthouses in Alabama and the only one in the state constructed in the Second Empire Style. Behind the courthouse, we have the 1897 Bullock County Jail. It is a three-story brick structure with original cell bars and trap door used for hangings, all still intact.
Directly behind the 1912 Carnegie Library is the Confederate Cemetery, although soldiers from both sides of the Civil War rest there beneath the oaks and pines. We have a 1909 church (with original German Art stained glass) converted into a theater, a log house built in 1851, a Baptist church established in 1849 with the slave gallery still intact, and countless other historical treasures that only a charming southern town could offer.
Visitors to such a small town will be surprised at the number of beautiful homes and churches of varied architecture and interest. Many of the homes were standing well before the Civil War, and numerous others were the plantation mansions of the barons of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Driving along Powell Street and then to the north end of Prairie Street gives a glimpse into Union Springs' unrivaled history!
Our Peachburg Road boasts one of the oldest public gardens in the United States, Chunnenugee Garden, established in 1847 -- not to mention a waterfall that has been enjoyed by locals for over a century! The Chunnenuggee Garden Club is the oldest chartered garden club in the United States.
Please, come to Union Springs, take the windshield tour, see the jail, houses and cemetery, and drop by Adams Pecans! For more information on Union Springs, visit www.unionspringsalabama.com