I always encourage taking road trips. You never know what exciting discoveries you might find along the way. So while taking a drive through the Ormond Scenic Loop, I came across a sign pointing to the Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park. Located in Flagler Beach in eastern Florida, the property lists on the National Register of Historic Sites. The plantation was once the largest sugar plantation in Florida before burning down during the Second Seminole War. I had never visited a plantation and was skeptical about what to expect. I’ve heard about some plantation tours, glamorizing the wealthy owners’ lifestyles while omitting the real truth about slavery and the brutality it harbored. Still, very curious and in the mood for exploring, I decided to see for myself.
The Park
As I drove down the dirt-packed road into the property, I immediately felt like I was going back two-hundred years. A canopy of tall trees swayed above me as I took the mile-long drive onto the plantation grounds. I drove until the path opened up to the park, where I paid the $4 fee, using the honor box. Directly in front is the picnic area, a pavilion, and the shoreline of Bulow Creek. There are kayak rentals and a great hiking trail, so after visiting the ruins, you can spend the day exploring the park and enjoying nature. The park rangers help answer any questions, but visiting the ruins is a self-guided tour.
BulowVille - The Rise and Fall of the Plantation
In the 1800s, settlers set up plantations all over Florida on land that the Seminoles believed belonged to them. Major Charles Wilhelm Bulow, a merchant from Charleston, South Carolina, was one of them. In 1821, he acquired nearly 5,000 acres bordering a tidal creek, later named Bulow Creek. With the use of slave labor, Bulow took 2,200 acres of land to plant sugar cane, rice, cotton, and indigo. Bulow died three years later at the age of 44. His seventeen-year-old son John became the inheritor of the land where he continued managing the plantation. According to an 1830 census, he owned 197 enslaved men and women at that time. Using the hands of his forced labor, he built a sugar mill, and his sugar production became one of the most prosperous in the area.
BulowVille became a powerful economic force in Florida. That is, until the Second Seminole War. U.S. troops came to Florida to enforce a treaty that pushed Seminoles to give up their land. Seminoles retaliated by attacking plantations where troops were likely to set up a fort. In January 1836, BulowVille, along with other plantations in the area, burned down. Already abandoning his property, John Bulow never returned and died three months later at the age of twenty-six.
The Plantation Ruins
What’s left today are the ruins of the largest sugar plantation in Florida. There are remnants of foundations of the slave quarters, the spring house, and the main plantation house. Most prominently standing are the tall pillars and walls of the sugar mill, made from coquina rock from a local quarry, built by the hands of enslaved people. Visibly scorched from the fire, you can still admire the craftwork and appreciate the masonry. I read each interpretive plaque detailing the enslaved men and women’s work, and the complexity of running the sugar mill. An outdoor museum displays artifacts and a glimpse of the life of the enslaved people back then. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been for them back in the 1830s; crushing cane, boiling syrup, then packing molasses and sugar for shipment. It was an around-the-clock operation for this thriving business.
I don’t know them by name, or much more about their lives, other than the fact that they were more than just slaves used as forced labor in this Bulow Plantation chronicle: They were skilled steam-engineer operators, chemists, quarrymen, stonemasons, farmers, and more, who contributed significantly to this state’s history during this volatile era of Florida.
What an interesting read. Thank you for sharing and for reminding us of all the accomplishments of these enslaved peoples who were so much more than slaves.
You’re welcome! Thanks for reading!
Road trips, either long or short are an amazing way of seeing the world around us from a unique point of view. We never know what lies around the next corner. What an insightful look into the past you discovered.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Rosemary
It was great to find this and learn a bit of history. Thanks for reading!
I really felt like I traveled back in time reading this article. I always enjoy learning about the past and visiting historical sites. Thank you for a wonderful read.
My Best,
Nancy
I love traveling to historical places as well. Thanks for reading!