City of Palm Coast Historical Society and Museum

09/06/2026

🔎 History Under the Microscope

A little history check before we give Bulow a makeover…

If you visit Bulow State Park looking for the stone arches in this photo, you’re going to be doing a lot of walking for nothing. 😂 This isn’t Bulow.

And honestly, it doesn’t need the help!

The real ruins at Bulow are far more fascinating because they’re actually connected to the history of the plantation, the sugar mill, and the people who lived and worked there.

The crumbling ruins, massive trees, and landscape surrounding them tell a story you simply can’t recreate with a dramatic jungle photo.

So yes, this is a beautiful image—but beautiful and historic are two different things.

Next time you see a picture labeled “Bulow,” take a closer look before taking the caption at face value.

Because the real Bulow ruins are pretty incredible all on their own. 🔎🌿

Hidden in a green tangle of oaks and palmetto near Flagler Beach stand the silent stone bones of a once thriving Florida empire. 🌿 The ruins of the Bulow Plantation sugar mill are all that remain of what was, in the 1830s, one of the largest sugar and cotton plantations on Florida's east coast.

Built by the Bulow family using enslaved labor, the plantation sprawled across thousands of acres and its mill turned local sugarcane into sugar and molasses shipped out to distant markets. It was a place of great wealth built on great cruelty, typical of the plantation economy of that era. Then came the Second Seminole War, and in 1836 Seminole warriors resisting removal swept through the region and burned the plantation to the ground, leaving only the fire scarred coquina walls behind.

Today those roofless stone arches sit quietly within a state park, slowly being reclaimed by the forest, ferns and moss softening the old ruins. 🍃 They are hauntingly beautiful and deeply sobering at the same time, a reminder of both the ambitions and the injustices woven through early Florida. Have you ever wandered through the old ruins at a Florida state park and wondered about the lives once lived there?

09/06/2026

🔦 : EVERYBODY KNOWS BULL CREEK!

With a brand-new Bull Creek building preparing to open its doors, we thought this was the perfect time to reach into the archives and share a piece of old Bull Creek history!

This vintage pamphlet advertised Bull Creek as “Flagler County’s Perfect Getaway ‘for all’” — and apparently they meant it!

Located on the shores of Dead Lake at the end of County Road 2006, Bull Creek offered waterfront campsites, an RV park, boat and canoe rentals, fishing guides, a bait and tackle store, water skiing, a restaurant and more.

You could arrive by car, boat or SEAPLANE!

The restaurant advertised everything from country breakfasts and charbroiled steaks to catfish, gator tail, frog legs, oysters and soft-shell crabs🥩🐊🦀

Our favorite part may be the directions on the back. After providing a hand-drawn map from Palm Coast, Bunnell, Flagler Beach, Palatka, and even Astor, the pamphlet confidently tells visitors:

“If you can’t find us… just call! And if there’s no phone well just ask anyone… Everybody knows Bull Creek!”

That old Bull Creek building is now part of history. After Hurricanes Ian and Nicole caused severe flooding in 2022, the former restaurant was ultimately demolished. Flagler County has since undertaken an approximately $1.5 million project to bring Bull Creek back, with much of the construction performed by the county's own General Services crews and roughly $1.2 million coming from hurricane-recovery funding.

The new roughly 5,000-square-foot facility includes indoor and screened outdoor dining overlooking Dead Lake, along with improvements to the surrounding site and boat ramp. The property has also been elevated several feet to help protect it from future flooding.

Bull Creek itself is part of an even older story. This remote corner of western Flagler County is tied to the historic St. Johns Park community and the waterways that once played an important role in transportation and commerce long before modern Palm Coast existed.

So as the new Bull Creek begins its next chapter, here's a look back at how they once convinced people to make the drive out to County Road 2006 to enjoy some old Florida recreation!

Some things change... Some things apparently don't...

But everybody still knows Bull Creek!! 🎣

👇 Who remembers the old Bull Creek? And does anyone remember approximately what year this green pamphlet was being handed out? Let us know in the comments below!

And make sure to go check it out 🌴

09/05/2026

🎥 !

Chuck Warren is back!

This week, the former ITT employee is sharing another piece of early Palm Coast history and to follow up on our post earlier this week about the ORIGINAL Sheraton Hotel!

So what did they do with the original building when its time came to an end? Chuck gives us the story! 🏌️‍♂️ ⛳️

🎥: Caleb Hathaway

09/04/2026

🏨 : PALM COAST’S ORIGINAL Sheraton Hotels & Resorts!

Long before Hammock Dunes occupied this stretch of oceanfront, visitors to Palm Coast could check into the Sheraton Palm Coast Resort Inn.

Opening in 1974, the Sheraton was one of ITT’s major early amenities and helped sell prospective residents on the Palm Coast lifestyle. Built in an Old Spanish Mission style with coquina stone, the resort sat among rolling lawns and subtropical landscaping with the Atlantic Ocean just steps away.

By the late 1970s, the resort featured around 130 guest rooms, a large free-form swimming pool, lighted tennis courts, the Coquina Room and Cafe del Mar for dining, the poolside Beachcomber Bar, and dancing and nightly entertainment in the Jonkanoo Lounge.

ITT even advertised special “Honeymooners’ Paradise” and “Golfers Weekend” packages—with honeymooners promised an ocean-view room! Golfers could head across the water to Palm Coast Golf Club, while guests could also travel by boat to the Palm Coast Yacht Club. 🎾⛳🍹

The original Sheraton was part hotel and part showcase for the community ITT was building. At a time when much of the surrounding area was still undeveloped, visitors could stay on the ocean, play golf, enjoy the beach, dine at the resort, and get a taste of the new Palm Coast.

The property eventually disappeared as the oceanfront was redeveloped, and the site became part of Hammock Dunes—making photographs like this a great reminder of just how different the coastline once looked.

Who remembers the original Sheraton?

Did you ever stay here, eat at one of the restaurants, have a drink at the Beachcomber Bar, or attend an event there?

We’d love to hear your memories in the comments! 👇

09/03/2026

🐾 : THE EARLY DAYS OF ANIMAL CARE

With all the recent discussion surrounding the future of animal sheltering in Palm Coast and Flagler County, we went digging through the archives and found this photograph with a direct connection to the early history of the Flagler Humane Society Inc.

The Flagler County Humane Society was incorporated in 1980, and in 1981, ITT Development Corporation donated an acre of land along U.S. 1 for a permanent shelter. Construction began in early 1982, and the new facility officially opened in September 1982. Just a few months later, in December 1982, veterinarian Dr. Don Walker opened his veterinary practice upstairs inside the Humane Society building. He would serve as the shelter's veterinarian for its first five years.

Here's where our photograph comes in. Community Animal Clinic. traces its beginnings to Dr. Walker's practice in 1982, but it wasn't until 1987 that he moved the practice out of the Humane Society and into Community Animal Clinic's own location.

This photograph shows the sign announcing that “Future Home of Community Animal Clinic” before the new facility was built.
And here's a detail we love: the phone number painted on the sign—445-1822—is still Community Animal Clinic's phone number today.

More than four decades later, our community is once again talking about the future of animal sheltering and care. It's fascinating to look back at how it began—a small Humane Society along U.S. 1, a veterinarian working upstairs, and eventually a sign among the pine trees announcing the next chapter of business development in Palm Coast.

🐶🐱 Who remembers Dr. Walker, the original Humane Society, or Community Animal Clinic when it first moved into its own home? We'd love to hear your memories—and especially any old photographs you might have! 👇

09/02/2026

📰 THE PALM COASTER
SPRING 1973
Volume 4 , Number 1

This week we're turning the pages back to the Spring 1973 edition of The Palm Coaster, and there was plenty happening in the young community. Nearly 200 residents celebrated the opening of the new Palm Coast Yacht Club, complete with a ch*****ne fountain, buffet, game room, swimming pool, and a party that apparently continued into the wee hours of the morning!

Elsewhere, more than 500 people attended a community fish fry, ITT announced a $3,000 contribution to the Flagler Beach Public Library, and Palm Coast residents celebrated Arbor Day with 500 donated pine trees.

The issue even highlighted the community's top homesite salespeople — back when selling the dream of Palm Coast was big business.

📖 Take a look through the pages — what catches your eye?

09/01/2026

🗃️ FROM THE ARCHIVES: Flagler County Humane Society — 1983 🐾

Long before today’s conversations about the future of animal services in Flagler County, the community was already working to build something better for its animals.

This February 19, 1983 article from the Flagler/Palm Coast News-Tribune reports on the progress of the Flagler County Humane Society, which was still a relatively young organization at the time. The Society was facing a challenge that probably sounds familiar to any nonprofit: raising money, recruiting members, and trying to keep up with a growing community.

The article also gives us a fascinating snapshot of the shelter's earliest operations. Ken Dawson, described as a founding father of the Society, reported that since operations began on October 4, 1982, the shelter had handled 221 animals: 65 from Bunnell, 35 from Flagler Beach, 45 from Palm Coast, and another 74 animals that had been anonymously left at the shelter during nights or unattended weekends. At that point, 38 animals had already been adopted.

🚔 An interesting connection with local law enforcement - Shelter Director Ken Dawson called for greater cooperation from municipal police and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Department, which were responsible for enforcing animal-control ordinances. Dawson noted that the Humane Society itself had no law-enforcement authority, meaning cooperation between the shelter and local officers was an important part of animal control in Flagler County even back in 1983.

More than four decades later, Flagler County / Palm Coast is once again talking about animal shelter facilities and what the future should look like. Pieces like this remind us that those conversations didn't begin today—they're part of a much longer local story.

Share your thoughts in the comments below!⬇️

08/31/2026

YOU ASKED… SO LET’S TALK ABOUT IT! - THE PLAYERS CLUB!!!! 🎾

We saw a comment on Facebook recently, asking about the now-empty property next to European Village and what used to be there. Well… it has quite a history!

Take a look at this aerial photograph. 👀 There sits the Players Club beside the Hammock Dunes Bridge — and European Village isn’t even there yet!

Opened in 1986, the Players Club grew to as many as 18 courts, including both clay, hard and grass 🌱. It even advertised the experience as “Play the Grand Slam.”

And this wasn’t just your neighborhood tennis club...

Some HUGE names in professional tennis came through Palm Coast to play or train, including Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Todd Martin and Manuela Maleeva.

🏆 In 1987, the Players Club was recognized as “Court of the Year” by Tennis Industry magazine.

🏆 In 1992, it was named USTA Florida’s Member Organization of the Year.

The club also hosted USTA National Championship events, exhibitions, sanctioned tournaments and professional instruction.

For a time, Palm Coast wasn’t just a place with tennis courts — it was a tennis destination.

The Players Club eventually closed in 2006, roughly 20 years after it opened. The remaining clubhouse and pool-area buildings were demolished in 2016.

🎾 Who remembers the Players Club? Did you play there, work there, or attend one of the exhibitions? Did you ever see one of the professional players who came through Palm Coast?

Share your memories below and tag someone who remembers this era of Palm Coast! 👇

08/29/2026

🌊 : THE INLET ITT WANTED TO CUT?

Yesterday, we posted an old photo and took a deep dive into Matanzas Inlet and the question of whether Palm Coast almost had better access to the Atlantic.

Well… what if we told you ITT had another idea? 👀

Today, we're following up with the story of a proposed inlet ITT wanted to cut as part of the early development of Palm Coast.

Where was it supposed to go? Why did ITT want it? And, most importantly…

Why didn't it happen?

🏛️ The Palm Coast Historical Society & Museum is OPEN TODAY from 11 AM–4 PM!

Stop in, explore our exhibits, and learn about some of the Palm Coast plans that never made it off the drawing board.

👇 And if you remember hearing about ITT's proposed inlet, tell us what you know!

🎥 Caleb Hathaway

08/28/2026

📸 - Matanzas Inlet🌊

DID PALM COAST ALMOST HAVE ITS OWN OCEAN INLET?

This incredible aerial photograph shows Matanzas Inlet on November 18, 1970, right as the development of Palm Coast was getting underway.

But this photograph also connects to a fascinating and largely forgotten chapter of early Palm Coast history.

When ITT developed Palm Coast, it constructed an extensive network of saltwater canals connected to the Intracoastal Waterway. Waterfront living and boating became major parts of the new community.

There was just one problem....

🚤 Palm Coast had miles of new canals—but getting those boats into the Atlantic wasn't so simple.

Matanzas was the closest inlet to the north, but unlike St. Augustine Inlet, it was never developed and maintained as a major navigation channel. Its shallow water, shifting shoals and the fixed A1A bridge limited its usefulness to larger boats.

In fact, Matanzas is the last remaining undredged inlet on Florida’s Atlantic coast, making it remarkably different from the state's other developed ocean inlets.

As Palm Coast grew, so did interest in improving access to the Atlantic through Matanzas.

And this is where the story gets really interesting.

This photograph was donated to the Palm Coast Historical Society & Museum by Chuck Warren, a former ITT employee and PCHS volunteer. Along with the photograph, Chuck shared his firsthand recollections of discussions surrounding Matanzas during the ITT era.

Chuck recalls efforts to make Matanzas a more viable route to the Atlantic for boats coming from Palm Coast's newly developed canal system. He also remembers the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council opposing those efforts, with concerns that improved access through Matanzas could compete with St. Augustine for boat traffic.

So we started digging.

And we found some fascinating pieces of the story.

The St. Johns County Tourist Development Council was established in 1986, meaning the organization Chuck remembers was in place during this period, as well as many other stakeholders of the time.

Even more interesting, an independent oral history preserved by describes a 1987 push involving Matanzas Inlet and specifically connects it to Palm Coast.

The account recalls that after ITT developed Palm Coast, increasing numbers of boat owners along the Intracoastal wanted better access to the Atlantic. It describes a “move afoot” to do something about Matanzas at the same time the Florida Department of Transportation was considering what to do with the existing Matanzas bridge.

That is a remarkable independent match to part of Chuck's recollection.

What we have not yet located are contemporary TDC records confirming its reported opposition or the reasoning behind it. For now, that portion of the story remains what it began as: a firsthand recollection from someone who was here during the ITT era.

And that's where you might be able to help us fill in the rest of the story.

If you worked for ITT, boated Palm Coast's canals during the 1970s or 1980s, lived around Matanzas or St. Augustine, or remember discussions about improving ocean access through Matanzas, we'd love to hear what you remember.

Maybe there's an old newspaper clipping, letter, map, photograph—or simply another firsthand memory—that can help us put the remaining pieces together.

Nearly 56 years after this photograph was taken, Matanzas remains remarkably different from Florida's other Atlantic inlets.

And it leaves us with one heck of a question:

How different would Palm Coast—and Matanzas Inlet—be today if it had become a major navigable route to the Atlantic?

Palm Coast AND St. Johns County — What do you notice thats different to the modern day inlet? And what do you remember? Did you attend a meeting or take part in the discussions? Let us know in the comments! ⬇️

🔎 Help us solve this historical mystery— and share this post!