City of Union Springs
Our History :
What is now known as Bullock County was cultivated when Creek Indians moving westward from Georgia settled here in the early 1700s. It was said that in those days, 27 springs of fresh water fed the area, making the land around the prominent Chunnenuggee Ridge a fertile oasis for the migrating Creeks.
In 1832, following a bitter war between the Indians and the early white settlers, the Creeks ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi River. This allowed families from surrounding states to move in and find a new life in this prosperous countryside. Within three short years, churches, schools and stores began appearing as the community of Union Springs was born.
Union Springs became quite prosperous prior to the Civil War, boasting of numerous factories, tanneries, hotels and mercantile shops. An early account described Union Springs as a "healthy land where lived the wealthiest plantations." Following the war, in 1866, portions of Macon, Montgomery, Barbour and Pike counties were brought together to form Bullock County, named in honor of Confederate hero Col. E. C. Bullock.
One resident provided a somewhat humorous record regarding the population of Union Springs in those days. They wrote, "In 1878, Union Springs has 2,000 inhabitants, 20 widows, 8 widowers, 26 marriageable ladies and 23 marriageable gentlemen." One might say that it was the advertisements rather than the land that drew people in!
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Union Springs flourished. Two major railroads intersected in Union Springs, making the city an important hub of the state, and the South. The booming industry and commerce in the city made many inhabitants very wealthy, which led to the many graceful Southern mansions being built all around Union Springs.
Today, Union Springs has a very relaxed pace of living. Economic development and thriving industries provide the backbone of a close-knit community committed to preserving its history. The National Register of Historic Places lists 47 homes and businesses that have been preserved as standing monuments to Union Springs' illustrious past. Reflections of antebellum times are seen in such homes as the Hunter-Anderson-Yeomens House, the oldest home in town, built in 1843, and the Bonus-Foster-Chapman House built in 1852.
From the days of reconstruction onward, the architecture of the homes built in Union Springs was as diverse as the Southern aristocrats who built them. From the intricate and ornate Queen Anne Victorians, such as the Singleton-Jones House and the Methodist parsonage, to the impressive Neo-Classical Revival styles of the Turnipseed-McLaurine House and the Rainer-Lewis House, to the Gothic and Greek Revival styles, these beautiful homes are some of the finest examples in existence of great, Southern architecture and charm. Union Springs is truly an architectural feast for the enthusiast!
