Bullock County Courthouse Historic District

The three blocks along Prairie Street in Union Springs contain a concentration of late 19th Century commercial buildings as well as one of the finest postbellum courthouses in the state. The majority of the structures within the district date from the late 1860's to 1910, a period during which the town became the political and commercial center of Bullock County. Within the district were, and are, the most important commercial establishments in the county, as well as the location of the county's major newspapers. Although several buildings have been altered and one intrusion does exist, the district as a whole retains the appearance and character of the late 19th Century county seat.

Union Springs ascendancy as the commercial and political center of the county is tied to its designation as the county seat and to its location along the Mobile and Girard Railroad. The town was founded in 1835 and was incorporated in January of 1844. One of the first ordinances enacted by the council was to declare the north and south street a public street and to name it Prairie. By 1858 the town was little more than "an unpretentious town of 100 inhabitants or less, one or two stores and one church". But it was during this period that the Mobile and Girard Railroad was completed past Union Springs, a factor that greatly influenced the selection of the city as the seat of Bullock County, formed in 1866 out of parts of Montgomery, Macon and Pike counties.

Lying along the crest of Chunnennuggee Ridge the dividing line between the black belt and wiregrass sections of the state, Union Springs' economy in the later half of the 1880s was largely devoted to merchandising and dealing in cotton. Agriculture in Bullock County from the earliest days has been largely devoted to cotton production. An overdependence on this crop caused the county much suffering in the decades before 1900 as it did in nearly all southern counties. The county's major newspapers, printed within the district, supported the diversification of agriculture. The Union Springs Herald, the leading paper was pleased to report that by 1898, Union Springs had ceased putting all their eggs in one basket" and depending on cotton alone. There were three banks and six industries, including the Union Springs Handle Factory, which turned out flooring and molding, Home Oil Mili, a steam ginnery, and two grist mills. However, still, the largest enterprise in Union Springs was the Cotton Mills.

The 1871 courthouse, which serves as the focal point of the district, is one of the finest postbellum courthouses in the state and the only one constructed in the Second Empire Style. The county provided M.M. Tye of Union Springs, the architect for the courthouse with a fund of $31,000 for the construction of a building "combining all the conveniences and advantages of modern architecture". By the time of completion because of the inflated conditions of the economy through the state, it had cost $60,000. The Bullock County Courthouse houses the offices of all county officials and all county business is conducted here; it is, therefore, the center of all political activities within the county. Although modern conveniences have been added for the sake of comfort the exterior has been maintained with no alterations.

The buildings which flank the courthouse and line the opposite side of Prairie Street range from typical to fine examples of the late 19th Century commercial structures. The most outstanding of the commercial buildings are the Hembree Building with its unique pressed metal facade on the upper level. All of the buildings are of brick construction, several having interesting brickwork trim either over the windows or as cornices. Many of the buildings in the district have original wooden storefronts. Several of the buildings have cast iron fronts on the street level, common in the late 1800s in this region. One of the most outstanding of these is the Carlisle Building which is actually a row of small stores with identical iron fronts and a wooden shed roof. Two of these shops have been continually occupied by the same businesses.

This district was not only the economic and political hub of Bullock County but was also important socially. Within its boundaries was founded the First Baptist Church, the first church in Union Springs, and the first brick church in the county. Later when
designated as the county seat, the basement of this building was used as the circuit court until the present courthouse was built. For entertainment, the citizens would attend theatrical performances at the local "opera house" in what is now the First National Bank Building. For literary pursuits, a library was established in the Baptist Church in 1896, where it was maintained until the Carnegie Library was built in 1911. City Hall was built as the Masonic Lodge in 1889 and the masonic symbol can still be seen above the front entrance. The volunteer fire company just down from the Masonic Building, besides fighting fires, had annual picnics and other social events.