Flagler County Courthouse

     Flagler County was created in 1917 from parts of Volusia and St. Johns Counties. The name honors Henry Morrison Flagler, railroad magnate and developer of Florida's east coast.  Reportedly the name was suggested by developer and banker I. I. Moody, after the local legislative delegation originally proposed the name "Moody County." Flagler County Courthouse (Florida Archives Collection)The county seat is Bunnell, settled in 1880 by Alva A. Bunnell. It happens to be the home town of Polk Circuit Judge Susan Wadsworth Roberts, whose father was a longtime state legislator and, like daughter, a circuit judge.

     A dedication ceremony was held in Ocean City (now Flagler Beach), with Governor Sidney Catts the keynote speaker. Governor Catts noted the new county's small size but predicted it would prosper anyway; putting his money where his mouth was, he invested in a 40-acre potato farm. County offices were set up in a building being vacated by I. I. Moody's Bunnell State Bank. The second floor courtroom had been used by the localFlagler County Courthouse (Keith Vincent Collection) Masonic lodge. These facilities were in use until 1924,Current Flagler County Courthouse (Photo by Jared Anton) when the county constructed the courthouse shown here. Designed by architect Wilbur Talley, it was built by O. P. Woodcock.

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Updated 12/07/08