Union County was split off from Bradford County in 1921, and on October 1, 1921, it became Florida's 61st county. The county says the name Union was picked to show unity after years of conflict and division. Its county seat, Lake Butler, takes its name from Colonel Robert Butler, whom the state calls the Florida Territory's first surveyor general. A state prison farm was founded near Raiford in 1913, and the county's history reaches back to the Timucua people who once lived on its land.
This page tells the story in order, from the Timucua and Spanish Florida to a state trail, a Hall of Fame running back and a preservation honor, then lists places in the county where you can still see it. The sources for each part are named at the end of that part, and all of them are listed at the bottom of the page.
The Timucua, Spanish Florida and Colonel Butler
A state historical marker in Lake Butler says the Timucua people once lived on the land that is now Union County. Later the land was part of Spain's Florida colony. A settler named Sam Worthington came to the area before the First Seminole War, which lasted from 1814 to 1819, and the town of Worthington Springs carries his name.
In 1821 Spain gave Florida to the United States. On July 10, 1821, Spanish officials surrendered East Florida to Colonel Robert Butler. The state marker says he was the Florida Territory's first surveyor general, and both the lake and the town of Lake Butler were named for him.
Sources: Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County; Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Markers, Union County; Union County Economic Development: Town of Worthington Springs; University of South Florida, Florida Center for Instructional Technology: Union County maps
Next: Chapter 2, Forts, a Stage Stop and Changing County Lines, 1821 to 1858 →
Forts, a Stage Stop and Changing County Lines, 1821 to 1858
When Florida became a United States territory in 1821, the land that is now Union County was part of St. Johns County. It moved into Duval County in 1822 and into Alachua County from 1828 to 1832. Columbia County, formed in 1832, held the area until 1858.
Early settlers clustered near Providence, where stagecoaches stopped, and near Worthington Springs beside the Santa Fe River. During the Second Seminole War, from 1835 to 1842, soldiers posted at Fort Ward and at Fort Call guarded these settlements. Fort Crabb protected the land to the north of Lake Butler. A 1937 county history adds that forts were built near Providence and on the north side of Lake Butler.
Sources: Union County Board of County Commissioners: Welcome to Union County, Florida; Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County; Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 1; Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 3
Next: Chapter 3, New River County and the Fight for the County Seat →
New River County and the Fight for the County Seat
In 1858 the state created New River County, and Lake Butler was named its county seat, the county's history says. The state historical marker gives 1859 as the year Lake Butler became the seat. A 1937 county history says Lake Butler was surveyed and set up as a town in 1859, beside a lake that shares its name.
In 1861 New River County was renamed Bradford County. The new name honored Major Bradford. The county says he was the first Florida officer in the Confederate army to be killed in the Civil War. After the war, voters went to the polls several times to decide whether Lake Butler or Starke would be the county seat. Starke won an election in the late 1890s and became the county seat, the county says.
Sources: Union County Board of County Commissioners: Welcome to Union County, Florida; Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County; Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 1
Next: Chapter 4, Railroads Reach Lake Butler, 1890 to 1910 →
Railroads Reach Lake Butler, 1890 to 1910
Tracks of the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad ran across the county by 1890. Lake Butler grew and became an incorporated city in 1893. The Jacksonville and Southwestern Railroad was finished in 1899, and the Atlantic Coast Line later ran it as a branch. Its stops included Lake Butler, Raiford, Johnstown, Danville, Dukes and Worthington Springs.
A 1937 county history says Lake Butler was where two railroads crossed, the Georgia Southern and Florida and the Atlantic Coast Line. Raiford was the main place for lumber and naval stores work, the state marker says.
The two-story Townsend Building on Lake Butler's Main Street dates to 1910, a University of North Florida photo record says. Its National Register of Historic Places record gives 1900 as its significant year and 1900 to 1924 as its period of significance. The photo record gives its other name as the Old Drugstore and says it is home to the Union County Historical Society.
Sources: Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County; Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 3; University of North Florida Digital Commons: Townsend Building, Lake Butler, FL; National Park Service: NPGallery, Townsend Building
Next: Chapter 5, Worthington Springs, the Health Resort →
Worthington Springs, the Health Resort
From the late 1800s into the early 1900s, visitors came to the spring beside the Santa Fe River because its mineral water was said to be healthful. The state marker calls it a popular resort known for health-giving waters. In 1906 a new owner built a concrete box 12 feet square around the spring to send its water into a concrete pool 90 by 50 feet. A wall split the pool so men and women bathed in separate sections. The resort had a hotel, a recreation hall and a bathhouse.
The Fourth of July was always a big day at the springs. Thousands of people came to picnic, swim, talk politics and visit, and a special train brought holiday crowds from Jacksonville. An iron and timber bridge over the river opened the way south in 1908, and a concrete bridge replaced it in 1937.
In the mid-1900s the spring's flow fell off and then stopped completely. Activity at the resort dropped off, and it was abandoned.
Sources: Union County Economic Development: Town of Worthington Springs; Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County
Next: Chapter 6, The State Prison Farm at Raiford, 1913 →
The State Prison Farm at Raiford, 1913
In 1913 the state set up a prison farm near Raiford, and the state marker says it gave the local economy a boost. A 1937 county history says the state bought a tract of about 18,000 acres in 1913. That history calls Raiford a small town and the home of the State Prison Farm.
One book-length history of Florida's state prisons from 1910 to 1957 looks closely at conditions at the prison farm at Raiford. The Florida State Prison stood in the Raiford area when Union County was formed in 1921, the county's economic development office says.
Sources: Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County; Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 3; Project MUSE (University Press of Florida): Hard Labor and Hard Time, Florida's Sunshine Prison and Chain Gangs; Union County Economic Development: Economic Condition and Outlook
Next: Chapter 7, Union County Is Created, 1921 →
Union County Is Created, 1921
Instead of holding another vote on the county seat, Bradford County was split in 1921 to make Union County, the county's history says. The state marker says the Legislature created Union County on May 20, 1921, from the part of Bradford west of the New River. Union County began on October 1, 1921, as the state's 61st county, covering 246 square miles. Of Florida's 67 counties, the state marker says, Union is the smallest. A University of South Florida map site names Lake Butler as the county seat.
The county says Union was picked as the name to stand for unity after a long stretch of strife and division. A 1937 county history says the name came from the everyday word for unity. The map site says the county was first meant to be called New River County, bringing back the name lost in 1861. It says the usual explanation for Union is that both sides in the split agreed on one thing, their wish to separate.
A 1937 county history lists the first county officers, among them S. T. Dowling as clerk of the circuit court, A. C. Strickland as county judge and W. S. Brannen as sheriff. County offices were rented at first, and in 1922 a building of corrugated iron and wood went up as a courthouse.
Sources: Union County Board of County Commissioners: Welcome to Union County, Florida; Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County; Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 3; University of South Florida, Florida Center for Instructional Technology: Union County maps; Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 1
Next: Chapter 8, A WPA Courthouse and Farm Life in the 1930s →
A WPA Courthouse and Farm Life in the 1930s
The state marker says sea island cotton, cattle and lumber were a basis for the area's economic growth. After the boll weevil hit the cotton fields in 1918, cattle, dairy and food crops grew. The Union County Courthouse in Lake Butler was built in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project. John Pearson designed the brick building in the Classical Revival style.
A WPA history of the county, dated February 10, 1937, and bearing the name Mary Johnson, describes its farms and towns. It names farming, stock raising and naval stores as the main industries. Farmers grew tobacco, cotton, corn, peanuts, sugar cane and early vegetables, and the writer adds that the soil suited Sea Island cotton. Dukes had naval stores work and many truck farms, and Johnstown had a church, a post office and small farms.
Two men serving in Congress in 1937, R. A. Green and Joe Hendricks, were born in the county, the history says. It also calls the county the childhood home of General Charles P. Summerall.
Sources: Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County; Florida Department of State: Secretary Lee Announces Lake Butler as Florida's Newest Certified Local Government; Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 1; University of North Florida Digital Commons: Union County Historical Marker, Lake Butler, FL; Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 3
Next: Chapter 9, New Prisons and a New Town, 1955 to 1989 →
New Prisons and a New Town, 1955 to 1989
In 1955 a new section of the prison, the East Unit, was built on the Bradford County side of the New River. The county's economic development office says the East Unit split off as a separate prison in 1961 and took the name Florida State Prison. The original prison took the name Union Correctional Institution.
In 1958 the county bought 1,020 acres of a former U.S. naval air base from the federal government. In 1961 county leaders deeded the Florida Department of Corrections 500 acres, provided that a reception center or medical center be built there. In 1989 the county deeded 260 more acres for the Reception and Medical Center West Unit.
Worthington Springs became an incorporated town in 1963, with a mayor and council. In 1964 a state historical marker went up in the Lake Butler area for Mount Zion Primitive Baptist Church and Swift Creek Cemetery. In 1975 Worthington Springs built a community center that also held its city hall offices.
Sources: Union County Economic Development: Economic Condition and Outlook; Union County Economic Development: Town of Worthington Springs; Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Markers, Union County
Next: Chapter 10, Consolidated High School, 1957 to 1968 →
Consolidated High School, 1957 to 1968
In 1957, during the Jim Crow era of segregation, the Union County School Board made plans to combine the county's Black schools in one new school. Before then, Black children rode buses to A. L. Mebane School or to other schools in nearby counties. The school was built on 15 acres on the town's west side, with its front on US Highway 121, which is now 6th Street. Mrs. Ruth Mildred Jenkins was the principal of the new Consolidated High School.
At first it taught grades 1 through 10, and grades 11 and 12 came later. The Blue Devil was the school's mascot, and royal blue and white were its colors. The marker says its math and science teaching ranked among the strongest in the state, and the school won state and national awards. Its 41-voice chorus appeared on a Jacksonville program, The Ken Knight Show.
Students could also join football, basketball and track teams, school patrols and a student government. When all the county's schools were desegregated in the spring of 1968, Consolidated High School became Lake Butler Elementary School.
Since 1990: A State Trail, a Hall of Fame Running Back and a Preservation Honor
In 1993 the Union County Historical Society and the Florida Department of State put up a marker telling the county's story at the Union County Courthouse in Lake Butler. The state bought the old railroad line between Palatka and Lake Butler from the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway Company with Preservation 2000 money. In 2007 the state added the Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail to the Florida Greenways and Trails System. The trail's Lake Butler trailhead is at a restored railroad depot.
In January 2021 the National Football Foundation named Union County High School graduate C. J. Spiller to the College Football Hall of Fame. At Lake Butler he gained 5,511 rushing yards and scored 93 touchdowns before he went on to Clemson. In 2009 he was named player of the year in the ACC.
On May 5, 2022, Florida's Secretary of State welcomed Lake Butler as Florida's 81st Certified Local Government, a historic preservation program. To qualify, the city passed a historic preservation ordinance and formed a historic preservation commission. The announcement also showed residents marking Union County's 100th anniversary at the courthouse in Lake Butler. In 2023 a Florida historical marker went up in Lake Butler for the Consolidated High School.
Sources: Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Markers, Union County; University of North Florida Digital Commons: Union County Marker (Obverse) Lake Butler, FL; Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County; Florida Department of Environmental Protection: Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail Executive Summary; Florida State Parks: Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail, History; Florida State Parks: Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail, Experiences and Amenities; News4JAX (Associated Press): Union County grad CJ Spiller among 13 headed to College Football Hall of Fame; Florida Department of State: Secretary Lee Announces Lake Butler as Florida's Newest Certified Local Government
Next: the whole story, in dates →The whole story, in dates
Settler Sam Worthington arrives before the First Seminole War.
Spanish officials surrender East Florida to Colonel Robert Butler.
The land becomes part of St. Johns County.
The area moves into Duval County.
The area is part of Alachua County.
Columbia County is formed and holds the area until 1858.
Fort Ward and Fort Call guard settlers in the Second Seminole War.
New River County is created, with Lake Butler as county seat.
Lake Butler is surveyed and set up as a town.
New River County is renamed Bradford County.
The Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad crosses the county.
Lake Butler becomes an incorporated city.
Starke wins an election to become the county seat.
The Jacksonville and Southwestern Railroad is finished.
A new owner builds a concrete box around the spring at Worthington Springs.
An iron and timber bridge crosses the river at Worthington Springs.
The state sets up a prison farm near Raiford.
The boll weevil hits the cotton fields.
The Legislature creates Union County, the state marker says.
Union County begins as Florida's 61st county.
A building of corrugated iron and wood serves as the courthouse.
The WPA builds the Union County Courthouse.
The date on a WPA history of the county bearing the name Mary Johnson.
The East Unit is built across the New River.
The school board plans one new school to combine the county's Black schools.
The county buys 1,020 acres of a former naval air base.
The East Unit becomes Florida State Prison, and the county deeds 500 acres to the Department of Corrections.
Worthington Springs becomes an incorporated town.
A marker goes up for Mount Zion Primitive Baptist Church and Swift Creek Cemetery.
Schools are desegregated, and Consolidated High becomes Lake Butler Elementary.
The county deeds 260 acres for the Reception and Medical Center West Unit.
A marker on the county's history goes up at the courthouse.
The Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail joins the state trail system.
C. J. Spiller is named to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Lake Butler becomes Florida's 81st Certified Local Government.
A state marker goes up for the Consolidated High School.
Where you can still see it
01
02Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail
Goes with: Since 1990: A State Trail, a Hall of Fame Running Back and a Preservation Honor
Open the place page →
03Union County Courthouse
Goes with: A WPA Courthouse and Farm Life in the 1930s
Union County government →Questions people ask
When was Union County created?
Union County began on October 1, 1921, as the state's 61st county, covering 246 square miles.
Chapter 7 →Why is it called Union County?
The county says Union was picked as the name to stand for unity after a long stretch of strife and division.
Chapter 7 →What is the county seat of Union County?
A University of South Florida map site names Lake Butler as the county seat.
Chapter 7 →When did the state prison farm at Raiford start?
In 1913 the state set up a prison farm near Raiford, and the state marker says it gave the local economy a boost.
Chapter 6 →When were Union County's schools desegregated?
When all the county's schools were desegregated in the spring of 1968, Consolidated High School became Lake Butler Elementary School.
Chapter 10 →Where this comes from.
Last updated October 20, 2026.
- Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, Union County ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Markers, Union County ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Florida Department of State: Florida Historical Marker Details, The Consolidated High School, Lake Butler, Florida ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Union County Board of County Commissioners: Welcome to Union County, Florida ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 1 ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Florida Memory: WPA Histories, Union Co. (1937), image 3 ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- University of South Florida, Florida Center for Instructional Technology: Union County maps ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Union County Economic Development: Town of Worthington Springs ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Union County Economic Development: Economic Condition and Outlook ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- University of North Florida Digital Commons: Townsend Building, Lake Butler, FL ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- University of North Florida Digital Commons: Union County Marker (Obverse) Lake Butler, FL ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- University of North Florida Digital Commons: Union County Historical Marker, Lake Butler, FL ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- National Park Service: NPGallery, Townsend Building ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Project MUSE (University Press of Florida): Hard Labor and Hard Time, Florida's Sunshine Prison and Chain Gangs ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Florida Department of State: Secretary Lee Announces Lake Butler as Florida's Newest Certified Local Government ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Florida State Parks: Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail, History ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Florida State Parks: Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail, Experiences and Amenities ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection: Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail Executive Summary ↗ Read October 19, 2026
- News4JAX (Associated Press): Union County grad CJ Spiller among 13 headed to College Football Hall of Fame ↗ Read October 19, 2026