Port Orange in Volusia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Spanish Mills and Bongoland
Photographed By AGS Media, July 31, 2011
1. Spanish Mills and Bongoland Marker
Inscription.
Spanish Mills and Bongoland. . After the 1850s, Dunlawton's days as a serious sugar venture were through. John Marshall moved away, tried to rid himself of the Florida plantation, and finally snared a buyer in 1871. His successors included Charles Dougherty (a noted lawyer-politician but no farmer); Henry Flagler (who bought a corridor for his coastal rail line); and J. Saxton Lloyd (a prominent businessman who helped create an early theme park, then gave the lands to Volusia County in 1963)., In short, Dunlawton had a second life. As local people and tourists explored East Florida after the Civil War, they found mysterious ruins nestled in the cattle lands and orange groves. Early postcards, photos, and travel writings pictured Dunlawton as worth seeing - but they also botched its story. By popular acclaim, this place became the site of an "Old Spanish Sugar Mill.", Fun and fantasy soon defined Dunlawton. After World War II, paying visitors could stop by the "Lost Mission and Olde English Sugar Mill," complete with gardens that gave rise to a botanical park. Girls in beachwear posed for state tourism photos. And for years people enjoyed Bongoland, with its concrete dinosaurs, miniature train, and resident baboon named Bongo. It was a long way from the hard work of frontier sugar making., [ Postcards ] , Early postcard views of Dunlawton: a pre-World War I scene (printed in Germany) and a 1920s photo with "Spanish" models. Though publishers got its story wrong, the site appeared in many twentieth-century picture cards., [ Brochure cover; Photo ] , After World War II, Dunlawton became a fun, romantic tourist site. Promoters advertised a Franciscan mission (later occupied by "enterprising English colonists"), and photographers used the ruins as a scenic backdrop., [ Brochure cover; Illustration ] , Bongoland, with its famous "monkey host." Among other things, this family park featured a Seminole Indian Village and "re-created strange prehistoric monsters." , Model-and-ruins photo (1946) by the State Department of Commerce, courtesy of the Florida Photographic Collection/State Archives. , Postcards and brochures courtesy of Tom Baskett, Jr.
After the 1850s, Dunlawton's days as a serious sugar venture were through. John Marshall moved away, tried to rid himself of the Florida plantation, and finally snared a buyer in 1871. His successors included Charles Dougherty (a noted lawyer-politician but no farmer); Henry Flagler (who bought a corridor for his coastal rail line); and J. Saxton Lloyd (a prominent businessman who helped create an early theme park, then gave the lands to Volusia County in 1963).
In short, Dunlawton had a second life. As local people and tourists explored East Florida after the Civil War, they found mysterious ruins nestled in the cattle lands and orange groves. Early postcards, photos, and travel writings pictured Dunlawton as worth seeing - but they also botched its story. By popular acclaim, this place became the site of an "Old Spanish Sugar Mill."
Fun and fantasy soon defined Dunlawton. After World War II, paying visitors could stop by the "Lost Mission and Olde English Sugar Mill," complete with gardens that gave rise to a botanical park. Girls in beachwear posed for state tourism photos. And for years people enjoyed Bongoland, with its concrete dinosaurs, miniature train, and resident baboon named Bongo. It was a long way from the hard work of frontier sugar making.
[ Postcards ] Early postcard views of Dunlawton:
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a pre-World War I scene (printed in Germany) and a 1920s photo with "Spanish" models. Though publishers got its story wrong, the site appeared in many twentieth-century picture cards.
[ Brochure cover; Photo ] After World War II, Dunlawton became a fun, romantic tourist site. Promoters advertised a Franciscan mission (later occupied by "enterprising English colonists"), and photographers used the ruins as a scenic backdrop.
[ Brochure cover; Illustration ] Bongoland, with its famous "monkey host." Among other things, this family park featured a Seminole Indian Village and "re-created strange prehistoric monsters." Model-and-ruins photo (1946) by the State Department of Commerce, courtesy of the Florida Photographic Collection/State Archives. Postcards and brochures courtesy of Tom Baskett, Jr.
Erected by Volusia County and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, assisted by the Florida Historical Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1871.
Location. 29° 8.479′ N, 81° 0.355′ W. Marker is in Port Orange, Florida, in Volusia County. Marker can be reached from Old Sugar Mill
Photographed By AGS Media, July 31, 2011
2. Marker close-up: Postcards of "Old Spanish Sugar Mills"
Road east of Herbert Street, on the left when traveling east. The marker is on the grounds of the Dunlawton Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 950 Old Sugar Mill Road, Port Orange FL 32129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The marker features the logos of Volusia County and the Florida Heritage program.
Regarding Spanish Mills and Bongoland. The site was listed with the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 under the name Dunlawton Plantation--Sugar Mill Ruins (# 73000606).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. To better understand the story of the Dunlawton Plantation and Sugar Mill Ruins, study each marker in the order shown.
Photographed By AGS Media, July 31, 2011
3. Marker close-up: Photo, Brochures from "Lost Mission & Olde English Sugar Mill" and "Bongoland"
Photographed By AGS Media, August 14, 2010
4. Spanish Mills and Bongoland Marker
Beyond the marker are the sugar mill ruins, and plot of sugar cane.
Photographed By AGS Media, August 14, 2010
5. The Bongoland Tyranosaurus Rex
Photographed By AGS Media, August 13, 2010
6. The Bongoland Triceratops
Photographed By AGS Media, August 13, 2010
7. The Bongoland Stegasaurus
Photographed By AGS Media, August 13, 2010
8. The Bongoland Dimetrodon
This dinosaur replica is pictured on the historical marker.
Photographed By AGS Media, August 13, 2010
9. Additional markers near the Dunlawton Sugar Mill Ruins
The first marker features the Volusia County logo and reads:
This project was funded in part by the County of Volusia ECHO Grant Program, approved by its citizens November 2000, to construct environmental, cultural, historical, and outdoor recreation projects.
The second, featuring a portrait of its honoree, reads:
In grateful recognition of the generosity of J. Saxton Lloyd who has donated Sugar Mill Gardens for the public enjoyment and the preservation of Volusia County's historical heritage Volusia County Council 1983
Credits. This page was last revised on August 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 26, 2011, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. This page has been viewed 843 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on August 26, 2011, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on August 27, 2011, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.