Moody Homestead Park

Moody Homestead Park. . Welcome to the former homestead of Isaac I. Moody, Jr. one of four founding fathers of Flagler County. As the county's first major real estate developer and banker, the first politician of note and the prime mover in the development of the "Old Brick Road", Moody did more than any individual in the initial growth and promotion of the county., Moody moved to Florida from Georgia in 1898 to work as a woods rider for a turpentine company to help support his mother and 5 siblings after his father died. He continued to court his fiancé, Dora Lee, via mail and the two eventually married on January 27, 1901 adding to their family 3 daughters, Gladys, Leona and Dorothy., When Bunnell became large enough for its own post office in 1903, Moody became the first postmaster. In 1909, Isaac and partners formed the Bunnell Development company and began building streets, platting the Town of Bunnell and marketing the Florida lifestyle which focused on a year-round growing season. In 1910, the Bunnell State Bank opened with Moody as the president. In 1913, Bunnell became incorporated and was now a city. In April 1914, Moody, who also served as chairman of the St. Johns County Commission, announced the voters' approval of a $650,000 bond issue for a new highway to be made of vitrified brick. Funding was provided by the Bunnell State Bank and construction began in 1915, with one crew working east toward Ocean City and another crew working north towards Espanola., Moody and four others attended a meeting of the state legislature in Tallahassee in 1917 for the purpose of establishing a new county. The citizens of this new county wanted to name it Moody County but I.I. Moody said it should be named to honor his good friend and railroad land developer Henry Morrison Flagler. With Flagler County now established, Governor Sidney J. Catts appointed Moody the county's first state representative., Two homes were built on the property; Isaac I. Moody's and his brother Robert Moody's. Little is known about the construction of Isaac Moody's home. It was built in 1915 and was destroyed by fire January 9, 1958. Robert Moody's home was woodframe with tongue in groove walls, heart pine floors and a tin roof., The two largest oaks in the property's oak grove have been dated at over 400 years old by an arborist and are registered with the Live Oak Society as "The Moody Oak" and “The Old Moody Homestead Oak”., (Captions) , I.I. Moody’s Home , Robert Moody’s Home