Five Polk County Sites on the National Register

Every community has places that shape its story. The historic county courthouse that once served as the heart of government. The hill where generations of children have watched their parents’ cars seem to roll the wrong way. The city hall that has anchored a downtown for nearly a century. Many of these places carry a special distinction in Polk County of being on the National Register of Historic Places.

Created in 1966 under the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. This honorary program falls under the U.S. Department of the Interior. It does not shield properties from alteration or demolition, but it does raise public awareness and opens the door to federal preservation tax credits for qualifying owners.

To earn a listing, a site must meet at least one of four criteria.

Criterion A: The site is significant because it is related to a historic event that changed history.
Criterion B: The site is significant because it is related to a person who changed history.
Criterion C: The site is significant because it exemplifies an architectural or construction style that is unique.
Criterion D: The site has the potential to yield historical significance.

Polk County, Florida, is home to 74 sites and districts listed on the National Register. Here are five you may be familiar with.

A historic courthouse with a neoclassical façade featuring tall columns, arched windows, and a central dome topped with a clock tower. The light‑colored stone exterior faces a city street lined with lamps and a sidewalk. — Old Polk County Courthouse in Bartow, Florida.

1. Old Polk County Courthouse

Added to the National Register in 1989, the Old Polk County Courthouse stands as one of Polk County’s most enduring landmarks. Designed in 1908 in the emerging neo-classical revival style and expanded in 1926 with perfectly matched wings, the courthouse reflects the county’s explosive growth during the phosphate and Florida land booms. For nearly eight decades it served as the heart of local government and as the setting where two future national figures, attorney Chesterfield Smith and longtime United States Senator Spessard L. Holland launched their legal and political careers.

Preserved with remarkable integrity and beautifully restored in the late 1980s, the building remains a striking example of early 20th century classicism, marked by its monumentality, balanced proportions and restrained ornamentation. Today it continues to serve Polk County as the Polk County History Center, home to the historical museum and the historical and genealogical library. Public tours highlighting the distinctive architecture are offered at 11 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month.

2. Old Haines City National Guard Armory

A two‑story brick armory building with a metal roof, tall rectangular windows and a prominent chimney‑like tower on one end. The structure sits beside a walkway with trees and open green space. — Old Haines City National Guard Armory in Haines City, Florida.

Added to the National Register in 1994, the Old Haines City National Guard Armory is the community’s most significant surviving link to Florida’s state militia and National Guard history. Built between 1932 and 1935 after an earlier armory was destroyed in a fire, the new facility brought much needed jobs during the Depression and became the headquarters for local Guard units through World War II.

Supported by New Deal funding, the complex grew to include a vehicle storage building, administrative spaces and recreation areas that reflected both military needs and federal investment in local infrastructure.

From 1920 to 1930, and into the mid-20th century, Haines City Guard units trained for civil defense, disaster response and eventually overseas combat as part of the 31st Infantry Division. Used until 1983, the armory remains a tangible reminder of the city’s military heritage, its role in national preparedness and the community’s longstanding support of the citizen-soldiers who served there.

3. Spook Hill

A paved road lined with trees leading uphill beneath a large metal archway that reads “Spook Hill.” The entrance is surrounded by natural vegetation and greenery. — Spook Hill in Lake Wales, Florida.

Added to the National Register in 2019, Spook Hill has intrigued visitors since it opened in 1950 in Lake Wales, Florida. Famous for its gravity-defying optical illusion, this quiet stretch of North Wales Drive appears to send cars rolling uphill when placed in neutral. The experience begins at a ghost-adorned roadside sign that shares the hill’s evolving legend and guides visitors to a painted white line beneath the iconic “SPOOK HILL” archway. Framed by natural slopes and an unobstructed horizon, the setting creates the perfect conditions for the illusion and for the supernatural stories that have shaped the site’s identity for more than six decades.

Though gravity hills exist worldwide, Lake Wales’ Spook Hill stands apart for the rich local lore, community pride and ever-changing signage that have turned a curious natural phenomenon into a beloved piece of Florida folklore.

4. Craney Spec Houses Historic District

An aerial view of a modern residential property with a flat‑roofed home, central courtyard and long rectangular swimming pool, surrounded by hedges, trees and neighboring homes. — Craney Spec Houses Historic District in Winter Haven, Florida.

Added to the National Register in 2019, the Craney Spec Houses Historic District in Winter Haven showcases one of Florida’s most distinctive midcentury modern neighborhoods. Set along a single block overlooking Lake Elbert, the district features 10 innovative homes designed in 1956 by architect Gene Leedy, one of the leading figures of the Sarasota School of Architecture, and commissioned by local developer Richard “Dick” Craney. Built at the crest of a former grapefruit grove, these “Mark I” and “Mark II” model homes introduced open floor plans, exposed structural materials and a strikingly minimalist aesthetic that embodied the optimism and experimentation of the postwar era.

Created during a period of rapid population growth and profound social change in Florida, the development was intended as the beginning of a modernist community that responded to the region’s urgent housing needs. Although two homes have been significantly altered and one lot was never developed by Craney, the district still clearly reflects the visionary partnership between Craney and Leedy. Together they transformed undeveloped citrus land into a compact showcase of Sarasota School design and an enduring testament to midcentury innovation, community planning and the spirit of modern Florida.

5. Auburndale City Hall

An aerial view of a historic brick civic building with a central octagonal tower, red‑tiled roof, tall windows and a landscaped lawn featuring a flagpole and palm trees. — Auburndale City Hall in Auburndale, Florida.

Added to the National Register in 2013, Auburndale City Hall is a 1927 Italian Renaissance Revival landmark that has served as the civic heart of the community for nearly a century. Designed by Lakeland architect Rolland C. Buckley, the symmetrical yellow-brick building features an elegant L-shaped layout anchored by a three-story octagonal belfry, cast-stone detailing, tall multi-light windows and finely crafted parapets and pilasters. From the start, the building was designed to house every essential city function. Offices, council chambers, the public library and even the town’s fire and police departments all operated under one roof, reflecting the rapid growth and rising municipal ambitions of 1920s Auburndale.

Over the decades, its rooms have supported everything from library operations and civic meetings to fire department living quarters and public works offices. Though departmental needs have shifted and new facilities have been built around it, Auburndale City Hall remains a center of local government and a preserved testament to the city’s early civic pride and architectural sophistication.

Preserving Polk County’s Story

In 2023, the Polk County Board of County Commissioners passed the Polk County Historic Preservation Ordinance, which provides protection for local historic properties in the unincorporated county. The ordinance is the foundation for the Polk County Certified Local Government (CLG) program.

The CLG program ensures collaboration and communication between Polk County, the State of Florida and the Department of the Interior through notification of historic preservation initiatives and programs. It positions Polk County Government as a primary contact for residents and property owners interested in preserving and recognizing historic sites across the county.

If you are interested in adding a historic site to the National Register of Historic Places contact the Historic Preservation Manager at (863) 534-4385 or visit polkhistorycenter.org.

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Tags: Auburndale, Auburndale City Hall, Bartow, Courthouse, Craney Spec Houses Historic District, Haines City, Historic Preservation, Historic Sites in Polk County, history, lake wales, Old Haines City National Guard Armory, polk county florida, polk county history, Polk County History Center, Spook Hill, Winter Haven