Dead towns of Alabama

364 Pages·1977·1.6 MB·English

by  W. Stuart Harris

title: Dead Towns of Alabama
author: Harris, W. Stuart.
publisher: University of Alabama Press
isbn10 | asin: 0817352325
print isbn13: 9780817352325
ebook isbn13: 9780585265636
language: English
Alabama--Antiquities, Extinct cities--
Alabama, Indians of North America--
subject
Alabama--Antiquities, Fortification--
Alabama.
publication date: 1977
lcc: F328.H37 1977eb
ddc: 976.1
Alabama--Antiquities, Extinct cities--
Alabama, Indians of North America--
subject:
Alabama--Antiquities, Fortification--
Alabama.
Page i
Dead Towns of Alabama
Page ii
Centennial Celebration at St. Stephens, Alabama, May 6, 1899, showing
the U.S. Revenue Cutter Winona and the river steamer Minnie Lee
unloading guests at the abandoned site.
(Courtesy Alabama State Department of Archives and History.)
Page iii
Dead Towns of Alabama
W. Stuart Harris
Published in honor of the
American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976,
under the auspices of the
Alabama Bicentennial Commission
Page iv
Fourth printing 1989
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Harris, W Stuart, 1933-
Dead towns of Alabama.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. AlabamaAntiquities. 2. Cities and towns,
Extinct, ruined, etc.Alabama. 3. Indians of North
AmericaAlabamaAntiquities. 4. Fortification
Alabama. I. Title.
F338.H37 976.1 76-29655
ISBN 0-8173-5232-5
Copyright © 1977 by
The University of Alabama Press
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Manufactured in the United States of America
Page v
CONTENTS
Preface vii
Part I: Indian Towns and Villages 1
Part II: Fort Sites 35
Part III: Colonial, Territorial, and State Towns 57
Notes 113
Bibliography 135
A Listing of Dead Towns by Counties 145
Index 149
Page vi
Dedicated to my wife
Barbara, who has encouraged
my interest in Alabama history,
and to my children, Lee, Bill,
Cathy, and Jenny, who have often
accompanied me in my ventures to
the dead towns of the state.
Page vii
PREFACE
Today many people have developed an interest in reading about and
visiting dead towns, or, as some prefer to call them, ghost towns. A
dead town is a place where people once lived and conducted business,
where homes and other buildings once existed, but which are now
empty, lifeless, and all but forgotten. Such sites formerly appeared on
maps and in atlases, but are now omitted. A few years ago only
professional historians were interested in these forgotten sites. Now
students, history buffs, and families on outings enjoy exploring areas
far from the beaten paths, across plowed fields, or through briar-
infested wilderness areas, searching for reminders of another time. It
is for those interested in dead towns that I have compiled this book. I
have classified the sites into three sections: Indian towns and villages;
fort sites; and colonial, territorial, and state dead towns.
Alabama is rich in historical lore. Indians made the area their home
for possibly as long as 10,000 years. Spanish sailors visited the coastal
area in 1519, and Hernando DeSoto transversed much of the state in
1540. The first true colony was established by the French in 1702, and
trading forts were soon erected in the wilderness. Pioneers built
homes in the wilderness, and their descendents reaped the harvest of
their labors. Alabama has had five capitals, two of which have
become dead towns.
Very few dead town studies have been published. The first full-length
monograph on dead towns was written in 1878 by the prominent
Georgia historian, Charles Colcock Jones, Jr. Entitled The Dead
Towns of Georgia, this classic described a number of towns, such as
Old Ebenezer, Frederica, Hardwicke, and Sunbury, which flourished
in the early days of Georgia's history. Im-