Dead towns of Alabama PDF
Preview Dead towns of Alabama
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-
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