Wilcox Historical Society Newsletter – Spring 2006

Prairie Bluff Tour 

There will be a special on-site historical tour andmeeting at Prairie Bluff on Thursday, May 4, 2006starting at 10:30 A.M. The meeting is being hostedby John and Gail Henderson, and will be held at their newhome located on Shell Creek. You get to their home by takingHighway 28 west to the Prairie Bluff sign, then follow thenew road into the subdivision, bear right, and then bearright again on Weslyn Way and you will run into the homelot. Following the meeting, John and Gail will conduct anon-the-ground tour of old Prairie Bluff. If you have never toured the old town site, and seen the old cotton warehousefoundation and cotton slide to the Alabama River, you are infor a real treat. In addition to the Prairie Bluff history presentation and tour, Lula Lee Tait will give a briefsummary of the 100th anniversary celebration for Camden National Bank to be held on Sunday afternoon, May 7. Anold photograph of the original bank building, circa 1920, is contained on the back page.

Following is a summarized account of the history of PrairieBluff written by Jane McDonald Henderson and BobHenderson.

After the Creek Indian War of 1812, the soldiers who returned homefrom the eastern colonies, told glowing stories of the fertile land ofPrairie Bluff, Wilcox County, Alabama with its rich black soilmixed with lime and the beautiful green pastures. As a result, land hungry settlers and adventurers flocked to Wilcox County.Prairie Bluff was settled in 1815 several years before Alabama became a state on December 13, 1819. It became one of the greatest and wealthiest of the now forgotten river towns inAlabama. The name was changed to Daletown in 1822 to honor the great Indian fighter Sam Dale of Georgia, and was officially knownas Daletown for the next 16 years at which time the name reverted to Prairie Bluff. Sam Dale and two associates first acquired land and divided it into town lots. It featured well defined streets named Bluff, Commerce, Second, Wilcox, etc. The town was able to servethe river boats with storage facilities for 3,000 barrels of “up-freights”, 3,000 bales of cotton awaiting shipment, and provide boatpassengers with finest overnight accommodations in Holt’s Hotel.By 1843, Prairie Bluff was the largest town in Wilcox County and it almost became the capital of the State. When heavy floods madeit necessary to move the State Capital from Cahaba, Prairie Bluffand Tuscaloosa were the chief contenders for the honor of being the seat of state government. Tuscaloosa won by a single vote! During this time, Prairie Bluff was one of five major trading posts fromMobile to Cahaba. Three postal routes led from Prairie Bluff to Cahaba, St. Stephens, Greensboro, and Uniontown, and Prairie Bluffwas also the shipping point for goods shipped to Tuscaloosa.

In the 1830’s,40’s, and 50’s, Wilcox County became an important duchy of the vast southern cotton empire, producing thousands of tons of the “white gold”. As a result, cultural life began to flourish and Prairie Bluff became a social hub. Lafayette Lodge, the firstMasonic Lodge in the county, was built in 1826. Apparently, it wasnamed in commemoration of the famous French General Lafayette who traveled down the Alabama River in April 1825. Civilizationcontinued to flow in and out along the course of the historic AlabamaRiver. By 1880, there were 16 large business houses, many of thembrick, and paved streets. Some of remains of the foundations of theold buildings and of the brick streets can be seen even now.

Ironically there were 13 saloons and no churches during this era! It has been suggested that this may have been the reason for the demise of the town, but in reality the changing mode of transportationlessened the importance of the river towns, and Prairie Bluff gave way to the changing times.

Pine Apple Front Porch Tour

This annual event, sponsored by Pine Apple Promotions, willbe held on Sunday, May 28. The attached leaflet providesdetails of the tour. Please note that several of the homes will have open parlors, and that there is one very historic home that has not been featured on previous events. This is the historic Kelley-Hawthorne house, the boyhood home of General John Herbert Kelley, Alabama’s “Boy General” during the CivilWar. Also, there are different homes in the Pine Apple National Historic District that are featured this year. This is a special event, so please make plans to attend.

Wilcox True Blues Flag Project

As reported in the previous Newsletters, the flag is nearingcompletion of the restoration process in Maryland. When it isreturned to the Department of Archives and History, it will be available for display at our historical events. Our AlabamaDepartment of Archives and History is one of, if not the best, facilityin America. The Friends of the Archives is a vital arm of theADAH, and you are encouraged to join. Please contact GarlandSmith or Don Donald, current Directors of the Friends of the Archives for more information.