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Artesian well in Aliceville, Alabama around 1900

ALICEVILLE is in the southern part of Pickens County, about 12 miles south of Carrollton and west of Tuscaloosa. The town was incorporated in 1907. Its financial institutions in1916 were the Aliceville Bank & Trust Co. (State), and the Merchants & Farmers Bank (State). The Aliceville News, a Democratic weekly, established in 1910, were published there. In 1909, Charlie and F. Bell Horton built the home of Myrtlewood for their family which is now a Bed and Breakfast.

“During World War II approximately 425,000 Axis soldiers were interned in 700 POW camps in the U.S. One of the largest camps was at Aliceville with a capacity for 6,000 prisoners. The camp employed more than 1,000 American military and civilian personnel. On June 2, 1943, the first prisoners arrived by train form North Africa. Many of them were from Field Marshall Erwin Rommel’s Africakorp. Later German and Italian POWs from the European theater joined them. In the Aliceville POW Museum and Cultural Center, visitors from all over the country view lasting artistic expressions made by the Germans. Through their paintings, letters, books, sculptures, wood crafting, pottery, musical instruments and photographs a vivid picture of life at Camp Aliceville is revealed.”

References.—Nelson F. Smith, Pickens County (1856), pp. 181-184; Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1915. and http://www.cityofaliceville.com/MuseumMain.htm

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Unknown 2 story house in Prattville, Alabama

The town of BOOTH, ALABAMA is near Prattville in Autauga County, Alabama, United States. It was named after the family of Charles “Squire” Booth, a native of SC who moved to Autauga Alabama in the 1830's with his wife Nancy Owen and family. He sent six of his sons to fight for the Confederacy. One of his sons, Jesse H Booth, became Probate judge for Autauga County from 1874 to 1880. It lies along U.S. Route 82 northwest of the city of Prattville, the county seat of Autauga County. Booth Cemetery is located in the town of Booth with some early settlers and their descendants. The cemetery is on Childers Lane and Hwy 10 in Autauga County, Alabama.

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Old Alexandria, Alabama Post Office --currently undergoing restoration by the Alexandria Historical Preservation Society.

ALEXANDRIA is in the central part of Calhoun County, 10 miles northwest of Anniston, and 25 miles southeast of Gadsden. It was first called Coffeeville, in honor of Gen Coffee who fought a battle with the Indians in 1813, 2 miles west of Alexandria. Later it was changed to the present name. The locality was settled about 1834, or earlier. Among its prominent settlers and citizens have been: Dr. Atkinson Pelham, Dr. John H. Vandiver, Col. John M. Crook, S. D. McClelan, Elisha McClelan, Robert A. McMillan, Daniel Crow, Jacob R. Green, Lewis D. Jones, Seaborn Whatley, Floyd Bush, Daniel Bush, Rev. J. J. D. Renfroe, and Frank Woodruff. “The Gallant Pelham,” son of Dr. Pelham was born and reared near Alexandria. (References. — Brewer, Alabama (1872); Northern Alabama (1888), p. 112; Polk's Alabama gazetteer, 1888-9, p. 71; Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1915)

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Autaugaville United Methodist Church with congregation on steps around 1915.

Autaugaville is located 2 miles from the Alabama River and 22 miles west of Montgomery. The first settler was William N. Thompson, Sr. who came in 1820, built a small gristmill, bordering Swift Creek, opened the first store, and afterward erected a flour mill. The families of JOHN McNEEL, NEHEMIAH and JAMES HOWARD, were among the early settlers. Descendants of these families still reside in the county. COL. WILLIAM R. PICKETT, father of historian ALBERT J. PICKETT, came a shore time later. A cotton factory was established at Autaugaville in 1849 by WILLIAM and THEODORE NUNN. A large two-story hotel called the Autauga House was built by the 1850's. ”Autaugaville's postmaster, ALABERT W. McNEEL, issued a "provisional" stamped envelope on the formation of the Confederate Government in 1861. This item is one of the very rare postage stamps sought by collectors of philatelic material.”

“The Autaugaville United Methodist Church, reportedly built around 1850, had its beginning in 1822 as a log structure in Smedley's Grove. It stands today at 208 North Autauga Street. Although the building has been moved from its original location, there have been but few structural changes to the old scantuary. Its Sunday School, organized in 1825, holds the distinction of being the oldest "evergreen" Sunday School in the United States. "Evergreen" means that these meetings were conducted regardless of the season or weather conditions. After the Civil War Autaugaville began to decline; however, in 1875 Theodore Nunn owned and operated Autauga Cotton Mills. By the turn of the century lumber mills began to appear throughout the county and on Swift Creek a business known as Swift Creek Lumber Company operated until 1919. In 1905, another lumber mill named White Water Lumber Company came and operated until the late 1930s.” (from Autauga County Heritage Association and Official and Statistical Register, 1920, Msr. in Department of Archives and History.)

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DAYS GONE BY: Early Citizens of Autauga County, AL

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