Eufaula – a beautiful historic city, has many historic houses still standing

EUFAULA, ALABAMA

The First Store

(from:History of Eufaula, Alabama: the bluff city of the Chattahoochee

By J. A. B. Besson – 1875)

The First White Man that Built a House

The first white settler that built a house here was Carson Winslett; and soon after, Mr. F. W. Pugh, Moses Packer, Aaron Packer, Durham Lee, Lochlin McLean, James Gorman, Churchill Gorman, and others, moved in. (Continued below)

This home was built in 1827 and was later the Confederate hospital. It was owned in 1930 by Mrs. Washburn

The Alabama State Archives states it was the first house built in Eufaula

The First Store

The first store was set up by a man named Allen, who had, as a partner, Hon. William Irwin, who furnished the capital to trade on, and who lived in Henry county, below, on the river. The Name of the Town Changed to Itwinton.

Alexander House, owned by M. E. Hudson of Clayton, Alabama. It was 104 years old in 1940 (Alabama State Archives)

The Indian name of the village was changed, and the name of Irwinton was given to the place, in honor of Hon. Wm. Irwin, who was a State Senator, representing Henry and Pike counties, in consequence of using his influence in the Legislature to make the place a landing for steamboats for the benefit of the people of this section of country.

Public Sale of Land and Town Lots

That portion of the town, which is now east of Orange street, was bought by a company from Columbus, Georgia. Hon. Alfred Iverson was one of the company. The lands lying west of Orange street were bought by General William Wellborn, Seth Love, John M. Moore and Alexander Robertson.

Monument of John Wellborn, son of General William Wellborn, in the old Wellborn burial ground on Riverside Drive in Eufaula, Alabama

Wellborn burial grounds on Riverside Drive in Eufaula, Alabama ca. 1930 (Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Soon after, Wellborn & Co. bought lands they had a few blocks run off into lots and put up at public sale, and what is now known as Bray & Bros. corner, was bid off to Green Beauchamp and B. V. Iverson, of Columbus. The next lot sold was what is now occupied by John McNab’s bank, and was bought by Mr. Wm. A. McKenzie. Other sales occurred, but to parties whose names are now forgotten.

Broad Street ca. 1908

The Country Full of Indians Yet—1835

Thus began the settlement of Irwinton; and in the year 1835 Irwinton was yet a very small village, having but a few white inhabitants. The surrounding country was full of Indians, who lived in all their aboriginal simplicity, hunting game, of which there was an abundance; also, fishing, making baskets of reeds, and also blow guns of the same material.

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