Lowndesboro Business District - Lowndesboro, Alabama - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Lowndesboro is a small town with a population of under 200. There are many buildings and residences from the 1800s. This marker is in front of an open field on Broad Street, near the intersection with Water Street.

"The site on which Lowndesboro now stands was part of the territory ceded by the Creek Indians with the signing of the Treaty of Fort Jackson, which ended the Creek War in 1814. Beginning in 1815, the area, located just north of the Old Federal Road, was settled by several families from South Carolina. Between 1817 and 1830, spurred by Alabama's admission to the Union in 1819, the area was extensively settled, mainly by Presbyterians from the Carolinas; it initially was named McGill's Hill after two of the first settlers, John and Selina McGill. In 1830, McGill's Hill merged with the nearby community of Loch Ranza and was renamed Lowndesborough (as it was originally spelled) in honor of William Lowndes, the congressman from South Carolina after whom Lowndes County was named. Lowndesboro was officially incorporated as a town by an act of the state legislature in 1856.

Its location amid Black Belt cotton plantations and its proximity to the Alabama River enabled Lowndesboro to become a center of the cotton industry. It was also among the earliest sites of the Alabama peach industry. The town was home to families who grew wealthy from the industry and who built large, Greek revival-style homes. Many of these homes survived an 1865 raid during the Civil War by Union forces under the command of Gen. James H. Wilson. According to local legend, town physician Philip Cilley met Wilson and his troops at the edge of town and convinced him that a smallpox epidemic had struck there; the ruse worked, and most of Wilson's men bivouacked outside of Lowndesboro. Although its historic structures were spared, Lowndesboro's economy and population suffered severely after the Civil War, as was the case with many other Black Belt towns." source: (visit link)

Marker Name: Lowndesboro Business District Marker Type: Urban Addtional Information:: The text of the marker reads: Lowndesboro Business District The Town of Lowndesboro Business District once housed livery stables, six doctors, a dentist, grocery stores, two taverns (hotels), general stores, a Masonic Hall, and a Post Office. The district consisted of wooden structures along the western side of Broad Street. In 1927 a great fire destroyed the Business District. The only business building remaining today is the Old Indian Trading Post, or Stone-Dryer Store, which now stands at the corner of Water Street and Broad Street. Despite the fact the stores were never rebuilt, much of the Old South lingers and many traditions of yesteryear continue. Reminiscent of times past, the local churches continue to have active congregations. Four participating churches in the community share services and employ the new version of the “old-time circuit pastors.” The C.M.E. Church is a public facility and no longer holds regular services. It houses the cupola from the first State House in Cahaba, Alabama. The Town of Lowndesboro maintains the water infrastructure and the Ruby S. Moore Park. Erected by the Alabama Tourism Department and the Town of Lowndesboro May 2010 Date Dedicated / Placed: May 2010 Marker Number: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
Please post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location. Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Alabama history please include that in your log.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   12/27/2013 hoteltwo visited it