County of marker: Marion County
Location of marker: 1st Ave. SE & Military St. S., courthouse lawn, Hamilton
Marker erected by: Dr. John M. Allman III & Marion County Preservation Society
Date marker erected: 2010
Marion County was created as one of the Alabama Territory counties on February 13, 1818. The county was named in honor of General Francis Marion os South Carolina, a Revolutionary War hero. IN the beginning, Marion included most of the territory between the Tombigbee and Warrior Rivers south of Franklin County and west of Blount County, to where the rivers join near Demopolis. Marion's area included Lamar, Pickens, Green, Fayette, Walker, and Winston Counties and part of Tuscaloosa and most of present~day Lowndes and Monroe Counties.
The Person:
General Francis Marion
"The Swamp Fox"
"In early 1781, Revolutionary War militia leader Francis Marion and his men were camping on Snow's Island, South Carolina, when a British officer arrived to discuss a prisoner exchange. As one militiaman recalled years later, a breakfast of sweet potatoes was roasting in the fire, and after the negotiations Marion, known as the "Swamp Fox," invited the British soldier to share breakfast. According to a legend that grew out of the much-repeated anecdote, the British officer was so inspired by the Americans' resourcefulness and dedication to the cause—despite their lack of adequate provisions, supplies or proper uniforms—that he promptly switched sides and supported American independence. Around 1820, John Blake White depicted the scene in an oil painting that now hangs in the United States Capitol. In his version, the primly attired Redcoat seems uncomfortable with Marion's ragtag band, who glare at him suspiciously from the shadows of a South Carolina swamp.
"Myths of the American Revolution
The 2000 movie The Patriot exaggerated the Swamp Fox legend for a whole new generation. Although Francis Marion led surprise attacks against the British, and was known for his cunning and resourcefulness, Mel Gibson played The Patriot's Marion-inspired protagonist as an action hero. "One of the silliest things the movie did," says Sean Busick, a professor of American history at Athens State University in Alabama, "was to make Marion into an 18th century Rambo."
"Many of the legends that surround the life and exploits of Brigadier General Francis Marion were introduced by M. L. "Parson" Weems, coauthor of the first Marion biography, The Life of General Francis Marion. "I have endeavored to throw some ideas and facts about Genl. Marion into the garb and dress of a military romance," Weems wrote in 1807 to Peter Horry, the South Carolina officer on whose memoir the book was based. Weems had also authored an extremely popular biography of George Washington in 1800, and it was he who invented the apocryphal cherry tree story. Marion's life received similar embellishment.
"Fortunately, the real Francis Marion has not been entirely obscured by his legend—historians including William Gilmore Simms and Hugh Rankin have written accurate biographies. Based on the facts alone, "Marion deserves to be remembered as one of the heroes of the War for Independence," says Busick, who has written the introduction to a new edition of Simms' The Life of Francis Marion, out in June 2007." ~ Smithsonian Magazine
The Place:
Marion County
Marion County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census the population was 30,776. The county seat is Hamilton.[2] The county was created by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly on February 13, 1818. The county seat was originally established in Pikeville in 1820, and moved to Hamilton in 1881. The county was named for General Francis Marion of South Carolina.
"Marion County is located in the northwestern part of the state, bounded on the west by the state of Mississippi. It encompasses 743 square miles (1,920 km2). The county is a prohibition or dry county, however, the sale of alcohol is permitted within the cities of Guin, Hamilton, and Winfield." !~ Wikipedia
February 13, 1818 -- Gin Port - west of Amory, MS on Tombigbee River
December 16, 11819 -- Henry Grier House, near Columbus, MS - first designated courthouse
Late 1820~1822 -- Military Ford Court - under trees and in Terrell Homes
Late 1822 -- Pikeville Court
1882 -- Hamilton Court - a new courthouse town location
1887 -- Hamilton Court - records burn - a second wooden courthouse constructed on courthouse square
1900~1901 -- Wooden Courthouse moved - Stone Courthouse constructed
Marion County was created as one of the Alabama Territory counties on February 13, 1818. The county was named in honor of General Francis Marion os South Carolina, a Revolutionary War hero. IN the beginning, Marion included most of the territory between the Tombigbee and Warrior Rivers south of Franklin County and west of Blount County, to where the rivers join near Demopolis. Marion's area included Lamar, Pickens, Green, Fayette, Walker, and Winston Counties and part of Tuscaloosa and most of present~day Lowndes and Monroe Counties.
The first seat of justice for Marion County selected by the Alabama Territorial Legislature was Cotton Gin Port near Amory, MS. The first territorial judge appointed was John Dabney Terrell, Sr., who in the winter of 1817~1818 established the officialdom of Marion County.
On December 16, 1819, the seat of justice of Marion County was moved to the house of Henry Grier. Grier's house was located at the present site of Columbus Air Force Base. In 1819~20, the community of Columbus (later Columbus, MS) became the first "real town" in the country.
When the Indian Treaties prohibited Alabama from extending west to the Tombigbee River, the present state line with Mississippi was established in 1820.County records were moved to the remaining Alabama portion of the county and established a temporary Military Ford Court in 1820~1822. Court was held under trees and in nearby Terrell homes. By 1820 the county had been reduced to the scope of present-day Lamar, Fayette, Walker, Winston and Marion Counties.
In 1820 Pikeville was selected by a State Commission for the new seat of justice. Judge John Dabney Terrell, Jr., served as the Probate Judge between 1830's~1880's. Pikeville served as county seat for 60 years, while suffering the loss of county territory. Pikeville was located on a narrow and isolated ridge of the Military Road. The settlement could not be expanded. A new location was sought.
In 1881 the Toll Gate Community located around the Military Ford site was elected to be the next county seat. A granddaughter of Judge Terrell, Sr., Mary Hamilton and her husband Albert J. Hamilton donated 40 acres about a mile north of the Ford. The first courthouse was a wooden two-story structure that stood where today's courthouse stands. It burned in 1887 destroying valuable records. Court records have remained intact surviving another courthouse between 1887~1901. In 1901, the "Sandstone Clock Tower Courthouse" was completed. This courthouse was cement and brick, covered by local sandstone. The Courthouse was remodeled in 1960, but the walls of the 1901 courthouse remain intact. ~ John M. Allman III