'Claiborne' historical marker describes frontier town on Alabama River

Claiborne Historical Marker

This week’s featured historical marker is about “Claiborne” and can be found in Claiborne, Ala., about 20 miles west of present-day Monroeville.

The marker is on the north side of U.S. Highway 84, near that highway’s intersection with Old Fort Claiborne Road. It’s on the east side of the river, just up from the Claiborne-Murphy Bridge, which spans the Alabama River. This Alabama Historical Association marker was erected in 1999 and was sponsored by the J.L. Bedsole Foundation and the Monroe County Heritage Museums. What follows is the complete text from the marker:

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“CLAIBORNE: During the westward expansion of the United States in the early 1800s, those whose destination was the new Mississippi Territory took a right fork off the Federal Road which led to the Alabama River ferry at Claiborne. After the land cessions of the Creek Indians in 1814, Claiborne became one of the fastest growing settlements in the old Southwest, attracting a number of Alabama’s early prominent men. Among them were future state governors John Gayle, John Murphy and Arthur Bagby. Claiborne also was the home of William Barrett Travis, who traveled to Texas and became the hero of the Alamo in 1836.”

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If you look closely at the photo above, you’ll also see a large stone marker that’s facing U.S. Highway 84. That marker, which is still in reasonably good shape, was erected by Alabama Society of Colonial Dames and reads as follows:

“Piache, an Indian town visited by DeSoto in 1540, was near here. DeLuna made a settlement here, Nanipacna, in 1560. Fort Claiborne was erected on the south bluff in 1813. LaFayette was entertained here, 1825.”

Claiborne’s an interesting place, and if you’ve never been there, you should check it out, especially if you enjoy Alabama history. At one time, Claiborne had a population of around 5,000 people, and was first incorporated as a town in 1820. (I’ve always found this population number impressive, especially when you consider that present-day Monroeville has a population of just over 6,500 people.)

Claiborne served as the county seat of Monroe County until 1832 when it moved to Monroeville. Claiborne continued to decline and by 1872 only 350 people lived there. Today, it’s a ghost town will little trace of its former glory remaining.

It’s also true that Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette, visited Claiborne in 1825 during his tour of the United States. He was entertained at the then-new Masonic Lodge No. 3 building, which still survives today as the oldest man-made structure in Monroe County. That building was originally located on the main street at Claiborne, but was eventually moved to the nearby community of Perdue Hill in 1884. If you visit Perdue Hill today, you’ll find the Masonic lodge building at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and Monroe County Road 1.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another local historical marker. I’m also taking suggestions from the reading audience, so if you know of an interesting historical marker that you’d like me to feature, let me know in the comments section below.