Fort Bibb was a stockade fort built in present-day Butler County, Alabama during the First Seminole War.[1]
| Fort Bibb | |
|---|---|
| Pine Flat, Alabama in United States | |
  Fort Bibb  Fort Bibb | |
| Coordinates | 31°50′20″N 86°53′00″W / 31.83889°N 86.88333°W |
| Type | Stockade fort |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Private |
| Controlled by | Private |
| Open to the public | No |
| Site history | |
| Built | Early 1818 |
| Built by | Alabama Territory settlers |
| In use | 1818-? |
History
editAfter the Ogly Massacre, many of the settlers in the surrounding area began to build protective stockades around their homes.[2] Fort Bibb was first constructed in early 1818 and was built around the home of Captain James Saffold.[3] The fort was named for William Wyatt Bibb, who was the acting governor of the Alabama Territory.[4] Captain Saffold participated in the Battle of Calebee Creek, and afterwards settled in the area of Pine Flat. Warren A. Thompson and William Butler also settled in Pine Flat.[5]
Colonel Samuel Dale helped to fortify Fort Bibb while he and his militia constructed Fort Dale on the Federal Road in the spring of 1818. Fort Dale was built in response to the murders of Butler, William Gardender and Daniel Shaw. These men, along with Saffold and John Hinson had left Fort Bibb on March 20, 1818 to rendezvous with Colonel Dale. They were attacked by Red Sticks under the command of Savannah Jack. This incident became known as the Butler Massacre.[4] Captain Saffold and three other local men were also killed in the area prior to the construction of Fort Dale.[6] After these killings, soldiers and allied Choctaw warriors were sent from Fort Crawford to assist in the pursuit of the Red Sticks.[7]
Fort Bibb served as one of the first election sites in Butler County.[4]
References
edit- ^ Mike Bunn (2019). Early Alabama: An Illustrated Guide to the Formative Years, 1798-1826. University of Alabama Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-8173-5928-7.
- ^ John Buckner Little (1885). History of Butler County, Alabama, 1815 to 1885. J. G. Little, Jr. p. 72.
- ^ Lyn Wilkerson (10 January 2010). Slow Travels-Alabama. Lulu.com. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-557-14055-8.
- ^ a b c "The Butler Massacre/Fort Bibb". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ Brannon, Peter. "The Massacres". Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ Harris, W. Stuart (1977). Dead Towns of Alabama. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. p. 36. ISBN 0-8173-1125-4.
- ^ Pickett, Albert James (1878). History of Alabama, and Incidentally of Georgia and Mississippi, from the Earliest Period. Tuscaloosa, AL: Willo Publishing Company. p. 621.