Historical marker describes famous downtown street in Selma, Alabama

Water Avenue historical marker in Selma, Ala.

This week’s featured historical marker is the “WATER AVENUE” marker in Selma, Alabama. The marker is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Water Avenue and Washington Street, across from the St. James Hotel.

This marker was erected by the Alabama Historical Commission, but I’m not sure what year it was erected. There’s text on both sides of this marker, but both sides are identical. What follows is the complete text from the marker.

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“WATER AVENUE: Selma’s Water Avenue is one of the finest surviving examples of a 19th century riverfront street in the south. Located here are structures which reflect the architectural trends in commercial buildings from 1830 to 1900. “This was the main business artery of one of central Alabama’s major commercial centers. During the War Between the States, Selma was the Confederacy’s most important military depot in the lower south. The arsenal and naval foundry were located here and the St. James Hotel provided housing for officers and personnel. When Federal forces occupied Selma in 1865 all of the war-supporting industries and much of the city were burned. Following the war, cotton speculation created a boom (1870-1890) and new buildings replaced the burned one. “National Register of Historic Places, 12-16-72.”

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I encountered this historical marker during a historic walking tour of Selma that I took several months ago. Selma is said to have the largest historic district of any city in the state, and there are a number of historical markers like the one above scattered around the city. If you ever get the chance to take the historic walking tour of Selma, I recommend that you do so. It’s pretty cool.

This marker is located just a few feet from the entrance to the St. James Hotel, which is a neat place in an of itself. Considered one of the most haunted places in all of Alabama, I’ve always wanted to spend the night in the St. James. Built in 1837, it’s one of the oldest standing riverfront hotels in the South. The hotel was occupied by Union soldiers during the Battle of Selma during the Civil War, and some of its most famous guests included the outlaws, Frank and Jesse James.

The St. James Hotel is one of a number of Selma locations described in a great book that came out earlier this year called “Haunted Alabama Black Belt” by David Higdon and Brett Talley. This 128-page book describes the St. James Hotel, the Baker House, Brownstone Manor, Kenan’s Mill, the Old Depot Museum, Sturdivant Hall, the Tally Ho Restaurant, Vaughn-Smitherman Museum and Weaver Castle. If you’re interested in the St. James Hotel and these other locations, I highly recommend that you check out this book.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another 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.