Historical marker tells of house that was moved over Tombigbee River

'Taylor House' historical marker in Leroy, Ala.

This week’s featured historical marker is the “THE TAYLOR HOUSE” marker in Washington County, Ala. This marker is in front of the Capstone Bank at 27188 U.S. Highway 84 in Leroy.

This marker was erected by the Alabama Historical Association in 1986. There’s text on both sides of this marker, and both sides are different. What follows in the complete text from the marker:

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“THE TAYLOR HOUSE: Built circa 1841 by Walter Taylor on Commerce Street in Jackson. In 1985, it was removed from its original site to make way for a new City Hall Complex and was brought to this site and restored as the Leroy Branch of the Washington County State Bank.”

“THE TAYLOR HOUSE: Walter Taylor (1817-1886) was the son of David Taylor, one of the original Commissioners of the Town of Jackson in 1816. He was a prominent attorney, farmer and merchant and with his wife Amanda Caroline Lankford Taylor, founded the Jackson Methodist Church in 1842.”

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Walter Taylor was born in Jackson, Ala. on Sept. 14, 1817 and he passed away at the age of 69 on March 24, 1886. (I tried to find out where he was buried, but didn’t have any luck.) The Taylor House was once located on Commerce Street in Jackson, and Jackon’s current City Hall Complex is currently located at 400 Commerce St. in Jackson, which is just down from the Jackson Chamber of Commerce.

What’s interesting about the Taylor House relocation from Jackson to Leroy in 1985 is that the two towns are in entirely different counties. Jackson is in Clarke County, and Leroy is in neighboring Washington County. According to Google Maps, it’s about six miles from Jackson City Hall to the Capstone Bank in Leroy, but the house had to be transported over the Tombigbee River to get there, which couldn’t have been a simple task.

I also thought the note about David Taylor being one of Jackson’s original commissioners was interesting. Jackson was officially incorporated by the Mississippi Territorial Legislature on Nov. 27, 1816 – a little over three years before Alabama even became a state in December 1819. Named after President Andrew Jackson, the town’s original commissioners included Taylor, Peregrene F. Bayard, Reuben Saffold, Benjamin I. Bedell, David White, Secretary Abel Farrer and Treasurer John G. Creagh.

David Taylor moved to Jackson (then called Pine Level) from Augusta, Ga. around 1812 and his son and daughter-in-law helped found what is today called the First United Methodist Church. Currently located at 146 College Ave. in Jackson, the church was originally located, like the old Taylor House, on Commerce Street near Pine Crest Cemetery, not far from the present day Jackson City Hall.

I’ve never stopped to check, but I’d love to know if Jackson or Leroy had historical walking tours. My feeling is that if either of them do, it would be Jackson, simply because the town is larger. If anyone out there knows, let me hear from you.

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.