'Mound Line' marker describes old 'border town' of Stockton, Alabama

'Mound Line' marker with Stockton in background.

This week’s featured historical marker is the “The Mound Line” marker in Baldwin County, Ala. This marker is located on the east side of State Highway 59, just nort of the intersection with State Highway 225, in “downtown” Stockton, which is actually an unincorporated community.

This marker was erected by the Stockton Civic Club and the Alabama Historical Association in 1999. There’s text on both sides of this marker, but both sides say the same thing. What follows in the complete text from the marker.

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“THE MOUND LINE (Ellicott Line) - Mile Mound No. 216 located 1,200 feet East – Surveyed in 1799 to mark the 31° North Latitude, this line charted the first southern boundary of the United States, separating the U.S. from Spanish Florida. The line was marked at one-mile intervals by earthen mounds approximately 15-feet square and three-feet high with a charred lighter-pine post at the center, hence the name Mound Line.

Jointly surveyed by Major Andrew Ellicott, U.S. Commissioner, and Esteban Minor, Spanish Commissioner, to determine boundaries as agreed in the Treaty of San Lorenzo in 1795. The line began at the Mississippi River, ran east along 31° North Latitude to the Chattahoochie River, thence eventually to the Atlantic Ocean.

Stockton was divided by this line, with some residents living in the United States and some in Spanish Florida. Although Stockton became a “border town,” U.S. law generally prevailed in the area.”

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View of the 'Mound Line' marker, looking north on Hwy 59.

Stockton’s a neat, little place, and if you’ve never been there, you should check it out sometime. It’s Masonic lodge, which was founded in 1850, is the oldest in Baldwin County, and Stockton is also the home of Alabama’s first sawmill, a fact that’s celebrated each year during the community’s Stockton Sawmill Days. The are also a number of historic homes in Stockton, and it’s also not far from the famous Bottle Creek Indian Mounds, which is an archeological sites that’s also a National Historic Landmark.

Also, if you find yourself in Stockton, be sure to stop and eat at the Stagecoach Café. While there, be sure to sample some of their fried catfish, which made the Alabama Tourism Department’s list of “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die” several years ago.

I’ve always been interested in Stockton because it was the end of the old stage line that ran from Montgomery to the Mobile area. Once travelers got to Stockton, they could get on a boat and travel the rest of the way to Mobile or continue on to places like New Orleans.

I’ve also often wondered about how Stockton got its name, but so far, I’ve never run across an explanation. I did read in a few places that the area was once known as “Tensa’ and was later known as “Farmar’s Bluff.” If any of you out there knows the story behind this, please let me know.

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.