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| 'Butler County' historical marker in downtown Greenville. |
This week’s featured historical marker is the “BUTLER
COUNTY” marker in downtown Greenville, Ala. The marker is located in front of
the Butler County Courthouse, which is located at the intersection of East
Commerce Street and Conecuh Street.
This historical marker was erected by the Alabama Historical
Association in 1957. There’s text on both sides of this marker, and both sides
are unique. What follows is the complete text from the marker.
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“A County Older Than The State, BUTLER COUNTY, Created in
1819 by Act of Alabama Territorial Legislature from lands ceded by Creek Indian
Nation by Treaty of Ft. Jackson, 1814. Named for Capt. William Butler, soldier
of Creek Indian War, 1813-14, early settler killed in Creek Uprising, 1818.
Early settlers from Georgia and S. Carolina came by Federal Road built by U.S.
Army. County seat first at Ft. Dale in 1819, here at Greenville since 1821.”
“BUTLER COUNTY: Flow of settlers was checked in 1818 by
Indian revolt against Ft. Jackson treaty. Indians committed Ogly, Butler
massacres; attacked settlers, drove off livestock. Settlers fled to Forts Bibb,
Dale, Gary. With Indians driven east of Coosa River, settlers again poured into
the area in 1819. In 1821 county seat was moved here. Town was then called Buttsville
in honor of Capt. Samuel Butts, a South Carolinian killed in 1814 at the Battle
of Calabee in Macon County. In 1822 name changed to Greenville.”
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Greenville is the county seat of Butler County, and it’s a
charming old town with a lot of interesting history. If you’ve never been to
Greenville, I highly recommend that you check it out. The local Chamber of
Commerce there offers a self-guided historical walking tour, and you can
download a copy of it off their Web site.
I’ve never taken this walking tour but plan to do it
sometime this year, maybe in the spring. Greenville’s very “walker friendly,”
and the best way to really see the town is to get out of your vehicle and just
walk the streets. If you’re physically able to, I recommend that you park at
the old train depot in town, a building which now houses the local Chamber of
Commerce’s offices, and walk from there all the way down Commerce Street to the
Butler County Courthouse. Come down the other side of the street on your way back
to the depot. It’s a nice, long stroll, but I think you’ll enjoy it.
The marker described above is just one of many in downtown
Greenville, so if you make a visit to Greenville to see this marker, be sure to
check out the other markers that you’ll find along Commerce Street. I’ve
written about some of those in earlier posts and have a few more to talk about
in the coming weeks and months.
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.
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