Historical marker describes 1813 massacre in Clarke County, Alabama

'Kimbell-James Massacre' Historical Marker

This week’s featured historical marker is the “Kimbell-James Massacre” marker in Clarke County, Ala. The marker is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and Clarke County Road 14, which is also called Main Street, east of Grove Hill.

This historical marker was erected by the Alabama Historical Association in 1954. 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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“Kimbell-James Massacre, 1/2 mile, Sept. 1, 1813, Creek Indian War, 1813-14, Part of War of 1812, British used Pensacola as base to arm, incite Indians against U.S., Prophet Francis led Indians in this raid on Kimbell home. They killed and scalped 12 of 14 (two survivors left for dead); pillaged house, killed livestock.”

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This marker is located about half a mile from the site of Fort Sinquefield, which is located off present-day Fort Sinquefield Road. During the Kimbell-James Massacre, the families of Ransom Kimbell and Abner James, who lived near the fort, were killed by a band of Red Stick warriors. If you visit the site of the old fort today, you’ll see where it’s maintained as a historical park, complete with markers that tell a lot more about the history of the area. If you’ve got time, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Prophet Francis was an intriguing character from frontier Alabama. His real name was Hillis Hadjo, but he also went by Josiah Francis. The son of a Scottish trader and a Creek mother, he styled himself a mystic and sorcerer and was recruited by Tecumseh to fight against the Americans in the War of 1812.

Notably, he was among a group of Indians who traveled with Peter McQueen to Pensacola in July 1813 and on the return trip found himself involved in the famous Battle of Burnt Corn Creek. The Kimbell-James Massacre came later, and Francis ended up fleeing to Florida in 1814 after Andrew Jackson defeated the Creeks earlier that year. In 1817, Jackson trapped Francis aboard an American ship that was flying a British flag and had the Indian leader hanged for his role in instigating the Creek Indian War.

If you visit the “Kimbell-James Massacre” marker today in person, you’ll also see a shorter stone monument that was erected beside it by the Clarke County Historical Society in 1989. That marker reads as follows:

“REVEREND TIMOTHY HORTON BALL, A.M.: February 16, 1826 - November 8, 1913: Minister, teacher, historian, author. His love of history, natural resources and mankind led him to record events, past and present, writing many of his notes on the pommel of his saddle and also walking the county in search of information. He preserved for future generations, the history of Clarke County in written form, a vital resource record for the present and future. He is buried in the Creighton Cemetery one-quarter mile northwest.”

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.