Wilcox County 'founding father' avoided 'Massacre at Fort Mims'

Reenactment at Fort Mims will be held on Aug. 24-25, 2019.

Each year when the calendar flips to August, I can’t help but think about the “Massacre of Fort Mims” and the impact it had on early Wilcox County history. Aug. 30 of this year will mark the 206^th anniversary of this bloody event, which took place in 1813 at a frontier fort not far from the Tensaw River in present-day Baldwin County. When all was said and done, an estimated 500 soldiers and settlers were killed or captured by an estimated 700 Creek warriors.

In the days leading up to this infamous battle, there were signs that something bad was about to happen, but those warnings were ignored by the military officers in charge of the fort. However, days before the battle, some settlers had the good sense to leave. One of these lucky settlers was 29-year-old pioneer Methodist minister, the Rev. John Jenkins, who went on to become one of Wilcox County’s “founding fathers.”

Historical records say that John and his family left Fort Mims on Aug. 29, the day before the massacre, and traveled to present-day Clarke County. From there, they made their way up the Alabama River and settled in what is now Wilcox County. John settled in what was then called “the prairies” of Wilcox County, while other members of his family settled a short distance east of present-day Camden.

Alabama’s legislature established Wilcox County in December 1819, and in early 1820 John was appointed to the board of commissioners to select a county seat. John was also named Wilcox County’s first tax collector in 1820. Others on the early county seat committee were William Black, John Blackman, Robert Brown, Thornton Brown, Thomas Evans, John Gamble, Elijah Lumsden, William McCarrell and John Speight.

John Jenkins, his family and other Wilcox County settlers who were at Fort Mims would have likely been wiped from the pages of history if they had remained at the doomed fort. Thanks to their decision to leave, they went on to prosper in the years to come, and no doubt many of their descendants survive to this day. All of this goes back to the fateful decision to leave Fort Mims the day before it was attacked.

I would encourage anyone interested in learning more about Fort Mims to attend the 33^rd annual reenactment of the “Massacre of Fort Mims,” which will be held later this month on Aug. 24-25 at the old fort site at Tensaw. The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. on both days. Daily reenactments will be held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

If you’ve never been to the reenactment at Fort Mims, I highly recommend that you check it out, especially if you have young children interested in Alabama history. Many kids find history boring, but there’s nothing boring about the reenactment at Fort Mims. It’s action-packed, complete with mock gunfire and hand-to-hand combat.

I’ve been to this event many times, and there’s lots to do between the reenactments. There are usually a variety of speakers and history experts on hand to discuss the history of the fort and give craft demonstrations. If you have an interest in arrowhead-making, blacksmithing, quilting, period music, archery, flint-napping and woodworking, you will not want to miss this year’s reenactment at Fort Mims.

If you’ve never been to the old fort site, don’t worry because it’s easy to get to. To get there from Camden, make your way to Interstate Highway 65, then travel south to the Stockton Exit in Baldwin County. Then take State Highway 59 north 12 miles out of Stockton to County Road 80. From there, turn left on CR 80, travel three miles and follow the signs to where the reenactment will be held on Fort Mims Road.