Sandfort, Alabama | |
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![]() Henry Schenck Tanner's 1841 map showing Lexington (Sandfort) located along the Federal Road | |
Coordinates: 32°20′17″N85°13′23″W / 32.33806°N 85.22306°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Alabama |
County | Russell |
Elevation | 505 ft (154 m) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Area code | Area code 334 |
GNIS feature ID | 158079 [1] |
Sandfort, also rendered Sand Fort or Sanfort and also known as Lexington, [2] is an unincorporated community in Russell County, Alabama, United States. [1]
The community was named for a fort built on the Federal Road, which was constructed ten miles west of Fort Mitchell and six miles northwest of Seale. [3] Sandfort was one of the earliest settled areas of Russell County and home to one of the earliest post offices in the county. [4] A post office operated under the name Sandfort from 1840 to 1866, with Robert Allen serving as the first postmaster. [2] [5] A Mr. Royston operated Royston's Inn in Sandfort, which became a stop on the Federal Road. During the Creek War of 1836, Mr. Royston was held captive in his store by hostile Creeks for two weeks. [6]
The Sand Fort was constructed along the Federal Road and named for the sandy soil used in its construction. [7] Sources differ on when it was constructed, with some reporting it was built by General John Floyd and the Georgia Militia he commanded in 1814 as a rendezvous and supply depot during the Creek War, while others conclude it was constructed during the Creek War of 1836 by General Thomas Jesup or General Winfield Scott to provide protection to local settlers. [2] [7] [8]
The fort site was eventually destroyed by farming. [2] No evidence of the fort exists today. [7]
Fort Stoddert, also known as Fort Stoddard, was a stockade fort in the U.S. Mississippi Territory, in what is today Alabama. It was located on a bluff of the Mobile River, near modern Mount Vernon, close to the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers. It served as the western terminus of the Federal Road which ran through Creek lands to Fort Wilkinson in Georgia. The fort, built in 1799, was named for Benjamin Stoddert, the secretary to the Continental Board of War during the American Revolution and Secretary of the Navy during the Quasi War. Fort Stoddert was built by the United States to keep the peace by preventing its own settlers in the Tombigbee District from attacking the Spanish in the Mobile District. It also served as a port of entry and was the site of a Court of Admiralty. While under the command of Captain Edmund P. Gaines, Aaron Burr was held as a prisoner at the fort after his arrest at McIntosh in 1807 for treason against the United States. In July 1813, General Ferdinand Claiborne brought the Mississippi Militia to Fort Stoddert as part of the Creek War. The 3rd Infantry Regiment was commanded by General Thomas Flournoy to Fort Stoddert following the Fort Mims massacre. The site declined rapidly in importance after the capture of Mobile by the United States in 1813 and the establishment of the Mount Vernon Arsenal in 1828.
Jett Thomas was an American military officer, politician, and builder who served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and participated in the early construction of the University of Georgia.
Fort Williams was a supply depot built in early 1814 in preparation for the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. It was located in Alabama on the southeast shore where Cedar Creek meets the Coosa River, near Talladega Springs.
Fort Strother was a stockade fort at Ten Islands in the Mississippi Territory, in what is today St. Clair County, Alabama. It was located on a bluff of the Coosa River, near the modern Neely Henry Dam in Ragland, Alabama. The fort was built by General Andrew Jackson and several thousand militiamen in November 1813, during the Creek War and was named for Captain John Strother, Jackson's chief cartographer.
Fort Crawford was a fort that once provided defense for settlers in what is today East Brewton, Alabama.
Claiborne is a ghost town on a bluff above the Alabama River in Monroe County, Alabama.
Fort Claiborne was a stockade fort built in 1813 in present-day Monroe County, Alabama during the Creek War.
Pintlala, also known as Pint Lala or Colquitt, is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Alabama, United States, located on U.S. Route 31, 15.6 miles (25.1 km) south of Montgomery.
Fort Bainbridge was an earthen fort located along the Federal Road on what is today the county line between Macon and Russell counties in Alabama. Fort Bainbridge was located twenty-five miles west of Fort Mitchell.
Allen Daniel Jr. (1772-1836) was a Major General in the Georgia Militia during the War of 1812, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia State Senate, and the namesake of Danielsville, Georgia, county seat of Madison County. Fort Daniel, built at Hog Mountain in Gwinnett County, Georgia in 1813 was named in his honor.
Joseph Graham was a Revolutionary War militia officer, politician, and wealthy ironmonger from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Fort Decatur was an earthen fort established in March 1814 on the banks of the Tallapoosa River as part of the Creek War and the larger War of 1812. The fort was located on the east bank of the Tallapoosa River, near the modern community of Milstead. Fort Decatur was also located near the Creek town of Tukabatchee. It was most likely named for Stephen Decatur.
Fort Bibb was a stockade fort built in present-day Butler County, Alabama during the First Seminole War.
Fort Dale was a stockade fort built in present-day Butler County, Alabama by Alabama Territory settlers. The fort was constructed in response to Creek Indian attacks on settlers in the surrounding area.
Fort Glass was a stockade fort built in July 1813 in present-day Clarke County, Alabama during the Creek War.
Three Notch Road is a 233-mile-long (375 km) historic road mostly in the US state of Alabama that runs from Pensacola, Florida, to Fort Mitchell in Russell County, Alabama.
Fort Hull was an earthen fort built in present-day Macon County, Alabama in 1814 during the Creek War. After the start of hostilities, the United States decided to mount an attack on Creek territory from three directions. The column advancing west from Georgia built Fort Mitchell and then clashed with the Creeks. After a pause in operations, the column from Georgia continued its march and built Fort Hull. The fort was used as a supply point and was soon abandoned after the end of the Creek War.
Fort Madison was a stockade fort built in August 1813 in present-day Clarke County, Alabama, during the Creek War, which was part of the larger War of 1812. The fort was built by the United States military in response to attacks by Creek warriors on encroaching American settlers. The fort shared many similarities to surrounding stockade forts in its construction but possessed a number of differences in its defenses. The fort housed members of the United States Army and settlers from the surrounding area, and it was used as a staging area for raids on Creek forces and supply point on further military expeditions. Fort Madison was subsequently abandoned at the conclusion of the Creek War and only a historical marker exists at the site today.
Fort Montgomery was a stockade fort built in August 1814 in present-day Baldwin County, Alabama, during the Creek War, which was part of the larger War of 1812. The fort was built by the United States military in response to attacks by Creek warriors on encroaching American settlers and in preparation for further military action in the War of 1812. Fort Montgomery continued to be used for military purposes but in less than a decade was abandoned. Nothing exists at the site today.
Fort Okfuskee was the name of two separate forts built by Great Britain in what is now Tallapoosa County, Alabama. The first fort was built to ensure British trade with the Creek Indians after the French constructed Fort Toulouse. The fort was abandoned a little over a decade after construction after facing difficulties in being supplied. A second Fort Okfuskee was built a year later, but was abandoned in less than a year due to lack of colonial support.
Submitted by the Center for Archaeological Studies University of South Alabama.