Bay Minette in Baldwin County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

A County Older Than the State, Baldwin County

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 14, 2017

1. A County Older Than the State, Baldwin County Marker

Inscription.
Third oldest county in Alabama. Created in 1809 while still part of Mississippi Territory. Named for Abraham Baldwin (1754-1807) founder of University of Georgia, delegate to Constitutional Convention, member of Congress, 1789-1807. County once lay west of Tombigbee River; after series of boundary changes, now lies east of Mobile and Alabama Rivers. County seat at Bay Minette since 1901; earlier at McIntosh Bluff, Blakely, Daphne

Long a center of conflicting claims: by Spain, France, and England; by royal governors of Florida, Louisiana, Carolina, Georgia, West Florida until Mississippi Territory formed in 1798 and from it, Alabama Territory in 1817. In struggle for control of the Southeast,

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many armies have camped in area:

1528-Narvez, Spanish conquistador
1558-DeLuna, Spanish colonizer
1719-Bienville, French colonizer
1780-Galvez, Spanish conqueror
1813-Red Eagle, Indian revolter
1814-Jackson, American defender
1815-Packenham, British invader
1864-Maury, Confederate defender
1865-Canby, Federal invader

Erected 1957 by American Historical Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Exploration. A significant historical year for this entry is 1809.

Location. 30° 52.974′ N, 87° 46.441′ W. Marker is in Bay Minette, Alabama, in Baldwin County. It is at the intersection of Courthouse Square (U.S. 31) and Hand Avenue, on the left when traveling east on Courthouse

A County Older Than the State, Baldwin County Marker (reverse) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 22, 2018

2. A County Older Than the State, Baldwin County Marker (reverse)

Square. Located in the front of the Baldwin County Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 312 Courthouse Sq, Bay Minette AL 36507, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Alabama’s Gulf Coast

and in the Mobile Bay area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

Marker in front of the Baldwin County Courthouse in Bay Minette. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 14, 2017

3. Marker in front of the Baldwin County Courthouse in Bay Minette.

least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bottle Creek Site (here, next to this marker); Judge Harry Toulmin (a few steps from this marker); Lynching in America / The Lynching of Rueben Sims (within shouting distance of this marker); Baldwin County Eternal Flame Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Bay Minette Korean War Memorial (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bay Minette, Alabama (approx. 0.2 miles away); Stephen J. Boykin / The American Banner (approx. 1.4 miles away); Kennedy Mill, c.1811 (approx. 7.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bay Minette.

Also see . . . Comprehensive history of Baldwin County. (Submitted on January 14, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

View south of Hand Avenue from the Courthouse. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 22, 2018

4. View south of Hand Avenue from the Courthouse.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,599 times since then and 153 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 14, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2. submitted on August 24, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 3. submitted on January 14, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 4. submitted on August 24, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.