Near Tensaw in Baldwin County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Tensaw
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Early History of Tensaw

Tensaw Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 28, 2024

1. Tensaw Marker

Inscription. Tensaw The native Mississippians, Tohomes, Mobilians, and Creeks inhabited this area for centuries. Tensaw was named for the Taensa people who lived nearby during the 1720s. They farmed the bottomlands and hunted the dense forests. European-Americans began to move into the Mississippi Territory in the late 1700s. In 1813, during the Creek uprising. Ft. Mims near Boatyard Lake was attacked and burned prompting the arrival of Federal troops. In 1814, Ft. Montgomery was built on the southern community was referred to as Montgomery Hill. From the mid-1800s to the turn of the 20th century, the name ‘Tensaw’ was used on area maps, but birth and death certificates documented by local physicians referred to the region as Montgomery Hill. During the early 1900s when roads were being paved and signs were posted, the community was officially designated as Tensaw.

Early History of Tensaw 1540 Spanish explorer DeSoto travelled through 1720s Taensa tribe settled nearby
1790 European-Americans settled among the Creeks; Samuel Mims operated Mims ferry; David Mims home was built,
among oldest frame buildings in Baldwin County
1800

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Opening of first public school in Mississippi Territory
1803 Circuit Rider Lorenzo Dow visited; Cotton gin built at Pierce’s Mill
1811 Post Office established, first in Baldwin County
1813 Fort Mims was attacked, nearly 400 killed
Fort Montgomery, complete with cannons, housed the first hospital in the area
1820s Plantations were built around Montgomery Hill as soldiers received land after War of 1812
1830 Methodist and Baptists established the Union Church on Holley Creek
1840 Montgomery Hill Baptist Church was organized, the first in Baldwin County
1854 Montgomery Hill Baptist Church was built
1850s Montgomery Hill Masonic Lodge was among the first in Baldwin County
1865 Union Troops heading north after the War burned the Booth plantation

Erected 2017 by Baldwin County Historic Development and Baldwin County Commission AL200.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1813.

Location. 31° 10.002′ N, 87° 47.34′ W. Marker is near Tensaw, Alabama, in Baldwin County. It is on Boatyard Road

Early History of Tensaw Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 28, 2024

2. Early History of Tensaw Marker

(County Road 80) west of State Route 59, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Stockton AL 36579, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the 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 least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Old Federal Road / The Black Crossing (approx. 0.9 miles away); Fort Mims (approx. 2.9 miles away); Fort Mims Massacre (approx. 3 miles away); Fort Mims And The Creek Indian War, 1813-14 (approx. 3 miles away); The South Wall (approx. 3 miles away); War in the Tensaw, 1813 (approx. 3 miles away); Main Compound (approx. 3 miles away); The Battle of Fort Mims

Looking east from marker towards Alabama Highway 59. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 28, 2024

3. Looking east from marker towards Alabama Highway 59.

(approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tensaw.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,819 times since then and 282 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 28, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Tensaw⎯⎯⎯Early History of Tensaw

Tensaw
⎯⎯⎯
Early History of Tensaw