Courtland in Lawrence County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
The Town of Courtland
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Early Settlers
1819
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 23, 2009
1. The Town of Courtland Marker - Side A
Federal lands in this area were first sold in 1818 and quickly purchased by settlers and speculators. A group of investors calling themselves the “Courtland Land Company” and consisting of William H. Whitaker, James M. Camp, William F. Broadnax, John M. Tifford, Benjamin Thomas and Bernard McKiernan acquired the future town site and had it laid off in a gridiron street pattern containing 300 lots. These were immediately put up for sale. In hopes that Courtland would become the county seat, the present square was set aside for a courthouse. Alabamas territorial legislature incorporated Courtland on December 13, 1819.
Side B
Major Lewis Dillahunty and his wife, Lucinda, reputedly settled at Courtland in 1816. Dillahunty, a surveyor, had fought with Andrew Jackson at New Orleans. Soon afterward came wealthy planters, with their families and slaves, from Virginia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Georgia. They were joined by merchants artisans, lawyers, doctors, preachers and innkeepers as Courtland became the trade center for the surrounding farms and plantations. A newspaper, The Courtland Herald, was established in the 1820s. For most of its history, Courtlands population has numbered between 400 and 700 people.
Erected by the Town of Courtland
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #07 Andrew Jackson series list. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1820.
Location. 34° 40.013′ N, 87° 18.651′ W. Marker is in Courtland, Alabama, in Lawrence County. It is on Tennessee Street. Located in the Park Square downtown Courtland, facing store buildings. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 444 Tennessee St Courtland Al 35618, Courtland AL 35618, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. 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 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 walking distance of this marker: The Red Rovers / Red Rovers Roster (within shouting distance of this marker); Courtland's Early Architecture (within shouting distance of this marker); The African-American Experience (within shouting distance of this marker); A Cotton Kingdom (within shouting distance of this marker); Early Roads / One of the South's First Railroads 1832 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); American Legion - Post 58 (about 400 feet away); Harris-Simpson Home (about 700 feet away); Courtland Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Courtland.
Also see . . .
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 23, 2009
2. Early Settlers Marker - SideB
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 23, 2009
3. The Town of Courtland Park
Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2019. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 3,926 times since then and 101 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 23, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
