Brierfield in Bibb County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Absalom Pratt House
Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, October 17, 2010
1. Absalom Pratt House Marker Side A
Born in Stokes County, North Carolina, Absalom Pratt settled in River Bend with his brothers, Hopkins, Joab and John, 1816-1818. Parents Richard and Rebecca Pratt soon followed. In 1822, Absalom married Mary Dickerson. Together they had 12 children. A son, Richard Hopkins Pratt, was principal of Six Mile Academy and Bibb County Superintendent of Education.
Reverse:
Absalom was appointed colonel of militia in 1841 and served as Schultz Creek Baptist Church clerk, 1840-44. He died of typhoid fever in 1845 and is buried in the Pratt-Wallace cemetery. Wife Mary lived until 1882. According to tradition, she operated a Cahaba River ferry and rather than allow the ferry to be used by Union troopers, under General James H. Wilson, Mary set the ferry adrift in April 1865.
The last family members, great-grandsons of Absalom, born in the house were Leonard Callaway, Jr., Francis David and Clarence William Pratt, all of whom served in World War II. Francis David Pratt was the last family member to reside in the
this page online
Erected 2000 by The Pratt Family and The Cahaba Trace Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1865.
Location. 33° 2.554′ N, 86° 57.294′ W. Marker is in Brierfield, Alabama, in Bibb County. It is at the intersection of Montevallo Road (State Highway 25) and County Road 62, on the left when traveling west on Montevallo Road. Marker located near the entrance to the Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Brierfield AL 35035, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Black Belt. 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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bibb Naval Furnaces Brierfield Furnaces (within shouting distance of this marker); Bibb Furnace (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hayes-Morton House (approx. half a mile away); Sunshine & Dorothy Morton House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Montebrier (approx. 2.8 miles away); Six Mile Male & Female Academy Site (approx. 3.8 miles away); Site of Six Mile Male And Female Academy (approx. 3.9 miles away); Town of Wilton (approx. 4.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brierfield.
Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, October 17, 2010
2. Absalom Pratt House Marker Side B
Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, October 17, 2010
3. Absalom Pratt House and Marker
Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, October 17, 2010
4. Absalom Pratt House
The house is used as the Visitor Center for the Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park and general offices of the Cahaba Trace Commission
Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, October 17, 2010
5. Absalom Pratt House
Credits. This page was last revised on October 31, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 3,445 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 19, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
