Part two of a two part series that examines a portion of the settlers that came to the Old Southwest early in the 19^th century.

In the early 1800s, most of the migrants that made their way into the Old Southwest (which includes present day Baldwin County) came along two primary land routes. In 1806, Congress made the first of several appropriations for improvements to two routes that already existed in various states of disrepair. The roads were known as the Natchez Trace, which ran primarily from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi Territory and the Federal Road, which brought travelers to New Orleans from the Atlantic Coast and all points in between. Both of these pathways ferried in thousands of people, many of whom determined they would remain in Baldwin County in hopes of making a living from the land and the waterways.

As the Federal Road underwent improvements in the 19^th century, more and more people used it as their conduit to the West. As this route passed through Georgia, it is only logical that a great number of the travelers that made their way to Baldwin County and beyond came from that region.  They came in hopes of carving out a future for themselves that could equal or even best that of their low-country cousins that had made previous claims to the richest lands in Virginia and the Carolinas.

Much of the early lands ceded from the Creek Nation were sold in Milledgeville, Ga., which, in turn, meant that much of the new territory fell into the hands of Georgians. Numerous acres from this first sale became modern day Montgomery County. The draw was so strong for these Georgians that they were influential, in the long run, in determining the place names of what would become southwest Alabama. A good example is the Baldwin County namesake Abraham Baldwin, who was one of the nation’s founding fathers and the first president of the University of Georgia. 

Nevertheless, the Georgians were not the only land-starved dreamers that found their way into Alabama. Scores of men along with their families came from the piedmont region of South Carolina to make their future in the virgin soil of south central Alabama. Most of these immigrants moved in through Columbia or Greenville, reaching Alabama along the Federal Road. Competing with the North Carolina contingent were those from Virginia and South Carolina, particularly those from the backcountry that placed high expectations on new ground along the frontier.

Many of these Atlantic coast voyagers came to Alabama through the Tennessee Valley, passing southward of Huntsville and on to Tuscaloosa. These groups predominated along the Black Warrior River and spread southward toward the rich lands of the Alabama Black Belt. In Baldwin County, the myriad of travelers mixed to create one of the most diverse groups of people anywhere east of the Mississippi River. And what’s more, the region was truly a frontier with Spanish West Florida to the south and a vast wilderness to the west past New Orleans and the Natchez region.

Indeed, the Old Southwest was a magnet for European adventurers and had been for generations by the time the Federal Road ushered in the masses of the region. Mobile and New Orleans were characteristic of the mélange of foreign personalities that added charm to the region.  The French founded the city of Mobile in 1702 and continued to the give the outpost a unique atmosphere for generations to come.  As a matter of fact, that inimitable flavor still resides in the people of the area and the architecture that they left behind along the delta and the shores of Mobile Bay. So, regardless of the means by which the explorers made their way to Baldwin County and the surrounding region, they have left an indelible mark that underscores the remarkable character of our home.