Jackson County was
created by the Alabama State Legislature on December 13,
1819, from land acquired from the Cherokee Indians. The
original county consisted of nearly twice its current
area, but in 1821, it was cut in half in the creation of
Decatur County, which was soon abolished. Some of its
former territory was divided between Jackson and Madison
Counties, but most of the land went to the newly created
Marshall County. Jackson County was named in honor of
Gen. Andrew Jackson, who was visiting Huntsville and the
Alabama General Assembly when the county was
established. Most of the earliest settlers came to
Jackson County from South Carolina, Tennessee, and
Georgia, although some came from as far away as North
Carolina and Virginia. Some of the earliest settlements
and towns included Sauta Cave, Camden (later Paint
Rock), Bellefonte, Bridgeport, Stevenson, and
Scottsboro. During the Civil War, Jackson County was the
site of much fighting between Union and Confederate
troops. The courthouse and several homes in Bellefonte
were burned by Union troops, and combat took place at
the Battle of Bridgeport and the Scottsboro Skirmish.
When Jackson County was created in 1819, Sauta Cave was
established as the temporary seat of justice, but
shortly thereafter it was moved to the village of Sauta
located near Birdsong Spring. In 1828, county records
were moved into the new brick, two story courthouse in
Bellefonte, which served as the county seat for 40
years. In 1859, a county election was held to determine
whether a new courthouse should be more centrally
located in Stevenson or Scottsboro. Stevenson was
chosen, but the Civil War nullified this action, and the
matter was not settled until 1868. On September 5, 1868,
the Commissioners Court met in Bellefonte and voted to
remove the county seat from Bellefonte to Scottsboro,
named for its founder Robert T. Scott, a native of North
Carolina. In November 1868, county records were moved
from Bellefonte to a small brick house in Scottsboro
rented by Probate Judge David Tate.
(In the 1980s, this building was moved to the grounds of
the Scottsboro-Jackson County Heritage Center, located
one block from the courthouse square.) The new
courthouse was completed in 1870 at a cost of $25,000
and served the county until 1912, when the county
commissioners began dismantling it.
(Taken from
Encyclopedia of Alabama) |
