Early Alabama History

"It might be well to remind you, Randy, that two great men, DeSoto and Bienville, passed through our county.

DeSoto came through the county searching for gold. He made his way through the complete length of the county, all up through Loundes County, on up to the Mississippi River, near Memphis, where he died, and his followers buried him there.

Bienville came up the Tombigbee River, going up to Cotton Gin Port, which is now Aberdeen, to fight the Indians. He was defeated up there, and went back down the river in disgrace.

Alabama was admitted into the Union by an act of Congress on March the second, eighteen and nineteen. Prior to that time, Pickens County had been a part of the Alabama Territory, and then, prior to that, a part of the Mississippi Territory. Before Alabama became a state, uh, this county was under the jurisdiction of the courts of, uh, Tuscaloosa County. The first capital, while it was a territory, was at St. Stephens, down at the southern end of the county. Then, when they go ready to draw up a constitution, they met at Huntsville, and named it the capital. The constitution was drawn up while they were up at Huntsville, and they agreed at that time that the permanent capital would be at Cahaba. But, a flood came, and destroyed everything in Cahaba. So the capital was moved to Tuscaloosa. Then the people in the state were not satisfied with the capital being at Tuscaloosa and wanted it more centrally located. So the capital was moved to Montgomery, and there it stands today. And because Montgomery was the capital, and the first meeting of all the Confederate states, met in Montgomery, it was called the Cradle of the Confederacy. And in Montgomery today stands our state capital, with the star upon the step, and a star where Jefferson Davis stood when he was, uh, taking the oath as the President of the Confederate States of America. Across the street is the little White House, and that is the house in which Jefferson Davis lived. And nearby is the Department of Archives and History. This department was organized by Thomas M. Owen, who once lived in Carrollton, and for many years he was the director of the Department of Archives and History. And after his death, his wife, Marie Bankhead Owen, held that same position. So, we owe so much to these two people who did so much to preserve the history of not only our county but the entire state."