Erie, Alabama

Erie, Alabama
Ghost town
Erie, Alabama

Location in Alabama

Coordinates: 32°43′3.6″N 87°47′50.24″W / 32.717667°N 87.7972889°W / 32.717667; -87.7972889Coordinates: 32°43′3.6″N 87°47′50.24″W / 32.717667°N 87.7972889°W / 32.717667; -87.7972889
Country United States
State Alabama
County Hale
Elevation 548 ft (167 m)
Population
 • Total 0
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
GNIS feature ID 138975[1]

Erie is a ghost town located in present-day Hale County, Alabama, United States.[1]

Located at the "Erie Bend" on the east bank of the Black Warrior River, the former settlement is approximately 11 mi (18 km) east of Greensboro.[2]

History

Map from 1837 showing the location in Green County (now Hale County)

Originally located in Greene County, Erie was the first county seat (Erie became part of Hale County in 1867).[3]

Erie was incorporated in 1820, and was a thriving town with stores, a hotel, a jail, and a population of approximately 1,500 who "dwelt in pomp and circumstances with all the bickerings and intrique (sic), the ambitions, love and hate that surrounds a prosperous town".[4][5]

Erie became a shipping point for cotton headed to Mobile, and the hauling of cotton by wagon gave employment to a number of professional teamsters.[5]

Decline

Several factors led to a decision to move the county seat to Eutaw in 1838.[3] Erie had "little and bad water and a muddy location", and was not centrally located.[6] As well, during the late 1830s, Yellow fever spread through Erie, and the settlement experienced flooding.[3]

No longer the county seat, Erie was soon abandoned, with the last remaining home destroyed by fire in 1933.[3]

The former settlement is now located on private property, and a few stones and bricks can be found there.[3] The Erie Cemetery is located a short distance east.[7]

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "Erie (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Erie Bend
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Causey, Donna R. (October 29, 2015). "Erie Was Once a Vibrant Town of 1,500 and County Seat of Greene County, Alabama – Now Nothing Remains and it is in Hale County". Alabamapioneers.com.
  4. ↑ "Second Generation". Monnett Genealogy. Retrieved March 2016. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  5. 1 2 Yerby, William Edward Wadsworth (1908). History of Greensboro, Alabama from its Earliest Settlement. Paragon Press. pp. 25, 27.
  6. ↑ "Green County First Towns". Greene County, Alabama GenWeb. Retrieved March 2016. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  7. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Erie Cemetery
  8. ↑ Memorial Addresses on the Life and Character of Thomas H. Herndon (a Representative from Alabama). U.S. Government Printing Office. 1884. pp. 25, 26.
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