Alabama, Lawrence County, Courtland
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Side A
One of Alabama's oldest and most picturesque town cemeteries, this site was set aside as a burying ground by the Courtland Land Company in its original survey made prior to the incorporation of the town in 1819. Many of the area's earliest settlers and prominent leaders are buried here, including three Revolutionary War veterans. There are a number of unmarked graves of Confederate soldiers. Three Union soldiers were interred here following an 1863 skirmish at the nearby railroad trestle. Their graves were later enclosed behind a rock wall erected by the townspeople. (Over)
Side B
Older gravemarkers found in this cemetery represent a variety of styles and types common in the 1800s and early 1900s. They include simple upright stone slabs as well as "table" and "box" tombs. tall granite obelisks and Victorian-era statuary. Some family plots are enclosed with ornamental cast-iron fences. Older graves lie mostly in the southern part of the cemetery. After the Civil War, an African-American burial ground was established just east of the main cemetery. Oldest graves in this section date from the early 1900s. (Over)
(Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil • War, US Revolutionary) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Side A
One of Alabama's oldest and most picturesque town cemeteries, this site was set aside as a burying ground by the Courtland Land Company in its original survey made prior to the incorporation of the town in 1819. Many of the area's earliest settlers and prominent leaders are buried here, including three Revolutionary War veterans. There are a number of unmarked graves of Confederate soldiers. Three Union soldiers were interred here following an 1863 skirmish at the nearby railroad trestle. Their graves were later enclosed behind a rock wall erected by the townspeople. (Over)
Side B
Older gravemarkers found in this cemetery represent a variety of styles and types common in the 1800s and early 1900s. They include simple upright stone slabs as well as "table" and "box" tombs. tall granite obelisks and Victorian-era statuary. Some family plots are enclosed with ornamental cast-iron fences. Older graves lie mostly in the southern part of the cemetery. After the Civil War, an African-American burial ground was established just east of the main cemetery. Oldest graves in this section date from the early 1900s. (Over)
(Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil • War, US Revolutionary) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Built by William Matthews Marks, who immigrated from Oglethrope County, GA, on acreage purchased from the U.S. land office in Cahaba, AL for $1.25 per acre.
Chief Metocinyah, whose village was destroyed by Campbell's troops during the Mississinewa Expedition of 1812, has been credited with quieting the Miami after the invasion. This service to the Americans is believed to be the reason his band was given a reservation of 6,400 acres, including 10 miles of river frontage by the Treaty of 1838. The Meshingomesia Reservation, the last in Indiana, was confirmed to Chief Meshingomesia by the Treaty of 1840. By petition to the Congress in 1873 Meshingomesia was persuaded to divide the land under government supervision, among the 63 members of the band then living. Soon after the division, the land mostly was in the hand of Americans, by marriage as well as by purchase.
Following the defeat of the British at the Battle of the Thames on October 5, 1813, American forces controlled the Thames Valley west of Moraviantown. In early December a detachment of 3 officers and 36 men of the American 26th Regiment established a post near here at the house of Thomas McCrae. Before daybreak on December 15, 1813, they were surprised by Lieutenant Henry Medcalf and 32 members from the Norfolk and Middlesex Militia, the Kent Volunteers and the Provincial Dragoons. After a brief resistance the Americans surrendered and were taken prisoner.
Built 1758 Burnt 1892
A writer describing this
Thomas McCrae was an early settler, innkeeper, and political figure in Raleigh Township along the Thames River. He served as a captain and company commander in the Kent Militia and was present at the capture of Fort Detroit. Family tradition relates that McCrae used the prize money he received from the capture of the fort to complete his Georgian brick home in 1813.
During the American occupation of the lower Thames, this house was used as a base for U.S. troops. In mid-December 1813, the house was occupied by 39 officers and men of the 26th Regiment led by Lieutenant Larwill.
In the early 1920's, O'Connell Island provided winter access for Sunset Island residents by means of a removable foot bridge placed across Tuscarora Bay. This bridge connected the northwestern area of O'Connell Island to the old Island Store on Sunset Island. In the time following World War II, Mr. Bill Beccue purchased O'Connell Island. This area today includes a marina with dockage, repair and storage facilities, the Island Yacht Club and what is currently the Sunset Grill Restaurant. Although it does not appear to be an actual island, O'Connell Island was at one time separated from the mainland. Following his purchase, Mr. Beccue removed the small footbridge over the narrow channel of water separating the island, replacing it with a large culvert pipe and constructing a roadway over it. Mr. Beccue also established the boat basin and built two large Quonset huts, a boat launch and the dockage you see before you. The building now occupied by the Sunset Grill was the original clubhouse for the Island Yacht Club. The wood for much of its construction came from the large pine trees on O'Connell Island. In fact, Mr. Beccue set up a sawmill on the island specifically to cut this timber. The Island was called Beccue's Island until, in recent years, it was changed back to O'Connell Island by a former owner, Dean Johnson. As told by C.F. Horton. Winter Bridge from Sunset Island Store Dock to O'Connell Island, circa 1920's.
Upon sighting American war ships at the mouth of the Thames River on October 1, 1813, the British Army boarded scows and bateaux near this site. One by one, the boats and their cargo were pulled across the river to their next encampment site at Dolsen's Landing, a small but important commercial site in Dover Township established by Matthew and Hannah Dolsen. The settlement consisted of the Dolsen's log home, a store, a blacksmith shop, a distillery, and other outbuildings. Dolsen's Landing had an ideal location with a gentle sloping bank allowing for easy river access. An advance party had already established bake ovens on the site in preparation for the encampment.
