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Rural Southwest Alabama: Attractions

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Old Gainesville Bank at Gainesville, AL (built ca. 1845)

Antebellum | Gainesville in Sumter County  

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In 1831, Colonel Moses Lewis purchased the land where Gainesville is currently located and he had the land divided into lots for a town. The new town grew very rapidly and by 1840 it had become the third largest town in the state of Alabama, with a population of over 4,000. Gainesville was a major port, shipping 6,000 bales of cotton to Mobile each year by steamboats on the Tombigbee River. The Greek Revival-style Gainesville Bank was built ca. 1845. This is one of the oldest surviving bank buildings in Alabama. In 1970, the Warner Foundation, a private non-profit philanthropic organization, acquired the bank, dismantled it, and moved it to the Tuscaloosa where it was re-erected and restored as part of a complex of early Alabama buildings. The bank was later moved back to Gainesville, AL.

This old bank building is located beside State Street across the road from the Gainesville Park and Bandstand (GPS coordinates 32.823301,-88.158513).

Sources: 1) Gainesville, Alabama Tour Guide; 2) National Register of Historic Places “Gainesville” MRA

Tags: alabama, antebellum, bank, black belt, gainesville, sumter county

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About This Website

Welcome to rural southwest Alabama. This website is dedicated to twelve counties located in rural southwest Alabama which includes a large portion of Alabama’s Black Belt area. This region is known for its rich and diverse heritage, historic homes and churches, and natural beauty. This website contains details about historic and interesting places that you will find in this area of Alabama.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MOST OF THE HOMES INCLUDED ARE PRIVATE RESIDENCES AND, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ARE DRIVE BY ONLY.

We hope that you enjoy this website.

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Dedicated to the memory of Stacy Milstead Henson (1978-2008) & Inez “Sis” Watts (1924-2007).

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