South Region - Hiking Alabama: A Guide to the State's Greatest Hiking Adventures - page 132

Trail contact: Old St. Stephens Historical Commission, PO Box 78, St. Stephens,
AL 36569; [phone]
Finding the trailhead: From Jackson and the intersection of AL 69 and US 43, take
US 43 south 8.4 miles. Turn right onto Mobile Cutoff Road and travel 1.9 miles.
Turn right onto Gib Bailey Road / Cement Plant Road. Travel 0.8 mile and come
to a fork in the road. Take the right fork onto an unnamed street (Cement Plant
Road continues on the left fork). The park entrance gate is ahead on the right in
0.2 mile. After paying the attendant, continue another 1 mile to the parking lot and
trailhead. The trail begins at the information shelter that has details about the park
and its history. GPS: N31 33.315' / W88 02.220'
The Hike
The Old St. Stephens Historical Park Trail is unique. Not only does it take you
through some beautiful scenery, including great views of limestone bluffs (more
on that in a moment), but it is also an active archeological site. Volunteers from
around the country come to the park each year to help uncover a piece of the
state's history, the site of the first territorial capital of Alabama. As with many his-
toric sites, Old St. Stephens is facing a financial crisis and is seeing its budget cut
drastically, but dedicated volunteers do a remarkable job at keeping the gates
open.
The trail that meanders through the site gives you a unique perspective of this
220-plus-year-old city. The town of Old St. Stephens has an eclectic history, be-
ginning as the site of a fort in 1789 that was built by the Spanish governor of
Mobile, Juan Vincente Folk. The location was perfect for the economy of the area.
Built on a sharp bend in the Tombigbee River and high atop a limestone bluff,
ships would have to dock here because after the bend the river shallows.
The fort was eventually turned over to the United States, and in 1799 the town
began growing exponentially. At the height of its success, Old St. Stephens spor-
ted high-class boardinghouses, hotels, theaters, and the state's first chartered
school, Washington Academy.
The Alabama Territory was formed in 1817, and Old St. Stephens became the
state's first capital, thus giving the park its motto, “Where Alabama began.” But