About Us

Prior to Mississippi becoming a state in 1817 St. Stephens had been the eastern most city of the Mississippi Territory. Upon Mississippi gaining statehood, Alabama became its own territory and St. Stephens its capital. Alabama's first Governor, William Wyatt Bibb, presided over the first meeting of the Territorial Legislature at the Douglass Hotel on St. Stephens' High Street. After taking the oath of office, swearing to uphold the constitution, the next order of business was to create the charter of Alabama's first bank, The Tombecbee Bank. "The sitting of the first legislature at St. Stephens was right. For here, where McClary hoisted the American flag, was the beginning of Alabama." (Peter J. Hamilton, 1899)

Old St. Stephens Historical Park is home to one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in Alabama. St. Stephens is now a ghost town. There are many recreational activities available for visitors, including fishing, RV camping, primitive camping, biking, birdwatching, sightseeing, picnicking, and hiking. A 100-acre quarry lake provides visitors with a fine place to swim, fish, boat, and relax. Take a hike through the woods to view the town ruins, or cool off on the sugar-white beach on an aquamarine lake. There is a boat ramp available to those who want to fish, or who just want to enjoy the breathtaking scenery from the water. Bird watchers will want to make sure they bring their binoculars and cameras! 

History and Archaeology at Old St. Stephens: During a brief three decades, beginning in the 1790s to its decline in the 1820s, St. Stephens was the site of a Spanish fort, an American fort and trading post, and the Alabama Territorial capitol. The University of South Alabama Center for Archaeological Studies, and the Alabama Museum of Natural History Summer Expedition Program have ongoing archaeological digs which will shed new light on the people who lived and died at Old St. Stephens.

The St. Stephens Historical Commission was created by an Act of the Alabama Legislature in the 1988 Session. The Act provides for the creation, organization, operation, meeting and continuance of the St. Stephens Historical Commission: to provide for acquiring, constructing, establishing, maintaining and promoting certain properties and structures of historical interest and functional utility at St. Stephens, in the vicinity of the site of the first territorial capital of Alabama; to provide for financial cooperation with other public or private agencies and historical organizations, and to provide for the employment of personnel.