Matthew and Drucella Anderson operated the Anderson stage stop in Monroe County, Alabama. Matthew served in the Confederate militia and was a farmer. The stage stop included livery stables, an inn and a well for travelers.
In the early days of Alabama the stage coach was king of the road. It was an era of virgin pine forests, unadulterated creeks and swampy low lands which could make travel lonely and dangerous.
Many roads were constructed or improved for military purposes, such as the Old Stage Road. It has been said Highway 97 in Northwest Florida was an old British military road. The Fort Montgomery to Fort Crawford Road, which was situated high on the east bank of Murder Creek was another major transportation artery. Another Fort Crawford connection was the Fort Crawford to Fort Gaines Road. Numerous pig-trails and back woods roads cut through the interior of the county and connected isolated rural communities.
Some ancient foot paths through the county were the result of Native American trade routes to other parts of the region.
Yet for most of the 1800s; road travel along most of the important road arteries of the area centered around the stage coach. It has been said there was a likely stage route cut off around the area of Bowman Cemetery although little but the road remains.
Another old stage line ran through the Northwest part of what would become Escambia County. Three local stops serviced travelers along the route, Jack Springs, Lomax's and the Cruit Homestead. Stage travelers and the mail hack riders were the most frequent guests at these islands of hospitality in the sparsely settled region.
Major James Thompson and Patrick Byrne, were two early stage coach owners who ran a mail hack delivering mail between Mobile and Montgomery twice a week. Gilbert Cruit, near Butler Street, was a stagecoach driver along the Old Federal Road, his son Robert was a postmaster at Mortimer and a co-founder of Atmore Hardware. Anyone living in the Atmore area could expect a ten mile trip to meet the stage as in it did not deviate into Atmore.
The stage brought travelers, mail and news from its coachmen and its riders. Highwaymen were a constant danger, as were roads damaged by inclement weather and this contributed to a network of stops along the way. For example, in 1852 travelers changed coaches in Greenville. Fresh horses were rotated in every 16 miles. In the earliest years of the route, horses were changed every five miles due to the rough and muddy roads, then as the roads improved the horses could go further without exchange.
As a better road network developed and train travel began to emerge in the interiors of the area, the day of the stage coach began to fade. During the last days of the stage coach, the route from Montgomery to Mobile ran through Greenville, Tensaw, Stockton, Blakely; with the last part being by boat to Mobile. As the last stage coach disappeared around the curve, the future of travel was just a few decades away in the advent of the automobile. The last stage stop known to exist along the Old Federal Road is the Anderson Stage Stop. According to a historic marker near the spot, Matthew Anderson settled at the location in 1852, farming and running an inn across the road. He also had a livery stable on site.
Available now: The Butler Street Chronicles; Selected histories of the communities surrounding Butler Street and will include information on settlers at Steadham, Pond Fork, Sizemore, Sardine, Butler Street, Hollinger and other communities along this route. Pick up your copy for $15. Copies can be published from the author or at Amazon.com or Lulu.com.
Shadows and Dust Volume III: Legacies is available for purchase in the amount of $30.00+$5.00 shipping and handling to PO Box 579 Atmore, AL 36502 or visit Lulu Publishing.com; Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles.com OR at the Monroe County Heritage Museum in Monroeville, Alabama or by calling 251 294 0293.
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