Tatum Northington
Elmore/Autauga News
Top Photo From left to right are Beth DeBusk, Lynn Burrell, Barbara Russell, Larry Caver, Judge Joy Booth, David Washatka, and Michele Washatka
Friday, August 19, the Old Autauga Historical Society, along with Judge Joy Booth, proudly unveiled a project they’ve been working on for years at the Autauga County Courthouse in Prattville.
The project is a set of four panels, each representing an Autauga County Courthouse and explaining the history of each, dating back to 1818. Society President, Larry Caver, explained “Most people don’t realize there have been more than two courthouses in Autauga County and that we were a county that predates the formation of Alabama in 1819.”
The Old Autauga Historical Society officially formed January 1, 2020 and they currently have about 300 members. The mission of OAHS is to “Share and preserve the history of old Autauga County, which includes present day Autauga County, and areas west of the Coosa River in Elmore County and areas south of Chestnut Creek in Chilton County.”
Caver tells us that the Autauga County Courthouse project was just one of the many projects that the society is working on, including the preservation of Vine Hill Presbyterian Church, as well as the old Mulberry Schoolhouse.
The Autauga County Courthouse project was important to complete first as “many residents do not understand that our county has such a deep history,” Caver explained. The panel display is set right in the lobby of the current Autauga Courthouse.
Judge Joy Booth told the EAN that in her 12 years at the courthouse, “We wanted something to commemorate Autauga County. We have lots of visitors that come through that are not coming to trial, such as field trips and tourists, and we wanted people to know the history.”
So, she got together with Caver and OAHS and the project was brought to life.
OAHS went to work and discovered there was quite a bit of historical documentation in a vault behind Judge Booth’s office containing chancery records, which were the missing pieces in their research.
The four panels each share a part of Autauga County history. The first panel shows the original courthouse set in the town of Washington, which is now present day property where International Paper is located. There is not much photographic information from the time period, but there are well kept chancery records.
The second panel displays the town of Kingston, which is considered a ghost town now, and would be considered the area of present day north east of Prattville. This courthouse was the center of the county until the end of the Civil War. However, after the Civil War, present day Chilton and Elmore Counties were formed, and Daniel Pratt wanted the courthouse to be in Prattville. It was relocated which Caver says “Concreted Prattville as a town.”
The third and fourth panels show the two courthouses in Prattville. The third courthouse was located where the Martin Dance Factory is now, and was built in 1870. It was the courthouse until the current building was constructed in 1905 and completed in 1906.
These panels have many more pictures and records and these are now on display for the public to view.
There are maps of where everything was situated in the county as well as the names of citizens who worked in the courthouse. A local attorney and chancery, Captain Abney, worked until his death in his office at the courthouse. One judge lived in the jail, and there was a special door that separated his residence from the jail itself.
A special piece of paper caught this reporter’s eye that displayed the name of Pleasye Northington, who was the first woman to work in the register’s office.
All in all, this display is one every Prattvillian and Autauga County resident needs to visit at least once. The large amount of historical information in a small space is truly remarkable. The OAHS did a fantastic job of capturing the importance of the history of the Autauga County Courthouse and truly brought life to the lobby.
The Old Autauga Historical Society meets quarterly and you can join for just $10. You can follow their activities by joining their private group on Facebook. Their First Quarterly Meeting of 2023 will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at the historic Robinson Springs UMC in Millbrook, so be sure to mark your calendars.
