Fort Bibb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Bibb |
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| Pine Flat, Alabama in United States | |
 Fort Bibb
Fort Bibb
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| Coordinates | 31°50′20″N 86°53′00″W / 31.83889°N 86.88333°W |
| Type | Stockade fort |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Private |
| Controlled by | Private |
| Open to the public |
No |
| Site history | |
| Built | Early 1818 |
| Built by | Alabama Territory settlers |
| In use | 1818-? |
Fort Bibb was a type of fort called a stockade fort. It was built a long time ago, in early 1818, in what is now Butler County, Alabama. This happened during a time called the First Seminole War.
Building Fort Bibb
After an event known as the Ogly incident, many settlers in the area started building protective forts around their homes. Fort Bibb was one of these forts. It was built in early 1818 around the home of Captain James Saffold.
The fort was named after William Wyatt Bibb. He was the acting governor of the Alabama Territory at that time. An acting governor is someone who leads a territory or state temporarily. Captain Saffold had fought in the Battle of Calebee Creek before settling near Pine Flat, Alabama. Other settlers like Warren A. Thompson and William Butler also lived in Pine Flat.
Important Events at the Fort
Colonel Samuel Dale helped make Fort Bibb stronger. He and his group of soldiers, called a militia, also built Fort Dale nearby. Fort Dale was built along the Federal Road in the spring of 1818. This new fort was built after some men, including William Butler, William Gardender, and Daniel Shaw, were killed.
These men, along with Captain Saffold and John Hinson, had left Fort Bibb on March 20, 1818. They were going to meet Colonel Dale. But they were attacked by a group called the Red Sticks, led by Savannah Jack. The Red Sticks were a group of Creek people who resisted American expansion. This attack became known as the Butler incident.
After these events, soldiers and allied Choctaw warriors were sent from Fort Crawford. They came to help find the Red Sticks.
Fort Bibb was also important for another reason. It was one of the first places where people could vote in Butler County.
