Wakefield, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wakefield, Alabama
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A 1904 photo of the place Burr was captured
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 Wakefield, Alabama
Location in Alabama
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Washington |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Wakefield is a ghost town in Washington County, Alabama. A ghost town is a place that used to be a town but is now mostly empty. Wakefield is famous because a very important person, former Vice President Aaron Burr, was arrested there in 1807.
The History of Wakefield
Wakefield was located on a curve of the Tombigbee River. This was close to where the town of McIntosh Bluff is today. A judge named Harry Toulmin gave the settlement its name. He named it after a famous book called The Vicar of Wakefield.
Wakefield was an important place for a short time. It served as the main town, or county seat, for Washington County. This was from 1805 to 1809.
Aaron Burr's Arrest
The most famous event in Wakefield's history happened in February 1807. This is when Aaron Burr was arrested. Burr had been the Vice President of the United States. He was wanted by the government at the time.
Burr was trying to travel to Spanish West Florida. A government agent named Major Nicholas Perkins III saw him. Perkins told U.S. Army Lieutenant Edmund P. Gaines about it.
Lieutenant Gaines arrested Aaron Burr on February 19. This happened near Wakefield. Burr was then held at Fort Stoddert. Both Gaines and Perkins later spoke at Burr's trial. Burr was found not guilty.
Today, a special marker remembers where Aaron Burr was captured. The Alabama Historical Association placed this marker.
