Jackson County Historical Association Meeting, Scottsboro Depot, Presentation by Mr. Patrick Stewart on Relics Found in the Union Army Civil War Encampments surrounding the Scottsboro Depot

Welcome to Scottsboro. The Jackson County Courthouse clock tower may be seen in the background.  The large clock towers served a time keeping purpose along the railroad.  The Scottsboro sign has since been removed. (photo by G. Morgan)

CHANGES

(Photo usage - Fair Use Rights for non-profit news reporting in this article)

Circa mid-1960's  Southern Railway Depot - Scottsboro, AL (Credit: Tom Rock)

www.scottsborodepotmuseum.com Depot in poor state of repair, circa 1987

http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/ circa 2010

July 2011 (photo by G. Morgan)

The Scottsboro Depot Museum Today, a Jackson County Historical Association project.

Jackson County Alabama is rich in history. Some of the artifacts of our history may be found at the Scottsboro Depot Museum. The Depot is described on their web page: "The Memphis & Charleston Railroad figured significantly in the Civil War, and the depot was of strategic importance in the peace that followed. It served as the commercial, cultural, and economic center of a growing community. In 1870, the depot was designated as the center of a new town whose boundaries were to extend one-half mile in each direction. In 1891, a new passenger depot was constructed east of the old depot, but the original depot building continued to serve as the hub of rail freight operations for another hundred years. Since 1991, the depot has undergone renovation with funds from private donors and grants. Today, it houses a growing collection of photos and artifacts that reflect the importance of the railroad in Scottsboro's development."

After the business meeting of the Jackson County Historical Association (JCHA) Mr. Patrick Stewart gave a presentation about relic hunting and history of the area surrounding the Scottsboro Depot. The videos will be presented in two parts, Part 1, above, the Depot Tour and Part 2, below,  JCHA meeting and Mr. Stewart's presentation.


The question - "Where did the 1500 wagon loads of rocks go?" Answer - to build defensive fortifications surrounding Scottsboro for the Union Encampments.

Before Mr. Wendell Page passed away he told me of a rock wall running north from the Park/Shelton Cemetery off of the Old Larkinsville Road. Mr. Page was certain this wall was connected to the Civil War. The wall is depicted below and is on the west side of the Mountain Ridge we refer to as Tater Knob. This appears to be the last remnants of an Union Army Defensive Fortification which would have ran north and south along the base of the mountain offering a formidable defensive line protecting the Union Soldiers and Command wintering and stationed in Scottsboro. (Photo's by G. Morgan taken in 2011.)

This area appears to be a cannon emplacement

Location of Rock Wall, last remnants of the Federal fortifications surrounding the encampment, red and yellow line in both Google Earth screen captures. The area of the wall is private property and should not be entered without the landowners permission

Skirmish at Scottsboro

Directed by Scott Lancaster for The Daily Sentinel Oct. 8, 2012