The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-01-03
LIE RUINS OF 81. STEVENS.


end OF It, Decay.
Years ago, when our guindiathcih were
babies. che capital 90 Alabama was the
beautiful litile -ity oi Sc. stevens. 10 was
the nr.t capital of the state. aud each year
there aa-rnblel thcrc the men who started
the good ola ship Of state so safely on her
Journey. But not alone did these old
,vurthies 40 there 90 make laws. like the
statesmen of this day and time, they miNcd
considerable fr,lic with thcie labor. Most
OF them were rich and lived in opulcnce I'M
their lovely country homes. When they
went Co the capital, therefore. they pro-
ceclod 90 get ont of townlit all there was
in &c. In consequence, old 50. stevens was
"a fast and goddess place. The biggest
gamblers in the state collected there and
nscccd che rich and unsophisucated plant
crs aud lawmakers
Do is rglated thut So was uuwritten law
that no preacher should invade the pre-
oiucts of 81. Stevens. one day Baptist
minister reached there aud proposed o.
pralch Tie was unccrcmoniousiy soiied'
but in askid and rowod across the river,
where De was ls.t with the iniuncioa ,nat
80 DE returned he would Doe torrea rnd
feathcred Tradition snys the good man
upfncd Dis hands and ln honest iuuigna-
tion nrnphesiel the decay and ultimate
Abandonment of ST.. Stevens. Ills pruph-
ccy was FULFILLED. lor nothing now rcmaias
of oid So. Stevens cNccpt some rocN ioun-
datious. some marble columns, some EraNe-
STONES and somc memOrieH. fluY years
ara tle town WIS abandoned, thc capital
was moved 90 Tuscaloosa, the center of
the state. ana the present ST.. stevens, the
scat If Washington couuty,was built upon
the river.
ANisit 90 tho site Of tho i,rst capital Of
Alabama i- un OF interest AS You APP
preach BE- You discover thc ruins az once
handsome dwellings. Tho STONE icunda-
tious show that they were massive nnd M
dictate chat they were built with no regard
for economy.
Coming to thotowu proper, one can cas-
ilv trace the streets and thoroughiarfs,
They were carefully surveyed and laid OH,
and manypf Thorn were paved with stone.
Near the center of the old capital city are
found the remains of the old state bank
and those Of the leading hotel. About all
that remains OF the former institution Is
the stone vault. in which was kept the
money OF the state and of the rich legisla-
tors. The clelar is about an that remains
Of the principal hostelry and from the
bottom OF this massive oaks are now grow
ing The cellar Is laid in solid stone mat
sonry. but some 30 years ago acorns bur
led beneath the floor shot little sprigs mp be
tween the blocks az stone, and rs the twigs
grew end strengthened into trees the rocks
were pushed aside TO let them spread.
Probably the place OF most interest,
however is the foundation of the first cap
itol That it was handsome bui ding for
those times is evident from the masonry
Of the foundation. The building was small,
not. If the foundation is not misleading,
exceeding 40 feet square. Just in front Of
ia j. one Of the grandest old oaks in the
world. under whose shade did our old
great grandfathers most probably sit, dis
cuss affairs of state, swap negroes and
play poker.
The boundaries Of old st. Stevens would
indicate "a city Of some 5000 people, hut
the population was never more than half
that large.
One OF the most interesting things about
the ruins of old st. Stevens is the GENE
terry. Probably not spade nor noe nor
rake has touched its soil for more shan
half a century, a-.1 yet the choicest flow
ers and vines ami trees grow there IN rank
profusiou. Cape myrtle, ivy and ever
green. honey suckle. grape vine aud wild
rose n.is up and embrace each other as no
florist on earth could make them do.
Hands 1me marble shafts shoot high up IN
the air. bat each Is covered with mat
ting II ivy. The names GA the shafts are
unknown 90 this gecerat41n. although
many men &C hi~fr are buried there in
unmarked grav- birmingham (Ala.)
Cor. Atlanta Constitution.