The Portland daily press., 1894-01-18

therefore, they proceeded to get out of
town life all there was in it, III conse-
quence, old ST. Stephens was a fast and
goddess place. The biggest gamblers in
the State collected there and fleeced the
rich and unsophisticated planters and
lawmakers 1t is related that itw was an
unwritten law that no preacher should
invade the precincts of ST. Stephens
One day Baptist minister reached there
and proposed to preach He was uncere-
moniously seized, put in skiff and
roWed across the rixer, where he was
left with the injunction that if he re-
turned he would be tarred and feathered.
tradition says the good man uplifted
his hands in honest Indignation and
prophesied the decay and ultimate ADAM
Comment of st. Stephens. His prophecy
WAS fulfilled, for nothing now remains
OF old st. Stephens except some rock
foundations and some memories Fifty
years ago the town was abandoned, the
capital was moved to Tuscaloosa. the
centre OF the State, and the present St,
Stephens, the seat of Washington county.
was built upon the river.
A visit to the site of the first capital of
Alabama is full of interest. AS you
approach it you discover the ruins of
once handsome dwellings. The stone
foundations show that they were mass
I've and indicate that they were built
with no regard for economy. Coming to
the town proper, one can easily trace the
streets and thoroughfares. They were
carefully surveyed and laid off and
many OF them were paved with stone.
Near the centre Of the old capital city
are found the remains of the old State
Bank and those of the leading hotels.
bout all that remains of the former
institution is the stone vault, in which
was Kept the money of the State and of
the rich legislators. The cellar is about
all that remains of the principal hostelry,
and from the bottom of this massive
OAKS are now growing. The cellar is
l ee IN solid stone masonry, but some
nIty years ago acorns buried beneath the
moor shot little sprigs up between the
BLOCKS OF stone, and, as the twigs grew
and 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
capitol. That it was handsome build
ing for those times is evident from the
masonry of the foundation. The build
ing was small, not, if the foundation is
not misleading, exceeding IS feet square.
just in front of it is one of the grandest
old oaks in the world, under whose shade
did our old great-grandfathers most
probably sit, discuss affairs of State
swap negroes and plav poker. The
boundaries of old St.Stephens would in
dictate city of some 5000 people. but
the population was never more than half
that large. One of the most interesting
things about the ruins of old St. Stephens
IS the cemetery; Probably not spade
nor no, noe nor rake has touched it's soil
d1l more more snan nan century, and yet the
choicest flowers and vines and trees GROW
there in rank profusion. Cane myrtIe'
ivy and evergreen, honeysuckIe. crane,
vine and wild rose mix up and embrace
each other as no florist on earth conld
make them do. Handsome marble shafts
shoot high up in the air, but each is
covered with mating of ivy. The
names on tne snaIts are unknown to this
generation alhunough many men Of history