Fort Bibb (Butler County, Alabama)

Butler County · Alabama · First Seminole War

Quick BriefFort Bibb was a stockade fort built in early 1818 in present-day Butler County, Alabama during the First Seminole War. The fort was built around the home of Captain James Saffold and served as one of the first election sites in Butler County.

History & Significance

Following the Ogly Massacre, many settlers in the surrounding area began to build protective stockades around their homes. The fort was named for William Wyatt Bibb, acting governor of the Alabama Territory.

Captain Saffold participated in the Battle of Calebee Creek and afterwards settled in the area of Pine Flat. The fort gained prominence after a tragic encounter on the frontier.

On March 20, 1818, a party of settlers including Captain William Butler left Fort Bibb to meet Colonel Sam Dale and were attacked near Pine Barren Creek by Savannah Jack and his warriors. While William Gardener and Daniel Shaw were shot dead and Butler and John Hinson wounded, Captain Butler was ultimately killed by the Indians.

This event became known as the Butler Massacre, and Butler County was named in Butler's honor. Colonel Samuel Dale helped to fortify Fort Bibb while he and his militia constructed Fort Dale on the Federal Road in the spring of 1818. Fort Bibb served as one of the first election sites in Butler County.