History of Mooresville, Alabama
A town older than the State: Incorporated November 1818
Mooresville, Alabama, is a rare extant example of a nineteenth century planter’s village. Sited amidst cotton fields and once serving as a port on the nearby Tennessee River, Mooresville was incorporated as a town by the Alabama Territory in 1818, the first municipality incorporated in Alabama. In its time, Mooresville has lived through a good bit of Southern history. Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the US, stayed here while apprenticing to tailor Andrew Sloss. James A. Garfield, 20th President of the US, was stationed here with his Union regiment and preached in the Church of Christ on Market Street. The Trail of Tears passed nearby; the Pony Express stopped here; Mooresville was occupied by Union troops from 1862 through the end of the War Between the States; and in the twentieth century, Mooresville survived the mechanization of the cotton fields and emerged as a remarkably well preserved reminder of days past. Today’s population is around 53 residents and Mooresville is likely the smallest city in the United States with an elected mayor and town council. Bordered now on two sides by the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, Mooresville, with its old houses and churches, narrow and quiet streets, and filled with large, leafy trees, has attracted outside attention. It was used as the setting for the location filming of the film “Tom and Huck” in 1995. Advertisements have been filmed here for John Deere, Mercedes-Benz, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama,and the Alabama Tourism Bureau. An estimated 20,000 tourists visit the town annually. Some come as part of tours, many arranged by the town or in cooperation with local chambers of commerce and visitor’s bureaus; many more come for a quiet walk or drive through a unique and charming place
Post Office – Stagecoach Inn and Tavern – Community Brick Church
Mooresville’s physical attractions are its buildings and its trees. Three historically significant structures are owned by the town itself and have undergone or are undergoing restoration. The 1839 Post Office was given to the town in 1984. The building was completely restored by 1989 and still operates as a post office. The Stagecoach Inn and Tavern (circa 1820) was donated to the town in 1991 and its restoration was completed in 1999. This building served as the stop for the Pony Express; today it is the meeting place for the town council and other special events. Our most recent restoration project is the 1839 Brick Church. Built with labor and funds donated by Governor Thomas Bibb and his wife Pamela, the church was a meeting place for at least three different denominations, the last being the United Methodist Church, which gave the then-unused building to the town in 1994. Now used as a town social center as well as a site for weddings, the exterior of the church is being restored using funds from the Alabama Historical Commission. An estimated $100,000 is needed to complete the restoration of this building. All told, the town’s residents have raised, through donations, fund-raising events, and grants, over $175,000 for restoration.
Several more interesting structures are privately owned. These include the home where Andrew Johnson is believed to have roomed when he was an apprentice to tailor John Sloss, the 1854 Church of Christ, the restored blacksmith shop, as well as about ten of the original twenty or so antebellum homes.
The town’s annual operating budget is about $10,000. After paying for streetlights, mosquito spraying, and landscape maintenance, little is left for restoration. In 1989, concerned citizens initiated the Mooresville Festival and the Town Council established the Historic Renovation Fund to provide funds specifically for restoring and maintaining historic buildings in the town. The Historic Renovation Fund is a restricted account, and its funds can only be used for the renovation and preservation of the Town’s historic buildings and trees. Money raised by the Festival, as well as any other contributions made for historic renovation and preservation, are deposited into this restricted account.
Mooresville Post Office (1840)
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Stagecoach Inn & Tavern (Circa 1820)
Community Brick Church (Built 1839)
Restoration Plan for Brick Church
Current Mooresville Restoration Project
1994 Building deconsecrated & donated to the Town,
1995 Roof secured; lighting installed; interior painted
2000 Restore exterior masonry, soffits, eaves, and roof – funding provided by Alabama Historical Commission
Restored reed organ, circa 1905, by C.E. Kimbrell
2002 Replace and carve the “Heavenward Hand” by resident Frank T. “Bubba” Richardson and Dyrc Sybrans
2003 Structural Work, Repair Cupola–steeple, Dedicate the Hand
2005 Install climate control & finish exterior work
2007 Restore nave & balcony
2009 Landscape churchyard and replace fence
2011 Acquire period furnishings