Sumter County

Fort Tombecbee–3/4 mile

  1736 Erected by French against intrusions of British traders arousing Choctaws and Chickasaws.
  1763 Renamed Fort York by British who soon abandoned the post.
  1783 Renamed Fort Confederation by Spanish and occupied until ceded in 1795.
  1802 Here Choctaws ceded large areas to United States, and the post was continued as Indian trading post.

Gen. N. B. Forrest

  Here Forrest paroled his force May 1865, after four years of outstanding military success, by order of Department Commander Gen. Dick Taylor.

John Anthony Winston (1812-1871)

  Planter, Legislator, Soldier, Governor–1853: First native-born Alabamian to be elected Governor. 1854: Approved Act establishing public schools of state. 1867: Elected to U.S. Senate. He was denied his seat as he would not take oath of allegiance to Federal Government.
  Buried 5 miles east in family cemetery. (Located in Livingston)

Line 32° 28' North Latitude

  Northern Boundary of: British W. Florida 1764-83, Spanish W. Florida 1783-95, Mississippi Territory 1798-1804, Washington County 1800-12, Clarke County 1812-15. Southern Boundary of: British Illinois 1764-83, United States 1783-95. Line fixed in 1764 by British king across present Alabama-Mississippi. France had ceded area to Britain in 1763.

Livingston State College

  Chartered in 1840 as Livingston Collegiate Institute (1835: Female Presbyterian Academy planned). In 1883, by work of Julia Tutwiler, Alabama legislature made its first grant of funds to a girls' school. 1907: State Normal School. In 1929: became Livingston State Teachers College, granting degrees. In 1957 change to present name reflected its broader purposes. (Located on campus)

Sumter County

  1736: First settlement by French at Ft. Tombecbee. 1830: U.S. got Choctaw Indian lands by Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. 1832: County created by Act of State Legislature–named for Gen. Thomas Sumter, "The Gamecock," South Carolina Revolutionary hero. 1833: Livingston made county seat. (Located in Livingston)

Sumter County's Covered Bridge

  1860–Captain W. A. C. Jones of Livingston designed and built the bridge of hand-hewn yellow pine put together with large pegs, clear span 88 feet, overhead clearance 14 feet, and inside width of 17 feet, across the Sucarnoochee River on old State Road south of Livingston.
  1924–Bridge taken down and reconstructed across Alamucha Creek on old Bellamy-Livingston Road where in use 1958.
  1971–Removed to Livingston University campus and restored.

Woodbury

  Earliest known Morgan Horse in Alabama and one of the three major stallion sons sired by Justin Morgan, foundation sire of the breed. Woodbury was foaled in 1816 in Vermont, where he remained until sold to Norman Bugbee of Gainesville, Alabama, in 1836. Bugbee, a native of Vermont, had opened a store a few months earlier in this thriving port city, home of the North Sumter Race Course. In late 1836, Woodbury was shipped by sailing vessel from Boston, but became ill en route and was injured during unloading. He never fully recovered and died in 1838. The U.S. Post Office at Gainesville is built on the site of Bugbee's store.

• Newspapers on microfilm at ADAH
• Probate records on microfilm at ADAH
• Vital records on microfilm at ADAH
• County historical and genealogical societies
• Current county highway map from Department of Geography, The University of Alabama