Moore's Bluff

From "Selma; Her Institutions, and Her Men" by John Hardy, pub. 1879:

Thomas Moore built his log cabin about the present crossing of Water an Green streets, opening up a few acres of land upon which to raise his corn, but supporting himself and family mainly by fishing and hunting, and continued the only inhabitant for about one year, when several families from East Tennessee located at, and in the vicinity of "Moore’s Bluff." But coming from a mountainous and healthy country the climate here did not agree with them, and in about one year, but few of these inhabitants were left from the ravages of chills, and other kind of malarial diseases. Thomas Moore, himself, finally left the place to seek a more healthy locality.

Three Scotsmen--Peter Robinson, Robert Lowe and Mathew McLaughlin--who had been engaged in trading, with a barge or pole-boat, on the river, broke up their river trade, and such built them a log cabin, and opened a business at “Moore’s Bluff” in the spring of 1817. Peter Robinson located at, or near the present location of the grocery store of R. C. Keeble & Co; Lowe, near where the present Savings Bank building stands; and McLaughlin at the present “Ikelheimer corner,” where he remained for years and became a large and prosperous merchant. Robinson, a few years after, left Selma and located twelve miles east of Selma on the Montgomery and Cahaba trail, two miles west of where the town of Benton now stands, and continued to do a large business until his death, receiving his goods at Dundee Landing, half a mile from his store on the Alabama River. Lowe removed from Selma and located several miles east of the present town of Benton, on the same trail, where he attempted to build up a village, called it “Sand Town“ where is to be seen to-day, an old log house, in which Lowe lived. The next place of business opened, was by John Simpson in a log house, which he built, about where James J. Bryan’s Store is now located, in 1817. The fifth business house was opened by Elias Parkman, just above that of John Simpson’s in 1817. In January, 1818, Mike Woodall built a large log house at the now corner of Greene and Water streets, and opened an eating house, or hotel; a part of this house is now standing, and was dept as a hotel for years. It was in this house that Gen. Lafayette, in 1825, was entertained. The first frame house built in the town yet stands, and is occupied by George Peacock as an office to his Foundry. This house was built by Steven Craven for Gen. G. Shearer; the lumber was sawed by hand, with what in known in 1818 as a “whip saw.”

By this time, the Indian wars throughout the country had ceased, peace restored and the report of the productiveness of the country had become justly famous in Georgia, North Carolina and other States, and from about 1818, for several years succeeding, perhaps the immigration to no county was more numerous, from all parts of the Southern States, than to this part of Alabama territory.

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