County: Wilcox
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 32°8′3.52″N 87°24′12.99″W / 32.1343111°N 87.4036083°W / 32.1343111 -87.4036083
Elevation: 141 ft (43 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1819
Disestablished: 1870s
Comments: Prairie Bluff, Alabama Ghost Townso known as Dale and Daletown, is a ghost town in Wilcox County, Alabama Ghost Townabama. Prairie Bluff first appeared on maps in 1819, the same year that Alabama was admitted to the Union as a state. It was listed erroneously as Prairie Blue on Fielding Lucas’ Geographic, Statistical, and Historical Map of Alabama, printed in Philadelphia in 1822. However, another of Lucas’ Alabama maps, Alabama Ghost Townso printed in 1822, lists it as Prairie Bluff. It is interchangeably listed as Dale, Daletown, or Prairie Bluff on subsequent maps from the 1830s until the mid-1850s, after which time Prairie Bluff is the only name used. It disappeared from maps altogether around 1900.
Remains: The town was located at the midpoint of an early road that connected Cahaba, the first state capital, and St. Stephens, the territorial capital. Situated atop a cliff overlooking the Alabama River, the town grew as river trade increased. A large cotton slide, used to move bales of cotton from the top of the cliff to paddle steamers on the river below, was located at the site. The steamboat Pittsburg sank near Prairie Bluff in May 1828, followed by the Jewess on October 28, 1841.
Current Status: Submerged
Remarks: FormerAlabama Rivershipping port
