In December 1819, an act of the Alabama
Legislature created Jackson County out of the Indian lands and fixed a temporary county seat at Sauta Cave.
In December 1821, the town was incorporated by the Legislature, and by 1822 Bellefonte
had been chosen as the second temporary seat of government for Jackson County. At the time of its incorporation, Bellefonte had about 200 citizens, and the
following decade would bring a post office (1822), a courthouse (1828), a Presbyterian Church (1829), and a
cemetery (earliest stone 1826). There were stores in the town at least as early as 1828.
By 1833, Bellefonte had a population of 320, and by 1844 had grown to 400.
Between these dates and ......??? and "The Bellefonte Academy." (Note: part of this article was
incomplete) In June 1838, 10 companies of militia were raised and head quartered at
Bellefonte to participate in the Cherokee
removal.
Two men who established taverns during this
period would later play an important role in the town's history. Robert T. Scott, the founder of Scottsboro, came to Bellefonte from Huntsville
and bought or built the "Belle Tavern." Major Robert Eaton established the "Mansion
Hotel."
In the 1830's, Bellefonte got its first newspapers. The North Alabama
Star was published by Eaton for a year before it folded and he went to Tuscaloosa to found another paper. In
1841, he returned to Bellefonte to publish The Jackson County Democrat which lasted until at least
1855. As early as 1834, he also co-published the Bellefonte Courier, which in 1837 emerged with the Jackson County
Republican, a forerunner of the Democrat.
A paper called the North Alabama Register
competed successfully with the Democrat in the mid-1850's. Early in
the 1850's, Eaton and printer R.C. Gill began the Bellefonte Democrat. In
the mid 1850's, it was taken over by other interests and became the Bellefonte Era.
The 1850 census shows Bellefonte's population
fell to 255, but indications are the town was still thriving. Five store or bank clerks, six blacksmiths, six shoemakers, four mechanics, two
tailors, a printer and a watchmaker were among the residents.
In 1849, when the prospect of a railroad
through Jackson County arose, most Jackson County citizens saw the economic promise and invested heavily in railroad stock.
But Bellefonte citizens, including those with
an interest in river trade, blocked the railroad from being built through the town, and the nearest depot eventually ended up in what would be
Hollywood, three miles from the county seat.
Scott saw the chance to fulfill his longtime
dream of founding a town by donating land to build a railroad depot near Backbone Ridge, where he had a home. By 1855, Scott's Mill had
a post office, and by the time the railroad was completed in March 1856, Scott had his town, known variously as
Scott's Station, Scottsville, and, ultimately, Scottsboro.
Not satisfied, Scott actively campaigned to
have the county seat moved to his town. Through his influence in the Legislature (he served eight terms), Scott lobbied for an election to
poll Jackson residents on the question of moving the site of the courthouse from Bellefonte, where the old
courthouse was in bad need of repair.
On December 17, 1859, the vote was held and
Bellefonte lost its place as the county seat. Although Stevenson was selected in a later vote, the outbreak of the war and a
legislative maneuver by Scott eventually put the courthouse in Scottsboro.
The old courthouse at Bellefonte was destroyed
during the war, although the exact circumstances are not known.
During the winter of 1863-64, the 34th Illinois
Volunteer Regiment occupied the town, and soldier's letters describe how they burned the county's records in front of the courthouse
to keep warm.
Several other residences and businesses were
destroyed by the war, but many survived intact, only to be moved to Scottsboro after the war.
In addition to the ravages of the war, the town
suffered from several years of drought conditions causing many people to move away.
By 1870, the census shows just 72 permanent
residents of the town, which still had a steamboat landing and various businesses.
Bellefonte hung on throughout the 1880's, and
was listed as having 100 residents in the 1890 census, but in 1894, the post office closed. In 1899, the Masonic lodge disbanded,
and no official references to the town are found after that, although a store remained there until World
War I.
