Socopatoy

Although the Creek Indians retained ownership of this territory after the Treaty of Fort Jackson ended the Creek War of 1812-14, whites began settling here before Alabama achieved statehood.  This site included a Native American village, frontier fort, and pioneer town.  The village gave its name to the Socopatoy Creek and the “Socopatoy Trail,” which connected Wetumpka and Talladega. A post office operated between 1837 and 1866, and the cemetery was established in 1840 along the Rockford Road. On July 16, 1864, during the Civil War, Union General Rousseau’s Raiders passed here. William Garrett (1809-1876), Secretary of State from 1840-1852, lived in the area, as did Samuel Smylie Graham (1805-1883), the Assistant State Geologist, who was known as a “walking encyclopedia” and for his long walks as far as Wetumpka. By the early 20th century, the once thriving town was reduced to a handful of structures and most of these were removed in 1979 for the rerouting of U.S. Hwy. 280. Nearby are the ruins of Bradford Factory, a textile mill chartered in 1845.  The Central Plank Road of 1852 went by the Factory, its product hauled by wagons to Montgomery.
[2014: U.S. Hwy 280 northwest of Alexander City]