Bellefonte, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Bellefonte is a ghost town
in Jackson County
, Alabama
, United States
, near the site of the Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station
. It is located roughly two miles southeast of Hollywood, Alabama
.
seat
from 1821 to 1859. During the following decade, a post office, courthouse, and church were constructed. A post office was established in 1830. By 1844, the population had grown to 400. The town suffered severe damage during the Civil War
. The post office was closed in 1859, and the entire town was abandoned by the 1920s. All that remains of Bellefonte today are the cemetery, the chimney of the local inn, and piles of scattered bricks.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Jackson County
Jackson County, Alabama
Jackson County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Andrew Jackson, general in the United States Army and President of the United States of America. As of 2010, the population was 53,227. The county seat is Scottsboro. Jackson County is a prohibition or dry county,...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near the site of the Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station
Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station
The Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station is a partially completed nuclear power plant located in Hollywood, Alabama. A total of four reactors have been proposed over a period of 40 years, and billions of dollars have been spent, but no electricity has yet been produced. The site has sat idle for...
. It is located roughly two miles southeast of Hollywood, Alabama
Hollywood, Alabama
Hollywood is a town in Jackson County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 950.-Geography:Hollywood is located at ....
.
History
Bellefonte was settled in the early nineteenth century and incorporated in 1821, when it had nearly 200 residents. Its name was a subjective description consisting of the French words "belle", meaning "beautiful," and "fonte", meaning "fount." It was the Jackson CountyJackson County, Alabama
Jackson County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Andrew Jackson, general in the United States Army and President of the United States of America. As of 2010, the population was 53,227. The county seat is Scottsboro. Jackson County is a prohibition or dry county,...
seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
from 1821 to 1859. During the following decade, a post office, courthouse, and church were constructed. A post office was established in 1830. By 1844, the population had grown to 400. The town suffered severe damage during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The post office was closed in 1859, and the entire town was abandoned by the 1920s. All that remains of Bellefonte today are the cemetery, the chimney of the local inn, and piles of scattered bricks.