Autauga Creek

Water has always played a significant role in Prattville's history. Daniel Pratt chose the location for his new town because of its proximity to Autauga Creek and the Alabama River. Although earliest records referred to the area as an “unhealthy quagmire,” Prattville's location proved ideal for his new town. He built his gin mill, saw mill, and grist mill on the banks of Autauga Creek in the early 1830s. In 1847, an article in De Bow’s Review described Autauga Creek as "a bold, clear stream…with a pretty water fall and pine forests making up to the edge. The woods abound with pine timber, the country healthy, navigation convenient and everything favorable to extensive manufactories." Since the 1830s, the waters of Autauga Creek have powered cotton gins that employed generations of families, turned saws that cut lumber for homes, barns, and businesses, ground corn and grain that fed families and livestock, and bathed, baptized, and provided recreation for thousands of people. Autauga Creek continues to be a source of beauty and wonder.

Prattville, Alabama · United States