Alabama is home to many small towns, some of which have been left abandoned throughout the years. Over time, these small towns became ghost towns. While some of these ghost towns are well known and still visited, others have been long forgotten. One ghost town, in particular, is Bellefonte, and you can read all about this ghost town in Alabama below.

Bellefonte, Alabama, which was incorporated in 1821, is a ghost town in Jackson County. What was once a thriving town and county seat, is now vacant. In fact, most people are unaware of its existence.
Flickr/Whitney Gal
It's believed that Bellefonte became vacant because the citizens of Old Bellefonte rejected the idea of a railroad running through their town. Because of this, a depot was built three miles from the courthouse. The town began to lose business and residents soon moved away. Bellefonte was also burned down during the Civil War and it never fully recovered. The county seat was eventually relocated to Scottsboro, which was originally known as Scott's Mill.
Until around the late 1850s, Bellefonte, Alabama was a thriving town. It was once filled with houses, a post office, a courthouse, and a church. It was also home to many prominent professionals, including lawyers, doctors, politicians, etc. In 1883, Bellefonte only had a population of around 100, and by the 1920s, the entire town was abandoned, making it one of the most fascinating Alabama ghost towns.
Wikimedia Commons/Benji5221
Today, the only standing structure in Bellefonte is the chimney remains of what used to be the town's local inn.

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The Old Bellefonte Cemetery also remains and contains gravestones dating all the way back to 1826.
Flickr/Whitney Gal
During a survey in 1936, a total of 229 grave plots and 57 inscribed markers were discovered within the town cemetery of this ghost town in Alabama.
If you're already familiar with the town of Bellefonte, Alabama, it's probably because of Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station - a closed nuclear plant that's located only a few miles away.
Wikimedia Commons/Tennessee Valley Authority
Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station was built in 1975 and is located in Hollywood, Alabama. There are no current plans for it to open as it remains unfinished. We shall see.

If you were already familiar with Bellefonte, a ghost town in Alabama, please let us know in the comments.

Alabama’s most famous ghost town is Old Cahawba, and you can read all about it here.

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Ghost Town In Alabama

Melissa M. | October 23, 2021

What are some other Alabama ghost towns?

Alabama is filled with long-forgotten places including towns. Once thriving, some towns were left to abandon long ago leaving some history and mystery behind. If you enjoy visiting ghost towns, head to our post, Visit These 8 Creepy Ghost Towns in Alabama At Your Own Risk. You will learn about Arcola which is situated along the Black Warrior River and had residents between the 1820s and 1850s. You’ll also read about Riverton, a former trade town, which is actually underwater. It was all but destroyed when the Pickwick Landing Dam was built in the 1930s. You can read about several more ghost towns in the article.

What are some of the most fascinating abandoned places in Alabama?

Let’s face it, abandoned places are quite fascinating to explore and to picture what it was like when it wasn’t abandoned. If you’re up for a road trip, we’ve got you covered with one to Alabama’s Most Abandoned Places. It starts at Bellefonte Cemetery in Bellefonte, which you learned about above. You’ll then head to the site of the old Pine Tree Trail Resort in Bremen before heading to Old Bryce Hospital in Northport. Old Cahawba is next followed by Adams Grove Presbyterian Church in Sardis, and the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham. There's no other road trip quite like this!

Are there any hikes to abandoned places in Alabama?

Not only can you hike to a few abandoned places around the state, but you can hike along one! The Old Railroad Bed Trail is a repurposed abandoned rail line that is now a lovely two-mile scenic trail through Monte Sano Nature Preserve in Huntsville. It’s an absolutely beautiful hike!

 

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