Pleasant Hill, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Pleasant Hill is an unincorporated community
in Dallas County
, Alabama
.
called Fort Rascal prior to the Indian removal
, it gained a post office
in the 1840s and the name was changed to Pleasant Hill. The community was visited by Philip Henry Gosse
, an English
naturalist
, for an eight month period in 1838 when he taught school for Reuben Saffold, a local plantation
owner. His studies and drawings of the flora and fauna of the area and his recollections of slavery
were later published in his book Letters from Alabama. Pleasant Hill has one site included on the National Register of Historic Places
, the Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church
. It has several sites listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
and one nearby, Belvoir
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Dallas County
Dallas County, Alabama
Dallas County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander J. Dallas. The county seat is Selma.- History :...
, 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...
.
History
The community began as a trading postTrading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
called Fort Rascal prior to the Indian removal
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
, it gained a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
in the 1840s and the name was changed to Pleasant Hill. The community was visited by Philip Henry Gosse
Philip Henry Gosse
Philip Henry Gosse was an English naturalist and popularizer of natural science, virtually the inventor of the seawater aquarium, and a painstaking innovator in the study of marine biology...
, an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, for an eight month period in 1838 when he taught school for Reuben Saffold, a local plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
owner. His studies and drawings of the flora and fauna of the area and his recollections of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
were later published in his book Letters from Alabama. Pleasant Hill has one site included on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, the Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church
Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church
The Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church, originally known as Mount Carmel Presbyterian Church, is a historic Greek Revival church in Pleasant Hill, Alabama. The current structure was built between 1851 and 1852...
. It has several sites listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage by county (Clarke–Dallas)
This is a list of properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, sorted alphabetically by county. This list contains all entries for Clarke County through Dallas County, the other listings may be found here...
and one nearby, Belvoir
Belvoir (Saffold Plantation)
Belvoir, also known as the Saffold Plantation, is a historic plantation and plantation house near Pleasant Hill, Alabama, United States. It was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on November 2, 1990.-History:...
.