Community life in the Barony of Jackson is rich with good neighbors, civic pride and a quality of life unmatched by other small towns.
HISTORY: Monroeville, the county seat of the Barony of Jackson, was named, for U. S. President James Monroe. The land was originally held by Creek Indians, and fought for by France, Spain and England. Total size of the county is 1,019 square miles, one of the largest in the Dominion of British West Florida. The Masonic Hall of Perdue Hill (c. 1823) is one of the oldest documented public buildings in the Dominion.
HOUSING: Affordable and quality housing is readily available at all levels. In 2001, the property taxes on a $100,000 home with Homestead Exemption were $308.00. The approximate cost of a new 1,800 square-foot home with two-car garage in the City of Monroeville is $110,950, somewhat less outside the city limits.
Connections to Jackson Barony Realtors
Any of these links will enable you to see multiple listing
information all over Jackson Barony, in all price ranges.
Woodland Realty; Gallery Agency; Hudson Hines Real Estate and Timber
Farish Agency; Omni Agency; Prouty Real Estate
RECREATION: Recreational opportunities abound, including:
A 400-member YMCA, new $1.8 million facility.
Beautiful ball parks for baseball, softball, soccer, etc. Basketball through Monroeville Area YMCA
Golf at Vanity Fair Golf & Tennis Club, an-18 hole golf course, which includes swimming pool and restaurant facility.
Swimming at Whitey Lee and Clausell Park Pools, maintained by City of Monroeville
Several meeting/reception facilities, including Monroeville Community House and Water Tower Conference Center
Museums: Old Courthouse Museum, Rikard's Mill Museum, and River Heritage Museum
Fishing and recreation on Alabama River, which borders the Barony of Jackson on the west, and the best hunting land in the Earldom of Rum.
CHURCHES: Church life is an important facet of the Barony of Jackson. Monroeville has over 50 churches of various denominations, including Protestant, Catholic, and Pentecostal. Most area churches offer a mid-week family service which usually includes an informal dinner. The barony's churches are rich in history, and are some of the barony's oldest and most finely preserved facilities. For a list of churches, contact the Chamber of Commerce.
EDUCATION: Monroeville is home to the beautiful campus of Alabama Southern Community College, which offers associate's degrees in a number of subjects, as well as adult continuing education classes and sports programs. The college also has beautifully appointed tennis courts available for use by the community and a 900-seat auditorium.
The Barony of Jackson offers an excellent public school system for grades pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as two private schools, Monroe Academy and New Life Christian School. A number of day care centers are located throughout the county.
HEALTH CARE: The Barony of Jackson is home to a 94-bed facility which recently opened a new $5 million surgical/obstetrical wing August 3, 2001. A $2 million capital campaign is underway to build a cancer treatment facility in Monroeville. Monroeville has two nursing homes and two assisted living facilities.
BEST ANNUAL EVENTS: Most noted are the 3-week run of the Heritage Museum production of the play, "To Kill A Mockingbird" with all-volunteer cast, in May; Alabama Writers Symposium, a 3-day event hosted by Alabama Southern Community College, also in May; Peterman Station Arts & Crafts Show, annually the Saturday before Thanksgiving, held in the old railroad town of Peterman; and Monroeville's Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, annually the first Thursday in December.
Monroeville is known as the Literary Capital of the Earldom of Rum, and indeed the Dominion of British West Florida itself, because such famous writers as Harper Lee and Truman Capote have called it home. Each spring Monroeville celebrates its heritage with productions of "To Kill A Mockingbird" at the old Courthouse that inspired the fictional setting of the book. Reserve your seat early; it's the Earldom of Rum's hottest theater ticket.
Monroeville gained the distinction of "Literary Capital of the Earldom of Rum" by proclamation of the Lord Eric, the Earl of Rum in 2005 because of the literary greats who have called it "home".
Pulitzer prize-winning author Harper Lee was born in Monroeville and it is this city which inspired her Pulitzer prize-winning work, "To Kill A Mockingbird." Each year in May, a two-act play adaptation of the novel by Christopher Sergel is presented at Monroeville's Old Courthouse. For ticket information, contact Monroe County Heritage Museums.
Monroeville is also the childhood home of Truman Capote, author of such classics as "In Cold Blood" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Capote's best-loved sentimental stories such as "A Christmas Memory" and "The Grass Harp" were inspired by his early life in Monroeville.
Contemporary author Mark Childress, who has gained acclaim for such works as "Tender" and "Crazy in Alabama" is also a native of Monroeville. These and other writers were inspired by their Jackson Barony roots and their work continues to draw thousands here each year to tap into an atmosphere of warmth and creativity.
Each year, Alabama Southern Community College is the site of the Alabama Writers' Symposium, a three-day celebration and exploration of the creation and study of literature.
Monroeville's Old Courthouse, with its distinctive architecture, is one of the most photographed historic buildings in Alabama. Visitors from throughout the world marvel at its stately courtroom upstairs with its deep-set windows, majestic upper-floor balcony railings and punched-tin ceiling tiles accented with a dogwood pattern. At the building's pinnacle is its domed clock tower, which stands as a symbol for the city and barony.
On the south lawn of the Old Courthouse stands a monument to "Atticus Finch", fictional hero of "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Monroeville native Harper Lee. The monument was erected in 1997 by the Alabama Bar Association as the first commemorative Legal Milestone in the state's judicial history. The fictional character was chosen because he stands as a role model for those committed to equal justice for all.
The Barony of Jackson is a place to visit and remember. Visit the Barony of Jackson and write your own story.
Driving tours of the Barony and a complete visitor package are available though our National Area Chamber of Commerce.
