Burnt Corn is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

on the boundary between Monroe County and Conecuh County in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. It is located near the source of Burnt Corn Creek, at the intersection of two historic trading paths. It has been noted for its unusual name.

History

The settlement and the creek may have been named for an incident in which passersby found a pile of parched corn, a food often used by

Creek Indians The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsCreek War The Creek War (also the Red Stick War or the Creek Civil War) was a regional conflict between opposing Native American factions, European powers, and the United States during the early 19th century. The Creek War began as a conflict within th ...

in the early 1800s. Those same oral traditions say that nearby Murder Creek was named because victims of the Creek War were thrown into the creek during the conflict. In 1798, the area was included in the

Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...

but was controlled by the

Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large grou ...

. Between 1805 and 1811 the area became a stop on the Federal Road through the Creek Nation. Burnt Corn was a regular stopping point for stage coaches traveling between the east and the port cities along the Gulf Coast. The

Battle of Burnt Corn The Battle of Burnt Corn, also known as the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek, was an encounter between United States armed forces and Red Stick Creeks that took place July 27, 1813 in present-day southern Alabama. This battle was the first engagement ...

, an episode of the

Creek War The Creek War (also the Red Stick War or the Creek Civil War) was a regional conflict between opposing Native American factions, European powers, and the United States during the early 19th century. The Creek War began as a conflict within th ...

in July 1813, did not occur at Burnt Corn, but at a ford of Burnt Corn Creek to the south, in present-day

Escambia County, Alabama Escambia County is a County (United States), county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 36,757. Its county seat is Brewton, Alabama, Brewton. ...

. When the

was forced to cede land to the United States in 1815, Burnt Corn Spring was included in a land grant to Jim Cornells, a Creek Indian who fought on the U.S. side in the war. U.S. postal service to Burnt Corn began in 1817, when the village also became part of the

Alabama Territory The Territory of Alabama (sometimes Alabama Territory) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States. The Alabama Territory was carved from the Mississippi Territory on August 15, 1817 and lasted until December 14, 1819, when i ...

. The post office was closed in 2002 and the 36431 ZIP code retired. Structures in Burnt Corn include Lowrey General Store, where the post office had been located, a Masonic lodge, and the Duck Waters Barber Shop.

Demographics

Burnt Corn appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census with a population of 33 residents. This was the only time it appeared on the census.

References

External links

Burnt Corn, Alabama, unofficial site
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Alabama Unincorporated communities in Monroe County, Alabama Populated places established in 1805 1805 establishments in Mississippi Territory