Girard, Alabama was a city in the far north-east corner of Russell County,

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 ...

across the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

from Columbus,

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History

Named after Philadelphia-based banker

Stephen Girard Stephen Girard (born Étienne Girard; May 20, 1750 – December 26, 1831) was a French-born American banker and philanthropist. Born in Bordeaux, Girard subsequently immigrated to the Thirteen Colonies where he established himself in the Banking ...

, who had purchased much of the

Muscogee 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 Woodlands Here they waged war again ...

territory that would become Russell County, the town of Girard served as the county's first seat from 1832 to 1839. It was incorporated around 1833. Girard was the site of Fort Ingersoll, built during the Creek War of 1836 to protect white interests in the area. The town saw much of the fighting in the 1865 Battle of Columbus, culminating in the burning of the Dillingham Street bridge by retreating Confederates, and the eventual capture of Columbus. After Alabama prohibited alcohol sales in 1915, Girard became a center of bootlegging. Even after prohibition had ended, Girard and Phenix City remained known for gambling and vice establishments, fueled by the growth of

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

across the river. ''See also:'' In 1923, Girard merged with neighboring Phenix City. In 1933, the boundary of Russell County was moved north to take in all of Phenix City that had previously been in Lee County.

Historic district

The Girard Historic District encompasses approximately of Girard's downtown. The commercial section, closer to the river, contains several early 1900s buildings, including the

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

Citizens' Bank, built in 1909 to control the illegal liquor trade. The Collins–Scott House, built in 1852 in

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

style, is believed to be the oldest house in Russell County. Several shotgun houses built to house workers at the cotton mills, and more ornate Victorian cottages run up the hill from the river. The district was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1983.

Demographics

Girard first appeared on the 1850 U.S. Census as an incorporated community of 748 residents. Oddly, despite being a large center of population for the time, exceeding an estimated 1,000 residents after 1860, it was not separately returned on the census again until 1900 when it had nearly 4,000 residents. For reference purposes, the population of the Girard Beat/Precinct, which included the town between 1870 and 1900 was as follows: 1870=3,984; 1880=4,637; 1890=5,486; 1900=6,440. It formally ceased to exist in 1923 with its merger with Phenix City.

Notable people

Albert C. Baker, who was the only person to serve on the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court and the

Arizona Supreme Court The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona. Sitting in the Supreme Court building in downtown Phoenix, the court consists of a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justices. Each justi ...

, was from Girard.

Notes

Ghost towns in Alabama Geography of Russell County, Alabama {{RussellCountyAL-geo-stub