Colonial French Pottery Recovered at the Site of Fort Toulouse in Alabama

According to the Fort Toulouse and Fort Jackson Historical Park in Wetumpka, Alabama, "In 1717, Fort Toulouse served as the eastern-most outpost of the French colony of Louisiana. The French intended that the fort secure the friendship of the populous Creek Confederacy and make French policy known, while keeping the soldiers and the interests of the British empire out of the region. The Alibamu Indians, who were a part of the Creek confederacy, invited the French to build a fort here. Most Creek villages remained officially neutral so they could bargain with the British and French for better prices in the deerskin trade. British and French rivalries came to a head with the outbreak of the French and Indian War in 1754. With the French defeat, the 1763 Treaty of Paris ceded Louisiana to Britain and Spain. French soldiers and their families moved west of the Mississippi River to live among the Spanish in Opelousas, Louisiana.

Between 1717 and 1763, the French built three forts in succession as the relentless Coosa River washed the first two away. As French soldiers brought their families here, they built some of the very first farms in what is now Alabama around Fort Toulouse. The sons of  these families grew up to be French soldiers during the 46 years of the fort's existence. Sons and daughters of French soldiers married, creating large extended families within the Fort Toulouse garrison. 

With the outbreak of the Creek War phase of the War of 1812, American forces built a fort over the old site of Fort Toulouse. In May of 1814, Andrew Jackson came here to the forks of the Coose and Tallapoosa Rivers with United States Army regulators and militia units from Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee after the bloody battle of Horseshoe Bend, where the power of the Red Stick faction of the Creeks was broken. In August the Treaty of Fort Jackson was signed over 15 million acres of Creeks land to the US. government, which soon opened up much of Alabama to American settlers. Alabama became the 22nd state five years later."

Archaeological excavations began at the site of Fort Toulouse in 1972, continuing through 1980, with additional excavations taking place from 1984 until 1996. The recovered artifacts include many native objects, dating well-before the French occupied the area, such as 8,000 year old projectile points. Although, the bases of quartered and charred timbers dating from the 1751-1763 period of the fort were discovered, along with a variety of objects owned by the occupants of the fort, such as a brass kettle, a pewter or latten spoon, an English pipe, a French wine bottle, a Bohemian engraved glass tumbler (probably French), and an iron fork with a two piece bone handle (see black and white photo below).

But examples of imported Colonial eighteenth century French pottery were also recovered within the 1751-1763 archaeological context; for example, I have posted two of those objects below: 1) a large red earthenware bowl with a lead glazed interior, and 2) a faience plate with a simple decoration in the center.

Seeing this French pottery is exciting for me living in New England, since I have viewed similar wares from comparable archaeological contexts in places like Maine, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Colonial French Pottery Recovered at the Site of Fort Toulouse

18th Century French Lead Glazed Red Earthenware Bowl

Recovered by Archaeologists from the Site of Fort Toulouse 

Circa 1751-1763

Also Illustrated Top Right in the Photo Posted Below

Photo Courtesy: Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History

(Front Middle) 18th Century French Faience Plate

Recovered by Archaeologists from the Site of Fort Toulouse 

Circa 1751-1763

Photo Courtesy: Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History

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