Rogersville

The following community description is quoted/excerpted from A Walk Through the Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama by the late William Lindsey McDonald (copyright 1997) with permission of the book's editor Robert Torbert and with the utmost honor and respect for Mr. McDonald's research and dedication to preserving the history of Lauderdale County. If you have additional historical information about this community, please email lauderdalealgenweb@gmail.com.

"First known as 'Rodgersville,' this town came into being as a trading center near the intersection of three early thoroughfares. One of these is now US Highway 72, a well-traveled route between Chattanooga and Memphis. A section of this road was originally an Indian trail leading from Ditto's Landing on the river south of Huntsville. Used by them as a bypass around the Muscle Shoals river barrier, it forked at Center Star. The south branch led to Cypress Creek below Florence. The north fork terminated at the river near Savannah, Tennessee.

"Snake Road leads out of Rogersville into Limestone County. In the days before there was a bridge over Elk River, this highway allowed the traveler to go from Florence to Ahens by way of a shallow ford across Elk River near the community of Cairo in Limestone County.

"The third road to form a junction at Rogersville at Rogersville is the Lamb's Ferry Road. Around 1811, John Lamb and his on moved from Indian Creek in Giles County, Tennessee, to establish a ferry across the river south of the future town of Rogersville. This ferry soon became an important river port. Flatboats and keelboats from Knoxville and other points on the upper Tennessee River unloaded supplies here which were then hauled by wagons to the areas in and around Pulaski, Tennessee. By 1836, Lamb's Ferry was referred to as Good's Ferry.

"The Rogersville Post Office was established October 4, 1825 with Thomas Cunningham as postmaster. The town was named for Andrew and Patience Henderson Rodgers from Laurens County, South Carolina. The main business district is located on their eighy acres which was purchased on March 3, 1818 at the first Huntsville land sale. Andrew died in 1830, and is believed to be buried in an unmarked grave in the Old Liberty Cemetery. Afterwards, Patience Rodgers and her son, Thomas, sold this property to George Simmons. There were two other families by the name of Rodgers who lived in this area. William and Catherine Rodgers purchased 79 acres one mile east of town in 1831. About the same time, Samuel and Martha Rodgers acquired 160 acres south of Rogersville. By 1835, however, these two families had moved away.

"Archibald Fuqua, with his wife Sarah Clarke Fuqua and eight children, settled here in 1818. His ancestors, originally know as Fouquets, were from France. In May 1832, John P. Cunningham, Daniel Nancy and William Sholars were appoined judges of the voting place at Rogersville for an election to be held in August. Other early settlers here were: William Kerley, George Clair, William Reed, Sam Barner, James Lotto, Gilbert Taylor, Robert Shaw, and Samuel Burney