SPANISH FORT— Alabama Governor Robert Bentley visited Blakeley State Park Sunday to re-dedicate the foundation ruins of Baldwin County’s first courthouse.

“As we look around and we see historic places like this, we need to make sure we do preserve them,” Bentley said to the crowd. “We do need to preserve what we have in this state.” “We are not here today to honor bricks,” said Blakeley Park Director Jo Ann Flirt. “We are honoring the commitment earlier settlers made.”

Baldwin County Historical Society chairman Joseph Baroco told the audience of the history of the area and the courthouse. The courthouse was commissioned in 1820, but yellow fever ravaged the area and construction was delayed until 1832, he said.

The Blakeley building served as Baldwin County’s first courthouse, from 1833 until 1868, when the records and county seat were moved to Daphne. In 1901 the county seat was moved again to Bay Minette.

During the Civil War, the town earned the name Fort Blakeley and was the site of one of the last battles of the war.

After the ceremony, the new signage was unveiled and a ribbon-cutting was held. The governor cut the ribbon opening Blakeley’s newest site, then toured the ruins.

Over the years, the courthouse fell into decay. Walls crumbled and bricks were stolen from the site. In 1976 the land on which the courthouse sits was donated to the Historic Blakeley Foundation.

A few years later Faulkner State Community College led a preliminary archaeological survey of the foundation ruins. In 2011 a full scale excavation of the site was conducted by Dr. Gregory Waselkov, director of the University of South Alabama Center for Archaeological Studies, his staff and students.

The courthouse site is now protected from vandals and the weather by a 40x40 foot protective wood structure with metal bars. The structure was designed and implemented by a variety of local artisans and staff of the park.

The restoration project was made possible by a federal grant from the “Save America’s Treasures” program from the U.S. Department of the Interior. “Our past teaches us lessons we can live by today,” said Flirt in her closing comments. “It sharpens our vision for tomorrow.”