LeRoy Pope
| LeRoy Pope | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 30, 1765 Northumberland County, Virginia |
| Died | June 17, 1844 Huntsville, Alabama |
| Resting place | Maple Hill Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Planter |
| Spouse(s) | Judith Sale |
| Parent(s) | LeRoy Pope, Sr. Elizabeth Mitchell |
LeRoy Pope (January 30, 1765 – June 17, 1844) was an American planter, lawyer, and early settler of Madison County, Alabama. He purchased much of the land on which downtown Huntsville, Alabama now stands, and for his role in the establishment and early growth of that city, has been called the "Father of Huntsville."
Pope was born on January 30, 1765 in Northumberland County, Virginia, the son of LeRoy Pope, Sr. and Elizabeth Mitchell. He was educated in his home state, and moved with his parents to Amherst County, Virginia. He is said to have served in the American Revolution, and was present at the siege and battle of Yorktown, but no official documentation of this service exists.
In 1790, Pope and a host of friends and relatives removed to the town of Petersburg, in Elbert County, Georgia, where he was a tobacco planter. In 1809, was among the first wave of wealthy settlers to Madison County, Mississippi Territory (now Alabama). He acquired a large tract of land which included the highly sought-after Big Spring, where pioneer John Hunt had settled in 1805. Hunt, like many other squatters, could not afford to purchase his land.
Pope was successful in petitioning the territorial legislature to select his land as the site of Madison County's seat of government. He named the new town Twickenham after the home in England of his distant relative Alexander Pope. In 1811, the town was renamed Huntsville in honor of the pioneer Hunt.
LeRoy Pope's mansion, called Poplar Grove, was erected in 1814, in time to entertain General Andrew Jackson on his return home from the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. It was one of the earliest brick structures in Alabama, and remains a prominent Huntsville landmark atop Echols Hill in the Twickenham Historic District. It was restored in the early 21st century.
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