| Belle Fontaine | |
| Settlement Type: | Ghost town |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Alabama |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Approximate location within the state of Alabama |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Alabama |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Baldwin |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Coordinates: | 30.7089°N -87.5535°W |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Bell Fontaine (also spelled as Bellefontaine, Belle Fountaine, Bellefountain, Bell Fountain, and Belfont) is a ghost town in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States.
When translated from French to English, Bell Fontaine means "beautiful fountain." The name derives from a nearby group of springs with the same name. A nearby creek where the springs flow into is also lent the name.
Though lying in the peripheral of Baldwin County's history, Bell Fontaine predates much of the area. The settlement first appeared in 1775 on A Map of the Southern Indian District of North America produced by surveyor Joseph Purcell and John Stuart.[1] Due to its appearance on early British Colonial era maps and its French name, the settlement likely dates back to the French Colonial era. It was continuously marked on maps until 1890.[2] However, likely because of its remote location, Bell Fontaine had been mislocated in numerous maps in this time span.
Located 12 miles away from the Perdido River on the Old Pensacola Road (modern-day Baldwin County Road 112), a stagecoach stop and supper stand had been the focal point of the settlement since at least 1825. The travelers' stop served as a rest point between Mobile and Pensacola. Travelers heading to Mobile on the road had to either cross the Mobile-Tensaw Delta at Hall's Landing or Blakely. During the colonial eras, the Tensaw River plantations were also a destination for those travelling on this road. Belle Fontaine also acted as a cattle pen for local citizens.[3]
There are few first-hand descriptions of Belle Fontaine. However, a highly detailed account comes from German Prince Carl Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach's Travels Through North America, During the Years 1825 and 1826. On his way from Blakely to Pensacola he writes:
Prince Bernhard gives a further description of the settlement while returning to Blakely, stating:
In 1861, a portion of the Mobile & Pensacola Railroad was built through Bell Fontaine with Blakely destined as the initial terminus. However, with the outbreak of the American Civil War, construction was halted around Belle Fontaine.[5] During the Civil War, residents were forced to evacuate by Confederate forces.
Some of the families that have been recorded living in Belle Fontaine have been the Pollards, Halls, Holmans, and Stapletons. In the mid-1800s, Solomon "Sol" Stapleton and Andrew Lewis Holman built and founded a school for the community. Stapleton served as its teacher. The school, known as Belle Fountain School, also acted as the settlement's church at this time.
The original settlement no longer exists. Bell Fontaine was gradually replaced by the communities of Hamilton and Gateswood.