Court Square Fountain

Homestalgia Archive

Community memory · 1850 · Aug 7, 2026

Verified

Court Square, with its prominent fountain, was once the heart of Montgomery's bustling commercial district, but it also served a much darker purpose. In the decades leading up to the Civil War, this very spot was the site of a slave market. Enslaved people, brought from rural areas or other states, were bought and sold here, often separated from their families, their fates decided by the highest bidder. The fountain, erected in 1885, may seem like a benign landmark today. The square's strategic location near the Alabama River and rail lines made it a crucial hub for the domestic slave trade, contributing significantly to Montgomery's economic growth. Today, the fountain serves as a potent reminder of the city's complex and painful past, a place where the prosperity of some was built upon the exploitation of others.

Source: Equal Justice Initiative, Slavery in America: The Montgomery Slave Trade; Alabama Tourism Department, Court Square Fountain landmark listing