Under orders from General Andrew Jackson, in December 1813, General Ferdinand Claiborne established a depot here, called Fort Deposite, where he left the wagons, cannon, baggage and the sick, with one hundred men as guard.  He and his men then marched thirty miles to the Holy Ground on the Alabama River to find and fight William Weatherford, Red Eagle, and his band of Indians.  After the battle was won, Claiborne and his men returned to the fort on December 26, 1813, according to Albert James Pickett's "History of Alabama".

The fort was located in the area northeast of the present day Myrtlewood Cemetery.  The Old Federal Road ran between where the fort stood and the cemetery.

Settlers homesteaded here in the early 1800s; Jesse Barganier, in 1819, got off of a wagon train and remained here while the wagon train went on into Butler County, according to Gladys Field's "History of the Barganiers".  He homesteaded land in S25 T12 N14 that borders the present day west side of the town limits, on what is now called the "Old Davis Dirt Road" 

A Ballard Family settled lands just north and northeast of the town limits, in the Gilmer Hills area, sometimes in the early 1800s as an old "Wanted" poster hanging in a Selma museum lists this area as the "Ballard Precinct".  Cahaba Land Records show that, in 1832, Alfred Ballard and James Ballard purchased land in S15, 16, 17 in T12 R15.  One must remember that, especially in Lowndes County, the date of land sale record, in most cases, was years after the original date of homesteading.

A post office was established in Fort Deposit on February 7, 1855.  The first postmaster was John H. Stone.  In 2004, Dickey Barganier is the postmaster.  The post office is located on the corner of Old Fort Road and Milner Street.

The present town was but a wilderness with a few crude houses dotted about until the railroad was completed.  In 1850, the Alabama & Florida Rail Road came only to "Blue Sink", north of the town.  In 1856, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars was raised and the contract was made that bought the railroad through Fort Deposit.  In 1862, the first train stopped in Fort Deposit. Mrs. Mary Kirkpatrick Barganier holds the distinction of being the first passenger.

Fort Deposit is truly a railroad town.  Captain C. P. Rogers was the surveyor for the railroad.  He also laid off the streets and did most of the surveying of the town.  The streets are named in honor of men who helped to build the railroad: C. P. Rogers, Charles T. Pollard, Sam Jones, J. Milner, and John T. Gilmer.

Fort Deposit became a town under an 1865 Charter but disbanded on the 27th day of February 1883.  The citizens then petitioned The Honorable H. W. Caffey, Probate Judge of Lowndes County, to grant them a charter of incorporation to include Section 29, Township 12, and Range 15.  The charter was granted and Joseph Norwood was elected Intendent (Mayor).  W. N. Clements, J. F. Harrison, A. J. Black, D. B. Avinger and W. L. Hairston were elected councilmen for the year 1883.  J. F. Harrison resigned and R. N. Burt was nominated to fill the vacancy on August 23, 1883.

Over the years the town limits have been increased at least two more times.  It now includes land in parts of Sections 30, 29, 28, 27 and 26, that runs along State Highway 185, in T12N R15E.  The name of "State Highway 185", in the town limits, has been changed to "Old Fort Road".

The first newspaper here was the Fort Deposit Vindicator, established November 18, 1898 - J. T. Howell, proprietor and managing editor.  The local newspaper today is the Lowndes Signal.

Previous mayors (once called intendents) include: Archibald Tyson, Joseph Norwood, John Hairston, W. N. Clements, A. J. Black, Alex Stewart, H. N. Grainger, F. M. Searcy, J. F. Hattemer, C. E. Brooks, W. L. Hairston, R. R. Hairston, J. M. Black, F. M. Coker, A. F. Brooks, J. B. Farrior, J. D. Lamar, C. R. Priester, E. T. Knight, S. H. Reid, M. R. Norman, L. S. Golson, Dr. W. E. Lee, J. M. Black, Jr., Thomas S. Coleman, Ralph R. Norman, Hense Ellis, T. Frank Golson, Ralph R. Norman, Jr., O. P. Edwards, Bobby A. Davis, Paul Craig and Fletcher Fountain. 

Mayor Fletcher Fountain is the first Afro-American to be elected mayor of Fort Deposit.

Mrs. Frances Crenshaw Redden was the first female Fort Deposit council member to be elected.

Previous policemen include: Chief Dave Hagood, Lorenza Bender, Chief Walter Stokes, Henderson (C) Jenkins, Earl Small, Joe Sanders, Rufus Mitchell, Bill Barganier, Nathan Barganier, Fred Stokes, and Henry Barganier.

Henry Barganier, in addition to be a policeman here, was also a Justice of the Peace for the Fort Deposit area and a Town Council Member, each at different periods of time.

Present day policemen are: Chief James Gulley, Investigator Curtis Campbell, LaShun Hutson, Benjamin Turner and Samuel McKee. 

Edward Barganier was the City Judge until a state law was enacted that required a judge to have a law degree.  Honorable Terri Bozeman is currently the City Judge, in addition to being the Lowndes County District Judge.

Today in 2004, Fort Deposit has a population of 1,270 with a land area of 5.6 square miles on an elevation of between 470 and 587 feet. Barganier Hill, just outside of the town limits on the Davis Dirt Road, is the highest point, 587 feet, in Lowndes County.

Some of the churches in Fort Deposit area include: Bethel Baptist on Church Street, Bethlehem Christian on Gilmer Hills Road, Fort Deposit Church of Christ on Rogers Street, Fort Deposit United Methodist on the corner of Rogers and Milner Street, Hook Street Church of Christ on Hook Street, Word Harvest Church on Pollard Street, A.M.E. Zion Methodist Church and Freedom Life Ministry both on North Pollard Street, The Universal of Life Bible Doctrine Church on Jones Street, Little Sandy Ridge Presbyterian at the corner of County Road 79 and the Old Federal Road, Living Christ Tabernacle on Calhoun Road, Macedonia Baptist on Golson Road, Snow Hill Christian on County Road 45 (commonly called the Mount Willing Road), Temple Gate Church on Moorer Place Road, Ramah Missionary Baptist Church, #2 on the Mount Willing Road, and Cloverhill Missionary Baptist Church on the Knight Place Road.

The governmental facilities here include: a municipal complex which houses the mayor's office, police department, emergency management department that includes fire and ambulance contact, the water and gas board departments and a staged auditorium; Post Office; Airport, Water Plant, and a Housing Authority.

A new fire department building is now being constructed on Old Fort Road, across the road from Fort Deposit Elementary School.

Fort Thomas H. Moorer National Guard Armory is located on the corner of Gilmer Hills Road and Old Fort Road.  It houses the 781st Transportation Unit that recently returned from Iraq after a tour of duty in the Iraqi War.

The town has an active Chamber of Commerce.

The Alabama Power Co. has a branch office here.  Mr. E. L. Overstreet was the local manager for forty years, 1935-1975.  The following managers were: Charles Bowers, Ray Hamilton, Horace Conway, and Brady Knight.  The current manager, Judy Gettys, and assistants, Pam Smith Barganier and Christine Rowell Cook now conduct operations.

Recreational facilities include the Gilmer Hills Road Park, The Spirit Club Park and the Arts and Crafts Fair at Calico Fort, both on Calico Spirit Circle.

Three schools are located here: Fort Deposit Head Start Unit and Fort Deposit Elementary School on Gilmer Hills Road and Lowndes County Middle School on Highway 185.

Priester's Pecan Co., Cummings Signs, Heart of the Home Frame Shop, The Wisteria Cottage, Meli Melo Dress Shop, Ryals Auto Parts Center, Crossroads Café, Kirk's Auto Repair Shop, Jack Callen Logging Co., Shell Station, Travel Mart Subway, USA Station, Chevron Station, Grant & Callen Logging, Malcolm Callen Logging, Randy's (Adams) Wrecker Service, Chambliss Lakeside Dirt Removal Co., Sullivan & Finley Timber Co., American Apparel Manufacturing Co., Karlin's Fort Deposit Beauty Shop, Barganier Construction Co., Super Foods, Fort Deposit Pharmacy, Kwik Shop, B and J Auto Center, Jack Jones Enterprises, Henry's Used Cars, Randy's Auto Parts and Collision Center,  Gene's 24 Hour Towing Recovery and Diesel Repair Center, Barganier Service Station, Cross Printing, Bill's Store, New Beginnings Beauty Salon, Dollar General, Ben Brooke's Mechanic Shop, Ellis Oil, Bates Turkey Farm, Inc., Tommy Barganier Logging Co., Heath Timber Co., Rudolph's Variety Furniture & Cafe,  C.S.C. Barber & Style Shop, David Bowen Trucking Co., Fort Deposit Service Center, Conway's Lowndes Manufacturing Co.,  Bob Hawkins Construction Co., Shine's Mechanic Shop, New Image Beauty Shop, Bancorp South Bank and the First Lowndes Bank are some of the businesses located in the Fort Deposit area.

A 100,000 square feet plant, constructed in Fort Deposit on a 20-acre Industrial Park tract located off I-65 on State Hwy 185, houses Sejong Industrial and ArvinMeritor, Inc.  The company employs more than 100 people.  It is a supplier of exhaust systems and mufflers for Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.

Dr. Roland Yearwood is the local doctor.  He practices medicine at the Yearwood Medical Clinic on Milner Street.

Dr. Phillip Golomb sees patients one day a week at the Fort Deposit Clinic on Milner Street.  He also has an office in Montgomery where he practices medicine. 

The present mayor is Fletcher Fountain and present council members are: Bryan Hare, Bruce McCarty, Travis Foster, Irish Simmons and Elbert Lee Means.

Other sources:  (1) Glenn Davis Goldsmith's "Fort Deposit History and Happenings", (2) The "Official Fort Deposit Web Site" that is maintained by Dan Therrien, (3) and Mrs. Emma Weaver's " Memoirs of Fort Deposit". Written and submitted by the late: Linda P. Barganier.

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