Ellicott's Stone

Ellicott's Stone is a sandstone block standing about 2 feet (0.6 meters) tall with English inscriptions on its north face and Spanish inscriptions on its south face, marking the 31st parallel of latitude. The stone now sits in a historical park and shows the precise technical work of boundary marking between two nations.

A joint American-Spanish surveying team placed the stone in 1799 to mark the border between Mississippi Territory and Spanish West Florida. This work followed a bilateral treaty between the two powers establishing their territorial divisions.

The stone marks an early moment of cooperation between the United States and Spain in establishing borders. Visitors can still see how both nations had their names carved side by side, documenting the shared surveying effort.

The stone is located in a historical park about one mile south of Bucks, Alabama, on the east side of U.S. Route 43. The location is easy to reach and offers a good view of the surrounding landscape.

The stone serves as the starting point for all federal land surveys in southern Alabama and Mississippi. From this single point, all survey lines and townships in the entire region were calculated.

Location: Mobile County

Inception: April 10, 1799

Part of: political border

GPS coordinates: 30.99781,-88.02252

Latest update: December 11, 2025 11:02