WHITE ROCK, NEAR HAMILTON, WAS ONCE A PRISON CAMP DURING CIVIL WAR DAYS

Members of Palmer Family at White Rock

White Rock, located about 1 mile north of Hamilton, just off Highway 43, is noted for having been a prison camp during the Civil War.

The location is appropriately named, as it consists of a series of white rock bluffs that stretch out along the Buttahatchee.

White Rock is also noted as the site where the notorious Ham Carpenter was put to death. Carpenter, a southerner, became a feared terrorist during the Civil War. He not only was opposed to those of the Yankee team wishing to stay neutral, but to each and every one wanting to stay neutral on the general situation.

Carpenter became renowned as he covered the countryside burning people out of their homes, destroying their life supporting crops, and worst of all, killing many innocent people. He became a self-appointed truant officer, picking up men who did not want to fight and giving them only a short time to join his side. If they refused, they were killed.

Carpenter was known and feared all through Northwest Alabama. He was a mean man, brutally killing men, women and children as he and his bad of men crossed the country-side.

The terrorist finally struck one time too many when he attacked a Colonel’s wife and left her to die, along with a baby boy.

The Colonel, upon finding his wife and son, gathered the men of the community and set out to capture Carpenter.

In a short time, the enraged Colonel and his men captured Carpenter and his entire band of men. Carpenter was taken to the camp at White Rock where he was put to his death.

Source: The Journal-Record Bicentennial Edition  Thursday, July 1, 1976 Section B, Page 5

 

Sunday Afternoon Crowd at White Rock