Africatown
Founded after the Civil War by survivors of the Clotilda, the last known ship to bring enslaved Africans into the United States. The Clotilda was launched in 1860 — 52 years after the international slave trade had been outlawed by federal law in 1808 — on a smuggling expedition driven by a bet between an Alabama planter and a riverboat captain. The wreck of the Clotilda was located in the Mobile River in 2019. Africatown survives as one of the most consequential community memorials in the country.
A full editorial profile of Africatown — including primary sources, archival photographs, and a visitor guide — is in development. Subscribe to be notified when it publishes. To suggest sources or corrections, write us at editors@black-history.com.