Site of Hadley and MacDavid’s Hotel

County: Monroe County, Alabama

Located in the southern portion of Monroe County near the intersection of Monroe, Conecuh, and Escambia Counties, this marker identifies the former town of Hadley and the site of MacDavid’s Hotel. During the early nineteenth century, this area was situated along the Old Federal Road, one of the most important transportation routes in the Southeast.

Travelers, settlers, traders, and government officials passed through this region as they journeyed between the eastern states and the Gulf Coast. Among the stops along the route was MacDavid’s Hotel, a roadside inn that provided food and lodging for travelers moving through what was then a sparsely settled frontier.

One of the hotel’s visitors was Scottish traveler James Stuart, who passed through the area in 1830. His account of the journey provides one of the few surviving descriptions of the location and offers a glimpse into daily life along the Federal Road nearly two centuries ago.

Marker Text

OLD FEDERAL ROAD

COLEY CHAPEL IS THE PRESENT DAY
SITE OF THE FORMER TOWN OF HADLEY

MACDAVID’S HOTEL WAS ALSO LOCATED
HERE AND WAS RECORDED BY TRAVELERS
IN THE 1830’S AS A HOTEL WHICH HAD

“PLENTY OF VERY NICE PORK, WHICH IN
SOME SHAPE OR OTHER IS THE FOOD
GENERALLY USED IN THIS THINLY
PEOPLED COUNTRY…”

ERECTED IN 1998 BY
MONROE COUNTY HERITAGE MUSEUMS
AND
J. L. BEDSOLE FOUNDATION

Old Federal Road Project

This marker is part of the Old Federal Road Project, an effort to document the route, communities, crossings, landmarks, and historical markers associated with Alabama’s Old Federal Road.

The Hadley site represents an important type of location found along the route. Unlike forts, ferries, or battlefields, Hadley was a place where travelers stopped. MacDavid’s Hotel served individuals moving along the Federal Road during the early 1800s and later along what became known locally as the Old Stage Road.

Although the town of Hadley has disappeared, the marker preserves the memory of a once-active stopping place that served those traveling through southern Monroe County during Alabama’s frontier era.

YouTube Video

Location

County: Monroe County, Alabama

State: Alabama

Location Description: Coley Chapel community near the Monroe, Conecuh, and Escambia County line area.

31.262075, -87.427630