St. Stephens was one of the principal settlements in the eastern portion of the Mississippi Territory, and served at times as an administrative center for American military officials during the Creek War. The town had been founded by the Spanish in the 1790s as a military outpost on a bluff overlooking the Tombigbee River at a spot where rocky shoals made navigation difficult. In 1799, the small settlement came under American control, and was officially incorporated as a town in 1811. During the Creek War, a small stockade was constructed here to serve as a place of refuge in case of Red Stick attack. St. Stephens became the capital of the Alabama Territory in 1817 after the division of the Mississippi Territory following Mississippi’s statehood.

The site of the town, long abandoned, lies within Old St. Stephens Historical Park, which is run by the St. Stephens Historical Commission. The park contains interpretive trails through the old streets of St. Stephens, cemeteries, and a museum in the old Washington County Courthouse. The park is
located off County Road 34 in northwest Washington County, Alabama.