A look into the creation of the public land surveys of Alabama.

Alabama was one of 30 states that benefited from the public land survey system developed by a committee headed by Thomas Jefferson in 1785. The plan for this system called upon each state having a base line meridian to commence from a given point, and to have a grid system spread out into townships to include sections. In 1799, the Mississippi Territory was formed with much of the land occupied by Indians. A land cession in the Tennessee Valley region was needed as public demand grew. It was from within the Mississippi territory that the state of Alabama was later formed. Many individuals were involved with the surveying of the territory, including both Freeman and Weakley.