Built in 1869. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
“The Russell County Courthouse at Seale is a historic building in Seale, Alabama. In 1866, Seale was chosen as the new seat of Russell County.”
Wikipedia article Russell County Courthouse at Seale, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 22 National Register listings published here for Russell County · listed in 1974 · category: Building · built in 1869.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 207 fires within 5 miles of Russell County Courthouse at Seale between 1994 and 2020, burning about 2,308 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 21 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 97 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 32 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 21 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 17 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 15 |
| Smoking | 11 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 10 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2002 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 29 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160929-3 |
| 28 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160928-39 |
| 25 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 21 September 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 8.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190920-4 |
| 15 September 2010 | Smoking | 20 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 13 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Seale, the town this property stands in, in 32 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 15 hail, 13 thunderstorm wind, 2 funnel cloud, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2007 | Hail | Seale | $100,000 | A swath of very large hail, some of it as big as grapefruits, fell across the eastern portion of Russell County, including the cities of Seale, Fort Mitchell, and Holy Trinity. The ground was covered with hail in several locations. At least 4 homes and 15 cars were damaged. |
| July 2008 | Lightning | Seale | $50,000 | A lightning strike caused a house to catch fire. |
| April 1996 | Hail | Seale | $25,000 | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $25,000 | no account filed |
| March 2005 | Hail | Seale | $22,000 | Large hail was reported in and near the Seale all the way to Phenix City. The hail was nickel to golfball size. |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $20,000 | no account filed |
| March 2001 | Flash Flood | Seale | $14,000 | Several roads were flooded in and around Seale. A few of the roads had portions washed away. |
| November 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $10,000 | Trees were down and blocking the intersection of CR 18 and CR 39, in the eastern part of the county. |
| April 1996 | Hail | Seale | $8,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $5,000 | Two very large trees were blown down and blocked the road, just south of Seale. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $5,000 | Several trees were blown down from near the Crawford Community to south of Phenix City. |
| March 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Seale | $4,000 | Golf ball size hail was reported just north of Seale. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $4,000 | Trees were down in Seale, in the central part of the county. |
| February 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $3,000 | Several trees were blown down on US-431, near Seale. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $2,000 | Trees were blown down in and around Seale. |
| April 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $2,000 | A few trees were blown down around the city of Seale. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | $500 | A shutter was blown off a house in the Steele community. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | - | Trees were downed across various parts of Russell County. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Seale | - | Penny-size hail was reported in the Seale area. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Seale | - | Quarter-size hail was reported along Highway 169 near Seale. |
| March 2023 | Hail | Seale | - | Hail covering the ground in Seale, some as large as quarters. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seale | - | Numerous trees uprooted in the town of Seale and across Russell County. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Seale | - | Penny size hail was reported in central Russell County near Seale. |
| June 2001 | Hail | Seale | - | Nickel size hail was reported in Seale. |
| March 2000 | Hail | Seale | - | Penny size hail fell just north of the city of Seale. |
| April 1998 | Hail | Seale | - | Dime size hail was reported in Cottonton. |
| April 2009 | Hail | Seale | - | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Hail | Seale | - | no account filed |
| March 2008 | Hail | Seale | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Funnel Cloud | Seale | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Funnel Cloud | Seale | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Bass-Perry House | 3.9 miles | 1976 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 74000436 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Russell County | All 22 listed properties in this county. |
Block