Phifer, Alabama was located on the Warrior River just south of the Maxwell Plantation which is accessed by the Maxwell Loop Road. Maxwell Loop Rd - Google Maps

The Phifer post office and the Phifer Landing were probably located on land now occupied by the River Point Way subdivision

River Point Way, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

River Point Way - Google Maps

I was able to determine this by examining the 1912 Tuscaloosa County Map drawn and printed by 46 year old Woolsey Finnell in 1912. Woolsey Finnell (1866-1955) - Find a Grave Memorial

North America and United States: Viewing States/Alabama/Counties/tuscaloosa/Tuscaloosa1912a.sid

A few years ago, Lee Pake allowed me to take his original 1912 Finnell map to the University of Alabama's Cartographic Lab in Farrah Hall and have it scanned. That scan enabled me to enlarge the details of the map and I found that Phifer was located near the river on the Alabama Great Southern Railroad track Alabama Great Southern Railroad - Wikipedia (Tuscaloosa's Queen City Avenue takes its name from this railroad which was called the "Queen and Crescent Route" in honor of the cities of Cincinnati and New Orleans) just south of the northern boundary of Section 9 of Township 22 North Range 11 West.

 Fortunately, anyone with an Internet connection can discover the same thing because Lee allowed the Cartographic Lab to post his scan on their website. Historical Maps of Alabama and anyone with the money to pay for a print of Lee's map can easily order one from TuscaBlue who have the scan filed under my name.

The bend where the Warrior River turns to the southwest in known as Maxwell Bend in the present day. Phifer was located just south of that bend.

2500 acres of the old Maxwell Plantation were auctioned off by the estate of Roland Pugh in July of 2010.

.2,500 acres of ‘trophy’ property to be auctioned

You notice that "F. Maxwell" lived in Section 3 and "J, Maxwell" lived in Section 2 of Township 22 North Range 11 West. According to Thomas Maxwell's 1853 property map, this land was not included in the initial 1853 purchase. 

 Anyone familiar with the U.S. Public Land Survey will notice a problem with Fractional Section 31, Fractional Section 32 and Fractional Section 33 due to those fractional sections being bordered on the south by Section 6 and Section 5 of the next township. One will also note than none of the frantional section lines connect to the section lines below them. That's due to fractional sections 31, 32 and 33 forming part of the southern boundary for NORTH ALABAMA and the full sections 6 and 5 forming part the northern boundary for SOUTH ALABAMA. This boundary is known as the Freeman Line.

The Freeman Line is a major historical surveyor line established by U.S. Surveyor Major Thomas Freeman in the early 1800s. It marks the boundary where the northern Huntsville Meridian and the southern St. Stephens Meridian land surveys meet, making it foundational to property mapping in central Alabama. [1, 2, 3]

History and Purpose

• The Surveyor: Major Thomas Freeman was appointed by the U.S. War Department to survey tribal boundaries, map state lines, and lay out the basic grid of public lands in the Mississippi Territory (which included modern-day Alabama). [1, 2]
• The Grid System: Alabama's land surveys were divided into two halves, each calculated from its own Initial Point. The northern half of the state used the Huntsville Meridian, while the southern half used the St. Stephens Meridian. [1, 2]
• The Freeman Line: The "Freeman Line" acts as a dividing line or closing boundary in central Alabama where these two distinct survey grids eventually intersect. [1, 2]

Geographic Extent

The surveys that branch off this foundational system stretch across Alabama's townships and ranges. Since all property deeds and legal descriptions for land parcels in Alabama are still based on the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), understanding whether a parcel originated from the Huntsville or St. Stephens surveys—and where they intersect—remains a vital step for modern real estate and title searches. [1, 2]

Additional Resources

If you are currently researching land boundaries or looking to access historical survey data, several authoritative resources can help:

• The Alabama Maps Collection: View historical PLSS maps and survey grids on the University of Alabama Map Library.
• Professional Standards: Review state-specific PLSS guidelines and surveying records via the Alabama Society of Professional Land Surveyors.
• Survey Methodology: Read detailed breakdowns of early territorial surveying techniques in The Faircloth Notes. [1, 2]

NorFreeman Line Alabama survey - Google Search

th America and United States: Viewing States/Alabama/Plat Books/Tuscaloosa/63T22SR11W0000.sid