The City of Hamilton, Alabama was founded in the early nineteenth century by settlers who had moved to the Alabama Territory from Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas. It is built upon lands which once served as “hunting grounds” for the Chickasaw Indians.

The city was first called Toll Gate, but later changed in honor of one of its distinguished citizens, Captain Albert James Hamilton (known as A.J. Hamilton), who had represented Marion County in the state legislature in the sessions of 1869, 1874, and 1875. Captain Hamilton donated forty acres of his land to the town, surrounding what is now known as the “Historic Hamilton-Sullins House.” The same forty acres were then divided into lots and sold to help cover the cost of building the courthouse.

The Toll Gate community was elected in 1881 to be the county seat, and by 1883 the Marion County Courthouse in Pikeville had ceased to be functional. When the courthouse was moved from Pikeville to Toll Gate, the town's name was then changed from Toll Gate to Hamilton.

Purchased from ancestors of the Capt. A.J. Hamilton by the City of Hamilton in the mid-2000s, the Hamilton House is being managed by the Marion County Historical Society who is overseeing renovations and preservation of this historic site.

The Hamilton House is open at this time only for historical society meetings, special occasions, and fundraising events.

Anyone wishing to make donations for the restoration and preservation of the Hamilton-Sullins House may do so by mail to Marion County Historical Society, PO Box 492, Hamilton AL 35570.