Batram's observations are interesting but academic. Fascinating to read and includes some great descriptions of what it looked like. You can find a map of his course through Alabama. Another good one is Pickett's "History of Alabama" published in 1851. Has observations and contemporary views of the state from the early periods.

When I was a kid, I remember visiting my grandparents in Greenville and my granddaddy and dad taking me to see the last old growth forest left in that area. It was being put to the saw and people were going to see it before it was cut. This was probably in the early 1980's and I was maybe 12. I remember walking along a creek and the pines and oaks were huge and the understory was open and you could see forever. To a young kid they looked like giant redwoods. The three of us couldn't link arms around most of the trees.

A tract we have leased for 30+ years next to our farm in Barbour County had a backwater off a creek that had probably a 200 acre cypress, tupelo, bay and water oak swamp. Never been cut. Cypress trees were enormous. Drought hit in the early 2000's and they could get equipment in there. The owner leveled it. Didn't need the money and was 80 years old but it was his property. 20 years later and it is almost impenetrable. It was amazing back then but didn't hold a lot of deer, The deer would travel along the high spots that bordered the swamp. Great place to hunt if you wanted to put in the work to get in there.