Albertville is home to the Mueller Company, which produces fire hydrants, thus Albertville holds the title of "Fire Hydrant Capital of the World." To commemorate the one millionth fire hydrant, a chrome fire hydrant was placed outside the Albertville Chamber of Commerce.[
In 2008, Albertville was featured in an episode in the fifth season of the A&E television documentary series Intervention titled "Meth Mountain". Among the featured Albertville residents was Dr. Mary Holley, an obstetrician whose methamphetamine-addicted brother committed suicide, and who founded the anti-methamphetamine group "Mothers Against Methamphetamine".[33]
Albertville was featured in two episodes of the radio show and podcast This American Life. The episodes focused on the influx of Latino immigrants in the town's chicken plants and the impact this had on the community
Notable People
Edward Earl Carnes, judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Rusty Greer, professional baseball player with the Texas Rangers
Charley Hannah, former professional football offensive guard and defensive end
John Hannah, professional football offensive lineman; elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Glenn Hearn, former mayor of Huntsville, Alabama, FBI Special Agent, Alabama State Legislator
Angela Little, model, actress, and Playboy Playmate of the Month
Ola L. Mize, United States Army officer and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War
Charley Pell, former head football coach at Clemson University and the University of Florida
Susan Story, utility executive
Bobby Thomason, first professional football quarterback to throw for over 400 yards in a single game
Anniston
Anniston was the center of national controversy in 1961 when a mob bombed a bus filled with civilian Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement.
On the night of July 15, 1965, a white racist rally was held in Anniston, after which Willie Brewster, a black foundry worker, was shot and killed while driving home from work. A $20,000 reward was raised by Anniston civic leaders, and resulted in the apprehension, trial and conviction of the accused killer, Damon Strange, who worked for a leader of the Ku Klux Klan.[17] Historian Taylor Branch called the conviction of Damon Strange a "breakthrough verdict" on p. 391 of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, At Canaan's Edge. Strange was convicted by an all-white Calhoun County jury to the surprise of many people, including civil rights leaders who had planned to protest an acquittal. This was the first conviction of a white person for killing a black person in civil rights era Alabama.
PCB contamination
PCBs were produced in Anniston from 1929 to 1971, initially as the Swann Chemical Company. In 1935 Monsanto Industrial Chemicals Co. bought the plant and took over production. In 1969, the plant was discharging about 250 pounds of the chemicals into Snow Creek per day, according to internal company documents.[19]
In 2002, an investigation by 60 Minutes[20] revealed Anniston had been among the most toxic cities in the country. The primary source of local contamination was a Monsanto chemical factory, which had already been closed. T
Notable People
Jonathan Allen, NFL football player
General Edward "Ned" Almond, active during Korean War
George T. Anderson, Civil War general
Ray Anderson, boxer
Michael Biehn, actor
Larry Bowie, former NFL player
Anne Braden, civil rights activist
June Burn, author
Keith Butler, NFL player and football coach
Red Byron, NASCAR driver
Asa Earl Carter, segregationist, speech writer, and author of The Education of Little Tree
Quinton Caver, NFL player
B. B. Comer, 33rd Governor of Alabama
John Craton, classical composer
Louie Crew, emeritus professor, poet, gay activist
Michael Curry, NBA player, Florida Atlantic University head coach
Cow Cow Davenport, boogie-woogie pianist
Eric Davis, NFL cornerback
William Levi Dawson (1899–1990), composer, whose best-known work is his Negro Folk Symphony
Nannie Doss, serial killer
Bobby Edwards, country music singer known for "You're the Reason"
Andra Franklin, NFL football player
David F. Friedman, filmmaker and film producer
James R. Hall, retired Lieutenant General, U.S. Army; final commanding officer of the Fourth United States Army
William C. Hamilton, Jr, last commanding officer of the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.[49]
James Harman, blues singer, harmonica player
Audrey Marie Hilley, infamous for poisoning her husband and trying to poison her daughter
Delvin Lamar Hughley, NFL and Arena Football player
Ken Hutcherson, NFL player and religious leader
Thomas Kilby, eighth Lieutenant Governor of Alabama and the 36th Governor of Alabama[50]
Douglas Leigh, innovative lighting designer of Times Square and Empire State Building
Perry Lentz, author and professor of English
Harry Mabry, television news director and anchor
Elvin McCary, member of both houses of Alabama State Legislature; 1974 Republican nominee for Governor; born, died and interred in Anniston
Kivuusama Mays, former NFL player
Lucky Millinder, rhythm and blues and swing bandleader and singer
George C. Nichopoulos, physician known as Dr. Nick; raised in Anniston
Robert Ernest Noble, U.S. Army major general[51]
Tommy O'Brien, MLB third base and outfielder; born, died and interred in Anniston
Katherine Orrison, author and film historian
Will Owsley, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter
John L. Pennington, newspaper publisher, governor of Dakota Territory
Troymaine Pope, NFL player
John Reaves, quarterback, University of Florida and NFL
Mike D. Rogers, congressman from Alabama's 3rd district
David Satcher, Surgeon General, 1998–2002
Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Grammy-winning songwriter
Tremon Smith, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs
Willie Smith, MLB pitcher and outfielder
Shannon Spruill, professional wrestler
Vaughn Stewart, former NFL player
Vaughn Stewart III, delegate in Maryland General Assembly
Max Wellborn, chairman and governor of Atlanta Fed
Athens
Athens is the home of Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant, a Tennessee Valley Authority installation first operated in 1974, that was once the world's largest nuclear plant. It provides many jobs to the area and most of the electricity for the Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. On March 22, 1975, the Browns Ferry plant became the scene of what was, with the exception of the Three Mile Island accident, the most serious nuclear accident in United States history. A worker using a candle to check for air leaks started a fire among control wires, causing a temporary threat to operational control of the reactor (see Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant article on Unit One Fire).[
Notable People
Woody Abernathy, former professional baseball outfielder
Sheila Andrews, country music singer
Bill Arnsparger defensive coordinator in the National Football League (NFL) for Miami Dolphins teams that won consecutive Super Bowls (1972 and 1973), head coach of the LSU Tigers Football team.
Keith Askins, NBA Assistant coach, former player Miami Heat
Don Black, KKK Grand Wizard, Neo Nazi, White Nationalist.
Michael Boley, NFL Outside linebacker New York Giants
Wally Bullington, head football coach for Abilene Christian University from 1968 to 1976
Tom Calvin, former NFL halfback
Dick Coffman, former Major League Baseball player
Slick Coffman, former Major League Baseball player
Billy Davis, former member of the Arizona State Senate
P. O. Davis, early radio pioneer, agricultural editor and Alabama Cooperative Extension Service educator and administrator
Anderson East, R&B singer that is featured on the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack
Richard Hendrix, Professional Basketball Player
Jake Hess, Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer
Brittany Howard, singer and guitarist with Alabama Shakes
C. Eric Lincoln, African-American scholar
Patti J. Malone, noted African-American mezzo-soprano singer
Bobby Marlow, former Canadian Football League running back
John Mason Martin, U.S. Representative from 1885 to 1887
Mitch McConnell, U. S. Senator from Kentucky, lived in Athens from 1942 to 1950[32]
Alfred McCullough, American football player
Kevin Miller, radio talk show host
Roger Murrah, songwriter
Andy Nelson, former safety for the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants
Edmund Pettus, lawyer, soldier, and U.S. Senator from 1897 to 1907
Luke Pryor, served as a U.S. Senator in 1880, and as a U.S. Representative from 1883 to 1885
Wayne Redmond, former baseball player for the Detroit Tigers
William N. Richardson, U.S. Representative from 1900 to 1914
Philip Rivers, NFL quarterback, San Diego Chargers
Charles Henry Sykes, editorial cartoonist
Charles Coleman Thach, president of Auburn University from 1902 to 1920
Alice Vassar LaCour, Fisk Jubilee singer and teacher
Lee Vickers, professional football player for the Omaha Nighthawks
James C. Watkins, ceramic artist
Quez Watkins, professional football player
Henry A. White, Alabama educator and state representative; served on the Athens City Council
Pryor Williams, former professional football player
Atmore
Famous Residents
Evander Holyfield, four-time World Heavyweight boxing champion, was born in Atmore.
Paul Birch, American actor and the original "Marlboro Man" was born in Atmore.
Attalla
Notable People
Carnell "Cadillac" Williams (born April 21, 1982), Tampa Bay Buccaneers player
Betty Kelley (born September 16, 1944), member of Motown girl group Martha and The Vandellas
Bay Minette
Culture
Portions of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind were filmed near the town's train depot[citation needed] and Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood was filmed in rural portions of Baldwin County near Bay Minette.
Notable People
Todd Grisham, sports announcer for World Wrestling Entertainment and Fox Soccer Channel Joe M. Rodgers, United States Ambassador to FranceBayou
Bayou La Batre
The local Chamber of Commerce has described the city as the "Seafood Capital of Alabama" for packaging seafood from hundreds of fishing boats.
Bayou La Batre was featured in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump and the book upon which it is based.
In April 2005, Disney Studios launched a secretly built pirate ship, the Black Pearl, out of Bayou La Batre for filming sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
On August 29, 2005, the area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, which produced the largest storm surge ever recorded in the area, reaching nearly 16 feet[5] and pushing many shrimp boats and the cargo ship M/V Caribbean Clipper onto shore.
Shipbuilding Bayou La Batre is a center for shipbuilding.
Notable People
Antwan Odom - Professional football player, NFL
Regina Benjamin - United States Surgeon General
Beatrice
Beatrice is home to Monroe Sausage, a locally owned smoked pork sausage product. The town holds an annual sausage festival to celebrate the industry.
Boaz
Boaz is nationally known as an outlet shopping destination. It is the "Shop 'til you drop" Capital of Alabama.
Boligee
Notable People
Charles Hays - Confederate major who became a Republican Congressman.
Brad Hubbert - Played in the 1967 American Football League All-Star game.
Brantley
It is the hometown of former Auburn University and NBA basketball stars Chuck Person and his brother Wesley Person.
Brewton
The annual Alabama Blueberry Festival is held at Burnt Corn Creek Park and downtown Brewton. Prior to 2006 it was held on the campus of Jefferson Davis Community College. Bridgeport Because of its location on both a rail line and the Tennessee River, Bridgeport was a strategic site during the American Civil War. It was the site of a major skirmish on August 26, 1862 and numerous other small actions took place in the area. In the latter part of the war, Bridgeport was the site of a major shipyard building gunboats and transports for the Union navy. The USS Chattanooga was built here and became the famous "Cracker Line" which broke the CSA siege of Chattanooga in November 1863
Bindige
Notable People
Cornelius Griffin, professional football player for the Washington Redskins, is a native of Brundidge.
.
Fred Baxter, professional football player for the New York Jets, Washington Redskins, is a native of Brundidge
Butler
Notable People
Ty Herndon - Country music singer
Johnny Ruffin - Major League Baseball pitcher
Calera
Notable People
Hut Stricklin, NASCAR driver
Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
Camden
Notable People
Johnny Baker (athlete) - Former American Football League linebacker and tight end.
Hank Harris (football player) - Washington Redskins offensive lineman.
Ronnie McNeir - Singer-songwriter
Cliff Brown Jr. - Singer-Songwriter
Jeff Sessions- United States Senator
Castleberry
Castleberry is known as the "Strawberry Capital of Alabama" and is home to the annual Castleberry Strawberry Festival.
Cedar Bluff
NASCAR driver Tina Gordon is from the town.
Center Point
Notable People
Dan Sartain, rock and roll musician
Centre
Notable People
John J. Pratt, typewriter inventor
Centreville
1910 lynching On October 12, 1910, a white woman by the name of Mrs. Crow gave birth to a child of "doubtful color” who was thought by many to be the product of a relationship between Mrs. Crow and an African American and she was accused of having such a relationship. At first she vigorously denied it, but then – under intense peer pressure – she confessed as to the baby’s origin but claimed that she had been raped. When asked if she knew who raped her, Mrs. Crow gave them the name of Grant Richardson, an African American who lived near the Braehead Slope Mine Camp, northeast of Centerville. The miners and other local residents were so incensed at the affair that they decided to apply “summary vengeance” to Mr. Richardson as soon as they knew that the sheriff had apprehended him. Deputy Sheriff Cam Riley apprehended Mr. Richardson and was returning him to the jail at Centreville for processing and trial, but was waylaid en route by a lynch mob. The mob took Mr. Richardson from Deputy Riley and shot the suspect. Chief Deputy Sheriff 'Charles Oakley' investigated the scene as soon as word of the incident reached him, but other than the body, the shells, and the blood, there was very little of what was recognized as evidence in 1910 to be found, much less witnesses. A coroner’s inquest was held as soon as a special coroner was appointed, but there is no known result of that inquest. This was the first recorded lynching to take place in Bibb County. It is unknown whether charges of either filing false charges resulting in a murder or miscegenation were filed against Mrs. Crow, but it is known by those aware of Mr. Richardson that he had lived in the area for a number of years with a fair reputation prior to the incident.
Notable People
Fresco Thompson (1902-1968)- major league baseball player[9] and executive
Chelsea
Notable People
Gary Bradberry, Charlie Bradberry, and Stanley Smith-NASCAR Fabian Sanchez-Dancing With The Stars member and "Mambo King"
Chickasaw
The present site of Chickasaw was, in the early 20th century before the city now standing was incorporated, a company town, wholly owned by companies such as the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation. It was the subject of a Supreme Court of the United States decision (Marsh v. Alabama, 326 U.S. 501 (1946)), which stated that despite being a privately owned town, because it functioned as a town open to the public, the right conferred by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution cannot be abridged.
Childersburg
Joseph C. Parker, who latter would be a key figure in convincing Dexter Avenue Baptist Church to appoint Martin Luther King Jr. as their pastor, was for a time a school principal in Childersburg.
Notable People
Gerald Wallace- Charlotte Bobcats player who also had a cameo in the Like Mike movie (2002) as himself
Richard Edgeworth - childhood actor – commercials
The Surrender Oak
Citronelle
On May 4, 1865, one of the last significant Confederate armies was surrendered by General Richard Taylor (general) under the "Surrender Oak". This was the third in a series of five major surrenders of the war. The two previous surrenders occurred at Appomattox Court House, Virginia between General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant; and the second and largest at Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina between General William T. Sherman and General Joseph E. Johnston. A living history/reenactment of the surrender occurs each year in Citronelle.
The historic "Surrender Oak" no longer stands as it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1902. In 1955, oil was discovered in the area.
Clanton
During World War II, a small German Prisoner of War camp was located in Clanton
Notable People
Clay Carroll, Major League baseball player[9]
Jackie Hayes, major league baseball player[9]
Clayton
Notable People
Katherine Jackson, mother of entertainer Michael Jackson
George W. Andrews, U.S. House of Representatives
Billy Beasley, Alabama politician
Jere Beasley (born 1935), two-term Lieutenant Governor of Alabama and acting Governor of Alabama
Thomas J. Clarke, Reconsrruction era state legislator
Bertram Tracy Clayton (1862–1918), U.S. House of Representatives representing New York and U.S. Army officer killed in World War I
Henry DeLamar Clayton, Sr. (1827–1889), major general in the Confederate army; President of the University of Alabama
Henry De Lamar Clayton, Jr. (1857–1929), U.S. House of Representatives, author of the Clayton Antitrust Act
Travis Grant (born 1950), college and professional basketball player
Clarence Clement "Shovel" Hodge (1893–1967), Major League Baseball pitcher
McDowell Lee, Member of the Alabama House of Representatives
Albert J. Lingo, director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety from 1963 to 1965
Ann Lowe (1899–1981), designer of wedding dress for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis for her marriage to John F. Kennedy
George Wallace (1919–1998), Governor of Alabama and U.S. presidential candidate
George C. Wallace, Jr. (born 1951), Alabama State Treasurer
Lurleen Wallace (1926–1968), Governor of Alabama
Ariosto A. Wiley, U.S. Representative from 1901 to 1908
Clio
Don Sutton
Notable People
Tyrone 'Ty' Adams (born 1949)
playwright (Conecuh,Wallace: The Clayton Years)
Clarence Clemet Hodge (1893–1967) - Major League Baseball pitcher
George Wallace (1919–1998) - Governor of Alabama and U.S. President candidate George C. Wallace, Jr. (born 1951)
Baseball Hall of Fame member and
Atlanta Braves broadcaster Don Sutton. Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Elton Bryson Stephens, b. d. February 5, 200
Coffeeville
Notable People
Ashton Shepherd, singer
Columbia
Brothers John Anglin and Clarence Anglin, who were made famous for escaping from Alcatraz Island, robbed the Columbia bank of $19,000 in January, 1959
Notable People
Monte Irvin, born in Columbia, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
B'Ho Kirkland, born in Columbia, played for the Alabama Crimson Tide and went on to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)
Cordova
Notable People
Doyle Alexander, born in Cordova, major league baseball player
Cottonwood
Notable People
Curtis McGriff, former defensive lineman for the New York Giants of the National Football League
Pete Coachman, former Major League Baseball player (California Angels)
Rose Granger, renown home-surgeon who stitched a cut up with a needle and household thread in the early 1900s. She later died from an infection.
Esto Monk, noted philosopher and theologian.
Lamar Kelly, World War II Hero, decorated numerous times for action in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters while serving in the United States Navy. Kelly also fought his way to the title of Severn River Naval Command Welterweight Boxing Champion and later United States Golden Gloves Welterweight Champion. Years later, he garnered acclaim as one of the nation's most innovative drug store retailers.
Will 'WetWile' Maxham born on Stateline Rd. on 24 May 1939. He is the Professional Disc Golf Senior Grandmaster 2000 World Champion won in Mi. He is also the 150g class Senior Grandmaster World Champion, a title won in 1995 Port Arthur, Tx.
Courtland
The Red Rovers A volunteer military company was organized at Courtland in 1835 to aid Texas in its struggle for independence. Commanded by Dr. Jack Shackelford, a local physician, the company derived its name from the color of their home spun uniforms made by citizens of Courtland. The dye used was reportedly derived from the rich red clay abundant in the area. As their first assignment the Red Rovers were assigned to a regiment that was cut off and captured by the Mexican Army at Coleta, Texas, March 20, 1836. They surrendered on the promise of return to the U. S. On March 27, the company and others, 365 men total, were massacred at Goliad, Texas, by order of Gen. Santa Anna. Dr. Shackelford was spared and seven other Rovers were spared or escaped. Dr. Shackleford later escaped and returned to Courtland. The Goliad incident, plus the Alamo, rallied U. S. Support and guaranteed freedom for Texas.
Cullman
During the American Civil War, the future location of Cullman was the site of the Battle of Day's Gap. On 30 April 1863, Union forces under the command of Colonel Abel Streight won a victory over forces under Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. This battle was part of a campaign and chase known collectively as Streight's Raid. Although Streight got the upper hand in this battle, Forrest would have the last laugh. In one of the more humorous moments of the war, Streight sought a truce and negotiations with Forrest in present-day Cherokee County near present-day Gaylesville. Although Streight's force was larger than Forrest's, while the two were negotiating, Forrest had his troops march repeatedly in a circuitous route past the site of the talks. Thinking himself badly outnumbered, Streight surrendered to Forrest on the spot
Cullman gained national attention in early 2008, when a special election was held to fill a vacancy in the Alabama House of Representatives.
Notable People
JoJo Billingsley, singer/songwriter
Wesley Britt, National Football League player
James E. "Big Jim" Folsom, Governor of Alabama 1947-1951 and 1955-1959 James E. "Little Jim" Folsom, Jr., Governor of Alabama 1993-95, former and current Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
Roger Hallmark, country musician
Kurt Heinecke, composer and voice actor
Harold E. Martin, journalist and 1970 Pulitzer Prize winner
Channing Tatum, actor/model
Dadeville
Notable People
A historic marker in Dadeville, Alabama notes the significance of Hooper and his famous character Simon Suggs, a fictional native of Dadeville. Johnson J. Hooper, author. Hooper lived in Dadeville while serving as circuit solicitor in the courts in Dadeville. Here he made many of his notes for his stories. Dadeville is home to "Simon Suggs", a fictional character immortalized by Hooper's book Adventures of Simon Suggs and the Tallapoosa Volunteers and Other Stories.[1]
Mark Barnes, prominent New York attorney
NFL player and Pro-Bowler Robert W. Smith –
Composer Shawn Stuckey –
Daphne
Daphne is also known as the “Jubilee City.” A Jubilee in Mobile Bay occurs when crab, shrimp, and other sea life from the waters of Mobile Bay are suddenly found washed ashore along the coastline. Biologists believe the phenomenon is due to a possible decrease in water oxygen levels which force the fish to the surface.
Demopolis
Demopolis in the arts The 1949 John Wayne movie The Fighting Kentuckian is set in Demopolis and tells a story about an interaction with the original French settlers. Given its noble beginnings, Demopolis has always been a proud city with an aristocratic social culture. According to a historical marker on the town square, Demopolis society was the inspiration for The Little Foxes, a Broadway play. A melodrama by Lillian Hellman, it was first performed in 1939, with Alabama-born actress Tallulah Bankhead giving a legendary performance in the lead role of Regina. This hit production ran a year on Broadway. The 1941 film version was directed by William Wyler and starred Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall and Teresa Wright, plus original Broadway cast members Patricia Collinge (Birdie), Charles Dingle (Ben), Dan Duryea (Leo), John Marriott (Cal) and Carl Benton Reid (Oscar). It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1941. In 1949 the play was adapted into an opera by Marc Blitzstein, under the title Regina.
Notable People
Tommy Brooker, American Football League player
Paul Phillips, major league baseball player
Jim Rogers, billionaire investor
Theo Ratliff, (Basketball)National Basketball Association Player
Andy Phillips, (baseball) Major League Baseball player
Bill Owens, (Former State Senator) State of Massachusetts
Robbie Jones, (Football) N.Y. Giants, Alabama Crimson Tide Emanuel Zanders (Football) New Orleans Saints, Jackson State
Elba
Notable People
James E. "Big Daddy" Folsom, only Coffee County native to become governor of Alabama.
Ronald McKinnon, National Football League player.
To support the town's volunteer fire department, "The Elberta German Sausage Festival" was started in the mid-1970s. This event is held the last weekend of March and the last weekend of October and features polka music, Elberta German Sausage, and 250 arts and crafts vendors.
Elkmont
Notable People
Billy Hogan, singer/songwriter
Michael Boley Pro football player for the New York Giants
Emelle
The town is known for being the site of the largest hazardous waste landfill in the United States, operated by Waste Management, Inc. That hazardous waste disposal facility was the subject of a case decided by the United States Supreme Court, Chemical Waste Management, Inc. v. Hunt, 504 U.S. 334 (1992).
Enterprise
Enterprise is famous for the Boll Weevil Monument, a large monument of a woman holding a Boll Weevil, which is located in the town square. The city erected the statue because the destruction of the cotton crop had led to agricultural diversity, starting with peanuts and more prosperity than had ever come from cotton alone. It is said to be the only statue to an insect pest in the world.
Enterprise is also right outside of Fort Rucker, an Army base which is the home of Army Aviation.
Notable People
Jamey Johnson was born in Enterprise.
Mark Wilkerson, lead singer of Course Of Nature and husband of Melissa Joan Hart.
Michael McDowell, screenwriter
George Jones, Country Music Legend, widely known as "The Possum," owned a residence in Enterprise.
Aud Tuten, former NHL player with the Chicago Black Hawks (1941-43)
Ben Paschal, reserve outfielder for the 1927 Yankees
Cedric Smith, former NFL running back
Eufala
Lake Eufaula is known as the "Big Bass Capital of the World."
Eufaula is the home Alatech Healthcare, and in 2009, opened the largest, state-of-the art condom production facility in the United States.
Notable People
Mike Hamrick (born August 9, 1958) The Architect of The American Village
Martha Reeves (born July 18, 1941) was the lead singer of the American Motown group Martha & the Vandellas
Lula Mae Hardaway (born January 11, 1930) mother of Stevie Wonder.
Katherine Jackson (born Katherine Esther Scruse on May 4, 1930) the mother of music superstars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson was born in the same county as Eufaula.
Admiral Thomas Hinman Moorer, USN (Ret.), (born February 9, 1912) was the Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
E. J. Junior III, an all-SEC linebacker for the University of Alabama intercollegiate football team under coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant.
Eutaw>
The main strategist and architect of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, James Bevel, was buried in Eutaw on December 29, 2008.
Appearances in Art and Literature
Eutaw, AL is the home town of the protagonist in the Old Crow Medicine Show song "Big Time in the Jungle," released in 2004. The band also released an album in 2001 entitled "Eutaw." In addition, the town's name is referenced in the song "Don't Ride That Horse," among the other cities of Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Wawa.
Evergreen
The first female pilot in the U. S. Navy, Barbara Allen Rainey, crashed and died near Evergreen
Notable People
Robert Bradley - Bluesman, R&B singer, and leader of Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise
Ken Clark (running back)- former National Football League player
Wayne Frazier - former American Football League player
Ben Rudolph - former National Football League player
James Adams Stallworth - Member of the United States House of Representatives.
William B. Travis, commander of Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo
Excel
Excel is the birthplace of former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Lee Roy Jordan.
Fairhope
In 1907 educator Marietta Johnson founded the School for Organic Education in Fairhope. The school was praised in John Dewey's influential 1915 book Schools of Tomorrow. Dewey and Johnson were founding members of the Progressive Education Association. Fairhope became a popular wintering spot for artists and intellectuals. Sherwood Anderson, Wharton Esherick, Carl Zigrosser, and Upton Sinclair were among its notable visitors.
Notable People
Dave Stapleton, former professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox
Marietta Johnson, educator and reformer
Bob Baumhower, football player (University of Alabama & Miami Dolphins)
Marshall Chapman, songwriter and musician
Marie Howland, utopian and journalist
Anna Braune, children's book author and illustrator
Upton Sinclair (winter visitor), author (The Jungle)
Winston Groom, author (Forrest Gump)
Rick Bragg, author
Judith Richards, author
Dave Edwards, musician
Leon Lett, football player (Dallas Cowboys)
Watt Key, author of Alabama Moon
W.E.B. Griffin aka William E. Butterworth, author
Gregory Brown, guitarist and songwriter.
Fannie Flagg, author and actress
Willie Bean Roscoe P Coltrane, political satire
Fayette
Notable People
Jimmy Lee Sudduth (1910 - 2007), outsider artist and blues musician
Michael Moore (American football) Former NFL Player
Florala
Notable People
Dwight Stone, who played for the NY Jets, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers was born in Florala on January 28, 1964.
Foley
Notable People
Justin Anderson, professional football linebacker
Fannie Flagg, actress, comedienne, and author of Fried Green Tomatoes and other novels, lived in Fairhope for a time[15][16]
D. J. Fluker, former offensive lineman for the Alabama Crimson Tide and current NFL Free Agent
Julio Jones, former wide receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide and current wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Everett A. Kelly, member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1978 to 1982
Robert Lester, professional football defensive back
Bubba Marriott, football player
Ken Stabler, former quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints in the NFL, and the Alabama Crimson Tide in collegiate football
Chris Watton, former professional football offensive lineman
Ft. Payne
It bills itself as the "Official Sock Capital of the World
For a time beginning in 1989, Fort Payne held the world record for "Largest Cake Ever Baked", for a cake of 128,238 pounds (58,168 kg) baked to commemorate the city's centennial
The site of Fort Payne was originally the important village of Willstown, Cherokee Nation. For a time it was the home of Sequoyah, who invented the Cherokee syllabary, enabling reading and writing in the language
The country music group Alabama is based in Fort Payne. The city also houses the group's Fan Club and Museum.
Notable People
Teddy Gentry,and Randy Owen, founders of the Country music band Alabama
Howard Finster (1916 – 2001), religious folk artist and Baptist minister
Flock Family (NASCAR drivers) Bob Flock (1918 – 1964) Fonty Flock (1921 – 1972) Tim Flock (1924 – 1998) Ethel Mobley (1920 – 1984)
Lt. Gen. Forrest S. McCartney(ret.), USAF and director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center
Larry Nelson, professional golfer
Philip Ober (1902 – 1982), actor
Fyffe
Notable People
Vestal Goodman, Southern Gospel artist, founding member of the Happy Goodman Family
Cat Freeman, former member of the Statesmen Quartet and the Oak Ridge Boys
Hank Williams
Georgiana
Notable People
Hank Williams, a country music legend
William Herbert York, a bass player in Hank Williams Drifting Cowboys band.
Fredrick Smith a Professional Model and Actor
Gilbertown
First oil well in Alabama
Goldville
Notable People
John Malcolm Patterson, 44th Governor of Alabama
Goodwater
Notable People
Robert Daniel Carmichael, mathematician for whom Carmichael numbers are named
Colonel Hartley A. Moon, adjutant general of Alabama
Jamario Moon, professional basketball player
Xavier Moon, professional basketball player
Greensboro
Notable People
Anthony Bryant, defensive tackle in the NFL
Scott Burton, sculptor and performance artist
Alfred Chapman, Los Angeles real estate attorney and investor, and one of the founders of Orange, California
John Gayle, seventh governor of the U.S. state of Alabama (1831–1835)
Amelia Gayle Gorgas, former librarian for the University of Alabama and mother of Surgeon General William C. Gorgas
Richmond Pearson Hobson (1870–1937), member of the United States House of Representatives and Medal of Honor recipient
Grady Jackson, professional football player
Pete Jarman (1892–1955), member of the United States House of Representatives and former United States Ambassador to Australia
Andrew Killgore (1919–2016), United States Foreign Service Officer and ambassador to Qatar
Thomas E. Knight, 13th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama and 19th Attorney General of Alabama
Hedgemon Lewis, boxer, former world title contender
William Burns Paterson, teacher, founder of Tullibody Academy and Alabama State University
Israel Pickens, third governor of Alabama (1821–1825)
Eugene Sawyer, 53rd mayor of Chicago (1987-1989)
Thomas Seay, 27th governor of Alabama (1886–1890)
Armistead I. Selden, Jr. (1921–1985), member of the United States House of Representatives and former United States Ambassador to New Zealand, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Western Samoa
Little Sonny, electric blues musician and songwriter
Barry Wagner, former wide receiver/linebacker in the Arena Football League
Bob Wiggins, outfielder in the Negro American League
Henry Williams, former NFL defensive back
Lamanzer Williams, former NFL defensive end
Cedric Harris, Educator, Innovator, Youth Mentor
Greenville
During World War II, a satellite camp for German prisoners was based in Greenville
The city's residents were featured on the premiere episode of the ABC reality/game show series My Kind of Town, on Sunday, August 14, 2005.
Notable People
Janice Rogers Brown, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Beth Chapman, Secretary of State of Alabama from 2007 to 2013
Leon Crenshaw, former defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers
Marlon Davidson, defensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons
Walter Flowers, member of the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1979
Phil Hancock, professional golfer
Johnny Lewis, former outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets
Tommy Lewis, former American football fullback and coach
George McMillan, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
Mark Matthews, World War II veteran and Buffalo Soldier
Rufus Payne, blues musician
Lewis B. Porterfield, Rear admiral in the United States Navy
Bill Powell, first African American to design, construct and own a professional golf course in the United States
Marty Raybon, country music singer of the group Shenandoah
Za’Darius Smith, linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings
Thomas H. Watts, eighteenth governor of Alabama
Hank Williams, country music singer lived in Greenville briefly during childhood
Ed Bell (musician), country blues singer and guitarist
Grimes
In Grimes is located the Bog-In, a mud track that races the contingency class. The track is 300 feet (91 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide. Races are held once a month. People come from as far as Troy, Alabama to race there.
Grove Hill
Notable People
Grant Gillis - Major League Baseball player
F. David Mathews - United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
Cliff Nobles - Pop musician
Guin
On April 3, 1974, Guin was devastated by an F5 tornado during the Super Outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak on record. The death toll in Guin was 30, which, at the time, was 11% of the population.
The Louisiana historian Morgan D. Peoples was born in Guin in 1919.
Guntersville
Guntersville was founded by German immigrant John Gunter (the great-grandfather of American humorist Will Rogers), the wealthy owner of a salt mine in the early 1800s
Notable People
"Mississippi" Bill Harris, folk hero
M. E. Lazarus, 19th century individualist anarchist
Jeff Cook, of the band Alabama
Taylor Hicks, American Idol winner
Hackleburg
It is the hometown of country music singer Sonny James. James had numerous country and cross over pop hits starting in the 1950s though the 1970s. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
The 2007 Hackleburg High School baseball team won the 1A State Championship in the Alabama High School Athletic Association state baseball tournament.
Haleyville
On February 16, 1968 the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system in the nation went into service in Haleyville
The 2008-2009 Haleyville High School Baseball team won the 4A State Championship in the Alabama High School Athletic Association state tournament.
Hamilton
The Hamilton Aggies have won state championships in: Girls Basketball (5A, 1990; runners up 5A, 1991) Boys Cross Country (4A/5A 1987-1991) Boys Power Lifting (1A/4A 9-time champs 2000-2010)
Notable People
Jerry Dolyn Brown, award winning folk artist
John Mark Karr, former claimant to be the murderer of JonBenét Ramsey
Hanceville
Hanceville is home to Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. The construction began in 1996 and was completed in 1999, under the direction of Mother Angelica of the EWTN Network.
Notable People
Candi Staton - Soul and gospel singer
Harpersville
Notable People
William Joseph Simmons, founder of the second Ku Klux Klan
Hartford
Notable People
Early Wynn, born in Hartford, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame[3]
Dixie Howell, born in Hartford and buried in the Hartford cemetery is in the NCAA football Hall of Fame. He played for the University of Alabama.
Hartselle
Notable People
John Sparkman, United States Congressman and Senator and Vice-Presidential Nominee, was born on a farm near Hartselle on December 20, 1899.
William Bradford Huie, journalist, editor, publisher and author was born in Hartselle.
Joe H. Slate Ph.D., professor, author and psychologist, founded the Parapsychology Research Foundation in 1970 and conducted research into Kirlian Photography for the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command in 1977 (featured on The History Channel's Vampire Secrets).[citation needed]
Steve Woodard, former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball was born in Hartselle on May 15, 1975.
Wilford S. Bailey, former NCAA president and former Auburn University president, is a Hartselle native.
Haynesville
Civil rights crimes in Hayneville - On August 13, 1965, Jonathan Daniels, an Episcopal seminarian from New Hampshire, in a group of 29 civil rights protesters, went to picket whites-only stores in the small town of Fort Deposit, Alabama. All of the protesters were arrested and taken to jail in nearby Hayneville. Five juvenile protesters were released the next day. The rest of the group was held for six days; they refused to accept bail unless everyone was bailed. Finally, on August 20, the prisoners were released without transport back to Fort Deposit. After release, the group waited by a road nearby the jail. Daniels with three others — a white Catholic priest and two black protesters--went down the street to get a cold soft drink at Varner's Grocery Store, one of the few local stores that would serve nonwhites. They were met at the front by Tom L. Coleman, an engineer for the state highway department and unpaid special deputy, who wielded a shotgun. The man threatened the group, and finally leveled his gun at seventeen-year-old Ruby Sales. Daniels pushed Sales down to the ground and caught the full blast of the gun. He was killed instantly. The priest, Richard F. Morrisroe, grabbed the other protester and ran. Coleman shot Morrisroe, wounding him in the lower back.[3]
In June 1965, an 18-year-old from upstate New York named Gregory Orr who had traveled to Mississippi to take part in civil rights protests was driving home from Jackson, where he had been arrested with other protesters and held without charges for 10 days under brutal conditions at the state fairgrounds. In Alabama he was stopped by vigilantes, kidnapped and then held without charges for eight days in the Hayneville jail. In New York that August, Orr read a report of the murder of Jonathan Daniels in the New York Times.[4] He recognized one of his own kidnappers in a photograph—apparently Tom Coleman. Gregory Orr would later become a prominent poet and professor at the University of Virginia. He published an account of his Hayneville ordeal in the Virginia Quarterly Review in 2008 Heflin
Notable People
Paul D. Adams - A Commanding General of the Third United States Army
Tyrone Prothro - Former Wide receiver from the University of Alabama
Helena
Business Week named Helena the 13th "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in 2007[ Money Magazine's 2007 list of "Best Places to Live: Top 100" in the U.S., placing at number 91
Notable People
Helena is the hometown of American Idol's 2005 runner-up Bo Bice and Olympic gold medalist Vonetta Flowers, the first African-American to medal in the Winter Olympics.
It is also the hometown of the Broadway star Rebecca Luker, who has played some of the most prized roles on Broadway such as: Christine in The Phantom of The Opera, Maria in the Sound of Music, along with several others.
She has been nominated for a Tony award three times.
Helena native Liz Cochran is Miss Alabama 2009 and competed in the 2010 Miss America Pageant.
Holly Pond
Notable People
Guy Hunt, former Governor of Alabama and Primitive Baptist pastor
Jason Simpson, TV meteorologist and Mississippi State University graduate now working at ABC affiliate WBMA in Birmingham
Mike Morris, head coach of the Samford University women's basketball team
Hueytown
It was the home of the legendary NASCAR Alabama Gang.
It also made international headlines with the unexplainable "Hueytown Hum", a mysterious noise once believed to be related to an underground coal mine in the area
The Alabama Gang Hueytown was home to one of the dominant racing groups in NASCAR, the Alabama Gang. The city's main thoroughfare, Allison-Bonnett Memorial Drive, takes its name from drivers Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Davey Allison, Clifford Allison and Neil Bonnett. The Alabama Gang also includes racing legend Charles "Red" Farmer. Though not considered a member of The Alabama Gang, Bobby and Donnie's older brother Eddie Allison had an active role in NASCAR for many years as a respected engine builder and still resides in Hueytown. His son, Jacob, is a radio personality on Birmingham, Alabama station WJOX. He also resides in Hueytown.
Interestingly, and certainly because of its established motorsports roots, Hueytown was chosen as BMW Motorsport's initial North American base of operations before its first season with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) in 1975.
Irondale
The book (later a film) Fried Green Tomatoes, by Irondale native Fannie Flagg, is loosely based around the town and the landmark Irondale Cafe, known as The Whistle-Stop Cafe in the book & film.
Irondale is also the location of Catholic radio/television broadcaster EWTN.
The city's annual Whistle-Stop Festival attracts thousands to its eclectic mix of art, food and music.
Home of Jacksonville State University:
Notable JSU alumni:
Jesse Baker - Former National Football League player with the Houston Oilers.
Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey - Radio personalities.
Rick Bragg - Pulitzer Prize winning writer. Author of Ava's Man and All Over but the Shoutin.
Dieter Brock - Former Canadian Football League MVP quarterback, member of the CFL Hall of Fame.
Amy Crawford - Former WCW Entertainer.
Eric Davis - NFL defensive back San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions.
Lea Fite - former member of the Alabama House of Representatives.
Jim Folsom Jr. - Former Alabama governor and current Alabama lieutenant governor.
Delvin Hughley - Former National Football League and Arena Football League Defensive Back with the Denver Broncos and Colorado Crush.
Todd Jones - Major League Baseball pitcher.
James Joyner - Well-known blogger and political scientist.
Joe Kines - College football coach.
Jamie Langley - Miss Alabama 2007.
Harlan Mathews - Former Democratic U.S. Senator of Tennessee.
Robert Stacy McCain - author of Donkey Cons and assistant national editor of the Washington Times.
Keith McKeller - Former National Football League tight end with the Buffalo Bills.
Darrell Malone - NFL defensive back for Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, 1992–1994.
Randy Owen - Lead singer of the country music band Alabama.
Ryan Perrilloux - JSU Quarterback from 2008-2009.
Mike D. Rogers - Republican Congressman of Alabama.
Jason Seguine - Professional wrestler (as Buck Quartermain) and football player.
Heather Whitestone (McCallum) - Miss America 1995.
Reynolds Wolf - CNN Meteorologist and Reporter.
Alvin Wright - Former National Football League nose guard with the Los Angeles Rams.
Notable People
Harvey Jackson III, notable Alabama historian.
Rick Bragg, won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 1996 while working for The New York Times.
Elliott Helm, State Champion Track Athlete.
Jasper
The city is the county seat of Walker County[2], and once ranked among the world's leading producers of coal.
Notable People
Polly Holliday
George Lindsey, the actor who played Goober on The Andy Griffith Show,
singer Sandy Posey
award winning songwriter Samuel Young.
It is also the birthplace of United States Senator John H. Bankhead II,
former Speaker of the House William Brockman Bankhead,
Alabama millionaire James Stanley Freeman and his son, famed World War II admiral James Shepherd Freeman,
home of the late Congressman Tom Bevill, who is known for making the first 911 emergency call.
The late actress Tallulah Brockman Bankhead lived for a while at her father's home in Jasper as a child, and was later married in that home.
One of the fictional characters from the TV show, Lost , James "Sawyer" Ford was originally from Jasper, Alabama. He reveals this in Season 3.
MMA fighter and famous boxer "Butterbean" Eric Esche resides in Jasper and owns the Mr. Bean's BBQ restaurant
References in popular culture
The city of Jasper is mentioned multiple times by Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show, as it was the actual hometown of actor George Lindsey.
Leo Gibely famed automobile specialist and avid big trophy angler also resides in Jasper and says he would not live anywhere else on the planet.
Jasper is the birthplace of actress Polly Holliday as "Flo" on the popular television series Alice and her own series Flo The city of Jasper is mentioned as the birthplace of the children's storybook chihuahua, Coco Bear.
Marion
Civil Rights Era
A number of significant events occurred in Marion relating to the American Civil Rights Movement
In 1958 Jimmy Wilson, a black man, was sentenced to death by a jury in Marion for stealing $1.95 from Estelle Barker.[4]
In 1964, Marion was a center of Civil Rights protests in Alabama. During a peaceful march on 18 February 1965, Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot and killed by Alabama State Trooper James Bonard Fowler.[5] Jackson later died of an infection stemming from the wounds at nearby Good Samaritan Hospital in Selma.[6] Jackson's death is recognized as the catalyst for the Selma to Montgomery March later that year.[5] It wasn't until 2007, that Fowler was indicted for murder for his role in Jackson's death.[7]
In 2009, Marion made national news when a three-year old family feud turned into a 150-person riot outside the town's city hall, resulting in the arrest of eight people and the hospitalization of two. The police chief was injured when a crowbar hit him in the head, while Judson College warned students to avoid the downtown area for 24 hours
McIntosh
It is the site for the first compressed air energy storage power plant in the United States, operating since 1991, and it had the world's first manufacturing plant for sucralose.
McMullen
It has a 100% African American population, the only other such town in the US is Birdsong, Arkansas.
Mentone
Mentone is home to many private summer camps, including Camp Desoto for girls, Camp Laney for boys, Alpine Camp for boys, Camp Skyline Ranch for girls, Lookout Mountain Camp for boys, and others. During the summer, the population more than doubles.
During the winter it is famous for being the only place with snow skiing in Alabama, at Cloudmont Ski and Golf Resort
Midway
Notable People
Johnny Ford - A mayor of Tuskegee, Alabama.
Jesse Lee Peterson - Founder of The Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny (BOND) who was born here,
Harold Pierce - Founded Harold's Chicken Shack.
Bobby Turner - A Denver Broncos running back coach
Millbrook
Spectre set ruins – In the 2003 film Big Fish, the lead character visits the idealistic town of Spectre at multiple points in his life. In reality, the facades of Spectre were built on a private island on the Alabama River. A rundown version of the town was the last to be filmed, so when the sets were abandoned, they already looked as though they had been neglected for decades.[9]
Notable People
Austin Adams, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers
Robert Chancey, former NFL running back
Terrence Long, former Major League Baseball outfielder
Dee Milliner, former NFL cornerback
Antowain Smith, former NFL running back
Monroeville
It's known as the home to Pulitzer prize-winning Harper Lee, an author most famous for her writing of To Kill A Mockingbird.
Literary Fame
Author Harper Lee was born and raised in Monroeville. In her book To Kill a Mockingbird, the fictional town of Maycomb is modeled on her hometown. The novel received the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Truman Capote, a childhood neighbor and friend of Harper Lee, grew up in Monroeville. Capote is said to be the inspiration for the character Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Mark Childress, novelist, and Cynthia Tucker, syndicated columnist and winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, were also born in Monroeville.
As of 2006, an estimated 30,000 tourists visited Monroeville annually because of its association with To Kill a Mockingbird. Each May the Monroe County Heritage Museum stages an amateur play based on the book on the grounds of the courthouse. The interior of the courthouse was used as a reference for the film version of the book, and houses the later acts of the amateur production. The all-volunteer cast has been invited to perform in Washington, D.C., Kingston-upon-Hull, and Jerusalem.[4]
In 1997 the Alabama Legislature designated Monroeville and Monroe County the "Literary Capital of Alabama."
Notable People
Marie Rudisill, author and television personality
Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird
Truman Capote, author
Montevallo
It is the home of the University of Montevallo
Notable Faculty and Staff:
William Sledge Cobb, the university's writer-in-residence for 13 years, is a critically acclaimed novelist and short-story writer whose works include Coming of Age at the Y, A Walk through Fire (nominated for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize), Harry Reunited, and A Spring of Souls. He is the 2007 recipient of the Alabama Writers' Forum's Harper Lee Award for a Distinguished Alabama Writer.
Eugene Bondurant Sledge, PhD, recounted his experiences in the Pacific theater of World War II in the book With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. He was a professor of biology and a specialist in ornithology at the university until his death in 2001.
Eva Olivia Golson, PhD, a longtime professor of English, was one of the first female graduates of the University of Chicago, earning a doctorate in literature. An annual scholarship named in her memory is awarded to an outstanding rising senior majoring in English.
Julia Tutwiler, 19th-century champion of equal educational opportunities for Alabama women, secured the funding that enabled AGIS to open in 1896. She also served as the first president of Alabama Normal College (now the University of West Alabama) and wrote a poem, "Alabama," that was later adapted as the official state song.
Notable Alumni:
Louise Fletcher, noted film actress
Rusty Greer, former major league baseball player for the Texas Rangers.
Polly Holliday, American actress best known for the character of Flo from the hit television show Alice
Rebecca Luker, American musical theatre actress and soprano who has appeared in several prominent Broadway productions.
Jon Maloney, Current English football player for Harrogate Town FC [3]. All-time lead scorer for Montevallo Men's Soccer team and the only three-time Gulf South Conference Player of the Year.
Ray Reach, noted jazz pianist, vocalist, arranger, composer and educator, formerly (1998-2005) director of the UAB Jazz Ensemble, and currently Director of Student Jazz Programs at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Rodger Smitherman, President Pro Tempore of the Alabama State Senate.
Chris Stewart, noted broadcaster. Voice of the University of Alabama men's basketball team.
Mooresville
Mooresville is the oldest incorporated town in Alabama (November 16, 1818).
The entire town, characterized as a picturesque early 19th century village, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The post office (1840) is the oldest still in operation in the state and features call boxes built prior to the American Civil War.
Andrew Johnson, later president of the United States, was an apprentice tailor in Mooresville as a young man.[3]
Mooresville was occupied by the Union Army several times during the Civil War, and a number of skirmishes were fought in the vicinity
The town was the primary filming location for Disney's Tom and Huck(1995)
Moundville
One of its clams to fame being that it provided the cinematic backdrop to the 2001 Blockbuster "Jeepers Creepers"
Moundville Archaeological Park
The Moundville Archaeological Park is a National Historic Landmark. The 320-acre (1.3 km2) park contains 26 prehistoric, Mississippian culture-era Native American earthwork mounds, burial sites and artifacts.
Muscle Shoals
In the early 1960s, Rick Hall brought FAME Recording Studios to Muscle Shoals. Famous bands and singers, including Aretha Franklin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Osmonds, Mac Davis, and Duane Allman came to Muscle Shoals to record hit songs at FAME. In 1998, it was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage In addition to being home to country music band Shenandoah, a number of artists have made successful pilgrimages to Muscle Shoals in an effort to escape the limelight, and write and record their signature works. Both FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios are still in operation in the city. While famous for classic recordings from Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers, recent hit songs such as "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood and "I Loved Her First" by Heartland continue the city's musical legacy. George Michael recorded an early, unreleased version of "Careless Whisper" in Muscle Shoals in 1983, which was produced by the late, legendary Jerry Wexler, a fixture at the studios throughout the 60's and 70's
Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records, lived in the area and stated in his autobiography that Muscle Shoals (primarily radio station WLAY (AM), which had both "white" and "black" music on its playlist) influenced his merging of these sounds at Sun Records with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.
Muscle Shoals has received attention from the lyrics in Lynyrd Skynynd's "Sweet Home Alabama," stating "Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers, and they've been known to pick a song or two." This is an example of a line in a song that is well known, but little understood. The Swampers are a session band in Muscle Shoals
New Brockton
For years, it has been the smallest populated town in Alabama, but the town is notable for the nearby rock arch, also named Natural Bridge, the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies, spanning over 127 ft (40 m).[2] The arch is in Natural Bridge Park, which allows public access.
New Hope
In 1977, the town was cursed with the Southern Airways Flight 242 accident (the plane didn't manage emergency landing and drove into the town); eight residents died.
Newton
On December 3, 1864, a local Methodist minister and Confederate soldier named Bill Sketoe was lynched just north of Newton by local Home Guard elements led by Captain Joseph Brear. Since Sketoe was a tall man, a hole had to be dug beneath his feet to accommodate his large frame. Local legend insists that "the hole that won't stay filled" never vanished—even after being filled in numerous times during the decades that followed. Though covered in 1979 by a new bridge and tons of rip-rap, "Sketoe's hole" remains a local attraction,[4] and was immortalized by Alabama writer Kathryn Tucker Windham in her 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey.[5] A monument to Sketoe was dedicated near the hanging site in 2006,[6] and the local museum displays items of Sketoe memorabilia
Northport
2One of Northport's most notable cultural activities is the Kentuck Festival of the Arts. Each year in October, hundreds of artists gather at Kentuck Park to showcase their work in front of thousands of visitors. The festival celebrates folk and contemporary art as well as traditional crafts. Potters, quilters, and basketmakers offer educational craft demonstrations throughout the weekend. And musical entertainment and culinary offerings are available.
Another longstanding tradition of Northport is Art Night, which is held on the first Thursday of each month. Many of Northport's galleries open their doors after hours for this popular art demonstration. A trolley system runs between Downtown Northport and Downtown Tuscaloosa as a collaboration with Tuscaloosa's Art and Soul event.
Dickens Downtown is held the first Tuesday in December. This annual holiday event attracts many thousands of participants to come and see the period setting of 19th Century England.
Notable People
Frank Lary, born in Northport, major league baseball player[3]
Hodges Meteorite Oak Grove gained national recognition in 1954 when it became the first reported site in the history of the world of a meteor striking a human. Mrs. Ann E. Hodges was on her sofa in her Oak Grove home when something crashed through her roof, striking her on the hip. It turned out to be a meteorite. The incident gained national news coverage, including an appearance by Mrs. Hodges on Gary Moore's TV show, I've Got a Secret. Celebrity participant Henry Morgan guessed the secret.
Oak Grove has a "Gravity Hill" where cars appear to coast uphill, but is actually an optical illusion. The phenomenon has generated news coverage and curiosity seekers. It is on Old Highway 280, now named "Gravity Hill Road", just off Highway 280 in the western part of Oak Grove toward Childersburg.
Notable People
Skinny Graham, former Major League Baseball pitcher
Oakman
In 2003 the Wildcats' varsity football team was the 2A Region 4 Champions, had an undefeated record in the regular season, and went to the 2nd round of State Playoffs. In 2005 they went to the 1st round of State Playoffs. In 2007 the Girls Softball Team won the 2A State Championship
Ohatchee
In preparation for the Battle of Talladega, Andrew Jackson used the area around Ohatchee to prepare. It was at this battle that Andrew Jackson found an Indian boy next to the body of his mother. Jackson adopted the child, naming him Lyncoya Jackson. Lyncoya died of tuberculosis at 28. The site of the battle is marked with a large stone marker along Alabama Highway 144 between Alexandria and Ohatchee, Alabama near Tallaseehatchee Creek.
Oneonta
Oneonta is home to the Covered Bridge Festival
Opp
Notable People
Mike DuBose - Former University of Alabama head football coach.
James Logan - 1991 graduate of Opp High School who played football in the NFL for the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Seattle Seahawks from 1995-2000, and played college football at Memphis State University.
Tim Jessie - Although he was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1987 NFL Draft Jessie ended up playing for the for the Washington Redskins in 1987 as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL Players Strike. Jessie played college football at Auburn University and was a part of the Redskins Super Bowl XXII championship team.
Lamar Rogers - Played football in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1991-1992. Rogers played college football at Auburn University, and was a part of the 1987 Auburn Tigers football team and 1988 Auburn Tigers football team that played in the 1988 Sugar Bowl and 1989 Sugar Bowl
Orange Beach
A little known attraction, the tallest Ferris wheel in the Southeast at a height of 112 feet, is located at The Wharf in Orange Beach.
Oxford
An Creek Indian stone mound in the southeastern part of the city has recently been the subject of controversy. It sits atop a highly visible hill overlooking the freeway and the newest shopping area and soil removal was underway from the hill below the stone mound, when controversy began as to whether the site might be destroyed. Sam's Club was incorrectly accused of damaging Native American artifacts, when it had nothing to do with the soil removal. State Historical officials say the mound is over 1000 years old. The stone mound itself had not been damaged by the recent work, but the excavation on the hill below has caused many to believe the entire hill was the "mound," thus causing continuing uncertainty among some as to the possibility of damage having been done to a site of historic significance
Notable People
Kwon Alexander, NFL, New Orleans Saints
The Bridges, folk rock band
K. J. Britt, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rick Burgess, half of the nationally syndicated radio program Rick and Bubba
Asa Earl Carter, Ku Klux Klan leader, segregationist speech writer, and later famed western novelist
Tae Davis, NFL, Cleveland Browns
Trae Elston, NFL, Miami Dolphins
Chris Hammond, former Major League Baseball pitcher
Terry Henley, former Auburn University and National Football League running back
Vic Henley, professional comedian
Maud McLure Kelly, first woman lawyer in Alabama
Lash LeRoux, cartoonist and former professional wrestler
Bobby McCain, NFL, Miami Dolphins
Felton Snow, baseball player in the Negro leagues[13]
Jackson Stephens, Major League Pitcher Atlanta Braves
Jim Stephens, former Major League Baseball catcher
Roc Thomas, NFL, Minnesota Vikings
Ozark
Notable People
Wilbur Jackson – National Football League
Byron Mitchell - former super middleweight boxing champion.
Paint Rock
This was the location where the Scottsboro Boys were arrested.
Phil Campbell
Phil Campbell is the birthplace of Billy Sherrill
In June 1995 the writer Phil Campbell organized and wrote about a convention of people who shared their name with the town of Phil Campbell, Alabama. Twenty-two Phil Campbells and one Phyllis Campbell, hailing from all over America, attended. The story of the Phil Campbell convention was published in Might Magazine, a San-Francisco-based publication founded by Dave Eggers. The essay was later included in Might’s anthology, Shiny Adidas Tracksuits and the Death of Camp, and the convention itself was mentioned by Ripley's Believe it or Not! A second “Phil Campbell Day” was organized the following year, but it was not as well attended, and no more were organized. Phil Campbell’s city hall, however, still maintains a file of all the Phil Campbells who visit.
Pickensville
Notable People
Jacob H. Sharp, Confederate general in the Civil War; born in Pickensville in 1833 but grew up in Mississippi Piedmont
Notable People
Desmond Doss, World War II conscientious objector and Medal of Honor recipient Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Pine Apple
Notable People
Fred Cone - a former running back in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.
Kenneth R. Giddens - Broadcaster and Voice of America executive
Prattsville
Nicknamed "The Fountain City" due to the many artesian wells in the area,
Notable People
Marlon Anderson, Major League Baseball player
Roman Harper, NFL player
Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006),R&B and soul singer and songwriter
Trust Company, rock band
Kevin Turner, former NFL player
Bobby Jon Drinkard, contestant on Reality television shows Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Guatemala
Priceville
Notable People
Leann Richardson
Ragland
Notable People
Rudy York, native of Ragland, major league baseball player
Rainbow City
Notable People
Brodie Croyle, NFL player
Red Level
The small town is regionally well-known because of the home of Surgeon General Luther Terry who put the cancer warnings on cigarette packages.
Reform
Notable People
Tony Dixon, Safety for the Dallas Cowboys
Roanoke
Notable People
Admiral Edward A. Burkhalter - Chief of Naval Intelligence; Director of Intelligence Community, CIA
Stan O'Neal, former (through c. jan 08) chairman & chief exec officer of Merrill Lynch.
Joe F. Edwards, Jr. - NASA Astronaut.
Doll House Lady Entrepreneur Ella Gaunt Smith, lady entrepreneur who began to manufacture dolls from her home (called the "doll house") that were widely owned across the USA. The dolls used innovative designs and were indestructible; and included both black and white dolls.
Rockford
Fred the Town Dog - In 1993, a sick and bedraggled dog wandered into Rockford. The animal was called "Fred" nursed back to health by town residents. He became the town mascot for almost ten years. Fred gained popularity through a regular newspaper column, "A Dog's Life," about his activities and encounters, and then national recognition after he was profiled on cable TV's Animal Planet. Fred died on December 23, 2002 in a Birmingham animal hospital, from a mysterious animal bite. He was buried behind the town's old jailhouse. A full-size grave marker, donated by a Montgomery businessman, was added in May, 2003. Fred was inducted into the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association Animal Hall of Fame in 2004
Russellville
Watermelon Festival - The annual "Watermelon Festival" is held each August in downtown Russellville, in which a carnival type event is held by the chamber of commerce to try and ignite interest in Franklin county and surrounding areas. Events within the festival include performances by popular local bands as well as a car and truck show.
Samson
Notable People
Samson was home to guitarist Roy Brooks from 1971 to 1983.
Bill Yates, cartoonist, was born in Samson.
James "J.T." Thomas, Jr., winner of Survivor: Tocantins, is from Samson.
2009 massacre
On March 10, 2009, in the Alabama towns of Kinston, Samson and Geneva, Michael McLendon killed several people before committing suicide. In response, troops from nearby Fort Rucker were deployed to the streets of Samson where they manned barricades and guarded a makeshift morgue. This was later determined to be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal troops from performing law enforcement actions
Saraland
The worst rail disaster in the history of Amtrak occurred near Saraland on Big Bayou Canot on September 22, 1993. At approximately 2:53 AM, Amtrak's Sunset Limited train, powered by three locomotives, and en route from Los Angeles, California to Miami, Florida with 220 passengers and crew aboard, crossed the Bayou Canot bridge at high speed and derailed at a kink in the track caused by a barge captain who rammed the bridge by making a wrong turn in the waterway, and failed to report the accident. Forty-seven people, of which 42 were passengers, were killed, many by drowning, others by fire. Much of the rescue efforts were average citizens of the community who journeyed out in the early morning hours in small fishing boats to help at the scene
Scottsboro
The Scottsboro Boys case was among the most important cases in the history of American Jurisprudence. It went to the United States Supreme Court twice and established forever the principles that, in the United States, criminal defendants are entitled to effective assistance of counsel[12] and that people may not be de facto excluded from juries due to their race[13]. The case of the Scottsboro Boys arose in Scottsboro in 1931, when nine black youths, ranging in age from twelve to twenty, were accused of raping two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, one of whom would later recant. The victims and accused alike had all hitched rides on a passing train on the Southern Railroad freight route from Chattanooga to Memphis on March 25, 1931, which just happened to stop in Jackson County, Alabama where these women made their accusations to the local officials against these black youths.[14] The defendants were brought to Scottsboro for trial, because it was the county seat of Jackson County.[15] The four trials, during the course of which most of the youths were convicted and sentenced to death by all-white juries despite the weak and contradictory testimonies of the witnesses, are now widely regarded (including in Scottsboro) as one of the worst travesties of justice perpetrated against blacks in the post-Reconstruction South. Only the first trials were held in Scottsboro. The case was, in reality, many cases that were tried only in the first instance in Depression era Scottsboro, Alabama in 1931. Of the original nine young black defendants (some of them minors), accused of gang raping two fellow hobo white women on a freight train, eight were quickly convicted in quick succeesion trials in a mob atmosphere in Scottsboro by all white juries and sentenced to death. The only two attorneys who were willing to take the cases had few qualifications for criminal defense work. They were unable to put up much of a defense when the judge gave them no time to prepare their defenses before the trials. He started the first trial as soon as they agreed to take the cases and then began each next case as soon the jury went out on the previous one. Fortunately, the Scottsboro defendants benefitted from their two landmark triumphs in the United States Supreme Court mostly from the fact that they were all relieved from their death sentences they received at their first trial in Scottsboro. The Supreme Court ruled both times only that the way their convictions were obtained was improper and not that they were innocent. Those convicted spent no less than six years and as many as nineteen years incarcerated in harsh jails and prisons. The Scottsboro Boys had served long prison sentences when the arch segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace, in one of history's ironies, partially mitigated this widely construed injustice (after the United States Supreme Court had failed to do so twice) by issuing a pardon in 1976 for the one remaining Scottsboro defendant still subject to the Alabama penal system.[16] Most residents of Scottsboro, as citizens of the "New South", today acknowledge the injustice that started in their community and almost all, when the case is mentioned to them, are quick to express the wish that that fateful train had stopped a few miles short or a few miles beyond the Jackson County line. They suggest that the "Huntsville Boys" case sounds much better to their ears.[17] "In January 2004, amidst television cameras and radio and newspaper reporters, a crowd gathered near the Jackson County Court House in Scottsboro to dedicate a historical marker commemorating the Scottsboro Boys' trial and their struggle for justice."[18] "An 87 year old black man who attended the ceremony, one of the few who could remember the cases firsthand, recalled that the mob scene following the Boys' arrest 'was frightening' and that death threats were leveled against the jailed suspects. He applauded the town's move to install the plaque on the courthouse yard. 'I think it will bring the races closer together', he said, 'to understand each other better.'"[19]
The Scottsboro Boys Museum was opened in February, 2010
Scottsboro is famously the home to the Unclaimed Baggage Center[29]. This center sells articles of unclaimed and undeliverable airline luggage whose owners the air lines cannot locate. The Center ends up with such items as electronics, clothing, and any other item that might be found in lost airline luggage. The prices are low and the offerings eclectic enough to attract visitors from other states, and even from other parts of the world who make their way to Scottsboro to see what others have lost. The Unclaimed Baggage Center has been featured several times in the media, including in the The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Good Morning America, The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Baltimore Sun, The Seattle Times and the travel/adventure television series Globe Trekker. Of course, it is not to be thought that the airlines are making any kind of "killing" on the sale of this "free" stock in trade, since undoubtedly they paid the owners in question handsomely for not being able to match this luggage to them.
Section
Notable People
Louvin Brothers - An American roots music duo who were brothers.
Tammy Little - Miss Alabama 1984
Selma
The city is best known for the 1965 Selma Voting Rights Movement and its Selma to Montgomery marches, three civil rights marches that began in the city. During the Civil Rights Movement in the early and mid-1960s, Selma was a focal point for desegregation and voting rights campaigns. Before the Freedom Movement, all public facilities were strictly segregated. Blacks who attempted to eat at "white-only" lunch counters or sit in the downstairs "white" section of the movie theater were beaten and arrested. More than half of the city's residents were black, but only one percent were registered to vote.[4] Blacks were prevented from registering to vote by economic retaliation organized by the White Citizens' Council, Ku Klux Klan violence, police repression, and the literacy test. To discourage voter registration, the registration board only opened doors for registration two days a month, arrived late, and took long lunches.[5] In early 1963, Bernard Lafayette and Colia Lafayette of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) began organizing in Selma alongside local civil rights leaders Sam, Amelia, and Bruce Boynton, Rev. L.L. Anderson of Tabernacle Baptist Church, J.L. Chestnut (Selma's first Black attorney), SCLC Citizenship School teacher Marie Foster, public school teacher Marie Moore, and others active with the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL).[6] Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma. A starting point for the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights marches of 1965, it is now a National Historic Landmark. Police officers await demonstrators at the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday Against fierce opposition from Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark and his volunteer posse, voter registration and desegregation efforts continued and expanded during 1963 and the first part of 1964. Defying intimidation, economic retaliation, arrests, firings, and beatings, an ever increasing number of Dallas County blacks attempted to register to vote, but few were able to do so.[7] In the summer of 1964, a sweeping injunction issued by local Judge James Hare barred any gathering of three or more people under sponsorship of SNCC, SCLC, or DCVL, or with the involvement of 41 named civil rights leaders. This injunction temporarily halted civil rights activity until Dr. King defied it by speaking at Brown Chapel on January 2, 1965.[8] Commencing in January 1965, SCLC and SNCC initiated a revived Voting Rights Campaign designed to focus national attention on the systematic denial of black voting rights in Alabama, and particularly Selma. After numerous attempts by blacks to register, over 3,000 arrests, police violence, and economic retaliation, the campaign culminated in the Selma to Montgomery marches--initiated and organized by SCLC's Director of Direct Action, James Bevel--which represented the political and emotional peak of the modern civil rights movement. On March 7, 1965, known as "Bloody Sunday", approximately 600 civil rights marchers departed Selma on U.S. Highway 80, heading east. They reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge, only six blocks away, before being met by state troopers and local sheriff's deputies, who attacked them, using tear gas and billy clubs, and drove them back to Selma. Two days after the march, on March 9, 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. led a "symbolic" march to the bridge. He and other civil rights leaders attempted to get court protection of a third, larger-scale march from Selma to Montgomery, the site of the state capital. Frank Minis Johnson, Jr., the Federal District Court Judge for the area, decided in favor of the demonstrators, saying: The law is clear that the right to petition one's government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups...and these rights may be exercised by marching, even along public highways. —Frank Johnson On March 21, 1965, a Sunday, approximately 3,200 marchers departed for Montgomery. They walked 12 miles per day, and slept in nearby fields. By the time they reached the capitol, four days later on March 25, their strength had swelled to around 25,000 people
Sheffield
Sheffield is the birthplace of notable attorney, actor, former senator and presidential contender Fred Thompson.
It is also home to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio where many popular twentieth century musicians recorded their work
Slocomb
Slocomb calls itself the "home of the tomato
Spanish Fort
Spanish Fort was the site of the Battle of Spanish Fort in the Mobile Campaign of the American Civil War. Its fall allowed Union forces to concentrate on Fort Blakeley to the north, and hence destroy the last organized resistance to northern occupation east of the Mississippi River. The falls of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley permitted Union troops to subsequently enter Mobile unopposed after the conclusion of the Civil War
Springville
Movies
Although a small Alabama town, Springville has been the site of filming for two movies: 1987 - a gangster film called The Verne Miller Story (released on video entitled Gangland) starring Scott Glenn. 2001 - Rustin (starring Meat Loaf and Zachary Ty Bryan). While neither of these films did very well in the Box Office or the eyes of critics and moviegoers, you can see a lot of what Springville, Alabama looks like in the latter of the two.
Stevenson
The Stevenson Railroad Depot Museum is located at the heart of downtown Stevenson, Alabama, situated between the tracks of two major railroads. Its mission is to preserve an important part of railroading history through the display of related artifacts. In addition, the museum, which also chronicles modern times, displays hundreds of artifacts from other parts of the area's past to teach young and old alike. These include artifacts recalling Native American culture, pioneer life and Civil War events. Of all these artifacts, the largest, and one of which Stevenson is most proud, is the historic depot building itself. The depot, which was built in 1872 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, stands on the ruins of Stevenson's first railroad depot, which was built around 1852 for common use by the Nashville Chattanooga and the Memphis & Charleston Railroads. That original depot was destroyed either during, or shortly after, the Civil War. Bricks salvaged may have been used in the building of the present structure.
Fort Harker
Constructed by the Union Army in the summer of 1862 and expanded in 1864, using soldiers and freed slaves, Fort Harker was built on a broad hill a quarter-mile east of the town of Stevenson. It overlooked Crow Creek and was well within firing range of Stevenson’s strategic railroad lines, supply depots and warehouses. Ft. Harker was an earthen redoubt, 150 feet square, with walls that were 14 feet high, surrounded by an 8-foot deep dry moat. It contained 7 cannon platforms, a bomb-proof powder magazine, a draw-bridge entrance and an 8-sided wooden blockhouse at its center. Fort Harker was critical to Union plans. No major fighting occurred here, but skirmishes and sniper attacks were common as territory traded hands between Union and Confederate forces. One other large fort, two smaller redoubts and at least seven blockhouses were constructed along the railroad lines at Stevenson during the Civil War. Stevenson was the major junction for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad and the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad . In addition to forts, the Union Army established a medical facility and a refugee camp at Stevenson.
The remains of Gen. Rosecrans’ headquarters is on the National Register of Historic Places. Both may be seen near downtown Stevenson today.
Depot Days Every June, the town of Stevenson holds the annual Depot Days celebration. This celebration includes many different aspects of the southern town's culture and celebrates the great things that Stevenson represents. The week-long celebration is concluded with a parade, a day full of activities, and a street dance in the middle of Downtown Stevenson.
Sulligent
Notable People
Sulligent is the birthplace of former Auburn University and NFL running back Joe Cribbs
home to former University of Alabama All SEC and All American Safety, Arizona Cardinals Safety Rashad Johnson.
Sulligent is also the home of Troy University Safety, Caleb Massey.
Two local artists claim Sulligent, Alabama as their home. Annette Otts is a local artist who paints fine art on canvas and rocks. She has an exhibit at the local library. Virginia Wadsworth, originally from Edinburg, Mississippi paints realistic abstract with brillant colors on canvas. She painted "Blackout- Bama style" in honor of Alabama's victory over Georgia in the 2008 football game.
Sumiton
Notable People
Jimi Westbrook from the country group Little Big Town
Jerry Grammer-retired musician
Sylacauga
Sylacauga, "The Marble City", is constructed on a solid deposit of the hardest, whitest marble in the world. The bed is approximately 32 miles long by one and one half miles wide and 400 feet deep
Notable People
Jim Nabors, actor and singer, star of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and The Andy Griffith Show.
Van Allen Plexico, writer.
Gerald Wallace, NBA basketball player, Charlotte Bobcats.
Ehren Wassermann, MLB baseball player, Chicago Whitesox.
Jim Zeigler, elected statewide to Alabama Public Service Commission.
Jeffrey Tolliver, fictional character in the Grant County series of books by Karin Slaughter
Christina Meeks, broadcast meteorologist, The Weather Channel.
Shanara Hollinquest, Women's basketball player, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Talladega
Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind,
Talladega Superspeedway (link)
International Motorsports Hall of Fame
Notable People
Tinsley R. Harrison, founding editor of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine
The Talladega Municipal Airport was renamed Boswell field in honor of Eastaboga resident Lewis Archer Boswell. Local legend states that Boswell actually made the first successful flight before the Wright Brothers.
Lee De Forest was not a native of Talladega but he spent most of his young life there. De Forest, who invented the vacuum tube and held over 300 patents, was the son of a president of Talladega College.
Pulitzer-winning Washington correspondent and former Washington bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times Jack Nelson was born in Talladega in October 1929 to Alonzo and Barbara O'Donnel. Beginning in September 2007, "The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press" offered one-year fellowships for recent law school graduates. The fellowship honors Nelson, who was a former Chair of The Reporters Committee's Executive Committee, and served on its Steering Committee for 25 years.
Robert Bradley grew up in Evergreen, Alabama, but attended school in Talladega at The Alabama School for the Blind (also known now as Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind). He is now a famous blues/rock artist that fronts his band Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise. He crafted his musical talent at a young age performing in churches around Talladega.
The gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama formed in Talladega when the original members met at The Alabama School for the Blind.
Robert Smith Vance, was born in Talladega in 1931 and spent his early childhood there. He went on to become a progessive voice in Alabama politics during the 1960s and was late appointed as a federal judge serving on the United States Court of Appeal for the Eleventh Circuit.
It is notable as the childhood hometown of author and storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham, who refers to it often in her storytelling.
Thorsby
Annual Swedish Festival
A yearly heritage festival is held around the middle of October, the Thorsby Swedish Festival, that celebrates and heralds the town’s Scandinavian roots. The festival hosts a beauty pageant, car show, entertainment, arts and crafts booths, traditional Swedish food vendors, games, and fun for the entire family in the Richard H. Wood Memorial Park. The 2008 festival saw 4,000 or so visitors and each year continues to increase. There is a current movement among town residents to find more ways to connect with their Swedish beginnings. The town displays the Swedish flag and coat-of-arms in the Richard H. Wood Memorial Park during the time of the festivities.
There have been at least two Bigfoot sightings in and near the area of Thorsby since 1993-2001. The alleged "bigfoot" is known as the Clanton Booger, or Chilton Monster.
Movies based in Thorsby
The B grade movie “Hide and Creep”, and the short film “Birthday Call” were both based in Thorsby. No scenes in either movie were actually shot in Thorsby, and the towns depicted were not visually accurate. The movies are not well known, due to the fact that they were both B grade movies produced for the 2004 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham. Both the film and the short were directed by Chuck Hartsell and Chance Shirley, and were written by Chance Shirley. The films were produced by Crewless Productions, an Alabama based independent production company. Hide and Creep had its world premiere September 23, 2004.
Tuscumbia
Tuscumbia was the hometown of Helen Keller and is the location of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
Notable People
Mike Cooley, guitarist for the alt-country/rock band, Drive-By Truckers
Howell Thomas Heflin, former U.S. Senator from Alabama (1979-97), former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice (1971-77)
Helen Keller, deaf and blind author, activist, lecturer, and socialist Heinie Manush, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame[7]
Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senator from Kentucky and Senate Minority Leader
Tuskegee
It is where, in 1881, Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers, which later became Tuskegee Institute and then Tuskegee University, with the mission of educating a newly freed people for self-sufficiency
The birthplace of Rosa Louise Parks in 1913.
The town was also the site of the now-infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment, a controversial clinical study conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service from 1932-1972.
One of the most famous teachers at Tuskegee was George Washington Carver, whose name is synonymous with innovative research into Southern farming method and crops.
Tuskegee and Tuskegee Institute were also home to the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the first squadron of African-American pilots in the U.S. Military
Notable People
Rosa Parks, born in Tuskegee, African American civil rights activist.
Andre Thornton, born in Tuskegee, major league baseball player[4]
Lionel Richie, born & raised in Tuskegee, then graduated from Tuskegee University,R&B singer, songwriter, composer, producer and occasional actor.
The Tuskegee Airmen
Lt Gen Russell C. Davis former Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard.
Rimp Lanier, former Major League Baseball player.
Tom Joyner, nationally syndicated Radio DJ Eric Motley, former US State Department official and director of the Aspen Institute Evander McIvor Law, American Civil War general
Alice Coachman, first African American female Olympic gold medalist High Jump.
Rory White, NBA player for the Phoenix Suns, San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers, and the Milwaukee Bucks.[5]
Lucius D. Amerson, First African-American Sheriff Elected in the South Since Reconstruction 1966-1986. ,[6]
Union Springs
Union Springs hosts annual field trials for hunting dogs. These trials take place between October and March and attract participants from around the country.[7]
Notable People
Winton M. Blount - United States Postmaster General (1969-1972)
John Henrik Clarke - Pan-Africanist. Eddie Kendricks - Co-founder of The Temptations.
Uniontown
Notable People
Tony Cox, actor, born in Uniontown on March 31, 1958.
Eugene Lipscomb, football player, born in Uniontown on August 9, 1931 Erwin Dudley, professional basketball player
Vance
It is most famous for the Mercedes-Benz plant, currently the only one in North America.
Vernon
Notable People
Dan Penn, songwriter, born in Vernon.
Terry Moore, born in Vernon, major league baseball player[3]
Guy Morton, born in Vernon, major league baseball player[4]
Reuben Houston "Rube" Burrow, The most wanted outlaw of the late 1880s, he committed a series of train robberies along with his younger brother James Buchanan "Jim" Burrow.
Vredenburgh
Notable People
John Drew (basketball) - Member of the Atlanta Hawks for nearly eight years.
Mike Stewart (novelist) - Author of mystery/suspense novels set primarily in the South, including: Sins of the Brother, Dog Island, A Clean Kill, and A Perfect Life
Warrior
Warrior is home of the 1992/1993 Class 2A (AHSAA) Basketball Championship.
In 1996, the Olympic torch run passed through the city during the weeks leading up to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
Warrior Day, a yearly town festival, is held each year in early autumn. Entertainment and food vendors set up in town and there is also a big swap meet.
Rickwood Caverns State Park, which is a beautiful state park in Alabama is located in the northern part of the city near Interstate 65. Featuring 260 million-year-old limestone formations, blind cave fish, and an underground pool, Rickwood Caverns is a recognized member of the National Caves Association, and offers more than a mile of living geology.
Waterloo
The city of Waterloo has been the subject of several books because of its association with the Trail of Tears.
One of the most delightful stories about this city and its people was published in 2005 in the book, An Angel Named Zabar.
Florence's McFarland Park is a resting point for riders in the annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride which terminates in nearby Waterloo. The ride commemorates the final point at which area Cherokee Native Americans were shipped off to Oklahoma and the Midwest by the Indian Removal Act of 1830
Wedowee
Notable People
Stanley O'Neal - A former CEO of Merrill Lynch and currently on the board of Alcoa.
Buford and Merle Abner - Members of The Swannee River Boys, a group famous in the 1940s and 50's. They had performed at The White House for President Truman, and at Carnegie Hall. Buford is a member of the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and a prolific song writer.
Hulond Humphries - A part-time hog farmer, former high-school principal and district superintendent who caused a number of controversies in the 1990s as a result of his opposition to interracial dating.
West Blocton
Notable People
Sammie Lee Hill, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, was born in West Blocton in 1986. Sammie is a graduate of West Blocton High School and Stillman College.
Debra Marshall, known from her days with the WCW and WWE, was raised in West Blocton.
Wetumpka
Among the notable landmarks are the Wetumpka crater and the Jasmine Hill Gardens, with a full-sized replica of the Temple of Hera of Olympia, Greece. The Wetumpka impact crater is the only confirmed impact crater in Alabama, United States. It is located east of downtown Wetumpka in Elmore County. The crater is 7.6 km in diameter and its age is estimated to be about 83 million years (Cretaceous)[1] old based on fossils found in the youngest disturbed deposits, which belong to the Mooreville Chalk Formation. The crater is well preserved, including the original impact rim and breccia, but exposures are few owing to plant and soil cover, and nearly all are on private land.[2] Thornton L. Neathery discovered the Wetumpka Crater in 1969-70 during regional geological mapping and published the first article on the subject in 1976. However, conclusive evidence of impact origin was lacking until 1998 when David T. King, Jr. and colleagues discovered shocked quartz in a core drilled near the center of the structure. In 2002, Auburn University researchers published evidence and established the site as an internationally recognized impact crater.
Notable People
James Anderson (1921-1969), actor (Robert E. Lee "Bob" Ewell in To Kill a Mocking Bird
Ronnie Lovejoy, Blues Singer[10]
Jim Rogers, author Jason Sanford, science fiction author.
Channing Tatum, actor
White Hall
Notable People
Ben Wallace (NBA Player)
Winfield
Mule Day is hosted on the 4th Saturday in September each year, and has been termed "One of the top 20 events in the Southeast" by Travel and Tourism magazine. The keynote event is a horse parade through the downtown of the city, but there is also live entertainment, car shows and a diverse venue of homemade baked goods sold in a farmers market setting. One of the most popular events amongst most elementary and middle schoolers is the Mule Day carnival. Many rides are included in this certain event. Others are small shops and games where food is sold. The most popular ride is the "Bullet." Celebrated for over a quarter of a century, Mule Day has grown into a major event not only for the City of Winfield but also for the State of Alabama. Drawing crowds of over 25,000 each year, Mule Day features a variety of activities that appeal to any palate.
Notable People
Johnny Micheal Spann, an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the first American killed in combat after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.
Dynamic Edition, a dance crew that participated in the America's Best Dance Crew's third season.
James Thomas Woods was a resident of Winfield during the ealry 1980's
York
Notable People
Dr. F. N. Nixon, prominent leader in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and 70s. Dr. Nixon was one of the first black elected officials in Sumter County and was instrumental in getting "food stamps" and other federal aid available to the poor black citizens of the Black Belt region. Nixon served as President of the Alabama Missionary Baptist State Convention for nearly four years and pastored Alabama churches for nearly sixty years. He passed in October 2006.
Robert L. Bragg, former airline captain for Pan Am and United Airlines. On March 27, 1977, Bragg was the first officer for Pan Am Flight 1736, one of the Boeing 747s lost in the Tenerife airport disaster. He was one of the 61 people from Flight 1736 to survive.[3]
Mario Austin, star basketball player for Angelico Biella.
Opera Singer and Musical Theatre Performer John Brown, born in York to J.W. and Ethel (Armstrong) Brown. John returned to Sumter County and York in the mid - 90's
He has led choirs from Sumter County to New York City's Carnegie Hall on three diferent occasions.
