Abbeville, Alabama

Abbeville
City
Historic Downtown Abbeville, Alabama
Location of Abbeville in Henry County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 31°33′59″N 85°15′5″W / 31.56639°N 85.25139°W / 31.56639; -85.25139
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Henry
Government
• Mayor	James Giganti Jr.
Area [1]
• Total	15.58 sq mi (40.36 km2)
• Land	15.54 sq mi (40.26 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)  0.32%
Elevation	449 ft (137 m)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Total	2,688
• Estimate  (2020)[3]	2,549
• Density	164.70/sq mi (63.59/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	36310
Area code(s)	334
FIPS code	01-00124
GNIS feature ID	112880
Website	www.cityofabbeville.org

Abbeville is a city in Henry County, Alabama. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population was 2,688.^[4] The city is the county seat of Henry County. It is the first city alphabetically, both by city and state, in the Rand McNally Road Atlas. It has two high schools: the public Abbeville High School and private Abbeville Christian Academy. Chapters of the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity operate here.

Abbeville is the oldest remaining colonial settlement in East Alabama from Florida to the Tennessee line. It is older than either the county of Henry or the State of Alabama. European Americans set up an active trading post in Abbeville in Alabama Territory early in 1819. The first settler gateway to the wiregrass region was at Franklin, located fourteen miles west of Abbeville.

Locals say that the name derives from the Muscogee name for Abbey Creek, Yatta Abba, meaning "dogwood tree grove.”^[5]

Abbeville was designated as the Henry County seat in 1833; the seat had previously been Columbia. It was formally incorporated in 1853.^[6]

Geography[]

Abbeville is located at

31°33′59″N 85°15′5″W / 31.56639°N 85.25139°W / 31.56639; -85.25139Coordinates: 31°33′59″N 85°15′5″W / 31.56639°N 85.25139°W / 31.56639; -85.25139 (31.566367, -85.251300).^[7]

The city is located in southeastern Alabama along U.S. Route 431, Alabama State Route 10, and Alabama State Route 27. U.S. 431 runs from north to south along the western side of the city as a four-lane divided highway, leading north 27 mi (43 km) to Eufaula and southwest 27 mi (43 km) to Dothan. AL-10 runs from west to east through the center of town as Washington Street, and leads east 13 mi (21 km) to the Georgia state line near Fort Gaines and northwest 17 mi (27 km) to Blue Springs. AL-27 leads southwest from the city 31 mi (50 km) to Ozark.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.6 square miles (40 km²), of which 15.6 square miles (40 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.32%) is water.

Climate[]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Abbeville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[8]

History[]

Archaeologists are confident that Homo sapiens has lived in Henry County for at least 12,000 years, conceivably much longer.  The discovery of projectile points in the Chattahoochee River area of Henry County supports this conclusion.  The projectile points, identified as Clovis and Folsom points, were attached to spears, darts, and arrows and commonly used for hunting during the Ice Age.  Clearly, in the early 1800s, Henry County was almost exclusively inhabited by Indians. The white settlers began arriving in Henry County around 1814, shortly after the Indian Wars ended when the Creek Nation surrendered with reluctance the area as a result of the Treaty of Fort Jackson. During this period the area was historically part of the Lower Creek Confederacy.  The area was also known as Creek Territory which was also part of the Territory of Mississippi that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the eastern half of the Territory was ceded to create the Alabama Territory.

In an 1873 issue of the Henry County Register a firsthand account of the earliest settlers in Henry County states, “In January 1816, before there was any Alabama organized, or any Henry County, and while the land was still inhabited by wild beasts, fowl, and Indians, George Gamble together with one, William Brown, undertook to ‘spy out the land, ’and crossed the Chattahoochee River with their families at what was later Fort Gaines and Old Franklin.”   The treaty did not insure the end of hostilities in the region, quite the contrary, and the white settlers faced Indian uprisings for several years after the treaty was signed.  It was during these unsettled times that Margaret Lee Gamble, George Gamble’s wife, gave birth to a son, Robert Gamble, the first white child born in the territory.

The Henry County Register article lists in addition to the George Gamble and William Brown families other pioneer names:  the families of Colonel Robert Irwin, Jared Patterson, Edward S. Cox, George Keith, Jonah Keith, and James Keith.  In October 1816 during another Indian uprising the settlers were forced to flee to the safety of the fort across the Chattahoochee in Fort Gaines. James Keith was too sick to run and had to stay behind.  He was shot and killed in his sick bed, perhaps becoming the first pioneer casualty. Eventually, in March 1817 peace was restored and the settlers returned to their abandoned farms across the river. Around this time other settlers began to trickle into the area slowly.  These courageous people cleared the wilderness and established settlements, small communities, towns and eventually a county in the new state of Alabama.  During this time not much could be done in the way of forming a local government; too much of the area was unsettled and was too spread out.   The creation of Henry County and the new state of Alabama offered the settlers an opportunity to establish a local government.

On December 14, 1819, Alabama became the twenty-second state.  One day before Alabama was admitted to the Union; Henry County was created by an act of the Alabama Territorial Legislature; Henry County is one of thirty-one counties older than the state.  A proliferation of historical markers in counties around the state boasts about being older than the state, but this statistic hardly brands those counties unique!  Henry County, Butler County, Greene County, Jackson County, Jefferson County, Perry County, and Wilcox County all share the same birthday: December 13, 1819.

When Henry County, named for Patrick Henry, was created from Conecuh County, December 13, 1819, it was the largest county in the Territory of Alabama and a day older than the new state of Alabama.  It covered all of Southeast Alabama; all or parts of nine counties were formed from Henry County.  A mere three years after Old Henry’s creation the state legislature began chipping away at her massive size.  On December 7, 1821, the first two counties were pared away from part of Henry County: Covington and Pike.  On December 29, 1824, the whole of Dale County was created from Henry.  The fourth county, Barbour, was formed in part from Henry and in part from Pike on December 18, 1832.  The fifth county of Coffee was formed from Henry and Dale on December 29, 1841. The southern tip of Bullock came from a part of Henry on December 6, 1866.  A few days later on December 24, 1866, Crenshaw was formed from Old Henry and parts of Coffee, Covington, and Pike counties. On December 28, 1868, Geneva was created from parts of Henry, Dale, and Coffee counties.  When the last county, Houston, was chopped out of Henry, Dale, and Geneva counties, Henry was declared the smallest county in Alabama geographically.  Henry County is known as both the “Mother County” and the “Cradle of the Wiregrass.”

Near the west bank of the Chattahoochee was Henry County’s first settlement Franklin, named for Benjamin Franklin.  Colonel Robert Irwin, the founder of Franklin, owned land, sold lots and built a store establishing Franklin.  He owned the ferry in partnership with J. W. Sudley, who ran the operation on the Georgia side of the river. Its location near the river made Franklin the hub of activity and the town was considered the gateway to the west.  In the early 1820s, mail service was started between Franklin and two other early towns: Williamston, and Louisville.  The book of postmasters’ appointments in the National Archives, Volume 11 indicates that the Post Office at Franklin, the third post office established in Henry County, was opened August 10, 1832, and Lineus P. Doughty was named the first postmaster. As the Franklin to Williamston road expanded westward, Richards Crossroads and Baker Hill were included in the mail service route.  Later on, additional mail routes were added as more settlements were created. The first official post office in Henry County was at Leaman’s Store, another early settlement which was on the road between Columbia and Franklin.  It was not a large settlement and soon disappeared, absorbed by other communities popping up all around.   The post office was established on September 10, 1829, and Colonel James Bennett was appointed postmaster, a position he held for four years. The second post office was located in Columbia on January 10, 1831, and John Horne was the first postmaster.

The first circuit court in Henry County was held in 1820 in the home of the first sheriff, John G. Morgan, and Judge Reuben Saffold presided over the proceedings.  Henry County had no courthouse or even a county seat in 1820.  No official records of court proceedings before 1822 are available; only a record of the names of those present exist, Sheriff Morgan, A. B. Mathews, Clerk, Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Solicitor, George Washington Towns (later elected governor of Georgia), Samuel Oliver, Benjamin Harvey, and other unnamed individuals. The first entry in the old docket books was the case of Christopher Snell versus David Jernigan for the court session that was held on March 4, 1822.  Other cases that had not been settled by the Justice of the Peace since 1819 were also presented for resolution at this time.  These cases involved a variety of disputes such as disagreements over land trades, sales of crops, assaults, and battery, and failure to pay debts.  The first constables were John Atkinson, Robert Patterson, and Green Beauchamp. The first attorneys were James H. Smith and D. W. R. McRae.

Drs. Thomas Shark, Robert Scott, and George Sargent were the first physicians to settle in the county; the year was 1823.

Other noteworthy firsts include the first man to manufacture hats was Daniel Pynes. Hats were handmade, and even though the pioneers were capable of making their hats, a hat maker freed the pioneers to spend more time tending crops.  The first sawyer was Benjamin Louis.  His sawmill was west of Columbia on Omussee Creek in the early 1820s. David Caldwell set up the first tan vat on McRae’s Mill Creek.  Other businesses and services providing necessities and conveniences were established in the new territory, but Jared Patterson’s distillery, though frivolous, comparatively speaking, was nonetheless a welcomed addition to the new businesses springing up in the new county.  Joseph Irwin established the first school in a makeshift building on Devil’s Jump Hill at Franklin.

Various accomplishments and substantial growth were taking place in the first year or two after the legal organization Henry County in 1819.  Artisans, who were skilled in several crafts, professional men: doctors, lawyers, and teachers were continually moving in and setting up businesses.  A commission for initiating a county government and determining a site for a county seat was appointed.  The massive size of Old Henry and inadequate methods of travel made holding elections and conducting the business of a county government particularly challenging. Although business moved slowly, the settlers did manage to elect David Caldwell to serve as the first Probate Judge and Green Beauchamp was elected Clerk of the Court.  The first probate court was held in 1820; the court was convened in various homes until a county seat location could be determined and a courthouse could be built.

The first county seat of Henry County was in Richmond.  A commission was appointed in 1821 for the purpose of picking a site for a county seat.  The commission members were William Beauchamp, Robert Irwin, William Irwin, Stephen Matthews, and Joseph Rabb. In 1822 a location near the intersection of Alabama Highway 134 and Paramore Road in the present-day community of Grimes was chosen for Henry County’s first county seat.  The name Richmond was selected to honor Patrick Henry, Henry County’s namesake, of Virginia whose home state's capital was Richmond. However, after the formation of Dale County in 1824 Richmond was now one mile inside the new county of Dale.  Dale and Henry counties shared use of the courthouse while a new location was debated.  

Finally, in 1826, the decision was made to relocate the county seat to Columbia where it remained until 1833 when it was moved for the third and final time to Abbeville.

Henry County’s government has occupied six courthouse buildings since 1822.  The first three structures were crude, log buildings, the fourth was made of planks, and the last two were made of bricks. The final building was completed in 1967.  Columbia in 1885 and Dothan in 1895 had branch courthouses until the creation of Houston County in 1903; three functioning courthouses simultaneously was unique to Henry County and no other Alabama county before or since can boast of this accomplishment.

THE GRUELING AND CHALLENGING DAY-TO-DAY LIFE OF OUR FOREBEARS

The pioneers who crossed the Chattahoochee River in 1814 and confronted uncertainty head-on were unbelievably audacious.  To that point, only Native Americans had lived in this area, but our ancestors were looking for opportunity and hoping to find life a little better just over the horizon.  Consequently, they were willing to take risks and face the consequences when they crossed the Chattahoochee.  During this period, the inhabitants lived off the land. They planted their first food crops in the fields abandoned by the Indians. Primitive houses were built using rough pine logs grown on the land.  The ax was an indispensable tool for the settlers.  Trees were cut into logs, the bark peeled away, the logs were split in half, notched at each end, and joined together to construct the walls of crude log houses.  Mud was used for caulking the walls, and the chimneys were crude and made of sticks and clay up top and logs at ground level outside.  Inside the fireplace was made of rocks and mud.  The floors were made of packed earth.  These homes had no running water, locating near a spring was imperative.  After the arrival of sawyers and sawmills, later on, plank houses would replace the log cabins.

Furniture was homemade, uncomplicated, functional and not comfortable by today’s standards; in fact, all household items were practical and necessary.  Our ancestors made almost every item used in their daily lives.  Beds were fitted with mattresses stuffed with corn shucks, grass, and sometimes cotton, and laid over rope foundations.  Rope foundations were made by pulling ropes tight, back and forth, through the sides of the bedstead.  Slats and springs would come much later.  Handmade quilts were used to adorn the beds and for warmth.  Clothes were homemade; every home had spinning wheels and looms. Sewing and knitting were necessary skills.  Men and boys fished and hunted for small game such as rabbit, squirrel, fowl, and deer. Families grew a variety of hearty vegetables; corn was versatile, indispensable, and used in a variety of ways: roasted, boiled, made into cornmeal for bread and pancakes, and for making corn whiskey.

Every able-bodied person worked hard throughout their lives only the infirm, infants, and very young children were exempt. Large families were required to run the family farm; therefore, typically women would bear a large number of children.  Infants often did not survive childbirth or their first year, and it was not uncommon for the mother to die giving birth.  Sometimes neither the mother nor the child would survive.  Remarriage was commonplace because widower fathers needed caretakers for their minor children.  Conversely widowed women needed help making a living for their minor children.  Life expectancy overall was not great. Personal hygiene was not a priority, and “medicine” was made from herbs, barks, and roots.  Some of these medicines were based more on superstition than science, but with so little to work with, our ancestors had to make do with whatever was available.  Medical practice in the early 1800s was rudimentary, and an assortment of homemade concoctions was commonplace.  The use of anesthesia in surgery and other medical procedures was still in the future. Despite all the hardships and significant morbidity, adequate numbers of our ancestors survived to populate Henry County sufficiently.

Much can, and should, be learned from our ancestors.  They were as diverse as human nature.  Some were daring and self-reliant while some were lazy and unreliable, but most were strongminded and hardworking.  Our ancestors were willing to face adversity with a firm belief in the future and in hopes of finding opportunities.  They were masters of their destiny who insisted on doing things for themselves, and they took pride in their accomplishments.  It is the memory of these courageous individuals who entered the Territory of Alabama in 1814 to start a new life that we honor and celebrate in 2019, the Bicentennial year of Henry County and Alabama.

20th Century to Present[]

Abbeville suffered a catastrophic tragedy in 1906 that wiped out most of the town.  An arsonist almost burned the whole town to the ground on May 20, 1906.  An entire block of Kirkland Street, the major portion of the business district, was destroyed.  The nearby courthouse was almost lost but was saved through the efforts of the “bucket brigade” firefighters, who kept pouring water on the flat roof.  As is usually the case with disasters, some of the citizens made the unfortunate decision to take advantage by stealing items that were saved from the fire. During the week of June 28, 1906, a mechanic named Ward was arrested and charged with arson and starting the fire. His bond was set at $500.  After his bail was paid, Mr. Ward fled Abbeville and the county and was never heard from again.  J. C. Espy and A. C. Crawford, who signed Mr. Ward’s bail bond, grudgingly paid the bail. The businessmen who had insurance recovered all or most of their losses.  Unfortunately, some businessmen had no insurance.  Nonetheless, the residents were determined to rebuild the downtown area; brick buildings replaced the wooden structures that had been lost in the fire.

On November 5, 2002, at 5:35 PM Kirkland Street was once again in the bull’s eye when a powerful tornado ripped through town leaving a tattered path of destruction.  The F2 tornado was generated from a supercell thunderstorm and zipped through Abbeville destroying several single-family homes, mobile homes and mercilessly damaging many other homes and businesses. The damage at the Abbeville High School was deemed too costly to repair and was rebuilt in a new location. Downed power lines and uprooted trees were numerous and widespread.  The Old Pioneer Cemetery was especially hard-hit. Tombstones were toppled, and eighty-year-old trees were uprooted in the Old Pioneer Cemetery.  Slabs on graves were cracked, revealing the vaults underneath. Restoration of the old cemetery took several years and several thousand dollars to complete.

All cemeteries have stories to tell, and the old cemetery is one of Abbeville’s most treasured historical assets.  It tells stories of illnesses that tragically cut short children’s lives before antibiotics and other life-saving medicines were discovered and of soldiers’ whose lives were cut short in battle.  But it also tells us that despite all the hard times our ancestors faced, some of them managed to live long productive lives.  To name a few, Dr. B. G. McKalvin was unlicensed and illiterate, but he was the only “doctor” that could break a fever.  He created a fever breaking medicine and only shared the recipe with his wife.  When she died, the recipe disappeared.  He could neither read nor write, so he recognized and studied all medicines by smell, looks, and taste.  The State Medical Board, unhappy with his practicing medicine without a license, summoned him to Montgomery for reprimand; however, the board was so impressed by his knowledge and abilities he was issued a medical license.  Dr. McKalvin died one month shy of his 90th birthday. Dr. James Robert Vann was so beloved that many of the children he delivered were named for him.  He also enjoyed successes in banking and farming.  He played for Coach John Heisman while a student at Auburn, even though he had never played football before.  He introduced the folk in Henry County and Abbeville to football.

W. C. Oates, who was later Governor of Alabama, credited Captain James Wilson Stokes for ordering the firing of the last shot of the Civil War in Phenix City, Alabama. Sarah Sellers Oates, the mother of Governor W. C. Oates, Henry County’s only governor to date, is buried here and lived to be 85. The Old Pioneer Cemetery is filled, and no burials are permitted today unless the family plot has an unoccupied space.

In February 1937, Wes Johnson, an 18-year-old African-American man, was accused of attacking a white woman and was arrested. He was abducted from the Henry County jail by a mob of 100 white men and lynched: shot and hanged to death.^[9] His body was found "bullet marked" and "swinging from a tree."^[10] As was typical of lynchings, none of the members of the mob was charged with a crime.^[11] Faye Walker Howell, a resident of nearby Dothan, Alabama, has done research on this case for 20 years. She has documented that Johnson and the white woman had a consensual sexual relationship. The white men could not live with that, and lynched the young man. Howell was featured on 60 Minutes on April 8, 2018 during an episode featuring Oprah Winfrey touring the new National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Johnson is among the lynching victims memorialized there.^[12] Henry County is noted as among the 805 counties where lynchings took place.^[9] It had a total of 13 lynchings during the decades when this was frequent.^[13] In 1937 the Alabama Attorney General filed an impeachment against the Henry County sheriff for his failure to protect Johnson. An appeal was heard by the Alabama Supreme Court, which overturned the impeachment in June 1937. The Alabama Attorney General openly declared that Johnson was innocent of the charges against him.^[14]

In 1944, Recy Taylor, an African-American woman, was gang-raped by seven white men. Although the men admitted the rape to authorities, two grand juries subsequently declined to indict them.^[15][16] From a historic point of view, "the Recy Taylor case brought the building blocks of the Montgomery bus boycott together a decade earlier" than that event.^[15]

Since its creation in 1823, Abbeville has been home to many outstanding individuals.  Dr. William A. Maddox joined the faculty of the University Of Alabama School Of Medicine in 1952, and he was appointed Clinical Professor of Surgery in 1969.  He retired in 1993.  A lectureship in Surgical Oncology was established in his honor.  Dr. Kirby I. Bland is a distinguished clinician and scientist, known for his innovative therapies in breast, colon, and rectal cancers. Dr. Bland served on the faculties of several universities before continuing his career at UAB in 1999.  At UAB Dr. Bland was chair of the Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief, a position he also held at Kirklin Clinic. He stepped down in 2015, but Dr. Bland continues to care for his patients, to teach, and to work on cancer research.  Interestingly, Dr. Maddox’s and Dr. Bland’s parents were neighbors in Abbeville for many decades.

Some Abbeville citizens distinguished themselves in the military. W. C. Oates served as a Confederate colonel in the Civil War was commissioned a Brigadier General in the Spanish-American War. He established a successful law practice in Abbeville, served seven terms in Congress, and finally served as the 29^th governor of Alabama. Major General Thomas Alexander Terry received both the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit awards during his notable career.  First Lieutenant Robert Espy is credited with saving his regiment at Croix Rouge Farm in WWI. Master Sergeant John Mims served as General Patton’s chauffeur from 1940 to 1945.  After his retirement in 1964, he lived in Abbeville until his death in 1990.

Alabama’s three major universities have sitting board members who grew up in Abbeville.  Joe Espy is a trustee at the University of Alabama, Dr. Steve Stokes serves on the board of the University of South Alabama, and Jimmy Rane is an Auburn University trustee.

Abbeville has also had its share of young men who were outstanding college football players; to name a few Ronnie Joe Barnes, Leroy Cook, John Riley, and Dave Edwards. Perhaps, Dave, was the most successful having played at Auburn and for 13 years as part of the “doomsday defense” for the Dallas Cowboys.

Several years ago, Abbeville was rescued from neglect by the “Yella Fella,” Jimmy Rane, whose dedication to preservation is responsible for the attractive appearance of the buildings. For the most part, Abbeville’s and Henry County’s rich history is a source of pride for the residents and former residents, and on December 13, 2019, Henry County will be celebrating its 200^th birthday.

Demographics[]

This section is empty. You can help by . (January 2020)

Abbeville[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	300		—
1890	465		—
1900	889		91.2%
1910	1,141		28.3%
1920	1,267		11.0%
1930	2,047		61.6%
1940	2,080		1.6%
1950	2,162		3.9%
1960	2,524		16.7%
1970	2,996		18.7%
1980	3,155		5.3%
1990	3,173		0.6%
2000	2,987		−5.9%
2010	2,688		−10.0%
2019 (est.)	2,560	[3]	−4.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]

Abbeville first appeared on the 1850 U.S. Census.^[18] Although it did not report a separate population as a town from 1860–1880, it returned again in 1890^[19] and has returned on every successive census to date. See also Abbeville precinct below, which includes the population of the city and surrounding area since 1860.

As of the census^[20] of 2000, there were 2,987 people, 1,172 households, and 787 families residing in the city. The population density was 192.0 people per square mile (74.1/km²). There were 1,353 housing units at an average density of 86.9 per square mile (33.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.65% White, 39.94% Black or African American, 0.07% Asian, 2.85% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 3.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 1,172 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,266, and the median income for a family was $37,917. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $20,603 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,215. About 17.3% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 29.6% of those age 65 or over.

2010 Census[]

As of the census^[20] of 2010, there were 2,688 people, 1,077 households, and 699 families residing in the city. The population density was 192.0 people per square mile (74.1/km²). There were 1,255 housing units at an average density of 80.4 per square mile (31.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.4% White, 41.4% Black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 2.0% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 3.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 1,077 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,533, and the median income for a family was $39,167. Males had a median income of $36,630 versus $25,302 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,756. About 16.2% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

Abbeville Precinct/Division (1860-)[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	1,506		—
1870	1,267		−15.9%
1880	2,258		78.2%
1890	1,826		−19.1%
1900	2,639		44.5%
1910	2,857		8.3%
1920	3,054		6.9%
1930	4,096		34.1%
1940	3,933		−4.0%
1950	3,586		−8.8%
1960	5,418		51.1%
1970	4,939		−8.8%
1980	5,480		11.0%
1990	5,406		−1.4%
2000	5,297		−2.0%
2010	4,872		−8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]

Abbeville, the 8th beat (precinct) of Henry County, first reported on the 1860 U.S. Census.^[21] In 1880, the number of the beat was changed to the 9th. In 1890, "beats" were changed to precincts and it continued to report as such until 1950. In the 1930 and 1940 censuses when racial demographics were reported, Abbeville precinct reported a Black majority in both instances. In 1960, Abbeville precinct was changed to census division as part of a general reorganization of counties.^[22]

Government[]

Abbeville is governed via a mayor-council government. The mayor is elected at-large. The city council consists of five members who are each elected from single-member districts.

Media[]

Abbeville is served by one radio station, WESZ-LP.

Abbeville is served by a weekly newspaper, the Abbeville Herald, which has been in operation since 1915.

Education[]

Abbeville is a part of the Henry County Public Schools system. It operates the Abbeville High School and the Abbeville Elementary School.^[23]

Abbeville Christian Academy is a private high school in the city and one of the last “unofficially” segregated high schools in the country.^[24]

Transportation[]

Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines.^[25]

Notable people[]

This article's list of residents may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are residents, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (June 2019)

• Leroy Cook, former defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys
• William Calvin Oates, Civil War and Spanish–American War veteran
• Chris Porter, former Auburn University basketball player and professional basketball player
• Al Richardson, former American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons
• Recy Taylor, an African-American woman activist whose rape in Abbeville by six white men was a catalyst for renewed actions of the nationwide Civil Rights Movement.^[26]
• Edward Vaughn, Black Power activist, bookstore owner, and member of the Michigan House of Representatives

Gallery[]

• 

  The Henry County Courthouse is located in Abbeville.

• 

  Abbeville City Hall and Police Department

• 

  Abbeville Post Office (ZIP code: 36310)

• 

  Abbeville Memorial Library

• 

  Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot in Abbeville.

• 

  The Archie Theatre was first opened in Abbeville on July 1, 1948.

• 

  The Bethune-Kennedy House is a rare, dual front door, double pen Creole cottage; it was constructed circa 1840 and is the oldest remaining structure in Abbeville. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 5, 1978.

• 

  Abbeville Christian Academy

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abbeville, Alabama.

• City of Abbeville, Alabama Official Website
• City of Abbeville, Alabama Recreation Department