Choctaw County, Alabama

Choctaw County, Alabama
Location in the state of Alabama
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 29, 1847
Seat	Butler
Largest city	Butler
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	920.85 sq mi (2,385 km²) 913.51 sq mi (2,366 km²) 7.34 sq mi (19 km²), (0.80%)
Population  - (2010)  - Density	13,859 15/sq mi (6/km²)

Choctaw County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was established on December 29, 1847 and named for the Choctaw tribe of American Indians.^[1] As of 2010 the population was 13,859. The county seat is Butler.

History

Most of the early pioneers of Choctaw County were farmers from North and South Carolina. In 1912 the Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad was completed through the county from north to south, connecting the area to the Port of Mobile and northern Alabama. It induced a population shift from areas near the Tombigbee River to the central part of the county.^[2]

The county's population reached its peak in the 1920s, due in part from jobs created by a sawmill boom with companies as the E. E. Jackson Lumber Company and Choctaw Lumber Company. The sawmill industry collapsed during the Great Depression. The first successful oil well in Alabama was drilled at Gilbertown in 1944, with oil and gas becoming the county's most important industry. This industry waned by the 1970s as the wells lost profitability.^[2]

An African-American family, the Thorntons of Mobile, was featured in the September 24, 1956, issue of Life Magazine. The article included an interview with the Thorntons' daughter, Allie Lee Causey, of Shady Grove in Choctaw County. In the article, Mrs. Causey, a schoolteacher, spoke openly about her family's life, stating that "integration is the only way in which Negroes will receive justice. We cannot get it as a separate people. If we can get justice on our jobs, and equal pay, then we'll be able to afford better homes and good education."^[3] When the magazine was seen in Choctaw County, the Causeys were subjected to brutal economic retaliation by white residents, who tried to coerce Mrs. Causey into recanting her remarks. Their loans were called in, local stores refused to sell them food and gasoline, Willie Causey was cut off from his employment as a woodcutter, and Mrs. Causey was fired from her job as a teacher. The Causeys left Shady Grove and Alabama for good in October 1956.^[4]

Apparel factories opened during the 1950s–60s in Silas, Toxey, and Butler, although the plants had largely closed by the 21st century. The 1950s also saw the building a paper mill at Naheola, now owned and operated by Georgia-Pacific.^[2][5] The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979, due to damage from Hurricane Frederic. The 1980s saw the main railroad close and the tracks removed.^[2]

Historic sites

Choctaw County has one site listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Mount Sterling Methodist Church.^[6][7] Additionally, five sites are listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.^[8]

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 920.85 square miles (2,385.0 km²), of which 913.51 square miles (2,366.0 km²) (or 99.20%) is land and 7.34 square miles (19.0 km²) (or 0.80%) is water.^[9]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 84
• State Route 10
• State Route 17

Adjacent counties

• Sumter County (north)
• Marengo County (northeast)
• Clarke County (southeast)
• Washington County (south)
• Wayne County, Mississippi (southwest)
• Clarke County, Mississippi (west)
• Lauderdale County, Mississippi (northwest)

National protected area

• Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Choctaw County, Alabama
Year	Pop.	±%
1850	8,389	—
1860	13,877	+65.4%
1870	12,676	−8.7%
1880	15,731	+24.1%
1890	17,526	+11.4%
1900	18,136	+3.5%
1910	18,483	+1.9%
1920	20,753	+12.3%
1930	20,513	−1.2%
1940	20,195	−1.6%
1950	19,152	−5.2%
1960	17,870	−6.7%
1970	16,589	−7.2%
1980	16,839	+1.5%
1990	16,018	−4.9%
2000	15,922	−0.6%
2010	13,859	−13.0%
Sources:[10][11][12][13]

As of the census^[14] of 2000, there were 15,922 people, 6,363 households, and 4,574 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 7,839 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 55.14% White, 44.13% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,363 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 16.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,749, and the median income for a family was $31,870. Males had a median income of $32,316 versus $18,760 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,635. About 20.70% of families and 24.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.80% of those under age 18 and 26.10% of those age 65 or over.

Settlements

Cities and towns

• Butler
• Gilbertown
• Lisman
• Needham
• Pennington
• Silas
• Toxey

Unincorporated communities

• Bladon Springs
• Mount Sterling
• Pushmataha
• Yantley

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Choctaw County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Choctaw County, Alabama

References

1. ^ "Alabama Counties: Choctaw County". Alabama Department of Archives and History. http://www.archives.state.al.us/counties/choctaw.html. Retrieved June 21, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "County History". Choctaw County Genealogy Society. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~alccgs/history.html. Retrieved June 21, 2011. 
3. ^ Wallace, Robert; Parks, Gordon (24 September 1956). The Restraints: Open and Hidden; Both are Seen in the Study of One Negro Family. Life Magazine. pp. 98–109. ISSN 00243019. http://books.google.com/books?id=70cEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98. Retrieved 14 September 2011. 
4. ^ Stolley, Richard (10 December 1956). A Sequel to Segregation. Life Magazine. pp. 77–90. ISSN 00243019. http://books.google.com/books?id=x0EEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA77. Retrieved 14 September 2011.  Reprinted in Carson, Clayborne; Garrow, David J.; Kovach, Bill (2003). Reporting Civil Rights: American journalism, 1941-1963. Library of America. pp. 342–354. http://books.google.com/books?id=9j8OAQAAMAAJ. Retrieved 14 September 2011. 
5. ^ "Southeastern Facilities and Wood Specifications". Georgia-Pacific. http://www.gp.com/foryourbusiness/forestry/southeastern.html#pulp. Retrieved June 21, 2011. 
6. ^ Chiat, Marilyn Joyce Segal (1997). America's Religious Architecture: Sacred Places For Every Community. John Wiley and Sons. p. 279. ISBN 9780471145028. http://books.google.com/books?id=I0GviYfRKOsC&pg=PA279&lpg=PA279&dq=%22Mount+Sterling+Methodist+Church%22+Choctaw+County+Historical+Society#v=onepage&q=%22Mount%20Sterling%20Methodist%20Church%22%20Choctaw%20County%20Historical%20Society&f=false. 
7. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
8. ^ "Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage". Alabama Historical Commission. www.preserveala.org. May 31, 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5zFoCCAPl. Retrieved 6 June 2011. 
9. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
10. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml. 
11. ^ through 1960
12. ^ Columbia-Lippincott Gazeteer. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1952) p. 403
13. ^ 2006 World Almanac, p. 525
14. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• The Choctaw Sun-Advocate
• Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance
• Choctaw County map of roads/towns (map © 2007 Univ. of Alabama).

Coordinates: 32°01′13″N 88°15′47″W / 32.02028°N 88.26306°W / 32.02028; -88.26306