Marion County, Alabama

For counties with a similar name, see Marion County (disambiguation).

Marion County, Alabama
Location in the state of Alabama
Alabama's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 13, 1818
Seat	Hamilton
Largest city	Hamilton
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	743.57 sq mi (1,926 km²) 741.41 sq mi (1,920 km²) 2.16 sq mi (6 km²), (0.29%)
Population  - (2010)  - Density	30,776 42/sq mi (16/km²)

Marion County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Marion County was created by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly on February 13, 1818. The county is located in the northwestern part of the state, bounded on the west by the state of Mississippi. It encompasses 743 square miles (1,920 km²). Marion County was named for General Francis Marion of South Carolina. The county seat was established in Pikeville in 1820, and moved to Hamilton in 1881. Marion County could be considered the "mother county" of the Alabama counties of Fayette, Lamar, Walker, and Winston, and parts of the Mississippi counties of Itawamba, Lowndes, and Monore. Significant towns in the county include Brilliant, Guin, Hackleburg, Hamilton and Winfield. As of 2010 the population was 30,776. The county is a prohibition or dry county, however, the sale of alcohol is permitted within Guin city limits.

Cities and towns

• Bear Creek
• Bexar
• Brilliant
• Glen Allen (part of Glen Allen is in Fayette County)
• Glen Mary (unincorporated)
• Guin
• Gu-Win (unincorporated)
• Hackleburg
• Haleyville (most of Haleyville is located in Winston County)
• Hamilton
• Winfield (a small part of Winfield is in Fayette County)
• Yampertown (also known as Twin)

Education

Two public school systems and one community college operate in Marion County. Marion County Schools and Winfield City Schools and Bevill State Community College Hamilton Campus.

Marion County School System

• Philips Elementary and High School (Bear Creek)
• Brilliant Elementary School
• Brilliant High School
• Guin Elementary School
• Marion County High School (Guin)
• Hackleburg Elementary and High School
• Hamilton Elementary School
• Hamilton Middle School
• Hamilton High School,

Winfield City School System

• Winfield Elementary School
• Winfield Middle School
• Winfield High School

Local events and festivals

• Jerry Brown Arts Festival - Hamilton (March)
• Neighbor Day - Hackleburg (Last Saturday in April)
• MayFest - Guin (Second Saturday in May)
• CoalFest - Brilliant (Memorial Day)
• Mule Day - Winfield (September)

Demographics

Marion County, Alabama
Year	Pop.	±%
1830	4,058	—
1840	5,847	+44.1%
1850	7,833	+34.0%
1860	11,182	+42.8%
1870	6,059	−45.8%
1880	9,364	+54.5%
1890	11,347	+21.2%
1900	14,494	+27.7%
1910	17,495	+20.7%
1920	22,008	+25.8%
1930	25,967	+18.0%
1940	28,776	+10.8%
1950	27,264	−5.3%
1960	21,837	−19.9%
1970	23,788	+8.9%
1980	30,041	+26.3%
1990	29,830	−0.7%
2000	31,214	+4.6%
2010	30,776	−1.4%
Sources: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml.  through 1960

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 31,214 people, 12,697 households, and 9,040 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 14,416 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.76% White, 3.3% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,697 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.50% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,475, and the median income for a family was $34,359. Males had a median income of $26,913 versus $19,022 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,321. About 12.00% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 20.00% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 743.57 square miles (1,925.8 km²), of which 741.41 square miles (1,920.2 km²) (or 99.71%) is land and 2.16 square miles (5.6 km²) (or 0.29%) is water.^[2]

Major highways

• Interstate 22 (future)
• U.S. Highway 43
• U.S. Highway 78
• U.S. Highway 278
• State Route 13
• State Route 17
• State Route 19
• State Route 44
• State Route 74
• State Route 129

Rail

• BNSF Railway
• Norfolk Southern Railway

Adjacent counties

• Franklin County (north)
• Winston County (east)
• Walker County (southeast)
• Fayette County (south)
• Lamar County and Monroe County, Mississippi (southwest)
• Itawamba County, Mississippi (west)

Newspapers

The Court House at Hamilton burned in March 1887.^[3] All newspapers before that date were lost in the flames as the Court House was the repository for them. The newspapers that we have record of after the fire are:

• The Marion County Herald - (1885–1890) The first newspaper available for The Marion Herald is April 5, 1887 due to the Court House Fire. The original date of beginning and editors have been lost with the Court House fire, but seems to have been started around April 1885. The Lamar News states that A. A. Wall had been with the Marion Herald before he started The Vernon Courier which was in 1886.^[4] No earlier publishers of the paper have been found. The newspaper passed through several hands before closing its doors. Some of the notable editors include W. F. Green, James S. Clements, W. T. Gast, L. J. Clark, and others. The first editors were listed under the name The Herald Publishing Company.
• The Guin Dispatch (1888–1889) The Guin Dispatch was started around November 1888 by James S. Clements. It did not last long - only 13 issues. It closed its doors with the last issue of Feb 23, 1889.
• The Hamilton Times (1890–1893)
• The Hamilton Free Press (1893–1894)
• The Hamilton News Press (1895)
• The Hamilton Appeal (1896)
• The Guin Gazette (1897)
• The Gazette Appeal (1897)
• The Winfield Enterprise (1899–1900)
• The Marion County Democrat (1900–1904)
• The Marion County Republican (1908–1909)
• The Marion County News (1894, 1896 - 1959?)
• New Hope Record (1920)
• The Winfield Journal (1930–1959)
• The Hackleburg Sentinel (1937–1955)
• The Marion County Journal (1975)
• The Guin Gazette (1987)
• The Gazette Appeal (1987)
• The Journal Record (1976–present)

Notable people

• Sonny James (James Loden)- Hackleburg
• Dale Shelnut (Dixie Echoes)- Guin

See also

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

References

1. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ Marion Herald April 5, 1887 pg 8
4. ^ The Lamar News of May 20, 1886

External links

• Marion County site
• Marion County Historical Society
• USGenWeb Marion County

Coordinates: 34°08′11″N 87°53′03″W / 34.13639°N 87.88417°W / 34.13639; -87.88417