Childersburg, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Childersburg is a city in Talladega
county in the U.S. state
of Alabama
. At the 2000 census the population was 4,927. It claims a history dating back before 1540, when it was noted as a village of the Coosa Nation
visited by the Spanish
explorer Hernando de Soto. The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant
, important during World War II, was located 4 miles north of Childersburg.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²), of which, 7.7 square miles (19.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (2.40%) is water.
had lived in the area for thousands of years. In the sixteenth century, people identified as part of the Kymulga-phase culture (of the larger Mississippian culture
) lived at Talisi, the former site of Childersburg. In the fall of 1540, the Spanish Hernando de Soto expedition rested here for about one month during its exploration of the Southeast.}} Childersburg calls itself "The Oldest City in America". The Abihka
people (part of those who became known as the Muskogee
or Creek) dominated the area by the 18th century.
The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant
, a munitions plant, was established in Childersburg in 1941 and operated throughout World War II
until August 1945. Operated by DuPont
, the plant produced explosives, such as nitrocellulose
, trinitrotoluene (TNT), and dinitrotoluene
(DNT). The plant also secretly produced heavy water
to support the Manhattan Project
.
of 2000, there were 4,927 people residing in the city, an increase over the 1990 population of 4,600. In 2000, there were 1,999 households and 1,419 families in the city. The population density
was 637.2 people per square mile (246.1/km2). There were 2,149 housing units at an average density of 277.9 per square mile (107.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 68.87% White
, 29.73% Black
or African American
, 0.32% Native American
, 0.06% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 0.26% from other races
, and 0.73% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 1,999 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples
living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,932, and the median income for a family was $30,524. Males had a median income of $31,892 versus $20,569 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,412. About 20.7% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.6% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.
Talladega County, Alabama
Talladega County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Talladega is a Muscogee Native American word derived from TVLVTEKE, which means "border town." As of 2010, the population was 82,291...
county in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. At the 2000 census the population was 4,927. It claims a history dating back before 1540, when it was noted as a village of the Coosa Nation
Coosa chiefdom
The Coosa chiefdom was a powerful Native American paramount chiefdom near what are now Gordon and Murray counties in Georgia, in the United States. It was inhabited from about 1400 until about 1600, and dominated several smaller chiefdoms...
visited by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
explorer Hernando de Soto. The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant
Alabama Army Ammunition Plant
The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant , was a United States munitions plant built and operated during World War II. The facility is located a four miles north of Childersburg, Alabama in Talladega County, Alabama.-History:...
, important during World War II, was located 4 miles north of Childersburg.
Geography
Childersburg is located at 33°16′31"N 86°21′11"W (33.275187, -86.353166).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²), of which, 7.7 square miles (19.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (2.40%) is water.
History
Succeeding indigenous peoplesIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
had lived in the area for thousands of years. In the sixteenth century, people identified as part of the Kymulga-phase culture (of the larger Mississippian culture
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
) lived at Talisi, the former site of Childersburg. In the fall of 1540, the Spanish Hernando de Soto expedition rested here for about one month during its exploration of the Southeast.}} Childersburg calls itself "The Oldest City in America". The Abihka
Abihka
The Abihka were a division of the Upper Muscogee Creeks. Their main place of residence was 50 miles west along the banks of the Coosa and Alabama Rivers, in what is now Talladega County, Alabama. At times their name is used for all of the Upper Creeks. They had three towns named Abihkutchi,...
people (part of those who became known as the Muskogee
Muskogee
Muskogee or Muscogee can refer to:*The Muscogee tribe, an American Indian people originally from Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, many of whom later relocated to Oklahoma*Muscogee Nation, a federally recognized Muscogee tribe in Oklahoma...
or Creek) dominated the area by the 18th century.
The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant
Alabama Army Ammunition Plant
The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant , was a United States munitions plant built and operated during World War II. The facility is located a four miles north of Childersburg, Alabama in Talladega County, Alabama.-History:...
, a munitions plant, was established in Childersburg in 1941 and operated throughout World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
until August 1945. Operated by DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, the plant produced explosives, such as nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to nitric acid or another powerful nitrating agent. When used as a propellant or low-order explosive, it is also known as guncotton...
, trinitrotoluene (TNT), and dinitrotoluene
Dinitrotoluene
2,4-Dinitrotoluene or Dinitro is an organic compound with the formula C6H32. This pale yellow crystalline solid is well known as a precursor to trinitrotoluene but is mainly used in the polymer industry....
(DNT). The plant also secretly produced heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
to support the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,927 people residing in the city, an increase over the 1990 population of 4,600. In 2000, there were 1,999 households and 1,419 families in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 637.2 people per square mile (246.1/km2). There were 2,149 housing units at an average density of 277.9 per square mile (107.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 68.87% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 29.73% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.32% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.06% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.26% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.73% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 1,999 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,932, and the median income for a family was $30,524. Males had a median income of $31,892 versus $20,569 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,412. About 20.7% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.6% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Richard Edgeworth - childhood actor, commercials.
- Joseph C. Parker, who later would be a key figure in convincing the congregation of the Dexter Avenue Baptist ChurchDexter Avenue Baptist ChurchDexter Avenue Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. The church was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974. In 1978 the official name was changed to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who helped to organize the...
to appoint Martin Luther King Jr. as their pastor, was for a time a school principal in Childersburg. - Gerald WallaceGerald WallaceGerald Jermaine Wallace is an American professional basketball forward for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA.- High school :Wallace attended Childersburg High School in Childersburg, Alabama, where he had a very successful career...
- Portland Trail BlazersPortland Trail BlazersThe Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
player; he had a cameo in the Like MikeLike MikeLike Mike is a 2002 film, directed by John Schultz and starring Lil' Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki and Brenda Song. It was produced in association with NBA Entertainment and features many cameo appearances by NBA stars...
movie (2002) as himself