Marengo County, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Marengo County is a county
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...

 of 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...

. It is named in honor of a battlefield near Turin, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, where the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 defeated the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

ns on June 14, 1800. As of 2010 the population was 21,027. The largest city is Demopolis
Demopolis, Alabama
Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. The population was 7,483 at the time of the 2010 United States Census....

, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Linden
Linden, Alabama
Linden is a city in and the county seat of Marengo County, Alabama, United States.. The population was 2,424 at the 2000 census.-History:Originally known as the Town of Marengo, it was changed to Hohenlinden in 1823 to honor the county's earliest European settlers, French Bonapartist refugees to...

.

History

Marengo County was created by the Alabama Territorial
Alabama Territory
The Territory of Alabama was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 15, 1817, until December 14, 1819, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alabama.-History:...

 legislature on February 6, 1818, from land acquired from the Choctaw Indians by the Treaty of Fort St. Stephens
Treaty of Fort St. Stephens
The Treaty of Fort St. Stephens or Treaty of Choctaw Trading House was signed between the United States and the Choctaws. The treaty was signed at the Choctaw trading house on October 24, 1816. It ceded of Choctaw land east of the Tombigbee River. The land was exchanged for 6,000 US dollars...

 on October 24, 1816. The name of the county commemorates Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...

's victory at the Battle of Marengo over the Austrian armies on June 14, 1800. This name was chosen as a compliment to the first Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...

 settlers, exiled French Bonapartists
Bonapartism
Bonapartism is often defined as a political expression in the vocabulary of Marxism and Leninism, deriving from the career of Napoleon Bonaparte. Karl Marx was a student of Jacobinism and the French Revolution as well as a contemporary critic of the Second Republic and Second Empire...

 who in 1817 settled the area around Demopolis in an effort to establish a Vine and Olive Colony
Vine and Olive Colony
The Vine and Olive Colony was an ill-fated effort by a group of French Bonapartists who, fearing for their lives after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Bourbon Restoration, attempted to establish an agricultural settlement growing wine grapes and olive trees in the Alabama wilderness...

. The county seat was originally known as the Town of Marengo, but in 1823 the name was changed to Linden. Linden is a shortened version of Hohenlinden
Hohenlinden
Hohenlinden is a community in the Upper Bavarian district of Ebersberg. The city of Lynden, Washington is named after it...

, scene of another Napoleonic victory in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

 in 1800.

Situated in Alabama's Black Belt
Black Belt (region of Alabama)
The Black Belt is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama, and part of the larger Black Belt Region of the Southern United States, which stretches from Texas to Maryland. The term originally referred to the region underlain by a thin layer of rich, black topsoil developed atop the chalk of the Selma...

 and having a naturally rich soil, the county became home to numerous cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

s and consequently a large number of slaves. In 1860 the population consisted of 24,409 slaves, 6761 free whites including 944 slave owners, and just 1 "free person of color
Colored
Colored is a term once widely used in the United States to describe black people and Native Americans...

" for a total combined population of 31,171. At this time there were 778 farms in the county. Demopolis was home to the fourth oldest Jewish congregation in Alabama, B'nai Jeshurun
Temple B'nai Jeshurun (Demopolis, Alabama)
Temple B'nai Jeshurun was a synagogue located in Demopolis, Alabama, United States. The B'nai Jeshurun congregation was established in 1858, making it the fourth oldest Jewish congregation in Alabama. It was active throughout the latter half of the 19th century and most of the 20th. The original...

. It was established in 1858. After the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, the economy continued to be based on agriculture with the former plantations turning to sharecropping
Sharecropping
Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land . This should not be confused with a crop fixed rent contract, in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a fixed amount of...

.

The population began to diminish rapidly after 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...

, with people leaving the farms for manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...

 jobs elsewhere. The former cotton fields were gradually converted to pastures for cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

 and horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...

s, woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...

s for timber, and commercial catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...

 ponds for grain fed catfish. Beginning in the 1960s industry began to move into the area and the working force came to be employed by paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...

s, lumber mills
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

, and chemical plant
Chemical plant
A chemical plant is an industrial process plant that manufactures chemicals, usually on a large scale. The general objective of a chemical plant is to create new material wealth via the chemical or biological transformation and or separation of materials. Chemical plants use special equipment,...

s. Courthouse fires occurred in 1848 and 1965, the courthouse records were largely saved in both instances.

Geography

Geographic features

Marengo County is situated in the west-central area of the state. According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 982.85 square miles (2,545.6 km²), of which 977.04 square miles (2,530.5 km²) (or 99.41%) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km²) (or 0.59%) is water. The entire western county border is formed by the Tombigbee River
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...

 and a small northwestern portion is formed by the Black Warrior River
Black Warrior River
The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles to the Tombigbee River, of which the Black Warrior is the primary tributary...

.

Major highways

  • U.S. Highway 43
  • U.S. Highway 80
  • State Route 10
  • State Route 25
    State Route 25 (Alabama)
    State Route 25 is a long and relatively rural State highway in the State of Alabama. From US-78 in Leeds northeast to its terminus at the State of Georgia line, SR-25 is the unsigned partner route of U.S. Highway 411...

  • State Route 28
  • State Route 69
    State Route 69 (Alabama)
    State Route 69 is a long route that extends from the southwestern to the northeastern parts of the state. The southern terminus of the route is at a junction with State Route 177 at Jackson. The northern terminus of the route is at its junction with U.S...


Adjacent counties

  • Hale County
    Hale County, Alabama
    Hale County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Confederate officer Stephen Fowler Hale. As of 2010 the population was 15,760. Its county seat is Greensboro and it is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area....

     (north)
  • Perry County
    Perry County, Alabama
    Perry County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was established in 1819, and is named in honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry of Rhode Island and the United States Navy. As of 2010 the population was 10,591...

     (northeast)
  • Dallas County
    Dallas County, Alabama
    Dallas County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander J. Dallas. The county seat is Selma.- History :...

     (east)
  • Wilcox County
    Wilcox County, Alabama
    Wilcox County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Lieutenant J. M. Wilcox, who fought in the wars against the Creek tribe. As of 2010, the population was 11,670...

     (southeast)
  • Clarke County
    Clarke County, Alabama
    -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*54.5% White*43.9% Black*0.4% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*0.7% Two or more races*1.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

     (south)
  • Choctaw County
    Choctaw County, Alabama
    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. As of 2010 the population was 13,859. The county seat is Butler.- History :...

     (southwest)
  • Sumter County
    Sumter County, Alabama
    Sumter County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of General Thomas Sumter of South Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 13,763. Its county seat is Livingston.-History:...

     (northwest)
  • Greene County
    Greene County, Alabama
    Greene County is the least populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island. As of 2010 the population was 9,045...

     (north-northwest)

Demographics

In 2000 there were 22,539 people, 8,767 households, and 6,277 families residing in the county. 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 23 people per square mile (9/km2). There were 10,127 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 51.71% 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...

, 47.28% 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...

, 0.08% 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...

, 0.18% 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...

, 0.01% 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...

, 0.25% 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 0.47% from two or more races. 0.97% 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 8,767 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.40% 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, 19.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,025, and the median income for a family was $35,475. Males had a median income of $36,053 versus $19,571 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 county was $15,308. About 22.20% of families and 25.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.70% of those under age 18 and 25.30% of those age 65 or over.

Events

  • Candlelight Evening at Gaineswood, part of Christmas in the Canebrake
    Canebrake (region of Alabama)
    The Canebrake refers to a historical region of west-central Alabama that was once dominated by thickets of Arundinaria, a type of bamboo, or cane, native to North America. It was centered on the junction of the Tombigbee and Black Warrior rivers, near Demopolis, and extended eastward to include...

    , in Demopolis
  • Christmas on the River
    Christmas on the River
    Christmas on the River is a week-long annual Christmas festival held in Demopolis, Alabama. It features a week of events that culminate with a nighttime parade of boats lighted with Christmas-themed decorations on the Tombigbee River at Demopolis...

     in Demopolis
  • Faunsdale Biker Rally in Faunsdale
  • Alabama Crawfish Festival in Faunsdale
  • Harvest Festival in Demopolis
  • Historic Demopolis Spring Pilgrimage in Demopolis
  • Rural Fun Day
    Rural Fun Day
    Rural Fun Day is an annual festival held the last weekend in August in Thomaston, Alabama. The festival is hosted at the Alabama Rural Heritage Center, which was designed and built by Auburn University's Rural Studio. Rural Fun Day is a celebration of rural life and traditions in western Alabama...

     in Thomaston
  • Southern Literary Trail in Demopolis

Places of interest

Marengo County is home to the Alabama Rural Heritage Center
Alabama Rural Heritage Center
The Alabama Rural Heritage Center is located in Thomaston, Alabama, and was built by the Auburn University Rural Studio. The center is run by the non-profit Alabama Rural Heritage Foundation. The building is located off of Alabama Highway 25, on the former Marengo County High School Campus...

 and Chickasaw State Park
Chickasaw State Park (Alabama)
Chickasaw State Park is a state park in Marengo County, Alabama. It is located 3 miles north of Linden, Alabama. The park is midway between Tuscaloosa and Mobile.-Amenities:...

. The Tombigbee River
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...

 and Black Warrior River
Black Warrior River
The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles to the Tombigbee River, of which the Black Warrior is the primary tributary...

 form portions of the western and northern county borders and provide recreational opportunities. Marengo County has 28 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

, one of which is also a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

. Additionally, 19 sites are listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
The Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, commonly referred to as the Alabama Register, is an official listing of buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts deemed worthy of preservation in the U.S. state of Alabama. These properties, which may be of national, state, and local...

.

Settlements

Towns

  • Dayton
    Dayton, Alabama
    Dayton is a town in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. The population was 60 at the 2000 census.-History:Dayton began to be settled in the early 19th century, with a town survey done and a "public well" established in 1832. The post office was established in 1837. It was incorporated on...

  • Faunsdale
    Faunsdale, Alabama
    Faunsdale is a town in Marengo County, Alabama, U.S. At the 2000 census the population was 87. The town was named for nearby Faunsdale Plantation. Faunsdale is home to a medium-sized community of Amish Mennonites and the only Amish Mennonite community in this area of Alabama outside of Greensboro,...

  • Myrtlewood
    Myrtlewood, Alabama
    Myrtlewood is a town in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 139.-Geography:Myrtlewood is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Providence
    Providence, Alabama
    Providence is a town in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 311.-Geography:Providence is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Sweet Water
    Sweet Water, Alabama
    Sweet Water is a town in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 234. It is home to Sweet Water High School, part of the Marengo County Public School System.-Geography:...

  • Thomaston
    Thomaston, Alabama
    Thomaston is a town in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 383. The area was first settled in the early 19th century by people from Virginia and the Carolinas who migrated to the area in search of land. The community was named in 1892, and the town of...


Education

The Marengo County School System operates four K–12 schools. Demopolis and Linden have city-run school systems. High schools run by the county include Amelia Love Johnson High School, John Essex High School, Marengo High School, and Sweet Water High School
Sweet Water High School
Sweet Water High School is a public high school that educates grades K–12 in the town of Sweet Water, Alabama, United States. It is operated by the Marengo County School System...

.

See also

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