Barbour County, Alabama

Barbour County
County
Barbour County courthouse in Clayton
Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°51′57″N 85°23′46″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 18, 1832
Seat	Clayton
Largest city	Eufaula
Area
• Total	904.52 sq mi (2,342.7 km2)
• Land	884.90 sq mi (2,291.9 km2)
• Water	19.61 sq mi (50.8 km2)  2.17%
Population  (2010)
• Total	27,457
• Density	31/sq mi (11.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)

Barbour County, Alabama is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of James Barbour, who served as Governor of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,457. Its county seat is Clayton.

History

Barbour County was established on December 18, 1832, from former Creek Indian homelands and a portion of Pike County. The Creek were removed to territory west of the Mississippi River. The fertile land was developed by southern migrants as large cotton plantations dependent on slave labor. Its boundaries were altered in 1866 and 1868. The Election Riot of 1874 occurred near Comer.

In 1833, Louisville was chosen as the first county seat for Barbour County. The county seat was moved in 1834, after an eleven-member committee selected Clayton because of its central geographic location. By the 1870s, Eufaula had surpassed Clayton in size, sparking debate about whether the county seat should be moved to the county's commercial center or remain at its geographic center. Reaching a compromise, the legislature passed Act No. 106 on February 12, 1879, to establish courts in both Eufaula and Clayton. Today, two count courthouses operate in Barbour County.

Barbour County governors

As a center of the planter elite, Barbour County has been the home of more Alabama governors than any other county in the state. Six elected governors as well as two acting governors lived in Barbour County. The Barbour County Governors' Trail was established by an act of the Alabama Legislature in 2000 to honor the eight distinguished men and women who have served as governor from the county.

Alabama governors from Barbour County
Name	In Office	Hometown
John Gill Shorter	1861–1863	Eufaula, AL
William Dorsey Jelks	1901–1907	Eufaula, AL
Braxton Bragg Comer	1907–1911	Spring Hill, AL
Charles S. McDowell	July 10,11, 1924	Eufaula, AL
Chauncey Sparks	1943–1947	Eufaula, AL
George Corley Wallace	1963–1967, 1971-1979, 1983-1987	Clio, AL
Lurleen Burns Wallace	1967–1968 Died in Office	Clayton, AL
Jere Beasley	June 5 - July 7, 1972	Clayton, AL

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 904.52 square miles (2,342.7 km²), of which 884.90 square miles (2,291.9 km²) (or 97.83%) is land and 19.61 square miles (50.8 km²) (or 2.17%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 82
• U.S. Highway 431
• State Route 10
• State Route 30
• State Route 51

Adjacent counties

• Russell County, Alabama - northeast
• Quitman County, Georgia - east
• Stewart County, Georgia - east
• Clay County, Georgia - southeast
• Henry County, Alabama - south
• Dale County, Alabama - south
• Pike County, Alabama - west
• Bullock County, Alabama - northwest

See also: List of counties bordering eight or more counties

National protected area

• Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	12,024		—
1850	23,632		96.5%
1860	30,812		30.4%
1870	29,309		−4.9%
1880	33,979		15.9%
1890	34,898		2.7%
1900	35,152		0.7%
1910	32,728		−6.9%
1920	32,067		−2.0%
1930	32,425		1.1%
1940	32,722		0.9%
1950	28,892		−11.7%
1960	24,700		−14.5%
1970	22,543		−8.7%
1980	24,756		9.8%
1990	25,417		2.7%
2000	29,038		14.2%
2010	27,457		−5.4%
2011 (est.)	27,119		−1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 2011 estimate through 1960

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 29,038 people, 10,409 households, and 7,390 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 12,461 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 51.27% White, 46.32% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 1.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 670 people who spoke Spanish in their home. The only other language with over 100 speakers was French at 105.

In 2005 Barbour County had a population that was 49.5% non-Hispanic whites. 46.8% of the population was African-American. 0.3% of the population reported more than one race. Latinos were now 3.1% of the population. 0.4% were Native American and 0.3% were Asian. (Sources census quickfacts)

In 2000 There were 10,409 households out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.90% were married couples living together, 19.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% 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 2.53 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 106.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,101, and the median income for a family was $31,877. Males had a median income of $28,441 versus $19,882 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,316. About 21.60% of families and 26.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.10% of those under age 18 and 26.40% of those age 65 or over.

In 2000, the largest denominational groups were Evangelical Protestants (with 8,935 adherents) and Mainline Protestants (with 2,492 adherents). The largest religious bodies were The Southern Baptist Convention (with 7,576 members) and The United Methodist Church (with 1,811 members).

Cities and towns

• Bakerhill
• Batesville
• Blue Springs
• Clayton
• Clio
• Comer
• Eufaula
• Elamville
• Louisville
• Mount Andrews
• Spring Hill

Places of interest

Barbour County is home to Lakepoint Resort State Park, Blue Springs State Park, and the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge.

See also

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

Further reading

• Trayvick, J.C. (2005). Soil survey of Barbour County, Alabama. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.

External links

• Barbour Weather
• Barbour County Clerk of Court
• Zone 1 News - Breaking News, Investigative Reports, Video Coverage