Midway is a town located in eastern Bullock County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 421.

Old Merritt School

Margaret Elizabeth Merritt of Midway sold two acres for $5 to the State of Alabama in 1921 as a site for an elementary school for

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

children. Built in 1922 with matching Rosenwald funds, the Midway Colored Public School featured

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

construction and two classrooms divided by a partition. The building is one of the few surviving of the more than 5,000 rural black schools built with contributions for the

Julius Rosenwald Fund The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of S ...

. The building was enlarged twice then renovated in 1978. It is now used as a

community center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

. It was added to the

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 ...

on November 2, 1990 and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on February 20, 1998. The school is located in Bullock County. Bullock has the highest illiteracy rate of any county in Alabama.

Geography

Midway is located in eastern Bullock County at 32°4'27.854" North, 85°31'12.857" West (32.074404, −85.520238). According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. Midway is located on the U.S. Route 82, the

Jefferson Davis Highway The Jefferson Davis Highway, also known as the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway, was a planned transcontinental highway in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s that began in Arlington, Virginia, and extended south and west to San Diego, Cal ...

, east of Union Springs, the county seat. It is east to Eufaula via US-82. Alabama State Route 51 leads south to Clayton.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 457 people, 189 households, and 124 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 230 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 88.84%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and 11.16%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

. 0.22% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 189 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.5% were married couples living together, 37.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 29.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 63.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $12,143, and the median income for a family was $19,063. Males had a median income of $25,938 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,036. About 38.1% of families and 42.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.4% of those under age 18 and 45.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Johnny Ford Johnny L. Ford (born August 23, 1942 in Midway, Alabama) is an American politician and mayor of Tuskegee, Alabama, and a former Alabama State Representative. Early life and education He was raised as a child and attended elementary school in ...

, mayor of

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...

Jerrel Jernigan Jerrel Marquis Jernigan (born June 14, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft and won Super Bowl XLVI with the team against the New England Patriots. He p ...

, wide receiver for the New York Giants *

The Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

Jesse Lee Peterson Jesse Lee Peterson (born May 22, 1949) is an American conservative radio host, pastor, and broadcaster. He is the founder of Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND), a far-right Christian ministry, and hosts the programs ''The Jesse Le ...

, media personality, minister and author * Harold Pierce, founded the

Harold's Chicken Shack Harold's Chicken Shack (also referred to as The Fried Chicken King, Harold's Chicken, or simply Harold's) is a popular fried chicken restaurant based in Chicago, Illinois. The chain operates primarily in Chicago's predominantly black communities ...

restaurant chain in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Bobby Turner Robert Turner Jr. (born May 6, 1949) is an American football coach who was most recently a Senior offensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers. Since 1995, he has worked exclusively on the staffs of Mike Shanahan during his time with the Den ...

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

coach

In popular culture

* Rufus Amos Adams is said to be from Midway in the

Paul and Storm Paul and Storm are an American, Arlington, Virginia-based comedic musical duo, consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo. They are best known for their humorous songs about geek culture and for amassing an internet fan base. They ...

song of the same name.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Alabama Towns in Bullock County, Alabama