Prichard is a city in
Mobile County,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 19,322,
down from 22,659 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the
Mobile metropolitan area. Prichard borders the north side of
Mobile, as well as the Mobile suburbs of
Chickasaw,
Saraland, and the unincorporated sections of
Eight Mile.
History
Prichard began as a settlement in the 1830s, bordering Telegraph Road (known now as
U.S. Highway 43
U.S. Route 43 (US 43) is a north–south United States Highway in the Southern states of Alabama and Tennessee. It travels from Prichard, Alabama, to Columbia, Tennessee. The highway's southern terminus is in Prichard, at an intersect ...
). It remained largely unsettled until after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. The
''Clotilda'', an illegal slave ship, had arrived at
Mobile Bay in July 1860 carrying 110 Africans purchased in
Ouidah
Ouidah () or Whydah (; ''Ouidah'', ''Juida'', and ''Juda'' by the French; ''Ajudá'' by the Portuguese; and ''Fida'' by the Dutch) and known locally as Glexwe, formerly the chief port of the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on the coast of the Repub ...
,
Kingdom of Dahomey
The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...
, on behalf of Mobile shipbuilders and merchants. It was towed into the delta north of the city, burned, and sunk to escape capture. The Africans were taken upriver by a steamboat and landed near Magazine Point. They were distributed among the investors in the voyage.
[Sylviane A. Diouf, "Africatown"](_blank)
''Encyclopedia of Alabama'', published 6 December 6, 2007 , Last updated: 14 September 2017
After the war, some 32 of the Africans returned there, developing
Africatown
Africatown, also known as AfricaTown USA and Plateau, is a historic community located three miles (5 km) north of downtown Mobile, Alabama. It was formed by a group of 32 West Africans, who in 1860 were included in the last known illegal shi ...
as their own community.
The Plateau/Magazine area was developed along Telegraph Road. Eventually, Plateau and Magazine had their territory split between Mobile and Prichard. The Africatown Historic District, considered part of Mobile, was added to 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 v ...
in 2012.
After 1900, Prichard began a slow, steady development. Major industries related to shipbuilding and paper mills began to develop along the waterfront, and some workers settled in Prichard.
Social tensions were high in the postwar period as veterans returned and struggled to get jobs. The summer of 1919 became known as
Red Summer because of the numerous racial riots that took place in industrial cities across the country, including
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. On June 6, 1919, James Lewis was
lynched in Prichard.
In 1925, Prichard was incorporated as a city. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the defense industry and shipbuilding expanded in Mobile, and Prichard became a
company town
A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...
. Many Mobile shipbuilding companies built homes for their workers in Prichard. The 1940s and 1950s saw phenomenal growth in the Mobile area, which accompanied expansion of the defense and shipbuilding industries during and after World War II. During the 1950s and 1960s, Prichard annexed historic
Whistler as well as parts of
Eight Mile and
Kushla Kushla (Кушла) is a village in southern Bulgaria, Zlatograd municipality, Smolyan Province, located near the border with Greece. In the Ottoman times the town was called Ugurli in Turkish and Kotyli in Greek. In 1918 the village was part of the ...
.
Mobile, Prichard and Chickasaw all recorded their highest city-proper populations in 1960. In the postwar period, federally subsidized highway construction made commuting from suburbs easier and encouraged suburban housing development across the country, including in the Mobile metropolitan area. Like other cities, Prichard began to see its middle-class residents move out to newer housing, because they could afford to do so. In addition, following the
Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
and passage of civil rights laws in the mid-1960s, the state's rigid system of
Jim Crow
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...
and racial segregation was overturned. Blacks who had previously been restricted to the Bullshead/Neely/Trinity Gardens area of Prichard began moving into downtown, or East Prichard.
These two elements began to result in a population decline in the city. In 1960, Prichard recorded a population of 47,371. By 1970, the population had decreased to 41,000 and by 1990, to approximately 34,000. This was also a period of decline in shipbuilding and related industries and, with the loss of jobs, workers moved elsewhere.
In 1970,
Vigor High School
Vigor High School, located in Prichard, Alabama, is a public high school that educates grades 9- 12. It is operated by the Mobile County Public School System.
It serves most of Prichard.
Dress code
The Mobile County Public School System req ...
on Wilson Avenue, which had been Prichard's white high school during segregation, was 70% white. By 1980, it was 80% black. Although most of Prichard's remaining majority-white areas were in this district, many families had put their students into parochial or private schools. Before being moved to its current location on Lott Road in Eight Mile,
Blount High School
Mattie Thomas Blount High School is one of 16 high schools in the Mobile County Public School System. It is located in Eight Mile and in unincorporated Mobile County, Alabama.
It serves portions of Prichard. It is named for administrator Mattie ...
was originally located on Main Street in Prichard. Blount High School was a predominantly African American high school, established in August 1956.
In 1972, the majority-white city of Prichard elected its first black mayor,
Algernon Johnson (A.J.) Cooper Algernon may refer to:
* Algernon (name), a given name (includes a list of people and characters with the name)
* Algernon Township, Custer County, Nebraska
See also
* Treaty of Algeron, an agreement signed by the United Federation of Planets and ...
. He served two terms as Prichard's mayor. Later he was appointed to the administration of President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
. In 1968, Cooper had founded the Black American Law Students Association at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, where he earned his law degree. While Mayor Cooper was popular with both blacks and whites, he had numerous confrontations with the Prichard City Council during his tenure.
In 1994, construction of
Interstate 165 was completed, and it produced some economic benefits in East Prichard. The 1980s downtown office vacancy rate was near 80%. As of 2000, it was closer to 30%.
But the closing of factories operated by
Scott Paper Company
The Scott Paper Company was the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of sanitary tissue products with operations in 22 countries. Its products were sold under a variety of well-known brand names, including ''Scott Tissue'', ''Cottonelle'', ...
and
International Paper in the 1980s and 1990s caused a major loss of jobs, greatly adding to the city's problems. It struggled with poverty, unemployment, and associated crime and drug use. The loss of the paper companies and associated jobs devastated the area and the city struggled to recover. In 1999, the city declared bankruptcy.
In 2004, the Prichard Housing Authority began demolition of the Bessemer Avenue Housing Project in Bullshead. In November of that year, Mobile County voters narrowly (500 votes out of 100,000 cast on the issue) defeated a local amendment which would have allowed Prichard to set up a special trade zone. The measure passed by a two-thirds vote in Prichard, and passed by smaller margins in the cities of Mobile and Chickasaw, but was defeated by the rest of Mobile County.
From 2010 to 2012, the city was home to the Restoration Youth Academy, a so-called Christian camp that imposed anti-gay
conversion therapy
Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...
.
It closed in 2012 due to unpaid rent.
The enterprise reopened in Mobile, as the Saving Youth Foundation and Solid Rock Ministries, and operated until being shut down in 2015. It was closed by officials after investigations of abuse of youths and discovery of appallingly harsh conditions at the camp.
The three pastors who ran the place were prosecuted for child abuse; they were convicted and sentenced in February 2017 to 20 years in prison.
The case generated national media attention.
Geography
Prichard is located in central Mobile County at (30.748038, -88.100384).
It is bordered to the south by
Mobile, to the east by
Chickasaw, and to the north and northeast by
Saraland.
U.S. Route 45 (St. Stephens Road) runs through Prichard southwest of the city center; it leads southeast to downtown Mobile and northwest to
Citronelle.
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...
and its spur
I-165 meet in Prichard. I-165 leads southeast to downtown Mobile, while I-65 leads south to
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
in southwest Mobile. To the northeast I-65 leads to
Montgomery, the state capital.
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 city of Prichard has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.80%, are water.
Neighborhoods
*Downtown
*East Prichard
*
Whistler
*
Eight Mile
City government
![Jimmie Gardner and Bradley Byrne 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Jimmie_Gardner_and_Bradley_Byrne_02.jpg)
The current
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of Prichard is Jimmy Gardner. Gardner was elected mayor in the 2016
municipal
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
elections, defeating
incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...
mayor Troy Ephriam.
The city is served by a five-member
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
, which is composed of five districts of equal size. The city council is responsible for establishing the policies of the city of Prichard. The current council president is Earline Martin-Harris. The Prichard City Council meets every Thursday at 4:30 pm in the Council Chambers at Prichard City Hall.
City pensions controversy
In 2003, the city hired an actuary to analyze and summarize their employees’ pension plan. He warned the city that at the current rate of government spending the plan would run out of money by the summer of 2009. In September of that year, the city's pension fund ran out of money and stopped paying pensions.
The city filed for bankruptcy again in October 2009.
In 2010, Councilwoman Earline Martin-Harris suggested dissolving the city and offered an alternative budget which would make all city employees part-time employees. As of April 2011, pensioners had not received their pension checks nor had a budget been passed in eighteen months.
The dispute continued into 2013, as the city did not reach an agreement with soon-to-retire employees. In response to these developments, four of these employees requested that
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge William Shulman dismiss the city's bankruptcy.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 19,322 people, 7,323 households, and 4,683 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 22,659 people, 8,240 households, and 5,659 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,891 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.80%
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 have o ...
or
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 ...
, 12.47%
White-American
White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...
, 0.38%
Native American, 0.08%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.004%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.36% from
other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
or
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 8,240 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 33.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,894, and the median income for a family was $29,100. Males had a median income of $29,664 versus $21,969 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $13,137. About 28.7% of families and 33.7% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 49.5% of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
The
Mobile County Public School System
Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS) is a school district based in unincorporated Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The system currently serves areas of Mobile County, including the city of Mobile, with the exception of the cities o ...
serves Prichard. Elementary schools in Prichard include Collins-Rhodes Elementary School, Grant Elementary School, Indian Springs Elementary School, Robbins Elementary School, and Whitley Elementary School.
Mobile County Training Middle School and Chastang Middle School serve sections of Prichard. Some area students attend North Mobile County Middle School.
Vigor High School
Vigor High School, located in Prichard, Alabama, is a public high school that educates grades 9- 12. It is operated by the Mobile County Public School System.
It serves most of Prichard.
Dress code
The Mobile County Public School System req ...
is in Prichard.
Blount High School
Mattie Thomas Blount High School is one of 16 high schools in the Mobile County Public School System. It is located in Eight Mile and in unincorporated Mobile County, Alabama.
It serves portions of Prichard. It is named for administrator Mattie ...
is in an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Eight Mile, adjacent to Prichard, and serving a part of Prichard.
Faulkner Vocational School, a magnet school, is in Prichard.
The current Collins Rhodes school opened in 2007, replacing Eight Mile Elementary School.
Colleges and universities
The
University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a private, Baptist university in Mobile, Alabama. It is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention).
History
The university was founded in 1961 by the Alabama Baptist State under th ...
is also located within the city.
Public libraries
The city operates the Prichard Public Library and the Mitchell Public Library.
Notable people
*
Jimmie V. Adams
Jimmie Vick Adams (born May 1, 1936) is a retired United States Air Force four-star general who served as commander in chief, Pacific Air Forces (CINCPACAF), from 1991 to 1993.
Education and early life
Adams was born in Prichard, Alabama, in 193 ...
, retired
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
four-star general who served as Commander in Chief,
Pacific Air Forces
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...
(CINCPACAF), from 1991 to 1993
*
Ethel Ayler
Ethyl Spraggins Ayler (May 1, 1930 – November 18, 2018) was an American character actress with a career spanning over five decades.
Biography
Ayler was born in Whistler, Alabama and graduated from Fisk University.
In 1957, she made her ...
, actress, ''
The Cosby Show''
*
Delores Brumfield
Delores Brumfield ''White(May 26, 1932 – May 29, 2020) was an American baseball player. White played as a utility infielder/outfielder from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 125 lb., she batte ...
, former member of the
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...
*
Derrick Burroughs
Derrick D'wayne Burroughs (born May 18, 1962) is an American football coach and former cornerback who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills. He served two stints as the head football coach at Lane College, ...
, professional football player with the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
*
James "Thunderbird" Davis
James Louis Huston, better known as James "Thunderbird" Davis (November 10, 1938 – January 24, 1992), was an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He recorded several singles for Duke Records in the early 19 ...
(1938 – 1992)
was a
Texas blues and
electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.
*
Jacoby Glenn
Jacoby Glenn (born August 8, 1993) is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He played college football at UCF.
Early years
Glenn attended Vigor High School in Prichard, Ala ...
,
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
*
Lil Greenwood,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and
R&B singer
*
Kennedy Winston
Kennedy Lawrence Winston (born July 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Club Atlético Peñarol (Mar del Plata), Club Atlético Peñarol of the Liga Nacional de Básquet. He is a former college basketball ...
, professional basketball player
*
Sherman Williams, professional football player with the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
*
Willie Anderson, American professional football player
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
.
*
Robert Brazile
Robert Lorenzo Brazile Jr. (born February 7, 1953) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Dr. Doom", Brazile played from 1975 to 1984 for the Houston Oilers and w ...
Pro football Hall of Famer
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...
.
References
External links
*
Prichard Public Library
{{Authority control
1925 establishments in Alabama
Cities in Alabama
Cities in Mobile County, Alabama
Government units that have filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy
Populated places established in 1925