Uniontown is a city in
Perry 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 ...
, in west-central
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 ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city is 2,107, up 18.7% over 2010. Of the 573 cities in Alabama, Uniontown is the 207th most populous.
Uniontown has four sites listed on 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 ...
:
Fairhope Plantation
Fairhope Plantation is a historic Carpenter Gothic plantation house and historic district, located one mile east of Uniontown, Alabama, US. The -story wood- framed main house was built in the Gothic Revival style in the late 1850s. The plan ...
,
Pitts' Folly, the
Uniontown Historic District, and
Westwood.
History
First settled in 1818, the area that would become Uniontown was initially called Woodville after the first family settling there; the town was incorporated on December 23, 1836. Woodville was the terminus of one of the earliest plank roads (a road paved with wooden planks) in the state, which was constructed in 1848 and connected Woodville with
Demopolis
Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, in west-central Alabama. The population was 7,162 at the time of the 2020 United States census, down from 7,483 at the 2010 census.
The city lies at the confluence of the Black Warrior River and T ...
. The Alabama and Mississippi Railroad came through the town in 1857.
By 1860, the town had grown enough to support educational facilities for both boys and girls. In addition to the schools, the town had a number of businesses on its main street, including two department stores, and the town's economy was tied closely to the surrounding plantations. The town became known as Uniontown in 1861 at the suggestion of a local planter, Philip Weaver, whose hometown was
Uniontown, Maryland
Uniontown is an unincorporated community in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The community is home to the Uniontown Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) ...
. Uniontown sent a number of men to fight with the Canebrake Rifle Guards during the Civil War, a unit named after the geographical region in which Uniontown is located, as well as in another unit known as the Independent Troop of Uniontown. The area remained tied to the agricultural economy after the war.
In 1897, the Uniontown Cotton Oil Company was established in the town, one of the first facilities of its kind in the state and one of the first industrial businesses in Perry County; it manufactured cotton seed oil and cottonseed meal.
By 1900, the town had cotton gins, cotton warehouses, and a cotton mill. The city also had electricity and telephone services by this time. Less than two decades later, however, Uniontown began to lose population as more people abandoned plantations, largely because of the boll weevil's ruinous effect on the cotton crop. The town remains largely dependent on agricultural activities, including livestock farming, in the surrounding area.
Geography
Uniontown is located at (32.448984, -87.512287).
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 has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2010 census
At 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 2,684 people, 720 households, and 530 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 764 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the city was 90.6% Black or African American and 9.1% White. .5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 720 households 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.2% were married couples living together, 44.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 28.5% of households were one person and 9.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.27.
The age distribution was 35.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% 65 or older. The median age was 28.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.4 males.
The median household income was $15,054 and the median family income was $17,473. Males had a median income of $34,038 versus $23,438 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,452. About 43.1% of families and 45.2% 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 55.2% of those under age 18 and 51.5% of those age 65 or over.
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 2,107 people, 704 households, and 319 families residing in the town.
Local events
Uniontown is known for their eleven state high school basketball championships. The last championship team was led by former
Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...
guard Frankie Sullivan, who scored fifty-one points in the championship game.
Notable people
*
Juanita Abernathy
Juanita Odessa Jones Abernathy (December 1, 1931 – September 12, 2019) was an American civil rights activist, and the wife of Ralph Abernathy.
Life
Juanita Odessa Jones was born in Uniontown, Alabama. She studied at Selma University and afte ...
, civil rights activist
*
Augusta Clark
Augusta "Gussie" Clark (March 5, 1932 – October 13, 2013) was an American librarian, lawyer and politician. Clark was elected to an at-large seat on the Philadelphia City Council in 1979, becoming the second African-American woman to serve ...
, Pennsylvania politician, was born in Uniontown
*
Tony Cox, actor, born in Uniontown in 1958
*
Erwin Dudley, professional basketball player
*
Morris Ernst
Morris Ernst (August 23, 1888 – May 21, 1976) was an American lawyer and prominent attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In public life, he defended and asserted the rights of Americans to privacy and freedom from censorshi ...
, lawyer and co-founder of the
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
*
Eugene Lipscomb, football player, born in Uniontown in 1931
*
Zeke Smith
Roger Duane "Zeke" Smith (September 29, 1936 – July 22, 2016) was an American football player in the National Football League for the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants. He played college football at Auburn University where he was awarde ...
, NFL player
*
Martha Goodwin Tunstall
Martha Goodwin Tunstall (1838-1911) was an abolitionist and Unionist, supporter of Radical Republicans and one of the earliest organizers of the Texas women's suffragist movement. She was politically active in the movement from the late 1860s t ...
, suffragist, born in Uniontown in 1838
*
Holland Dai'mon Witherspoon, musician
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Uniontown has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Climate Summary for Uniontown, Alabama
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References
External links
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{{authority control
Populated places established in 1818
Cities in Alabama
Cities in Perry County, Alabama