Blountsville is a town in Blount County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,684. Blount County was created by the Alabama territorial legislature on February 6, 1818, from land ceded to the federal government by the

Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large grou ...

on August 9, 1814. It was named for Gov. Willie G. Blount of

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, who provided assistance to settlers in Alabama during the

Creek War The Creek War (also the Red Stick War or the Creek Civil War) was a regional conflict between opposing Native American factions, European powers, and the United States during the early 19th century. The Creek War began as a conflict within th ...

of 1813–14. It lies in the northeastern section of the state, generally known as the mineral region.

History

What became Blountsville appears on an 1819 map as the mixed Creek/

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

Native American village of "Wassausey" (meaning Bear Meat Cabin, the name of an Indian translator who lived there). The town was established by Caleb Fryley and Johnny Jones in 1816 as Bear Meat Cabin. It became a popular stop for westward-bound settlers who streamed into the area at the end of the

. The post office was opened as Blountsville on October 20, 1825, and incorporated on December 13, 1827. It was the county seat until 1889 when the government was moved to Oneonta. There were many schools in the town in the early years: The Academy, Blount College and the District Agricultural School, plus the public schools. The Blount County Courthouse and jail was built in 1833 and remained there until it was moved to Oneonta. A major crossroads in early Alabama, Blountsville became a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

depot for the cavalry.

forces led by General

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was an List of slave traders of the United States, American slave trader, active in the lower Mississippi River valley, who served as a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Con ...

and Union forces led by General Abel Streight skirmished briefly in the town on May 1, 1863, and Major General Lovell H. Rousseau and his Union cavalry occupied the town in July 1864. Blount College was in the building that was originally the courthouse. It was established in 1890. The beautiful Blountsville United Methodist Church was established in 1818 and is the oldest building in Blountsville and is still in use today. Another old building in Blountsville was once known as the Barclift House. Built in 1834 as Hendricks Tavern, it is now owned and is being restored by the Ortiz family.

Geography

Blountsville is located in northern Blount County, in the Blountsville Valley at the intersection of County Highway 26 and U.S. Highway 231. Route 231 leads south to

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

and to Oneonta, the county seat, and north to

Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...

. Alabama Highway 79 runs through the southern corner of Blountsville, leading northeast to

Guntersville Guntersville (previously known as Gunter's Ferry and later Gunter's Landing) is a city and the county seat of Marshall County, Alabama, Marshall County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of th ...

and southwest to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Blountsville has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.27%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,826 people, 702 households, and 486 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,684 people, 654 households, and 439 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 791 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 87.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 1.0% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.9%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 8.8% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 15.3% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 654 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.16. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,238, and the median income for a family was $41,042. Males had a median income of $23,839 versus $24,940 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,372. About 13.0% of families and 18.2% 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 ...

, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

J.B. Pennington High School (PHS) and Blountsville Elementary School (BES), the town's only two schools, are located in the center of Blountsville. They are both in the Blount County School District.

Attractions

The Freeman House, built circa 1825, was damaged by a storm, and the two-story brick dwelling was rebuilt, using the same bricks, into a one story. The porches face the historic Meat Cabin Road, and the other porch faces U.S. Highway 231. The structure has been renovated by the Blountsville Historical Society and now serves as a museum and visitors' center. Several other buildings of the period have been added to the park and are furnished with period furnishings. The park is open to the public for tours. The Thomas Nation House, circa 1835, is now a ruin due to a storm that took all but one and one half walls down in 1998 before the house could be stabilized. The ruins can still be seen from U.S. Highway 231. Blountsville is also home to the Spring Valley Beach Water Park, one of the few

water park A water park (also waterpark, water world, or aquapark) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming ...

s in the lower Sand Mountain area. Spring Valley Beach contains one of the largest swimming pools in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and seven water slides. It is also home to the 360 Rush water slide, the only one of its kind in the world.

In popular culture

Blountsville was utilized for a 2025 video "213 Killed In How Do You Pronounce That?" from satirical news organization

The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is currently based in Chicago, but originated as a weekly print publication ...

under the name "Quioneboughe". The "report" covers a supposed mass casualty incident during a town festival, however nobody in the video is able to properly pronounce the town name, with the newscaster struggling to pronounce it, and supposed locals outright not attempting, instead referring to the town as "this place".

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Towns in Blount County, Alabama 1818 establishments in Alabama Territory Populated places established in 1818 Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama