Childersburg, Alabama
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Childersburg is a city in Talladega County in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
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 ...
. It was incorporated in 1889. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,754. It has a history dating back before 1540, when it was noted as a village of the Coosa Nation visited by the Spanish explorer
Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1497 – 21 May 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, ...
. It is said a member of De Soto’s crew fell ill and was left to settle in the area of present day Childersburg where the Coosa people cared for the ill explorer. The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant, important during World War II, was located north of Childersburg.


Geography

Childersburg is located at (33.275187, −86.353166). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.00%, is water. The city is located along the
Coosa River The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ac ...
in western Talladega County along US Routes 280 and 231. US 280 and 231 run northwest to southeast through the city, leading northwest 7 mi (11 km) to Harpersville, where they split, and US 280 continues 37 mi (60 km) 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 ...
. US 231/280 also run southeast 11 mi (18 km) to Sylacauga. Alabama Route 76 also runs through the city, leading east 10 mi (16 km) to Winterboro and southwest 7 mi (11 km) to Alabama Route 25 near Wilsonville.


Climate


History

Successive
indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
had lived in the area for thousands of years. In the 16th century, people identified as part of the Kymulga-phase culture (of the larger
Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a collection of Native American societies that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building la ...
) lived at Talisi, the former site of Childersburg. In the fall of 1540, the Spanish explorer
Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1497 – 21 May 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, ...
's expedition rested here for about one month during its exploration of the Southeast. Childersburg is the "oldest occupied settlement in America” The Abihka people (part of those who became known as the Muskogee or Creek) dominated the area by the 18th century. The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant, a
munitions Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of ...
plant, was established in Childersburg in 1941 and operated throughout
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
until August 1945. Operated by
DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
, the plant produced explosives, such as
nitrocellulose Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...
,
trinitrotoluene Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and help ...
(TNT), and dinitrotoluene (DNT).United States Army Environmental Center Base Closure Division
Site Management Plan; Alabama Army Ammunition Plant, Talladega County, Alabama
May 10, 1995. Pages 5–6.
The plant also secretly produced
heavy water Heavy water (deuterium oxide, , ) is a form of water (molecule), water in which hydrogen atoms are all deuterium ( or D, also known as ''heavy hydrogen'') rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope (, also called ''protium'') that makes up most o ...
to support the
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the ...
. In 1940 the town had about five hundred people. Over fourteen thousand workers came to build and later operate the new facility.


Demographics


2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 4,927 people living in the city, an increase over the 1990 population of 4,600. In 2000, there were 1,999 households and 1,419 families in the city. The population density was . There were 2,149 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 68.87% White, 29.73% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 1,999 households 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 27.4% of households were one person and 13.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98. The age distribution was 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males. The median household income was $23,932 and the median family income was $30,524. Males had a median income of $31,892 versus $20,569 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,412. About 20.7% of families and 23.8% 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 33.6% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.


2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 5,175 people, 2,090 households and 1,422 families in the city. The population density was . There were 2,356 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 60.1% White, 36.9% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 2,090 households 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 22.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.8% of households were one person and 11.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.04 The age distribution was 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% 65 or older. The median age was 36.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males. The median household income was $38,310 and the median family income was $41,646. Males had a median income of $43,333 versus $25,450 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,221. About 14.8% of families and 14.2% 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 18.4% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,754 people, 2,175 households, and 1,284 families residing in the city.


Recreation

There are ten golf courses in Childersburg and its immediate vicinity. Childersburg is home to the Childersburg Tigers. 1967, 1977, 2002, and 2007 Alabama Baseball State Champions. Childersburg has won numerous youth baseball state championships including Cal Ripken, Babe Ruth and most recently (2013) American Legion. DeSoto Caverns is also located in Childersburg.


Notable people

* L. Zenobia Coleman (1898–1999) - librarian * Walton Cruise, professional baseball player * Joshua B. Lee, represented
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
as a
United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from 1935 to 1937 and
United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from 1937 to 1943 * Robert Lee Rowe, mayor of
Melbourne, Florida Melbourne ( ) is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando, Florida, Orlando along Florida's Space Coast, named because of the region's proximity to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. The city ...
from 1927 to 1932 * A. J. Smitherman (1885–1961), lawyer, businessman and editor of the black-owned newspaper, ''Tulsa Star,'' which documented the Tulsa race massacre. * Gerald Wallace, professional basketball player * Zelous Wheeler, professional baseball player


Gallery

File:Historic Childersburg Alabama Bridge.JPG, Welcome to Historic Childersburg File:Childersburg Post Office 35044.JPG, Childersburg Post Office ( ZIP code: 35044) File:Earle A Rainwater Memorial Library Childersburg Alabama.JPG, Earle A. Rainwater Memorial Library File:KymulgaCB.jpg, The Kymulga Mill and Covered Bridge Park is located northeast of Childersburg on State Route 46. The site was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on October 29, 1976. File:Charles Butler House Childersburg Alabama.JPG, The Charles Butler House was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on February 26, 1996.


Transportation

Intercity bus service is provided by
Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...
.Childersburg, AL Greyhound Station
Intercity Bus Service


References


External links

*
Childersburg Chamber of Commerce

DeSoto Caverns Park
{{authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Talladega County, Alabama