Eufaula is the largest city in

Barbour County, Alabama Barbour County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,223. Its county seat is Clayton. Its largest city is Eufaula. Its name is in honor of James Barbour, who served ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census the city's population was 13,137.

History

The site along the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

that is now modern-day Eufaula was occupied by three Muscogee Creek

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

s, including the Eufaulas. By the 1820s the land was part of the Creek Indian Territory and supposedly off-limits to white settlement. By 1827 enough illegal white settlement had occurred that the Creeks appealed to the federal government for protection of their property rights. In July of that year, federal troops were sent to the Eufaula area to remove the settlers by force of arms, a conflict known as the "Intruders War". The Creeks signed the Treaty of Washington in 1826, ceding most of their land in Georgia and eastern Alabama to the United States, but it was not fully effective in practice until the late 1820s. The 1832

Treaty of Cusseta The Treaty of Cusseta was a treaty between the government of the United States and the Creek Nation signed March 24, 1832 (). The treaty ceded all Creek claims east of the Mississippi River to the United States. Origins The Treaty of Cusset ...

, by which the Creeks ceded all land east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

to the United States, allowed white settlers to legally buy land from the Creek. However, the treaty's terms did not require any natives to relocate. By 1835 the land on which the town was built had been mostly purchased by white settlers, and had a store, owned in part by William Irwin, after whom the new settlement was named "Irwinton". By the mid 1830s downtown Irwinton was platted out and development was well underway. Much of its historic character has been preserved and is now known as the Seth Lore and Irwinton Historic District. In 1842 or 1843 Irwinton was renamed "Eufaula", possibly to end postal confusion ensuing from its proximity to Irwinton, Georgia. The town was officially incorporated under that name in 1857. In 1850

secessionist Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

s in the town formed a vigilante committee which terrorized any white people who had

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

sympathies. Thus captain Elisha Bett was driven from the town and only returned after he had signed a written agreement not to express his views again. Significant numbers of Jewish settlers came to Eufaula in the middle of the nineteenth century from Germany and from neighboring states. The community founded a cemetery; the first burial took place in 1845. By the late 1850s, Eufaula's advantageous location on the Chattahoochee made it a major shipping center for cargo bound for the Port of Apalachicola and, from there, to major world markets such as

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. By this time, planning for the Montgomery and Eufaula Railroad, which was to include a new bridge over the Chattahoochee, was well underway. By November 1859 the railroad company authorized its president to purchase slaves worth $150,000 to use for the construction of the railroad. Grading for the track bed began in January 1860. By 1861, when it had become clear that the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

was imminent, work on the railroad was suspended to allow the laborers to lay track between

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, and

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, to facilitate the transport of Confederate troops to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. Work on the railroad was resumed after the war, and, in October 1871, the tracks finally reached the city limits of Eufaula and a depot agent, John O. Martin, was appointed to run that terminal station.

The Civil War in Eufaula

Very little is known about the history of Eufaula during the

because very few contemporary records or newspapers survive. Alabama seceded from the United States on January 11, 1861. By the end of the month a military encampment was founded at Eufaula with soldiers ready to decamp to Fort Pickens or elsewhere as needed at the onset of hostilities. Ultimately six companies of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

(CSA) were raised at Eufaula and Barbour County. One of these was the Eufaula Zouaves, one of dozens of military units on both sides that adopted that name, patterning their uniforms and

order of battle Order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed force. Various abbr ...

after the French light infantry units on which they were modeled. The CSA operated a military hospital in Eufaula during the conflict. Eufaula's strategic position on the Chattahoochee river involved it in the naval component of the Confederate war effort, and at least one

ironclad warship An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The firs ...

was constructed in the city. By April 1865, the Union Army had occupied

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...

, and plans were made to move the Alabama state government to Eufaula should Montgomery fall to Federal troops. Montgomery was captured on April 12 and governor Thomas H. Watts, with other state officials, fled to Eufaula, establishing what the '' New York Daily Tribune'' called "the fugitive seat of Government of Alabama". On April 29, 1865, Union general Benjamin Grierson had reached Clayton, Alabama, and word had finally made it to Eufaula that the war was over. The mayor of Eufaula and some members of the city council rode over to Clayton to escort Grierson into Eufaula, thus ensuring a generally peaceful transition to Federal control of the city. Eufaula was the site of what may have been the last battle of the Civil War. On May 19, 1865, at Hobdy's Bridge near Eufaula a Confederate detachment attacked a 44-man detachment from companies C and F of the Union's 1st Florida Cavalry Regiment, resulting in one soldier killed and three wounded. By May 1865 the '' Daily Intelligencer'' of Atlanta reported that 10,000 Union troops had occupied Eufaula. In the immediate aftermath of the occupation there was a food riot and an "attempt to illegally distribute the public stores". By the end of May Eufaula was sufficiently pacified that a special agent of the

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

was able to deliver mail from

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, to the town via

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

, without need for any of the twenty-five armed guards he had brought with him to defend him with violence.

Reconstruction in Eufaula

By August 1865 cotton shipping out of Eufaula was increasing again, mostly in barter for household goods, which were arriving by ship in increasing quantities. However, the quantity of cotton being shipped out was nowhere near antebellum levels, and ships bound for Apalachicola were far below capacity. In November 1865 the Federal garrison that had been occupying Eufaula was relieved of duty by two companies of the 8th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment, whose commander, John Bell, assured the citizens that they would not "be disturbed in their lawful business." In March 1867, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

passed the first of four Reconstruction Acts and the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

began in earnest. Alabama, and therefore Eufaula, was placed in the Third Military District under the command of General John Pope. By the time the first elections were held under the new regime, in October 1867, Barbour County had about 5,000 registered voters, with about 1,500 white and 3,500 black. Municipal elections were held in March 1870 and white candidates won all offices except for the two fourth (of four) ward positions as aldermen, which were won by black candidates Washington Burke and Melvin Patterson. Election officials set aside Burke's and Patterson's victories for election fraud and replaced them with their white competitors R. A. Solo and T. E. Morgan as fourth ward aldermen. In the same election a radical republican candidate named Keills won the post of City Court Judge. According to the '' Mobile Register'', Keills's "election turned upon sectional differences. The negroes made their usual noisy demonstrations, marching in from the country with

fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

and drum." On November 3, 1874, members of the White League instigated the Election Riot of 1874 in Eufaula on election day, massacring at least 7 black Republicans, shooting at least 70 more, and preventing over 1,000 others from voting. They hijacked the vote count, fraudulently electing white candidates by excluding votes cast by blacks. Federal officials attempted to hold the white mob members accountable, but police falsely charged and convicted a witness with perjury, intimidating other witnesses. By 1876, with Reconstruction ended and black voters intimidated with

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of i ...

, there were just 10 black voters in the city, compared to 1,200 in February 1874. By 1866 there was a general movement of black Baptists to separate from the white churches and form their own congregations. Black Baptists applied for permission to separate in May 1866. The permission was granted, and, after negotiations, the black Baptists were allowed to purchase an old church building to house their own congregation. This congregation formed the basis of the Eufaula Association, one of two black Baptist associations formed in Alabama prior to the founding of the state association of black Baptist churches in 1868. By 1869 the site for the new white First Baptist Church of Eufaula had been purchased and $16,000 out of an estimated $25,000 necessary for its construction had been raised.

Civil rights movement

Eufaula housing case

For a number of years after the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

'', which overturned '' Plessy v. Ferguson'' by declaring racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional, the schools in Eufaula remained unintegrated. In 1955 the Eufaula Housing Authority sought to use

eminent domain Eminent domain, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...

to condemn land on which a number of black families had lived since emancipation in order to build public housing, a park, and an expansion of the white high school. The residents of the neighborhood, surrounded on all sides by white areas, thought that the city's motive was actually to keep their children out of a newly built high school once the now-inevitable racial integration occurred. In 1958 civil rights attorneys Fred Gray and Constance Baker Motley filed a suit in the U.S. District court claiming that their clients' constitutional rights were being violated by the plan. The federal case was dismissed, but Gray (now appearing without Motley) appealed to the Alabama Circuit Court, where the case was heard by then-judge

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...

. As before, Gray claimed that since the new development would allow white residents only, their civil rights were being violated by the City. Although his appeal of the constitutional issue was unsuccessful, Gray also appealed the city's valuations of his clients' properties and, arguing before all-white juries in Wallace's court, managed in most of the cases to win much higher prices.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

After the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

sent federal observers into 24 southern counties to enforce its provisions regarding voter registration for the Fall 1965 elections. Many of these counties saw a significant increase in black registration, but Eufaula, not having federal supervision, had comparatively low rates. For instance, on August 16, 1965, 600 black citizens waited in line at the County courthouse in Eufaula to register, but by the time the office closed, only 265 had managed to fill out the paperwork. In 1966 the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) responded by appointing a local Eufaulan, Daddy Bone, to organize voter registration drives in Eufaula. Bone initiated a series of nonviolent protests and boycotts of local stores that refused to hire blacks which attracted SNCC supporters from around the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

. The city of Eufaula, under some pressure from the businessmen whose stores were targeted, passed anti-picketing laws and began arresting demonstrators ''en masse'' for violating them. Bone brought in civil rights lawyer S. S. Seay to defend the protestors, who were mostly convicted, and in such numbers as to overwhelm the county jail.

School integration

In July 1968 the

filed suit against 76 Alabama school districts, including that of Eufaula, in an attempt to bring them into compliance with ''Brown v. Board of Education''. Schools in Eufaula remained segregated by race until the fall of 1966 and the first blacks graduated with the senior class of 1967. After integration began the school stopped sponsoring social events, such as proms although unofficial segregated events were still held. By 1990, students at Eufaula High School had begun pressuring school officials to allow them to hold integrated proms, and the first such was held in 1991 without incident.

Other recent history

In 1963, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created Walter F. George Lake (unofficially named Lake Eufaula) behind the lock and dam of Fort Gaines, Georgia, once again assuring Eufaula's importance as an inland port. In the early 1960s, the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

set up an Aids to Navigation Team in Eufaula that is still active today servicing from

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

, to

Apalachicola, Florida Apalachicola ( ) is a city and the county seat of Franklin County, Florida, United States, on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,341 at the 2020 census. History The Apalachicola Province, a ...

, and the Flint River. In 1964, the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge was established along Lake Walter F. George to serve and protect many endangered and threatened species such as the American

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

, the American alligator, the wood stork and the

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

. The refuge is a major tourist attraction for visitors from around the country. On March 3, 2019, a tornado hit the city as part of a larger tornado outbreak. On March 31, 2020, another tornado struck the city. There were no reports of fatalities or injuries. Eufaula has never had an African American mayor. Jack Tibbs Jr. won his third term as mayor in 2020.

Geography

Eufaula is located at 31°53'21.732" North, 85°9'13.586" West (31.889370, -85.153774). The city is located along U.S. Highways 82 and 431 in southeast Alabama on the Georgia state line, adjacent to the city of Georgetown, Georgia, which is east across the

from the city. U.S. 431 runs through the city from north to south as Eufaula Avenue, leading north to Phenix City and southwest to Dothan. U.S. 82 runs from west to east through the city, concurrent with U.S. 431 through the northern part of the city until it reaches the downtown area, where it then runs east-west as Barbour Street. U.S. 82 leads southeast to

Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne () ( – 20 March 687) was a saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Hiberno-Scottish mission, Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monastery, monasteries of Melrose Abbey#Histo ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and northwest to Union Springs. Montgomery, the state capital, is located to the northwest via U.S. 82. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (19.13%) is water. It sits on a reservoir called Walter F. George Lake, or Lake Eufaula to locals.

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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Eufaula has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,882 people, 4,969 households, and 3,215 families residing in the city.

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 13,137 people, 5,237 households, and 3,630 families residing in the city. There were 5,829 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 51.0%

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 ...

, 44.6%

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 ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2%

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 ...

, 2.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. 4.3% 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 5,237 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% 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, 22.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population's age was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,025, and the median income for a family was $44,234. Males had a median income of $37,985 versus $23,890 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 city was $17,515. About 18.0% of families and 23.2% 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 32.8% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Eufaula is served by Eufaula City Schools which has two elementary schools. It has a middle school, Admiral Moorer Middle School, named after Admiral Thomas Hinman Moorer. The local high school is Eufaula High School and their mascot is a tiger. It is also served by a private accredited school, Lakeside School. The Lakeside athletic teams are known as the Chiefs. Eufaula also has a smaller unaccredited school, Parkview Christian School. Eufaula was home to the Eufaula Female Academy, a

female seminary A female seminary is a Private school, private educational institution for women, popular especially in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when opportunities in Women's education in the United States, educational in ...

founded in 1844.

Culture and recreation

Historic buildings

Many of Eufaula's historic buildings are listed on 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 ...

. Other historic buildings include the Eufaula First United Methodist Church and the First Baptist Church of Eufaula. The Seth Lore and Irwinton Historic District, with 667 contributing properties, is the second-largest historic district in Alabama. The Shorter Mansion was built in 1884 by Eli Shorter and is recognized by the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

. The bottom floor is often host to many receptions and events, while the second floor serves as a museum honoring the six Alabama governors from Barbour County, as well as Admiral Thomas Moorer, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Holleman-Foy House is listed on the

. and stands in 215 W Broad St. The building was designed by

George Franklin Barber George Franklin Barber (July 31, 1854 – February 17, 1915) was an American architect known for the house designs he marketed worldwide through mail-order catalogs. Barber was one of the most successful residential architects of the late Vict ...

and built in 1907 for Judge Henry Holleman. According to the National Register of Historic Places nomination the house was published in the 5th edition of ''Modern Dwellings'' (1905) under the title "An Ideal Home". In 1909 the house was sold to William Foy. Fendall Hall, built from 1856 to 1860, is an

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

-style historic house museum owned and operated by the Alabama Historical Commission.

Sports

Lake Eufaula is known as the "Big Bass Capital of the World". Eufaula was home to a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team, the Eufaula Millers, in 1952 and 1953.

Movie location

In the 2002 film '' Sweet Home Alabama'', the historic homes shown in Melanie's (Reese Witherspoon) return to Pigeon Creek were shot in Eufaula.

Tree That Owns Itself

The Tree That Owns Itself is an oak tree in Eufaula that has been replaced several times. It was given the ownership of its land by the governor in 1936, with each of the two replacements receiving the ownership to the land too. Confederate soldier Captain John A. Walker previously owned the land.

Notable people

* Alpheus Baker, brigadier general in the

* Peyton Brown, model and Miss Alabama USA 2016 * Daryon Brutley, former professional football

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

* Edward Bullock, Confederate officer and two-term Alabama state senator * Frank Clark, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives * James S. Clark, speaker of the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

from 1987 to 1999 * S. Hubert Dent Jr., U.S. representative from 1909 to 1921 * Lula Mae Hardaway, mother of entertainer

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

* William Henry Harrison Hart, African American attorney * Bertha "B" Holt (born August 16, 1916), representative in the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

* Jerrel Jernigan, professional football player * Walter Kehoe, U.S. representative from Florida from 1917 to 1919 * Reuben Kolb, Alabama politician * Charles S. McDowell, tenth lieutenant governor of Alabama * Thomas Hinman Moorer,

chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

and

chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: appointment; gra ...

* Martha Reeves,

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

singer, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and Detroit city councilwoman * Walter Reeves (born December 15, 1965), professional football player * Simon F. Rothschild (1861–1936), merchant * Eli Sims Shorter, U.S. representative from 1855 to 1859 * John Gill Shorter, 17th

governor of Alabama A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

* Les Snead, general manager of the NFL

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

* Courtney Upshaw, professional football player * George Wallace Jr., former Alabama public service commissioner and state treasurer * Dave Watson, former professional football

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

* Edwin "Pa" Watson, U.S. Army major general, friend and senior aide to President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

* Xavier Woodson-Luster, professional football player * Hunter Wyatt-Brown, former bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Harrisburg (Central Pennsylvania)

Gallery

File:Eufaula Alabama Cotton Reeves Peanut Company.JPG, Reeves Peanut Company, the Renaissance Revival-style warehouse was built by the Eufaula Grocery Company in 1903. File:Eufaula Alabama Post Office 36027.JPG, Eufaula post office ( ZIP Code: 36027) File:WalterGeorgeLockandDam.jpg, The Walter F. George lock and dam which creates Lake Eufaula. File:2011.05.21.075809 E Broad St. Eufaula Alabama USA.jpg, Christie Pappas Building at E. Broad Street. File:Fendall Hall.jpg, Fendall Hall, built from 1856 to 1860, is an

-style historic house museum that is owned and operated by the Alabama Historical Commission. It was added to the

on July 28, 1970. File:The Tavern Eufaula Alabama.JPG, The Tavern was added to the

on October 6, 1970. File:Bray-Barron House Eufaula Alabama.JPG, The Bray-Barron House was added to the

on May 27, 1971. File:Lewis Llewellyn Cato House.jpg, The Lewis Llewellyn Cato House was added to the

on May 27, 1971. File:Sheppard Cottage Eufaula Alabama.JPG, Built in 1837, Sheppard Cottage is the oldest known residence in Eufaula. It was added to the

on May 27, 1971. File:McNab Bank Building Eufaula Alabama.JPG, The McNab Bank Building was added to the

on June 24, 1971. File:Wellborn Eufaula Alabama.jpg, The Wellborn-Thomas House was added to the

on July 14, 1971. File:Kendall Manor Eufaula Alabama.JPG, Kendall Manor was added to the

on January 14, 1972. File:Shorter Mansion 01.jpg, The Shorter Mansion was added to the

on January 14, 1972. File:Drewry-Mitchell-Moorer House Eufaula Alabama.JPG, The Drewry-Mitchell-Moorer House was added to the

on April 13, 1972. File:Gov Chauncy Sparks House Eufaula Alabama.JPG, The Sparks-Irby House was the home of the 44th Alabama governor, Chauncey Sparks and his sister, Mrs. Louise Sparks Flewellen. It was added to the

on June 28, 1972. File:2011.05.21.080356 N Eufaula Ave. Eufaula Alabama USA.jpg, The Seth Lore and Irwinton Historic District was added to the

on December 12, 1973. File:Kiels-McNab House Eufaula Alabama.JPG, The Kiels-McNab House was added to the

on January 21, 1982. File:Eglise-Presbyterienne-Eufaula-Alabama.JPG, First Presbyterian Church, completed in 1869. File:Eufaula Carnegie Library.JPG, The Eufaula Carnegie Library, built in 1904. File:Eufaula Alabama WWI Memorial.JPG, This statue of a WWI

doughboy "Doughboy" was a popular nickname for the American infantryman during World War I. Though the origins of the term are not certain, the nickname was still in use as of the early 1940s, when it was gradually replaced by " G.I." as the following ge ...

, with his arm outstretched, honors the men from Eufaula who perished in the war. It was erected and dedicated in 1920.

References

Literature

* Alsobrook, David Ernest. ''Southside: Eufaula's Cotton Mill Village and its People, 1890-1945.'' Mercer University Press.

External links

City WebpageEufaula Police Webpage

Eufaula PilgrimageEufaula City Schools

Eufaula TribuneCato-Thorne House
{{authority control Cities in Barbour County, Alabama Cities in Alabama Micropolitan areas of Alabama Populated places established in 1834 Alabama populated places on the Chattahoochee River 1834 establishments in Alabama Alabama placenames of Native American origin