Grove Hill is a town in
Clarke County, Alabama, United States. At the
2020 census, the population was 1,818. It is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Clarke County and home of the
Clarke County Museum.
History
The area that is now Grove Hill was originally inhabited by Creek and Choctaw Indians. During the
Creek War, settlers in the community sought protection in
Fort White. The county seat of Clarke County was established at what later became Grove Hill in 1832 as the spot was most central to the rest of the county. Known variously as Smithville, then Macon, the name Grove Hill was selected around 1850 for the large grove of oak trees on the plateau. The town was officially incorporated and chartered in 1929.
In 1853, a yellow fever epidemic struck the town, killing many residents, almost wiping out the town.
The Grove Hill area has numerous sites 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 ...
including the
Alston-Cobb House,
Bush House,
John A. Coate House,
Cobb House,
Dickinson House,
Fort Sinquefield, and the
Grove Hill Courthouse Square Historic District
The Grove Hill Courthouse Square Historic District is a historic district in Grove Hill, Alabama, United States. It is centered on the Clarke County Courthouse and the boundaries are roughly Cobb, Court, Jackson, and Main Streets. It featu ...
.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Climate
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 ...
, Grove Hill 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'').
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 1,818 people, 669 households, and 467 families residing in the town.
2010 census
As of the census
of 2010, there were 1,570 people, 615 households, and 402 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 56.6%
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 ...
, 41.3%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 0.5% from
other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 2.0% 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 582 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.3 males.
Education
Public Education is provided by the Clarke County School System. Located in Grove Hill are
Clarke County High School (grades 9 through 12), Wilson Hall Middle School (grades 5 through 8), and Grove Hill Elementary School (grades K though 4).
There is one private school in Grove Hill.
Clarke Preparatory School provides education for grades K through 12.
Media
Radio station
WBMH 106.1 FM (
Classic Country)
Notable people
*
Lemuel J. Alston,
U.S. Representative from
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
who lived in Grove Hill from 1816 until his death in 1836
*
Doug Barfield –
Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...
football coach
*
Zechariah Bettis, politician who served as the
Probate Judge of
Clarke County, Alabama
Clarke County is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 23,087. The county seat is Grove Hill, Alabama, Grove Hill. T ...
during 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 ...
*
John W. Cranford –
Representative for Texas.
*
Grant Gillis –
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player
*
Marc Keahey,
Democratic member of the
Alabama Senate
The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district con ...
, representing the 22nd district
*
F. David Mathews –
United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
*
Cliff Nobles – Pop musician
*
Wes Goodwin - Defensive Coordinator at Clemson
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Towns in Clarke County, Alabama
Towns in Alabama
County seats in Alabama
Populated places established in 1832
1832 establishments in Alabama