Wetumpka () is a city in and the county seat of Elmore 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. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,220. In the early 21st century, Elmore County became one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The city is considered part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Area. Wetumpka identifies as "The City of Natural Beauty". Among the notable landmarks are the Wetumpka crater and the Jasmine Hill Gardens, with a full-sized replica of the Temple of Hera of

Olympia, Greece Olympia ( ; ), officially Archaia Olympia ( ), is a small town in Elis (regional unit), Elis on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, famous for the nearby archaeological site of the same name. The site was a major Panhellenic sanctuary, Panhell ...

. Historic downtown Wetumpka developed on both sides of 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 ...

. It was near Fort Toulouse, built by French colonists in 1717, when they had claimed this territory for the king. In 2022, the city received worldwide ridicule after jailing two elderly women attempting to feed and neuter stray cats

Etymology

The placename ''Wetumpka'' is derived from the Muscogee Creek Native American language phrase ''we-wau'' ''tum-cau'' meaning "rumbling waters", believed to be a description of the sound of the nearby

at the rapids of the Devil's Staircase. The roar of the rapids reportedly could be heard for miles before the construction in the 20th century of Walter Bouldin Dam and Jordan Dam, when the river was captured as a reservoir behind the dam. After being forced west to

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

(present-day Oklahoma), by United States soldiers under the

Indian Removal Act The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was signed into law on May 28, 1830, by United States president Andrew Jackson. The law, as described by Congress, provided "for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or territories, ...

of 1830, the

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...

named their major settlement there Wetumka, after their historic village.

History

Wetumpka was long settled by the

people, whose territory extended through present-day Georgia and Alabama. Their largest towns were on the banks of the Coosa and at its confluence with the Tallapoosa River, at Wetumpka and ''Talisi'' (now Tallassee), respectively.

French and British colonization

After moving the 1702 settlement of Mobile to

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. T ...

in 1711,

Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville (; ; February 23, 1680 – March 7, 1767), also known as Sieur de Bienville, was a French-Canadian colonial administrator in New France. Born in Montreal, he was an early governor of Louisiana (New France) ...

sent an expedition up the

Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa River, Tallapoosa and Coosa River, Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka, Alabama, Wetumpka. Over a co ...

to establish a fort in the interior of the colony, known as La Louisiane or

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

, to stop the encroachment of British colonists and to foster trade and goodwill with the Creek. Bienville directed the construction of Fort Toulouse along the Coosa River in 1714, above the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers and the Creek village of ''Taskigi''. Bienville selected this area as a strategic locale for a fortification. The French traded at Wetumpka and garrisoned Fort Toulouse until 1763, when they ceded the territory to the British following defeat in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

(known as the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

in North America). For nearly a quarter century, the British had control of this area. Several Scots and Irish traders, such as McGillivray and Weatherford, were active in the region. They married into the Creek

matrilineal Matrilineality, at times called matriliny, is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which people identify with their matriline, their mother's lineage, and which can involve the inheritan ...

aristocracy and later claimed vast land grants. Their descendants became important Creek leaders because of their mothers' status.

United States rule

After Britain was defeated in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, it ceded its territory 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 in 1783. In 1798 the US made this area part of the

Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...

, after cessions from the states of

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

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 ...

. Between 1800 and 1812, European-American pioneers began to arrive, many with enslaved African-American laborers, and encroach on the lands of the Southeast Indian tribes. By the early 19th century, there were tensions among the Creek, with young men of the Upper Creek promoting a revival of religion and traditional culture, and the Lower Creek, more influenced by settlement and trade with European Americans in Georgia, becoming more assimilated. In addition, in 1811, the

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

chief

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

of the upper Northwest appealed to the Creek to join his

Western Confederacy The Northwestern Confederacy, or Northwestern Indian Confederacy, was a loose confederacy of Native Americans in the Great Lakes region of the United States created after the American Revolutionary War. Formally, the confederacy referred to it ...

to try to drive out and exterminate the European settlers west of the Appalachians. When the U.S. declared war on Britain in June 1812, the Upper Creek lost the assistance of the British, but they persisted with war against American settlers in the area. Upon receiving the news of the

massacre at Fort Mims A massacre is an event of killing people who are not engaged in hostilities or are defenseless. It is generally used to describe a targeted killing of civilians en masse by an armed group or person. The word is a loan of a French term for "b ...

, whose refugees included many Lower Creek, American settlers appealed for government help. General

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

led a militia with members from

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 ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, and Georgia and attacked the Creek in Alabama. The path the militia traveled became known as "Jackson's Trace". Jackson's forces won a decisive victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. He moved on to Fort Toulouse, where he directed its repair. During his absence, the site was renamed Fort Jackson in his honor. Jackson made the fort his headquarters during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. The newly created Montgomery County held its courts there. The defeated Creek were forced to sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814), which ceded to the United States of Creek lands: much of the remainder of their territory in Georgia and most of central Alabama. After the war, many of Jackson's Tennessee militia returned home, collected their families and belongings, and brought them back to settle near the fort.

Growth and incorporation

Settlers, mostly from Georgia and

the Carolinas The Carolinas, also known simply as Carolina, are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean ...

, flooded into the fertile land that the Creeks had been forced to give up. With its strategic location at the river confluence, Wetumpka quickly became an important center of agricultural trade. The city was formally incorporated in 1834.

Cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

was the commodity crop of the new state of Alabama, with cultivation of short-staple cotton in the upland areas made possible by

Eli Whitney Eli Whitney Jr. (December 8, 1765January 8, 1825) was an American inventor, widely known for inventing the cotton gin in 1793, one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution that shaped the economy of the Antebellum South. Whitney's ...

's invention of the

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...

, which reduced the labor of processing. From the scattered fields and large plantations worked by

slave labor Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

in the interior, cotton was carted overland to Wetumpka. At the

fall line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is noticeable especially the place rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the ...

of the Coosa River, the port shipped out cotton bales by

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

s which went downriver to the markets at Mobile for sale. Wetumpka became a cotton boom town. The new city was divided in half. The part on the eastern bank of the river was commercial, with banks, stores, and hotels, and was located in Coosa County. The western section in Autauga County was residential, with houses and churches laid out on a grid pattern of streets. By 1836, the city's population was 1,200.

Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper (publisher), Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many su ...

asserted that "Wetumpka, Alabama and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois are the most promising two cities of the West. The city commissioned a steamboat, ''The Coosa Belle'', to ferry passengers and cotton between Wetumpka and Mobile. The same forces contributing to Wetumpka's growth were shifting the balance of power within Alabama. A standoff between the farmers of the

Tennessee Valley The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to north Alabama and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North C ...

, centered in the former capital of Huntsville, and the old mercantile wealth of Mobile, had resulted in the capital being located for many years at Tuscaloosa. By 1845, the cotton planters in the interior Black Belt had become some of the wealthiest in the country, and power was shifting toward the southern and central part of the state. Both the Black Belt cotton barons and the Mobilians wanted the capital moved. Compromise indicated a new, centrally located capital, accessible by river and by steamboat. The lead contenders were Wetumpka (then straddling old Autauga and Coosa Counties) and the newer city of Montgomery (in Montgomery County), a few miles south. Neither city had a majority of support; representatives from north Alabama, enraged that the capital was being moved from Tuscaloosa, were indifferent to either site. Just before the vote, Montgomery lured an expensive French chef to the new hotel that had been built to house the state's representatives if Montgomery were selected. The city distributed elegant menus to the statesmen. The promise of luxury swayed the vote, and Montgomery won. That same year, a fire broke out in Wetumpka, burning warehouses and many commercial buildings. The charred bricks were carried downriver to Montgomery to supply the building boom in Alabama's new capital.

War and flood

Though their civic pride was wounded by losing the capital to Montgomery, Wetumpka's planters and merchants continued to flourish throughout the

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

period. They promoted a plan to build a lock and dam so that boats would be able to pass above the

Fall Line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is noticeable especially the place rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the ...

and travel up the Coosa as far as

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statist ...

. One famous resident was William Lowndes Yancey, a firebrand newspaper editor and statesman who was an influential advocate of

states' rights In United States, American politics of the United States, political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments of the United States, state governments rather than the federal government of the United States, ...

, slavery, and Southern

secession 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 ...

. In February 1861, representatives from seven Southern states met in Montgomery to form the Confederate government, inaugurating

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

as their president on the steps of the Alabama state capitol. The first six states to secede were those whose residents owned the most slaves in the South. The same year saw the majority of Wetumpka's male population going off to war. Wetumpka was never harmed by Federal troops. No Union troops entered the area until early 1865, and they were driven to reach Montgomery to punish the former Confederate capital before the war ended. Veterans of the war returned to a city and a region whose economy had been completely destroyed. In 1866, a

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

government drew up a new plan of counties for the state, and Elmore County was created out of parts of Coosa, Autauga, and Montgomery counties, with Wetumpka as its county seat. ( Rockford was chosen as seat of the "new" Coosa County.) Despite this, the city's future seemed grim. Before the war (in 1850), the population had reached 3,824 to become the 3rd largest city in the state (behind Mobile and Montgomery). By 1870 it had 1,137 residents (with Black residents outnumbering Whites by a margin of 594 to 543); in 1880, 816 residents; by 1890, it had declined to 619, and would bottom out at 562 in 1900. Not until 1950 would it return to the population it had a century earlier (with 3,813 residents). In 1886, the worst flood in city history inundated the west bank and most of downtown. The bridge connecting the city's two halves was washed away, and more than a year passed before it was replaced.

Lynchings

A number of

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 ...

s took place in and around Wetumpka during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The largest lynching took place on June 17, 1898, when a mob of 500 described as "some of the best and most prominent citizens of Elmore and Coosa counties" stormed the county jail where Solomon Jackson, Camp Reese, Louis Spier and Jesse Thompson were being held.The lynching of Robin White and the confession of George Howard
by Brian Lyman, ''The Montgomery Advertiser'', April 24, 2018. A few prominent citizens and a Methodist minister tried talking the mob away from violence but they were unsuccessful. The sheriff had hidden the jail keys so that the mob couldn't get into the cells but they took a crowbar and took the cell doors off of their hinges and kidnapped the four men. The mob originally planned to burn them alive but thought that troops would intervene, so instead the men were hanged.

Progress

The first paved road linking Wetumpka with Montgomery was completed in 1924. Montgomery continued to grow during the two World Wars because of military spending in the region and the growth of the state government. By the 1950s, the ubiquity of the automobile allowed Wetumpka's residents to commute daily to Montgomery for work.

"Cat Ladies"

In 2022, two women were arrested and charged for feeding feral cats, which is not a crime in Wetumpka. City Judge Jeff Courtney sentenced Beverly Roberts, 85, and Mary Alston, 61, each to two years of unsupervised probation and 10 days in jail. The jail sentence was suspended. They were also ordered to each pay $100 in fines, plus court costs. After sentencing the women appealed to the Elmore County Circuit Court, at which point the city decided to no longer pursuing criminal charges.Wetumpka no longer pursuing charges against 'cat ladies'
by Marty Roney, The Montgomery Advertiser, April 12, 2023. The arrests generated worldwide media coverage and opposition and resulted in Wetumpka being called a "national laughing stock. If not international." Roberts and Alston were later named "community heroes" by The Montgomery Advertiser for helping feral cats in Wetumpka. They were also featured on an episode of

A&E Networks A&E Television Networks, LLC, doing business as A+E Global Media (formerly A+E Networks) is an American multinational broadcasting company owned and operated as a 50–50 joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company th ...

' show "My Strange Arrest". Roberts and Alston alleged that "small-town politics" were behind what happened, saying that Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis "ordered Roberts' arrest because she had a history of making complaints about animal welfare matters in the city."Alabama cat ladies say they're living nightmare over love of animals
by Alex Gladden, Montgomery Advertiser, December 21, 2022.

Geography

Wetumpka is located southwest of the center of Elmore County at (32.540972, −86.207726), and sits on both sides of the

northeast of its confluence with the Tallapoosa River, where they merge to become the

. The city is situated astride the

, where the Appalachian foothills give way to the flat

Gulf Coastal Plain The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico. This coastal plain reaches from the Florida Panhandle, southwest Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the southern two-thirds of Alabama, over m ...

. The city is located along many major US and state routes, notably

U.S. Route 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway System, U.S highway that is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31, US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 in Indiana, US&nbs ...

, which runs east of downtown, leading north to Rockford and south to downtown Montgomery. Alabama State Route 14 runs west to east through the downtown area, leading east to Tallassee and southwest to Prattville. Other state highways that run through the city include Alabama State Route 9 and Alabama State Route 170. Downtown Wetumpka covers two city blocks, and is bordered on the northwest by the Coosa River. The

Bibb Graves David Bibb Graves (April 1, 1873 – March 14, 1942) was an American United States Democratic Party, Democratic politician and the List of governors of Alabama, 38th governor of Alabama 1927–1931 and 1935–1939, the first Alabama governor to ...

Bridge crosses the river here, and is the city's most recognizable landmark. Directly across the bridge are the city's three antebellum churches, the First Methodist, First Presbyterian, and First Baptist. On January 19, 2019, a tornado destroyed the First Presbyterian church and badly damaged the first Baptist church. 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 ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.66%, is water.

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, Wetumpka 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 7,220 people, 2,917 households, and 2,008 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,528 people and 2,206 households residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,139 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 64.88%

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 ...

, 32.83%

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 ...

, 0.40% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.07%

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 ...

, 1.38% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 2.32% 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 1,797 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.97. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 36.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 62.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 54.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,536, and the median income for a family was $41,500. Males had a median income of $32,403 versus $23,234 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,729. About 7.7% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Culture, natural history, and recreation

Wetumpka on TV

In July 2020, Wetumpka was chosen out of 2,600 towns to be featured on

HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. HGTV Dream Home is an ...

's 8-episode ''Home Town Takeover'', which started airing May 2, 2021. The series follows the efforts of Ben and Erin Napier of HGTV's '' Home Town'' (set in

Laurel, Mississippi Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161. Laurel is northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county ...

) to help revitalize Wetumpka by renovating 12 buildings and public spaces.

Wetumpka in movies

Four major films have been filmed on location in downtown Wetumpka. *'' The Grass Harp'' (1995) *'' The Rosa Parks Story'' (2002) *''

Big Fish ''Big Fish'' is a 2003 American fantasy drama film directed by Tim Burton. It is based on the 1998 novel '' Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions'' by Daniel Wallace. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange ...

'' (2003) *'' Son of the South'' (2020)

Wetumpka meteor crater

Wetumpka is the home of "Alabama's greatest natural disaster". A

meteorite A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...

, estimated to be wide, hit the area about 80 million years ago. The hills just east of downtown showcase the eroded remains of a

impact crater An impact crater is a depression (geology), depression in the surface of a solid astronomical body formed by the hypervelocity impact event, impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal c ...

that was blasted into the bedrock, with the area labeled the Wetumpka crater or

astrobleme An impact structure is a generally circular or craterlike geologic structure of deformed bedrock or sediment produced by impact on a planetary surface, whatever the stage of erosion of the structure. In contrast, an impact crater is the surface ...

("star-wound") for the concentric rings of fractures and zones of shattered rock that can be found beneath the surface."Wetumpka Impact Crater"
Wetumpka Public Library, accessed August 21, 2007. In 2002,

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 ...

researchers published evidence and established the site as an internationally recognized impact crater. Scientists have estimated that the energy released by the impact was over 175,000 times the energy of the

nuclear bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

detonated at Hiroshima, Japan in 1945.

Jasmine Hill Gardens

This outdoor museum was built in the 1930s on the estate of the Fitzpatrick family, who spent many years in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

collecting replicas of ancient statuary to adorn their formal gardens at Jasmine Hill. The gardens are closed and will not re-open; they had several attractions including a full-sized replica of the Temple of Hera at Olympia.

Outdoor recreation

Wetumpka and the Coosa River annually play host to the Coosa River Challenge, which began in 2003 and regularly draws 150 to 200 participants. The race, a modified

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the ...

, starts at the Swayback Bridge Trail with a cross country run, a

mountain bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling (''mountain biking''). Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in r ...

leg, and

paddling Paddling, in regard to waterborne transport, is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using at least one hand-held paddle. The paddle, which consists of one or two blades joined to a shaft, is also used to steer the vessel via generatin ...

on the Coosa River to finish at Goldstar Park in downtown Wetumpka. The Swayback Bridge Trail is home to the annual mountain bike race, "Attack on Swayback". Wetumpka is popular with white water sports enthusiasts, attracting paddlers from all over the country. The city hosts the annual Coosa River Whitewater Festival, and was the site of the 2005 U.S. Freestyle Kayaking Nationals. The Coosa River Paddling Club has constructed Corn Creek Park, which offers public access to the river, along with nature and walking trails.

Christmas on the Coosa

Christmas on the Coosa is an annual series of events held in during the month of December. The event location is the Bibb Graves Memorial Bridge. The main event is the fireworks display and boat show held on the

. Observers watch from the Bibb Graves Memorial Bridge as a parade of boats decorated with Christmas lights float down the river under the bridge as fireworks go off. This is a unique experience due to the glow of fireworks illuminating the night sky as well as the placid river surface. A host of events proceeds the river show such as Miss Christmas on the Coosa Pageant, Pictures with Santa, tree lighting, and other events centralized around the city's Gold State Park.

Poarch Creek casino

The

Poarch Band of Creek Indians The Poarch Band of Creek Indians ( ;) are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans with reservation lands in lower Alabama. As Mvskoke people, they speak the Muscogee language. They were formerly known as the Creek Nation East of the Mi ...

, the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama, have built a

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

on land abutting the city. The tribe have announced plans for a major expansion of the casino to include a $246 million hotel, a second casino, and many other attractions in the complex as well. The new casino complex will employ over 1,000 people and have a 20-story, 285-room hotel named Wind Creek Wetumpka.

Government and infrastructure

The

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

operates the Wetumpka Post Office. The Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women of the Alabama Department of Corrections is in Wetumpka. The prison houses Alabama's female

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...

. Wetumpka was previously the site of the Wetumpka State Penitentiary.ADOC History
." Alabama Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 6, 2010. In 2022, the Wetumpka Police Department handcuffed and arrested a group of elderly ladies for feeding stray cats in a city park. They were convicted and sentenced by local judge Jeff Courtney. The case is now under appeal.

Education

The city is within the Elmore County Public School System. Public schools include Wetumpka Elementary School, Wetumpka Middle School, Wetumpka High School, and Redland Elementary School. Wetumpka Middle School was formed by a merger of Wetumpka Intermediate School and Wetumpka Junior High School.Montgomery and Elmore County Schools Moving Forward with Building Plans

Notable people

* James Anderson, actor, ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a 1960 Southern Gothic novel by American author Harper Lee. It became instantly successful after its release; in the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' ...

'' * William B. Bryant,

United States federal judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. S ...

from 1965 to 2005 * James Daniel,

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

coach for

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

* John Kelly Fitzpatrick, painter * Hanley Funderburk, president of

from 1980 to 1983 and president of

Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. It also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, and Manchester and offers over 40 online undergraduate and graduate options. History Founding ...

from 1984 to 1998 * Robert D. Glass, first African American justice of the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit i ...

from 1987 to 1992 * Lewis Jackson, head basketball coach of Alabama State University * Jean Baptiste Louis DeCourtel Marchand, French soldier who died in Wetumpka; great-grandfather of Creek leader William Weatherford and great-uncle of

Alexander McGillivray Alexander McGillivray, also known as ''Hoboi-Hili-Miko'' (December 15, 1750February 17, 1793), was a Muscogee (Creek) leader. The son of a Muscogee mother, Sehoy II, and a Scottish father, Lachlan McGillivray, he was literate and received a ...

, also a Creek chief * Jason McLaughlin,

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player * Charles McMorris, US vice admiral * Benjamin White Norris, congressman from 1868 to 1869 * Frank Oliver, former NFL

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 ...

* Blake Percival,

whistleblower Whistleblowing (also whistle-blowing or whistle blowing) is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical or ...

Jim Rogers James Beeland Rogers Jr. (born October 19, 1942) is an American investor and financial commentator based in Singapore. He is the chairman of Beeland Interests, Inc. He was the co-founder of the Quantum Fund and Soros Fund Management. He was a ...

, businessman and author * Jason Sanford, science-fiction author * Elizabeth Spiers, writer and editor * Monica Lisa Stevenson, gospel musician *

Channing Tatum Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor and producer. He made his film debut in the drama ''Coach Carter'' (2005), and had his Breakthrough role, breakthrough with the sports comedy film ''She's the Man'' (2006) and t ...

, actor, born in Cullman, spent part of childhood in Wetumpka and has family in area * Tevin Washington, football player,

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

* Thomas Williams, congressman from 1879 to 1885 *

Jamie Winborn Jamie Winborn (born May 14, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played col ...

, pro football player * Jessica Meuse, finished in fourth place on the thirteenth season of American Idol * William Lowndes Yancey, Confederate politician and diplomat * John Q. Loomis, Confederate army officer

Buildings

File:Elmore County Alabama Courthouse.JPG, The Elmore County Courthouse is located at 100 E Commerce St. in Wetumpka. File:Wetumpka Alabama City Hall.JPG, Wetumpka City Hall is located at 212 S. Main Street. File:Wetumpka Alabama Post Office.JPG, The Wetumpka Post Office is located at 216 W. Fort Toulouse Rd. File:First Methodist Wetumpka Sept10 01.jpg, First United Methodist Church of Wetumpka. Placed 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 ...

on February 15, 1973. File:Wetumpka L&N Depot Sept10 03.jpg, The Wetumpka L&N Depot was built in 1906 and placed on the

on July 1, 1975. File:First Presbyterian Wetumpka Sept10 01.jpg, First Presbyterian Church of Wetumpka. Placed on the

on October 8, 1976. File:First Baptist Wetumpka Sept10 03.jpg, First Baptist Church of Wetumpka. Placed on the

on October 24, 2008. File:Abel Hagerty House Wetumpka, AL.JPG, The Abel Hagerty House. Placed on the

on January 14, 2008. File:Julia Tutwiler Prison Wetumpka Alabama.JPG, Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women is a maximum security prison located along U.S. Highway 231 in Wetumpka. file:FRONT AND SIDE VIEW, S.E. - J. Bruce Airey House, 1202 West Tuskeena Street, Wetumpka, Elmore County, AL HABS ALA,26-WETU,10-1.tif , John Bruce Airey House, 1202 West Tuskeena Street. John Bruce Airey (9 February 1880 – 3 January 1968) was born in Evergreen, Conecuh, Alabama. His father was John D Airey and his mother was Elizabeth Mary Lock. He died in Wetumpka. file:CLOSE- UP OF FRONT PORCH, FACES EAST - Kelly Fitzpatrick House, Autauga Street, Wetumpka, Elmore County, AL HABS ALA,26-WETU,2-3.tif, Kelly Fitzpatrick House, Autauga Street. John Kelly Fitzpatrick (15 August 1888 – 18 April 1953) was born in Alabama. His father was Phillips Fitzpatrick and his mother was Jennie Lovedy Kelly. He died in Wetumpka. file:CLOSE- UP OF FRONT OF HOUSE FACES E. - Bates-Jesse House, 311 Government Street, Wetumpka, Elmore County, AL HABS ALA,26-WETU,3-3.tif, Paul M. Bates House, Mrs. Mary Jesse House (Bates-Jesse House; ca. 1830), 311 Government StreetBates-Jesse House, 311 Government Street, Wetumpka, Elmore County, AL
/ref> file:VIEW IN DINING ROOM SHOWING JAPANESE CHINA CLOSET, S.W. - John Bullard House, Harrogate Springs Road vicinity, Wetumpka, HABS ALA,26-WETU.V,1-3.tif, John Bullard House (1823), Harrogate Springs Road John Bullard , SAH ARCHIPEDIA
/ref> File:Benjamin Fitzpatrick House Wetumpka Sept10.jpg,

Benjamin Fitzpatrick Benjamin Fitzpatrick (June 30, 1802 – November 21, 1869) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Alabama, 11th Governor of Alabama and as a United States Senate, United States Senator from that state. He was a Democrat ...

House in Wetumpka, Tuskeena Street District is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. File:400 E Tallassee Street Wetumpka Sept10.jpg, House, 400 E Tallassee Street, Tuskeena Street District is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. File:307 NW Main Street Wetumpka Sept10.jpg, House, 307 NW Main Street File:Florence Bateman House Wetumpka Sept10.jpg, Florence Bateman House (Bates-Jesse House), 311 Government Street File:McCowen House Wetumpka Sept10.jpg, McCowen House

References

External links

City of Wetumpka official website

WetumpkaOnline
*
Elmore County Economic Development Authority (ECEDA)

Wetumpka City Pages

Wetumpka Public Library

{{authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Elmore County, Alabama County seats in Alabama Montgomery metropolitan area Populated places established in 1834 French-American culture in Alabama Lynching deaths in Alabama 1834 establishments in Alabama Alabama placenames of Native American origin Racially motivated violence against African Americans in Alabama