Columbia, Alabama

Columbia, Alabama
FIPS code		01-16744
GNIS feature ID	0116457

Columbia is a rural town in

. At the 2010 census the population was 740, down from 804 in 2000.

Founded in 1820, Columbia served as a major trading center for communities throughout the

in 1833.

Bordering the

and was the center of education, culture, commerce, and trade. Columbia was the largest town in the area during the 19th century and remains one of the area's oldest continuously operating municipalities.

Columbia received its first cotton textile mill in 1891 and its first electric plant in 1892. A branch of the Henry County Courthouse was located here from 1889 until Columbia became part of Houston County in 1903. Columbia got electric street lights in 1900 and its first electric utility company in 1914.

At the turn of the 20th century, Columbia was bypassed by the Alabama Midland Railway in favor of Dothan. As the railroads continued to take freight trade away from the riverboats. Columbia's position as a principal trade center began to decline; however, Columbia sustained itself as a thriving farming community through the mid-20th century.^[3]

Erected sometime in the early 1860s, the Old Columbia Jail is today one of the last wooden jails still standing in Alabama. Originally, there were two cells, each measuring 10x15 feet. Interior walls are studded every two inches with iron spikes to prevent prisoners from being able to escape. The Columbia Women's Club and the Columbia Bicentennial Committee have completely renovated the building for use as a museum to preserve some of the articles of historical interest to Columbia citizens.^[4]

The Purcell-Killingsworth House, also known as "Traveler's Rest" was completed in 1890 by William Henry Purcell (1845–1910), a prominent Columbia business man and politician. Purcell had many business interests including a steamboat landing on the Chattahoochee River. This was the boyhood home of Bishop Clare Purcell (1884–1964) who, in 1955, was elected President of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, the highest place of recognition ever achieved by a native-born Alabama Methodist minister. In 1946, the Purcell Family sold the two acre homestead to Mr. & Mrs. Henry Killingsworth who have meticulously restored this imposing Victorian mansion. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 16, 1982.^[5]

Columbia is located in the northeastern corner of Houston County at 31°17′32″N 85°06′44″W / 31.292283°N 85.112123°W / 31.292283; -85.112123.^[6]

The town is located on the Georgia-Alabama state line along Alabama State Routes 52 and 95. AL-52 is the main east–west route through the town, leading east 1 mi (1.6 km) to the Georgia state line, and west 10 mi (16 km) to Webb. AL-95 begins in the town and leads north 23 mi (37 km) to Abbeville. Alabama State Route 134 also begins in the town, leading west 17 mi (27 km) to Headland.

According to the

, the town has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10 km²), of which 3.9 square miles (10 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (1.75%) is water.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	290		—
1890	960		231.0%
1900	1,132		17.9%
1910	1,122		−0.9%
1920	860		−23.4%
1930	926		7.7%
1940	829		−10.5%
1950	849		2.4%
1960	783		−7.8%
1970	891		13.8%
1980	881		−1.1%
1990	922		4.7%
2000	804		−12.8%
2010	740		−8.0%
2020	690		−6.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 2013 Estimate[8]

Columbia racial composition^[9]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	529	76.67%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	117	16.96%
Asian	1	0.14%
Other/Mixed	40	5.8%
Latino	3	0.43%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 690 people, 343 households, and 192 families residing in the town.

As of the

of any race.

There were 344 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,500, and the median income for a family was $36,339. Males had a median income of $29,821 versus $18,393 for females. The

, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.

• Dave Edwards, former Auburn University and Dallas Cowboys player
• Baseball Hall of Fame^[11]
• B'Ho Kirkland, born in Columbia, played for the Alabama Crimson Tide and went on to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL).
• the Methodist Church
  , elected in 1938.

• 
  Columbia Post Office (

  ZIP code

  : 36319)
• 
  Rossie Purcell Public Library
• 
  Columbia First Baptist Church
• 
  The Old Columbia Jail
• 
  The Purcell-Killingsworth House
• 
  S. M. Dunwoody House. Taken as part of the

  Historic American Buildings Survey

  (HABS)
• 
  Tom Bowden House. Taken as part of the HABS
• 
  J. B. Taylor House. Taken as part of the HABS
• 
  Teague-Regell House. Taken as part of the HABS