Eutaw, Alabama

Coordinates: 32°50′26″N 87°53′20″W / 32.84056°N 87.88889°W / 32.84056; -87.88889
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eutaw
City
City of Eutaw
Downtown Eutaw, Alabama, in 2009
Downtown Eutaw, Alabama, in 2009
Location of Eutaw in Greene County, Alabama.
Location of Eutaw in Greene County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 32°50′26″N 87°53′20″W / 32.84056°N 87.88889°W / 32.84056; -87.88889
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountyGreene
Government
 • MayorLatasha Johnson
 • City Council
Members
Area
FIPS code
01-24664
GNIS feature ID0118059

Eutaw (

2020 census, the population was 2,937. The city was named in honor of the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the last engagement of the American Revolutionary War in the Carolinas
.

History

Confederate statue in Eutaw's Mesopotamia Cemetery

Eutaw was laid out in December 1838 at the time that Greene County voters chose to relocate the county seat from Erie, which was located on the Black Warrior River. It was incorporated by an act of the state legislature on January 2, 1841.[2]

As the county seat, Eutaw also developed as the trading center for the county, which developed an economy based on cultivation and processing of cotton, the chief commodity crop in the antebellum years. The crop was lucrative for major planters, who depended on the labor of enslaved African Americans and built fine homes in the city. Many have been preserved. Eutaw has twenty-seven

Everhope Plantation, is also listed in the register.[3]

During the

freedmen against planters, which were about to be prosecuted.[4] On March 31, 1870, the Republican county solicitor, Alexander Boyd, was shot and killed at his hotel when resisting being taken by a masked group of armed Klan members.[4] (An early-20th century historian of the Klan claimed the group was from Mississippi.[5]) That same night, James Martin, a black Republican leader, was killed near his home in Union, Alabama, also in Greene County.[6]

In the fall of 1870, in the run-up to the gubernatorial election, two more black Republican politicians were killed in Greene County. On October 25, 1870, whites attacked a Republican rally in the courthouse square that had attracted 2,000 black Republicans. The Eutaw massacre resulted in four black deaths and some 54 wounded outside the county courthouse. Most blacks did not vote in the fall's election, which helped the Democratic candidate for governor.[7][8]

The use of violence and intimidation of blacks continued across Alabama in the

Post-Reconstruction era. Lynchings took place in the state, but none were documented in Greene County during this period, according to a 2015 report by the Equal Justice Initiative.[9] This may be attributable to local officials enforcing the rule of law. On May 16, 1892, Sheriff Cullen and Deputy Sheriff E. C. Meredith of Greene County, with aid of a posse, distinguished themselves by going into Pickens County
after a lynch mob of about 50 men. The mob had taken African-American suspect Jim Jones from the Greene County jail, saying they were going to hang him in Carrollton for an alleged crime there. Cullen and his posse confronted the mob at gunpoint, and took Jones back to Greene County.

20th century to present

Agriculture continues to dominate the county's economy. Now conducted on an industrial scale, it has reduced the need for farm workers. Unemployment is high in the rural county.

Chicago Open Housing Movement
.

Eutaw is home to the Roman Catholic Convent of Our Lady of Consolata, the Consolata Sisters, a small monastery for nuns in West Alabama.[10] They are known throughout Greene County for their humanitarian efforts.

Geography

Eutaw is located east of the center of Greene County. U.S. Routes 11 and 43 pass through the center of town. The highways enter together from the northeast as Tuscaloosa Street; US 11 exits the city to the west as Boligee Street, while US 43 leaves to the south as Demopolis Highway. Alabama State Route 14 passes through the city as Greensboro Street to the southeast and Mesopotamia Street to the northwest. Interstates 20 and 59 run through the northwest corner of the city, with access from Exit 40 (Highway 14), 3 miles (5 km) northwest of the center of town. Tuscaloosa is 34 miles (55 km) to the northeast via Interstate 20/59, and Meridian, Mississippi, is 60 miles (97 km) to the southwest. Demopolis is 24 miles (39 km) south via US 43, Greensboro is 21 miles (34 km) to the southeast via Highway 14, and Aliceville is 27 miles (43 km) to the northwest via Highway 14.

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau, Eutaw has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31.1 km2), of which 11.9 square miles (30.9 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 0.63%, is water.[11] The center of town is 3 miles (5 km) west of the Black Warrior River
, accessible to boats at Finches Ferry Public Use Area.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification system, Eutaw has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[12]

Climate data for Eutaw, 1991–2020 simulated normals (187 ft elevation)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 55.9
(13.3) 		60.3
(15.7) 		68.5
(20.3) 		75.6
(24.2) 		82.9
(28.3) 		89.1
(31.7) 		91.6
(33.1) 		91.4
(33.0) 		87.1
(30.6) 		77.4
(25.2) 		66.2
(19.0) 		58.1
(14.5) 		75.3
(24.1)
Daily mean °F (°C) 45.1
(7.3) 		49.1
(9.5) 		56.3
(13.5) 		63.5
(17.5) 		71.8
(22.1) 		78.6
(25.9) 		81.5
(27.5) 		81.0
(27.2) 		75.9
(24.4) 		65.1
(18.4) 		54.0
(12.2) 		47.5
(8.6) 		64.1
(17.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 34.5
(1.4) 		37.8
(3.2) 		43.9
(6.6) 		51.4
(10.8) 		60.6
(15.9) 		68.0
(20.0) 		71.4
(21.9) 		70.5
(21.4) 		64.8
(18.2) 		52.9
(11.6) 		41.7
(5.4) 		37.0
(2.8) 		52.9
(11.6)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.55
(141.03) 		5.54
(140.75) 		5.50
(139.74) 		5.13
(130.26) 		3.99
(101.30) 		4.42
(112.27) 		5.11
(129.90) 		4.65
(118.20) 		3.75
(95.23) 		3.32
(84.45) 		4.38
(111.31) 		5.27
(133.76) 		56.61
(1,438.2)
Average dew point °F (°C) 36.3
(2.4) 		39.2
(4.0) 		44.4
(6.9) 		52.2
(11.2) 		61.0
(16.1) 		68.2
(20.1) 		71.2
(21.8) 		70.5
(21.4) 		65.5
(18.6) 		55.0
(12.8) 		44.8
(7.1) 		39.7
(4.3) 		54.0
(12.2)
Source: PRISM Climate Group[13]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18502,000—
18801,101—
18901,1151.3%
1900884−20.7%
19101,00113.2%
19201,35935.8%
19301,72126.6%
19401,89510.1%
19502,34823.9%
19602,78418.6%
19702,8050.8%
19802,444−12.9%
19902,281−6.7%
20001,878−17.7%
20102,93456.2%
20202,9370.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]
2013 Estimate[15]

2020 census

Eutaw racial composition[16]
Race Num. Perc.
White
(non-Hispanic) 		447 15.22%
Black or African American
(non-Hispanic) 		2,408 81.99%
Native American
 2 0.07%
Asian
 5 0.17%
Other/Mixed
 48 1.63%
Latino
 27 0.92%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,937 people, 1,041 households, and 551 families residing in the town.

2010 census

At the

racial makeup of the city was 80.2% Black or African American, 18.1% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 0.6% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[17]
Of the 1,203 households 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.8% were married couples living together, 28.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 34.2% of households were one person and 15.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.10.

The age distribution was 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.

The median household income was $29,196 and the median family income was $39,722. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $28,077 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,126. About 27.4% of families and 28.7% of the population were below the

poverty line
, including 38.7% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

At the

racial makeup of the city was 33.01% White, 66.03% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.21% Asian, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[18]
Of the 778 households 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 33.5% of households were one person and 15.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.95.

The age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.9 males.

The median household income was $23,056 and the median family income was $32,946. Males had a median income of $30,284 versus $18,869 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,573. About 24.7% of families and 28.9% of the population were below the

poverty line
, including 39.4% of those under age 18 and 22.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

In popular culture

Eutaw is the home town of the protagonist in the 2004 Old Crow Medicine Show song "Big Time in the Jungle" . The band also released a 2001 album entitled Eutaw. In addition, the town's name is referenced in the song "Don't Ride That Horse," among the other cities of Winnipeg, Joliet, Saskatoon, and Wawa.

The 1981 horror film Jaws of Satan takes place in Eutaw.

See also

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Welcome To Eutaw, Alabama: A City of Progress Marker - Historic Markers Across Alabama". www.lat34north.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016.
  3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  4. ^
    S2CID 144484750
    .
  5. ^ Davis, Susan Lawrence (1924). Authentic History, Ku Klux Klan, 1865-1877. American library service. p. 37.
  6. ISBN 9780816069880
    .
  7. ^ Hennessey, Melinda M. (1980). "Political Terrorism in the Black Belt: The Eutaw Riot". Alabama Review. 33: 35–48.
  8. ISBN 9780820341941
    .
  9. ^ "Supplement: Lynchings by County (3rd edition), Lynching in America (2015, 3rd edition), p. Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 23, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  10. ^ "Consolata Guild".
  11. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Eutaw town, Alabama". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 28, 2016.[dead link]
  12. ^ "Eutaw, Alabama Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.
  13. ^ "PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University". Northwest Alliance for Computational Science & Engineering (NACSE), based at Oregon State University. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  14. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  15. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013". Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  16. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  17. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eutaw,_Alabama&oldid=1215857230"