Editing Columbia, Alabama (section)

==History==

Founded in 1820, Columbia served as a major trading center for communities throughout the [[Wiregrass Region]] of Alabama between 1822 and 1833, which coincided as its time as Henry County [[county seat|seat]]. [[Henry County, Alabama|Henry County]] which then comprised portions of present-day [[Covington County, Alabama|Covington]], [[Dale County, Alabama|Dale]], [[Barbour County, Alabama|Barbour]], [[Coffee County, Alabama|Coffee]], [[Crenshaw County, Alabama|Crenshaw]], [[Bullock County, Alabama|Bullock]], [[Geneva County, Alabama|Geneva]], and [[Houston County, Alabama|Houston]] counties. It lost the county seat status to [[Abbeville, Alabama|Abbeville]] in 1833.

Bordering the [[Georgia (U.S. State)|State of Georgia]] and the [[Chattahoochee River]], Columbia was a major port-of-call for steamboats and was known to many as "Old Columbia". The town was incorporated on April 29, 1880<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3607 | title=Columbia }}</ref> 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, Alabama|Henry County]] Courthouse was located here from 1889 until Columbia became part of [[Houston County, Alabama|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, Alabama|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.<ref>"Columbia". (1978). Historic Chattahoochee Commission. Historic marker in Columbia, Alabama.</ref>

===Old Columbia Jail===
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.<ref>"Old Columbia Jail". (1978). Historic Chattahoochee Commission. Historic marker in Columbia, Alabama.</ref>

===Purcell-Killingsworth House===
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 [[Clare Purcell|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 architecture|Victorian]] mansion. It was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Alabama#Houston County|National Register of Historic Places]] on December 16, 1982.<ref>"Purcell-Killingsworth House". (1989). Historic Chattahoochee Commission. Historic marker in Columbia, Alabama.</ref>