Editing Autaugaville, Alabama (section)

==History==

William Thompson,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Autauga |title=Current or Historic Place |url=http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalplaces/text/AutaugaText.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127233937/http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalplaces/text/AutaugaText.pdf |archive-date=January 27, 2017 |url-status=live |pages=3{{endash}}5}}</ref> the first settler in what is now Autaugaville arrived around 1820 and built a gristmill and sawmill on Swift Creek, about three miles upriver from the [[Alabama River]]. One source says that the town incorporated in 1839, but another cites 1907. A cotton mill opened in 1849 on the banks of Swift Creek, and following upon the model of industrialist [[Daniel Pratt (industrialist)|Daniel Pratt]], the owner constructed housing for its employees, expanding the town. It grew further when many citizens from nearby [[Vernon, Alabama|Vernon]] relocated here to escape the floods and diseases to which that town was prone. By 1851, the town had a population of 351 and claimed four stores, two churches, and two schools.

Additional businesses opened during this period, including a cloth factory, a buggy and wagon factory, and a gristmill, making it a thriving manufacturing center. The downtown area was seriously damaged by a fire in 1853, but quickly rebuilt. The town's first and only newspaper, the Autauga Citizen, also began publication in 1853, existing until 1873.

The Civil War and Reconstruction resulted in the closing of the town's factories, including the cotton factory, which saw its shipments seized by the U.S. government. The war and its aftermath essentially ended Autaugaville's status as a manufacturing center. The town incorporated in 1907, and the Alabama Central Railroad built a branch through town in 1911. At least one of several lumber mills operated periodically until the 1930s. In 1936, an Alabama Forestry Commission nursery opened near town. Crystal Lake Manufacturing Company makes brooms, mops, and handles in Autaugaville but closed at the end of 2020. Many Autaugaville residents are employed in the automotive parts industry.<ref>http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3391, authored by James P. Kaetz, Auburn University</ref>