Editing Abbeville, Alabama

{{Short description|City in and county seat of Henry County, Alabama}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Abbeville, Alabama
| settlement_type         = [[City]]
| nickname                = 
| motto                   = 
| image_skyline           = Henry County, Alabama Courthouse.JPG
| image_caption           = [[Henry County, Alabama|Henry County]] Courthouse is located in Abbeville (2012)
| image_flag              = Flag of Abbeville, Alabama.png
| image_seal              = Seal of Abbeville, Alabama.png
| image_map               = Henry County Alabama Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Abbeville Highlighted 0100124.svg
| map_caption             = Location of Abbeville in Henry County, Alabama.
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = United States
| subdivision_type1       = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Alabama]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[List of counties in Alabama|County]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Henry County, Alabama|Henry]]
| government_type         = 
| leader_title            = Mayor
| leader_name             = Jimmy Money<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wtvy.com/2020/10/07/businessman-jimmy-money-elected-mayor-of-abbeville/|title=Businessman Jimmy Money elected mayor of Abbeville|last=Walker|first=Justin|work=WTVY|date=October 6, 2020|accessdate=May 3, 2022}}</ref>
| leader_title1           = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
| leader_name1            = 
| established_title       = <!-- Settled -->
| established_date        = 
| established_title2      = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
| established_date2       = 
| established_title3      = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
| established_date3       = 
| area_total_km2          = 40.36
| area_total_sq_mi        = 15.58
| area_land_km2           = 40.26
| area_land_sq_mi         = 15.54
| area_water_km2          = 0.11
| area_water_sq_mi        = 0.04
| area_water_percent      = 0.32
| population_total        = 2358
| population_as_of        = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes    = 
| population_density_km2  = 58.58
| population_density_sq_mi = 151.71
| population_est          = 
| pop_est_as_of           = 
| pop_est_footnotes       = 
| population_urban        = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_note         = 
| timezone                = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset              = -6
| timezone_DST            = CDT
| utc_offset_DST          = -5
| coordinates             = {{coord|31|33|59|N|85|15|5|W|region:US-AL|display=inline}}
| elevation_m             = 137
| elevation_ft            = 449
| postal_code_type        = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code             = 36310
| website                 = {{URL|http://www.cityofabbeville.org/}}
| area_code               = [[Area code 334|334]]
| blank_name              = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info              = 01-00124
| blank1_name             = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info             = {{GNIS 4|112880}}
| unit_pref               = Imperial
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_01.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
}}

'''Abbeville''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Henry County, Alabama|Henry County]], in the [[Southeast Alabama|southeast]] part of [[Alabama]], United States. It is part of the [[Dothan, Alabama]] [[Dothan, Alabama metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. At the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 2,358.

==History==
European Americans set up an active trading post in Abbeville in [[Alabama Territory]] early in 1819. The first settler gateway to the [[wiregrass region]] was at Franklin, located fourteen miles west of Abbeville.

Locals say that the name derives from the [[Muscogee]] name for Abbey Creek, ''Yatta Abba'', meaning "[[Cornus florida|dogwood tree]] grove".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bradberry |first1=Denise |title=Residents Get Ready for Yatta Abba Day in Abbeville |url=http://www.wtvy.com/home/headlines/Residents_Get_Ready_for_Yatta_Abba_Day_in_Abbeville_119426729.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727220433/http://www.wtvy.com/home/headlines/Residents_Get_Ready_for_Yatta_Abba_Day_in_Abbeville_119426729.html |archive-date=July 27, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=July 27, 2018 |work=WTVY |date=April 7, 2011}}</ref>

Abbeville was designated as the Henry County seat in 1833; the seat had previously been [[Columbia, Alabama|Columbia]]. It was formally incorporated in 1853.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2505|title=Abbeville - Encyclopedia of Alabama|website=Encyclopedia of Alabama}}</ref>

===20th century to present===
Abbeville suffered a catastrophic tragedy that wiped out most of the town when an arsonist almost burned the whole town to the ground on May 20, 1906. An entire block of Kirkland Street, the major portion of the business district, was destroyed. The nearby courthouse was almost lost but was saved through the efforts of the "bucket brigade" firefighters, who kept pouring water on the flat roof. During the week of June 28, 1906, a mechanic named Ward was arrested and charged with arson and starting the fire. His bond was set at $500.  After his bail was paid, Ward fled Abbeville and the county and was never heard from again. Brick buildings were erected to replace the wooden structures that had been lost in the fire.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

In February 1937, Wes Johnson, an 18-year-old African-American man, was accused of attacking a white woman and was arrested. He was abducted from the Henry County jail by a mob of 100 white men and [[Lynching in the United States|lynched]]: shot and hanged to death.<ref name="cbs">[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/inside-the-memorial-to-victims-of-lynching-60-minutes-oprah-winfrey/ Oprah Winfrey, "Inside the memorial to victims of lynching"], ''[[60 Minutes]]'',  April 8, 2018; accessed April 11, 2018</ref> His body was found "bullet marked" and "swinging from a tree."<ref>{{Cite news|title = Suspect Lynched by Alabama Mob|date = February 3, 1937|newspaper = The Washington Post}}</ref> As was typical of lynchings, none of the members of the mob was charged with a crime.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = No Indictments on Alabama Lynchers; Impeachment?|date = February 12, 1937|journal = Atlanta Daily World}}</ref>  It has been suggested by local historians that Johnson and  the white woman were engaged in a consensual sexual relationship, and the accusation of assault was merely a manufactured pretext for the lynching. Howell (who?) was featured on ''[[60 Minutes]]'' on April 8, 2018, during an episode featuring [[Oprah Winfrey]] touring the new [[National Memorial for Peace and Justice]] in [[Montgomery, Alabama]]. Johnson is among the lynching victims memorialized there.<ref name="griffin">[http://www.dothaneagle.com/news/local/dothan-resident-featured-in-minutes-segment-with-oprah-set-to/article_de031ec8-39cd-11e8-9154-93c011ec50f0.html Lance Griffin, "Dothan resident featured in 60 Minutes segment with Oprah; set to air Sunday"], ''Dothan Eagle'', April 6, 2018; accessed April 11, 2018</ref> Henry County is noted as among the 805 counties where lynchings took place.<ref name="cbs" /> It had a total of 13 lynchings during the decades when this was frequent.<ref name="lynching">[https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf ''Lynching in America''/ ''Supplement: Lynchings by County, 3rd edition''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023063004/https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf |date=October 23, 2017 }}, Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative, 2015, p. 2</ref>  In 1937 the Alabama Attorney General filed an impeachment against the Henry County sheriff for his failure to protect Johnson. An appeal was heard by the Alabama Supreme Court, which overturned the impeachment in June 1937. The Alabama Attorney General openly declared that Johnson was innocent of the charges against him.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Alabama Sheriff Saved by Court|date = July 3, 1937|journal = The Pittsburgh Courier}}</ref>

In 1944, [[Recy Taylor]], an African-American woman, was gang-raped by seven white men. Although the men admitted the rape to authorities, two grand juries subsequently declined to indict them.<ref name="mcguire"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Book Discussion on ''At the Dark End of the Street''|url=http://www.c-span.org/video/?295934-1/book-discussion-dark-end-street|website=www.c-span.org|publisher=[[C-SPAN]]|access-date=March 29, 2015|date=September 28, 2010}}</ref> From a historic point of view, "the Recy Taylor case brought the building blocks of the [[Montgomery bus boycott]] together a decade earlier" than that event.<ref name="mcguire">{{cite book|last=McGuire|first=Danielle L.|title=At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance|year=2010|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0-307-26906-5|pages=xv-xvii}}, page 39</ref>

On November 5, 2002, Kirkland Street was hit by an F2 tornado.  The tornado destroyed several single-family homes, mobile homes and many other homes and businesses. The damage at the Abbeville High School was deemed too costly to repair and was rebuilt in a new location. Downed power lines and uprooted trees were numerous and widespread.  The Old Pioneer Cemetery was especially hard-hit.

==Geography==
Abbeville is located at {{coord|31|33|59|N|85|15|5|W|type:city_region:US-AL|display=inline,title}} (31.566367, -85.251300).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

The city is located in southeastern Alabama along [[U.S. Route 431 in Alabama|U.S. Route 431]], [[Alabama State Route 10]], and [[Alabama State Route 27]]. U.S. 431 runs from north to south along the western side of the city as a four-lane divided highway, leading north {{convert|27|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Eufaula, Alabama|Eufaula]] and southwest {{convert|27|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Dothan, Alabama|Dothan]]. AL-10 runs from west to east through the center of town as Washington Street, and leads east {{convert|13|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] state line near [[Fort Gaines, Georgia|Fort Gaines]] and northwest {{convert|17|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Blue Springs, Alabama|Blue Springs]]. AL-27 leads southwest from the city {{convert|31|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Ozark, Alabama|Ozark]].

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|15.6|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|15.6|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}} (0.32%) 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]] system, Abbeville has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=800011&cityname=Abbeville,+Alabama,+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Abbeville, Alabama Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Abbeville, 1991–2020 simulated normals (436 ft elevation)
|single line = y
|precipitation colour  =green
|Jan precipitation mm  =130.61
|Feb precipitation mm  =123.09
|Mar precipitation mm  =125.45
|Apr precipitation mm  =110.01
|May precipitation mm  =84.44
|Jun precipitation mm  =120.57
|Jul precipitation mm  =155.84
|Aug precipitation mm  =127.51
|Sep precipitation mm  =99.69
|Oct precipitation mm  =75.15
|Nov precipitation mm  =103.12
|Dec precipitation mm  =137.04
|Jan high C = 15.2
|Feb high C = 17.4
|Mar high C = 21.4
|Apr high C = 25.2
|May high C = 29.3
|Jun high C = 31.9
|Jul high C = 32.9
|Aug high C = 32.5
|Sep high C = 30.5
|Oct high C = 26.0
|Nov high C = 20.5
|Dec high C = 16.5
|Jan mean C  =9.1
|Feb mean C  =11.1
|Mar mean C  =14.7
|Apr mean C  =18.4
|May mean C  =22.9
|Jun mean C  =26.1
|Jul mean C  =27.3
|Aug mean C  =26.9
|Sep mean C  =24.7
|Oct mean C  =19.6
|Nov mean C  =13.9
|Dec mean C  =10.4
|Jan low C = 3.0
|Feb low C = 4.7
|Mar low C = 7.9
|Apr low C = 11.6
|May low C = 16.4
|Jun low C = 20.4
|Jul low C = 21.7
|Aug low C = 21.4
|Sep low C = 18.9
|Oct low C = 13.2
|Nov low C = 7.3
|Dec low C = 4.4
|Jan dew point C =4.3
|Feb dew point C =5.8
|Mar dew point C =8.2
|Apr dew point C =11.8
|May dew point C =16.0
|Jun dew point C =20.1
|Jul dew point C =21.8
|Aug dew point C =21.6
|Sep dew point C =19.2
|Oct dew point C =13.9
|Nov dew point C =8.7
|Dec dew point C =6.0
|source 1 = PRISM Climate Group<ref>{{cite web
  | url=https://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
  | title=PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University
  | publisher=Northwest Alliance for Computational Science & Engineering (NACSE), based at Oregon State University
  | access-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref>
  | date=March 16, 2023
}}

==Demographics==

===2020 census===
{{US Census population
|align=right
|1850= 300
|1890= 465
|1900= 889
|1910= 1141
|1920= 1267
|1930= 2047
|1940= 2080
|1950= 2162
|1960= 2524
|1970= 2996
|1980= 3155
|1990= 3173
|2000= 2987
|2010= 2688
|2020= 2358
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="U.S. Decennial Census">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 6, 2013}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Abbeville racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US0100124&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 17, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|1,157
|49.07%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|1,034
|43.85%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|5
|0.21%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|15
|0.64%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|80
|3.39%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|67
|2.84%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 2,358 people, 1,029 households, and 604 families residing in the city.

Abbeville first appeared on the 1850 U.S. Census.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1850c-11.pdf |title=Population of such cities, towns, townships, hundreds, &c. in the United States, as have been ascertained at the Census Office |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> Although it did not report a separate population as a town from 1860 to 1880, it returned again in 1890<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1890a_v1-07.pdf |access-date=April 15, 2023|website=census.gov
|title=Census data 1890}}</ref> and has returned on every successive census to date. See also Abbeville precinct below, which includes the population of the city and surrounding area since 1860.

As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,987 people, 1,172 households, and 787 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|192.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,353 housing units at an average density of {{convert|86.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 56.65% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 39.94% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.07% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 2.85% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.50% from two or more races. 3.52% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]].

There were 1,172 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,266, and the median income for a family was $37,917. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $20,603 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $17,215. About 17.3% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 29.6% of those age 65 or over.

===2010 census===
As of the census<ref name="GR2"/> of 2010, there were 2,688 people, 1,077 households, and 699 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|192.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,255 housing units at an average density of {{convert|80.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 54.4% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 41.4% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 1.0% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 2.0% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.2% from two or more races. 3.1% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]].

There were 1,077 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,533, and the median income for a family was $39,167. Males had a median income of $36,630 versus $25,302 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $17,756. About 16.2% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
Abbeville is governed via a mayor-council government. The mayor is elected [[at-large]]. The city council consists of five members who are each elected from [[single-member district]]s.

== Education ==
Abbeville is a part of the Henry County Public Schools system. It operates the Abbeville High School and the Abbeville Elementary School.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.henrycountyboe.org/|title=Henry County School District|website=www.henrycountyboe.org|language=en|access-date=May 13, 2019}}</ref>

[[Abbeville Christian Academy]] is a private high school in the city and one of the last "unofficially" segregated high schools in the country.<ref name="Bagley2018">{{cite book |last1=Bagley |first1=Joseph |title=The Politics of White Rights: Race, Justice, and Integrating Alabama's Schools |date=December 15, 2018 |publisher=University of Georgia Press |isbn=9780820354187 |page=180 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKR5DwAAQBAJ&q=south+choctaw+academy&pg=PA180 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>

==Transportation==
Intercity bus service is provided by [[Greyhound Lines]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/alabama/abbeville/greyhound-420013 |title=Abbeville Alabama Bus Station &#124; Greyhound |access-date=April 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204214455/http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/alabama/abbeville/greyhound-420013 |archive-date=February 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Media ==
Abbeville is served by one radio station, [[WESZ-LP]].

Abbeville is served by a weekly newspaper, the [[Abbeville Herald]], which has been in operation since 1915.

==Notable people==
* [[Leroy Cook]], former [[defensive end]] for the [[Dallas Cowboys]]
* [[Sharlene Newman]], Cognitive Neuroscientist, [[AAAS Fellow]]
* [[William Calvin Oates|William Oates]], Civil War and Spanish–American War veteran
* [[Chris Porter (basketball)|Chris Porter]], former [[Auburn University]] basketball player and professional basketball player
* [[Jimmy Rane]], founder / chairman / CEO of Great Southern Wood Preserving
* [[Al Richardson (linebacker)|Al Richardson]], former [[American football]] [[linebacker]] for the [[Atlanta Falcons]]
* [[Recy Taylor]], an [[African-American]] woman activist whose rape in Abbeville by six white men was a catalyst for renewed actions of the nationwide [[Civil Rights Movement]].<ref>McGuire, ''At the Dark End of the Street'', p. 39.</ref>
* [[Edward Vaughn]], [[Black Power]] activist, bookstore owner, and member of the [[Michigan House of Representatives]]

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Abbeville Alabama City Hall and Police Department.JPG|Abbeville City Hall and Police Department
File:Abbeville, Alabama Post Office.JPG|Abbeville Post Office ([[ZIP code]]: 36310)
File:Abbeville Alabama Memorial Library.JPG|Abbeville Memorial Library
File:Abbeville Alabama.JPG|[[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]] Depot in Abbeville
File:Archie Theatre Abbeville Alabama.JPG|Archie Theatre was first opened in 1948
File:Downtown Abbeville, Alabama.JPG|Historic Downtown Abbeville (2012)
File:Bethune-Kennedy House Abbeville, Alabama.JPG|Bethune-Kennedy House is a dual front door, double pen [[Creole cottage]]; constructed circa 1840 is the oldest remaining structure in Abbeville. It was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Alabama#Henry County|National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978.
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.cityofabbeville.org City of Abbeville official website]

{{Henry County, Alabama}}
{{Alabama county seats}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Alabama]]
[[Category:Cities in Henry County, Alabama]]
[[Category:County seats in Alabama]]
[[Category:Dothan metropolitan area, Alabama]]