Marion, Alabama
Marion | |
|---|---|
 Old Marion City Hall, built in 1832. It now houses the Alabama Military Hall of Honor. | |
 Location of Marion in Perry County, Alabama. | |
| Coordinates:32°37′58″N87°19′2″W/ 32.63278°N 87.31722°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Perry |
| Named for | Francis Marion |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Dexter Hinton (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.66 sq mi (27.61 km2) |
| • Land | 10.57 sq mi (27.37 km2) |
| • Water | 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2) |
| Elevation | 374 ft (114 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 3,176 |
| • Density | 300.47/sq mi (116.02/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6(Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5(CDT) |
| ZIP code | 36756 |
| Area code | 334 |
| FIPS code | 01-46768 |
| GNISfeature ID | 0160038 |
| Website | www |
Marionis a city in and thecounty seatofPerry County, Alabama,United States.[2]As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 3,686, up 4.8% over 2000. First known as Muckle Ridge, the city was renamed for a hero of the American Revolution,Francis Marion.
Two colleges,Judson College (Alabama)andMarion Military Institute,are located in Marion. This is noted in the city's welcome sign referring to Marion as "The College City".[3]
Of the 573 cities in Alabama, Marion is the 152nd most populous.
History
[edit]Early history
[edit]Formerly the territory of theCreek Indians,Marion was founded shortly after 1819 as Muckle Ridge. In 1822 the city was renamed in honor ofFrancis Marion,the "Swamp Fox," hero of theAmerican Revolutionary War.Marion incorporated as a town the same year and later became Perry County's second county seat as the hamlet of Perry Ridge was deemed unsuitable. In 1829 it upgraded from a town to a city.[4]The old City Hall (1832) is but one of many antebellum public buildings, churches, and homes in the city today.
GeneralSam Houston,while between terms as 1st and 3rd president of theRepublic of Texas,marriedMargaret Leaof Marion in the city in 1840.
At the 1844 meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention in Marion, the "Alabama Resolutions" were passed. This was one of the factors that led to the 1845 formation of theSouthern Baptist Conventionin Augusta, Georgia.
Founding of colleges
[edit]Judson College,a private, Baptist college for women, was founded in 1838 and closed July 31, 2021.Marion Military Institutewas founded in 1887.[5]Howard College, initially the location of the current Marion Military Institute, was founded in Marion in 1841, and moved toBirminghamin 1887, later becomingSamford University.[5]A groundbreaking school forAfrican Americans,theLincoln Normal School,was founded here in 1867.[5]The associated Lincoln Normal University for Teachers moved toMontgomeryand becameAlabama State University.In 1889, Marion Military Institute was chartered by the State of Alabama and today is the oldest military junior college in the nation.
Pre-Civil War
[edit]In December 1857,Andrew Barry Moore(1807–1873) of Marion was elected the sixteenth governor of Alabama (1857–1861). He served one term, presiding over Alabama's secession from the Union. Assisting in the war effort, Moore was imprisoned a short time after the war and in ill health returned to Marion, where he died eight years later.George Doherty Johnson(May 30, 1832 – December 8, 1910) served as mayor of Marion in 1856, state legislator from 1857 to 1858 and rose to the rank ofbrigadier generalin theConfederate States Armyin theAmerican Civil War.
Civil War era
[edit]Nicola Marschall(1829–1917), a German-American artist, is generally credited with designing both the first official Confederate flag and the grey Confederate army uniform while a teacher at the oldMarion Female Seminary.With the coming Civil War in 1861, Nicola Marschall was approached in February by Mary Clay Lockett, wife of prominent attorney Napoleon Lockett of Marion, and her daughter, Fannie Lockett Moore, daughter-in-law of Alabama GovernorAndrew B. Mooreof Marion, to design a flag for the new Confederacy. Marschall offered three designs, one of which became the "Stars and Bars," the first official flag of the Confederate States of America (C.S.A.), first raised in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 4, 1861.
Early 20th century
[edit]At the turn of the century in 1900,Perry Countypeaked in population at 31,783. This is three times the population of the county in the 2010 census.
Hal Kemp,a jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer and arranger was born in Marion in 1904 and died in Madera, California, following an auto accident in 1940. His band was very popular from 1934 until 1939. Major recordings in 1936 include "There's a Small Hotel"and" When I'm With You "both number one hits for two weeks. In 1937, his number one hits were"This Year's Kisses",which was number one for four weeks, and"Where or When",number one for one week. Other noted recordings were" Got a Date With an Angel "and" Three Little Fishies ". In 1992, Hal Kemp was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
Coretta Scott King,wife of Reverend Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.,was born in Marion in 1927 and spent her childhood there. She graduated fromLincoln Normal Schoolas valedictorian in 1945. The couple got married on the front lawn of her mother's home north of Marion in 1953.
Civil Rights era
[edit]A number of significant events occurred in Marion relating to theCivil Rights Movement.In 1958Jimmy Wilson,a black man, was sentenced to death by a jury in Marion for stealing $1.95 from Estelle Barker.[6]Wilson's case became an internationalcause célèbre,covered in newspapers worldwide and inspiring over 1000 letters per day to the office of governorJim Folsom.Finally, after theAlabama Supreme Courtupheld Wilson's conviction, at the urging of theCongress of Racial Equality,Secretary of StateJohn Foster Dulleswrote to Folsom explaining the damage that the case was doing to the international reputation of the United States and Folsom quickly granted Wilsonclemency.[7]
In 1964, Marion was a center of civil rights protests in Alabama. During aSouthern Christian Leadership Conferencemarch on the evening of February 18, 1965, during the height of the Selma Voting Rights Movement, Marion residentJimmie Lee Jacksonwas shot and killed by Alabama State TrooperJames Bonard Fowler.These events were depicted in the movieSelma,released in 2014.[8]Jackson died on February 26 of an infection stemming from his wounds at nearby Good Samaritan Hospital inSelma.[9]Martin Luther King Jr.preached a sermon at Jackson's funeral on March 3,[10]and Jackson's death is recognized as the catalyst forJames Bevelto call and organize the firstSelma to Montgomery Marchon March 7.[8][11][12]It was not until 2007 that Fowler was indicted for murder for his role in Jackson's death.[13]In 2010, Fowler pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.[14]
In 2018, the US Department of the Interior granted Beyond 50 Years – a community non-profit group in Marion – a $500,000.00 grant to convert the historic Perry County Jailhouse into a voting rights museum.[15]The historic jailhouse was the location ofReverend James Orange's incarceration, which sparked the 1965 march that resulted in the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson. The jail is currently under renovation for the conversion into a museum, however a grand opening date has not yet been announced.
Recent events
[edit]In 2009, Marion made national news when a three-year-old family feud turned into a 150-man riot outside the town's city hall resulting in the arrest of eight people and the hospitalization of two.[16]
In early 2016, theNew York Timesreported the city was the center of an outbreak oftuberculosis.In 2014–15 twenty people in the area had contracted active cases of the disease and three had died.[17]
Historical structures
[edit]
Marion has many historic structures, with most listed on historic registers directly or ascontributing buildings.TheChapel and Lovelace Hall at Marion Military Institute,First Congregational Church of Marion,theHenry House,Marion Female Seminary,Phillips Memorial Auditorium,President's House at Marion Institute,Siloam Baptist Churchare all individually listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[18]It has oneNational Historic Landmark,Kenworthy Hall.[18]The city also has several historic districts, including theGreen Street Historic District,Judson College Historic District,Marion Courthouse Square Historic District,andWest Marion Historic District.Historic district buildings of special significance include examples such asReverie.[18]
Geography
[edit]According to theU.S. Census Bureau,the city has a total area of 10.7 square miles (28 km2), of which 10.6 square miles (27 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.94%) is water.
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,544 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,408 | −8.8% | |
| 1870 | 2,646 | 87.9% | |
| 1880 | 2,074 | −21.6% | |
| 1890 | 1,982 | −4.4% | |
| 1900 | 1,698 | −14.3% | |
| 1910 | 1,834 | 8.0% | |
| 1920 | 2,035 | 11.0% | |
| 1930 | 2,141 | 5.2% | |
| 1940 | 2,382 | 11.3% | |
| 1950 | 2,822 | 18.5% | |
| 1960 | 3,807 | 34.9% | |
| 1970 | 4,289 | 12.7% | |
| 1980 | 4,467 | 4.2% | |
| 1990 | 4,211 | −5.7% | |
| 2000 | 3,511 | −16.6% | |
| 2010 | 3,686 | 5.0% | |
| 2020 | 3,176 | −13.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[19] 2013 Estimate[20] | |||
2020 census
[edit]| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White(non-Hispanic) | 859 | 27.05% |
| Black or African American(non-Hispanic) | 2,186 | 68.83% |
| Native American | 6 | 0.19% |
| Asian | 10 | 0.31% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 62 | 1.95% |
| HispanicorLatino | 52 | 1.64% |
As of the2020 United States census,there were 3,176 people, 1,055 households, and 407 families residing in the city.
2010 census
[edit]As of thecensus[22]of 2010, there were 3,686 people, 1,184 households, and 819 families residing in the city. The population density was 331.8 inhabitants per square mile (128.1/km2). There were 1,418 housing units at an average density of 134.0 per square mile (51.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 63.9%BlackorAfrican American,32.9%White,0.26%Native American,0.09%Asian,0.09%Pacific Islander,0.26% fromother races,and 0.60% from two or more races. 1.9% of the population wereHispanicorLatinoof any race.
There were 1,184 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% weremarried couplesliving together, 25.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 15.7% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,142, and the median income for a family was $29,663. Males had a median income of $27,422 versus $20,240 for females. Theper capita incomefor the city was $11,934. About 28.4% of families and 33.4% of the population were below thepoverty line,including 51.3% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
[edit] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(March 2015) |
- Lee Cooke,fifty-firstMayor of Austin,Texas
- Alexander H. Curtis(1829–1878),Reconstruction eraBlack politician; state legislator in the Alabama House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate[23]
- James Webb Curtis(1856–1921), Black physician, and volunteer military personnel in theSpanish–American War[24]
- T. J. Goree(1835–1905),ConfederateLieutenant and aide to Lt. GeneralJames Longstreet
- Byron Gunner(1857–1922), American minister and activist; born and raised in Marion[25][26]
- Margaret Lea Houston(1819–1867), third wife ofSam Houston
- Jimmie Lee Jackson(1938–1965), civil rights activist whose shooting death by a state trooper inspired theSelma to Montgomery marches[27][28]
- Hal Kemp,jazzbandleader,musician, arranger, and composer
- Coretta Scott King(1927–2006), civil rights activist and wife ofMartin Luther King Jr.[29]
- Porter King,thirty-fourthMayor of Atlanta,Georgia
- Willie McClung(1930–2002), formerNFLoffensive lineman
- Walthall M. Moore,politician and the first African American to serve in theMissouri state legislature
- Jimmy Wilson,robber whose case received national attention
References
[edit]- ^"2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedOctober 29,2021.
- ^"Find a County".National Association of Counties.RetrievedJune 7,2011.
- ^"Marion Community".MMI.RetrievedDecember 9,2019.
- ^Hellmann, Paul T. (February 14, 2006).Historical Gazetteer of the United States.Routledge.ISBN1135948585.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018– via Google Books.
- ^abc"About Marion".Judson College. Archived fromthe originalon April 25, 2012.RetrievedNovember 16,2011.
- ^Dudziak, Mary L., "The Case of 'Death for a Dollar Ninety-Five: Finding America in American Injustice"ArchivedDecember 17, 2008, at theWayback Machine,University of Southern CaliforniaLaw School, 2007, p.5
- ^Dudziak, Mary L. (July 11, 2011).Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy.Princeton University Press. p. 6.ISBN978-1-4008-3988-9.
- ^abFleming, John (March 6, 2005),"The Death of Jimmie Lee Jackson",The Anniston Star,archived fromthe originalon August 29, 2008,retrievedJanuary 21,2008
- ^Davis, Townsend (1998),Weary Feet, Rested Souls: A Guided History of the Civil Rights Movement,New York: W. W. Norton & Company, pp. 121–123,ISBN0-393-04592-7
- ^Appiah, Kwame Anthony;Gates, Henry Louis Jr.(January 1, 2005).Civil Rights: An A-to-Z Reference of the Movement That Changed America.Running Press. p. 217.ISBN978-0-7624-1958-6.
- ^"James L. Bevel The Strategist of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement" by Randy Kryn, a paper inDavid Garrow's 1989 bookWe Shall Overcome, Volume II,Carlson Publishing Company
- ^"Randy Kryn: Movement Revision Research Summary Regarding James Bevel – Chicago Freedom Movement".cfm40.middlebury.edu.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018.
- ^"Nation in Brief: Indictment Brought in Civil-Rights-Era Death",Washington Post,pp. A08, May 10, 2007,retrievedJanuary 28,2008
- ^Brown, Robbie (November 15, 2010)."45 Years Later, an Apology and 6 Months".New York Times.RetrievedNovember 16,2010.
- ^"Marion Non-Profit to Turn Old Perry Co. Jail into Museum".Alabama News.November 1, 2018.RetrievedDecember 10,2019.
- ^Family feud turns into riot in small Ala. town: Up to 150 people brawl with tire irons, baseball bats; 8 arrested,Associated Press,August 24, 2009
- ^Blinder, Alan (January 17, 2016)."In Rural Alabama, a Longtime Mistrust of Medicine Fuels a Tuberculosis Outbreak".New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 18,2016.
- ^abc"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.July 9, 2010.
- ^"U.S. Decennial Census".Census.gov.RetrievedJune 6,2013.
- ^"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013".RetrievedJune 3,2014.
- ^"Explore Census Data".data.census.gov.RetrievedDecember 12,2021.
- ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
- ^Foner, Eric (August 1, 1996).Freedom's Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders During Reconstruction.LSU Press. p. 56.ISBN978-0-8071-2082-8.
- ^Hyson Jr., John M. (June 1999). "Doctors Five: African-American Contract Surgeons in the Spanish-American War. James Webb Curtis: A Chicago Doctor".Military Medicine.164(6): 435–441.
- ^Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A.; Powell, Sallie L. (August 28, 2015). "Gunner, Byron (b. 1857, Marion, AL; d. 1922, Reading, PA)".The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN978-0-8131-6067-2.
- ^Jones, Angela (August 15, 2011).African American Civil Rights: Early Activism and the Niagara Movement: Early Activism and the Niagara Movement.ABC-CLIO. p. 220.ISBN978-0-313-39361-7.
- ^"Jimmie Lee Jackson".biography.
- ^"Jackson, Jimmie Lee".
- ^Randall Williams; Williams, Horace Randall and Ben Beard; Ben Beard (2005).This Day in Civil Rights History.NewSouth Books. p. 354.ISBN978-1-58835-241-5.
External links
[edit]
- Alabama Women's Hall of Fame
- Alabama Demographics web site
- Marion Military Institute web site
- City of Marion Website
- Main Street Marion Website
Municipalities and communities ofPerry County, Alabama,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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