From ancient Native American history to civil rights, architecture and Alabama’s catfish industry, Hale County has played a unique role in the story of West Alabama.
Located in Alabama’s Black Belt, the county includes communities such as Greensboro, Moundville, Akron and Newbern. But beyond the places familiar to residents, Hale County has a history filled with stories that even some longtime West Alabamians may not know.
Here are 10 things you may not know about Hale County.
1. Hale County wasn’t created until 1867
Hale County was officially created by the Alabama Legislature on January 30, 1867. Its territory was formed from portions of Greene, Marengo, Perry and Tuscaloosa counties.
Greensboro became the county seat and remains the county seat today.
2. Moundville’s history goes back more than 1,000 years
Long before modern-day Hale County existed, Native Americans built one of the most significant communities in what is now the southeastern United States.
Today, Moundville Archaeological Park preserves the site, including 26 large prehistoric platform mounds. The 320-acre park sits along the Black Warrior River and attracts visitors interested in Native American history and archaeology.
3. Moundville wasn’t always called Moundville
Before the modern community took its current name, an early settlement in the area was known as Carthage.
Carthage was established in 1823 and included stores, a warehouse, cotton gin, grist mill and saloons.
A new town was laid out nearby in 1891 and named Moundville because of the large Native American mounds in the area. The old Carthage community eventually became part of Moundville.
4. Greensboro is known as Alabama’s Catfish Capital
Catfish isn’t just something you’ll find on a dinner plate in Hale County.
Greensboro has long been associated with Alabama’s farm-raised catfish industry and is known as the state’s “Catfish Capital.”
Catfish farming became an important part of Hale County agriculture during the second half of the 20th century as local farmers diversified beyond traditional crops.
5. Downtown Greensboro is filled with 19th-century history
A drive through downtown Greensboro is also a drive through Alabama history.
The Greensboro Historic District includes nearly 150 structures dating to the 19th century. Around 60 of those structures predate the Civil War.
Historic locations include the Greensboro Opera House, Magnolia Grove and the Noel-Ramsey Home.
6. Newbern was once known as Cane Brake
Before it became Newbern, the small Hale County community was called Cane Brake because of the abundance of cane growing in the area.
The community’s history stretches back to the early 1800s. A grist mill was built near Prairie Creek in 1818, and Newbern’s first store followed in 1829.
7. A world-renowned architecture program operates from tiny Newbern
Newbern may be one of Hale County’s smallest communities, but its influence reaches far beyond West Alabama.
Auburn University’s Rural Studio is based there.
The architectural outreach program has become nationally and internationally known for combining architecture education with projects designed to serve rural communities.
8. Hale County played a role in the Civil Rights Movement
Greensboro is home to the Safe House Black History Museum, which preserves an important piece of Alabama’s civil rights history.
The county was also the birthplace of the Hale County Civic Improvement League, recognized as one of the country’s early civil rights organizations.
The museum preserves photographs, documents and other materials connected to African American history and the struggle for civil rights.
9. Three Alabama governors have connections to the area
The area that became Hale County was home to three men who served as governor of Alabama: Israel Pickens, John Gayle and Thomas Seay.
Seay, who served as Alabama’s governor from 1886 to 1890, was a native of Greensboro.
That gives the rural West Alabama county a notable connection to the state’s political history.
10. Hale County became part of one of America’s most famous Depression-era works
During the Great Depression, writer James Agee and photographer Walker Evans documented the lives of tenant farming families in Hale County.
Their work eventually became Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, published in 1941.
Evans’ photographs of Hale County families and rural life became some of the best-known documentary images depicting poverty and life in the American South during the Depression.
More History Than Meets the Eye
With more than 660 square miles of land, Hale County’s story stretches from ancient Native American communities to the Civil Rights Movement and modern architecture.
Its history can still be seen throughout Greensboro, Moundville, Newbern, Akron and the surrounding rural communities.
For people who call West Alabama home, some of the region’s most interesting history may be closer than they realize.
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