Community History

Should someone a hundred years from now look back on the history of Decatur, what will they see? Hopefully, they will see a city of vision, industry and strength, one that is prepared for the growth that surely lies ahead. History, hopefully, will play as important a role in the future, as it has in the past.

Andrew Jackson's troops knew the value of land. In the Tennessee Valley they found what they needed to sustain an abundant life. The beauty and bounty of this land brought many of his followers back to this area after they trekked to the battle of New Orleans under Jackson's lead. Doubtless, the Tennessee River and the rich land it nourished had much to do with their decisions to move their families here. And when they came, change began.

Cherokee Indian crossings became Mcdaniel's Ferry. Rhodes Ferry, now a park familiar to all in this area, became a busy river crossing before Decatur was officially named on June 16, 1820 and was incorporated as a city by Legislature in 1826. Decatur began to grow, and that growth has been a constant throughout the years. In 1836, Decatur became home to the eastern terminus of the first railroad in the United State west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Tuscumbia Courtland and Decatur Railroad was completed in what would become an important link to the city's future - one that would attract armies from both the North and South during the civil war. The railroad brought money and where there's money, communities need banks. In 1833, Decatur became home to the branch of the State Bank of Alabama. The original building still exists, one of the few buildings that escaped destruction during the Civil War. The stone columns at the Old Bank reportedly weigh 100 tons each and were quarried from the plantation between Decatur and Trinity. Today, the building is a museum and open to the public.

When roads were built connecting Decatur to other towns, hamlets and cities in the area, Decatur was well on its way to becoming the center of commerce in the Tennessee Valley. With river and rail outlets to ship the area's commerce, it became an important hub to industry. When the Civil War came along, Decatur also became important to the opposing armies as a logistic site. Because of the importance of controlling the railroad, Decatur changed hands several times between federal and confederate troops at a high cost of lives.

The names that spell out history in test books about the war ring out in the annals of Decatur history. Confederate generals P.G.T. Beauregard, Albert Sidney Johnston, John BellHood and Nathan Bedford Forresst had encampments at Decatur. Union generals like Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman were said to have visited Decatur to discuss war strategies. Only three buildings, including the bank, survived the war, but residents of Decatur were up to the task of rebuilding. Despite two plagues of yellow fever that brought death and cause the city to evacuate, Decatur grew steadily during the last half of the 1880's. In 1886, Decatur Land and Development Co. began promoting a sister city southeast of Decatur called "New Decatur." That town was incorporated in 1887 and became known as Albany Decatur and Albany merged in 1927 and became the one city of Decatur. While a population of between 7,000 and 8,000 seems small by today's standards, Decatur was considered a major Alabama city at that time, and prosperous. More rails were laid with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad completing tracks that linked Montgomery to Louisville.

Decatur was so highly thought of by railroad officials that they picked it as the home base for its repair shops. That decision made the railroad one of the city's largest employers for the next 40 years. With properity and steady employment, not to mention becoming the county seat, Decatur's citizens began turning their efforts toward civic improvements. A new opera house was built since Decatur had no theater or public meeting hall.

More than 500 new homes were constructed during that time. Still standing as testimony to that era, the opera house survives on Johnston Street Southeast and is the oldest of its type in Alabama. There also are local heroes. Confederate General Joe Wheeler made his home just 16 miles west of the city, a home that still stands and is being renovated by the state, which recently accepted the plantation and grounds as a donation from the Wheeler family descendants.

Times have changed. Steamboats that once had to take on huge loads of wood or coal have been replaced by barge traffic pushed by diesel-powered tug boats. A new bridge, Hudson Memorial Bridge, now spans the northbound lane on U.S. 31 crossing the hydroelectric power that comes from the harnessing of the Tennessee River remains the mainstay of TVA's power grid.

Because of the dams built to control flooding and supply hydroelectric power, navigation was improved and river traffic increased. The completion of the Tennessee - Tombigbee Waterway, better know as the Tenn-Tom, connected Decatur with the Gulf of Mexico and intercoastal waterway to the South, and the Great Lakes to the north, through 650 miles of navigable waterway.

Although some 340 miles inland from the coast, Decatur was destined to see a flurry of wartime activity during World War II. With a shipyard turning out vessels for the U.S. Navy, and Pryor Field and Courtland Airbase turning out pilots for the U.S. Army Air Corps, the area began to show significant military growth. The U.S. Army Missile Command and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of Redstone Aresenal just 20 miles away in Huntsville have contributed significantly to Decatur's growth.

As in the past, Decatur continues to be a commerce hub. It remains a primary artery for railroads, with both CSX Transportation Systems and Norfolk-Southern maintaining rails through the area. The nearby interstate highway system, international airport with intermodal system, and river complete the transportation picture.

Decatur remains interested in the well-being of its population, continuing to build parks and recreation facilities second to none. Water sports remain a draw to the area, with several national professional fishing tournaments hosted here each year. Wheeler Lake is one of the most popular fishing lakes in the nation. The city maintains a 750-acre park at Point Mallard that features the first wave pool in America; it has been kept up to date with yearly improvements. The J. Gilmer Blackburn Aquatic Center has continued to be one of the state's feature tourist attractions. Special events at the park, like the Alabama Jubilee Balloon Festival, draw ballooning enthusiasts by the thousands and fill the skies with dozens of colorful balloons. Decatur also is the home of the state's Amateur Softball Hall of Fame. Decatur has something for everyone and although its history is memorable, its future is assured.