The meaning of the word “Alabama” has been debated by philologists, with various meanings given over the years. It is likely a combination of Choctaw words meaning “throwners of thickets” and was the name of a Native American tribe in central Alabama. The first written reference to the tribe was by Hernando de Soto in […]
Old Alabama Town is a historic district in Montgomery, Alabama with restored structures from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Educational and self-guided tours are available, and performers in period costumes offer information. The Landmarks Foundation administers the attraction and also preserves other historic buildings in Montgomery, with a salvaged parts warehouse for era-appropriate home […]
The Alabama State Capitol has been the government seat since the mid-19th century. It has undergone multiple renovations and additions, including a fire in 1847 and the addition of a Beaux Arts design in 1906. The state legislature was forced to move during renovations from 1985 to 1992 but returned afterward. Visitors can now tour […]
Alabama’s current state seal, approved in 1939, is the same as the one used when it became a state in 1819. During the Civil War, Alabama was part of the Confederacy and retired its state seal. The new seal featured the coat of arms of the United States and an eagle. Alabama was granted statehood […]
Alabama’s state flag history began in 1861 when it adopted its first flag at the Secession Convention. It was only used for a few weeks before Alabama began using the Confederate flag. After the Civil War, Alabama used the US flag until 1891 when it designed a new flag, which became the second official state […]
Alabama’s history and economy have been driven by cotton production, which began with Native Americans and was revolutionized by the Industrial Revolution. The invention of the cotton gin and slavery fueled Alabama’s growth as a top cotton-producing state, but the Civil War and the end of slavery led to a shift to sharecropping. Alabama’s cotton […]
Alabama was once home to various Native American tribes, including the Alabama, Cherokee, Choctaw, Koasati, Muskogee Creek, and Chicksaw. Most were relocated to reservations in Texas and Oklahoma in the 1800s, leaving only the Poarch Creek Indians in Alabama today. Prehistory in Alabama is divided into four phases, with Paleoindians, Archaic Indians, Woodland Indians, and […]
Alabama is known by several nicknames, including Yellowhammer State, Heart of Dixie, and Cotton State. The Yellowhammer nickname comes from Confederate soldiers in Alabama who were called by that name due to yellow cloth on their uniforms resembling the colors of a small bird known as a yellowhammer. The yellow hammerhead was officially designated the […]
