Enterprise in Coffee County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Boll Weevil Monument
December 11, 1919
Erected 1974 by Alabama Historical Association.
Topics and series. This historical marker and monument is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association, and the Believe It or Not series lists.
Location. 31° 18.865′ N, 85° 51.231′ W. Marker is in Enterprise, Alabama, in Coffee County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (U.S. 84) and College Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Located at the center of downtown Enterprise. Marker stands east by south from the Boll Weevil Monument, which sits in the center of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Enterprise AL 36330, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Rawls Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); Enterprise Depot (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); First United Methodist Church (about 700 feet away); Enterprise Academy (approx. 0.6 miles away); Town of Level Plains (approx. 4.9 miles away); Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 5 miles away); Clintonville Academy (approx. 7.2 miles away); Daleville, Alabama (approx. 8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Enterprise.
Regarding Boll Weevil Monument. The Boll Weevil Monument is a statue depicting a female figure holding aloft a large trophy topped with a boll weevil. This stands on a base which also supports two streetlamps, which is surrounded by a fountain and concrete/iron railing. Caution should be used in approaching it due to its location at the center of the intersection.
Said to be the world's only monument to an agricultural pest, the monument celebrates how the people of Enterprise adjusted in the face of adversity after boll weevils decimated the area's cotton crops. The infestation forced farmers to diversify by planting peanuts and other crops, a practice which ultimately was more lucrative than relying on cotton alone.
Also see . . . Wikipedia: Boll Weevil Monument. (Submitted on February 23, 2013, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
Additional commentary.
1. Original Boll Weevil Monument
This is not the original Boll Weevil Monument. If you go to the old Enterprise Depot, you can take the museum tour ($2.00) and read the story about the original monument containing a flowing fountain atop the figure rather than the huge insect likeness that sits there now. You can learn the historic controversy the monument has endured over the years, including vandalism, malicious practical jokes and even theft, and can view the remnants of the original fountain on top of the statue before it was replaced with the strange Boll Weevil you now see.
— Submitted February 23, 2013, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Additional keywords. Cotton insect pest infestation agriculture farming peanuts diversify crop
Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2010, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. This page has been viewed 4,344 times since then and 86 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week December 12, 2010. Photos: 1. submitted on May 2, 2010, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. 2, 3. submitted on July 22, 2010. 4, 5. submitted on February 23, 2013, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.