Alabama Facts and Figures

1876 artwork by Henry Mitchell, via Wikipedia Commons

 Alabama ranks 14th among states and provinces with markers in this database. Alabama is a state in the United States of America located in the American South. It is also in the South Central region. Alabama is some 52 thousand square miles in size with a population of around 4.9 million people. The state is divided into 67 counties and all of them have entries in this database. In Alabama we have discovered historical markers in 433 cities and towns lying in 416 different ZIP Codes.

How many historical markers are there in Alabama? There are least 2,724 of them, by our count. We have cataloged 2,707 historical markers and 229 war memorials—each individually presented on 2,907 illustrated, annotated, and searchable pages of the Historical Marker Database. Pages for historical markers from this state make up 2.1% of our total. In addition, we are reasonably certain of another 17 historical markers in Alabama that we don’t yet have, and instead show on our Want List. Our correspondents have been finding and adding hundreds of markers a month to the database from all over the world, so next time you visit this page you will probably find that the numbers here have changed.

The first Alabama marker in the database, Site of Highland Home College, was added August 29, 2006. It was photographed in Highland Home in Crenshaw County and was erected in 1977. The last one added was submitted on February 22, 2020, and titled Geneva, Alabama. It is in Geneva in Geneva County and had been erected in 2010. Keeping in mind that the erection date of many markers in the database is not known, the earliest historical marker we know of in Alabama was erected in 1880. It was this one: Confederate Dead of Wilcox County, and one of our correspondents found it in Camden in Wilcox County on August 28, 2013.

Alabamians don’t want to forget their Settlements and Settlers history. How do we know? Because there are more historical markers in the database from Alabama about Settlements and Settlers—611 of them—than about any other historical category. It is followed by the Civil War with 494 markers.

The first marker added to the database with the Settlements and Settlers category was Chambers County, added April 21, 2009. It had been erected in 1972 in LaFayette in Chambers County. The last one submitted also was submitted on February 22, 2020, and titled Geneva, Alabama. It had been erected in 2010 in Geneva in Geneva County. The earliest marker erected with the Settlements and Settlers category that we have listed was erected in 1906. It was To Jean Baptiste LeMoyne, found in Mobile in Mobile County on August 5, 2015.

The Alabama county with the most historical markers listed in this database is Montgomery County, with 319 of them. It is followed by Jefferson County with 201 markers. The Montgomery area of Montgomery County has the highest number of markers within its limits, 212. In Jefferson County the area with the most markers, 121, is Birmingham.

Checking the database for the city or town in Alabama with the most markers we again find Montgomery at the top of the list with 212 markers in or near it. It is followed by Florence in Lauderdale County with 159 markers. For the ZIP Code with the most markers it’s 35630 at the top of the list with 148 markers in its delivery area. (ZIP Code 35630 is assigned to Florence AL including the North Florence, and Saint Florian delivery areas.) It is followed closely by ZIP Code 36104 with 137 markers. (36104 is assigned to Montgomery AL.)

Getting back to Montgomery County, the first marker added to the database from there, United States Flag Raised Over Alabama Capitol, was added December 16, 2007. It was erected in 1996 in Montgomery. The last one submitted was uploaded on December 8, 2019, and is titled Rosa Parks Statue and was erected in 2019, in Montgomery. The earliest marker erected in Montgomery County that we have listed was erected in 1893. It was Civil War Laurel Oak Tree, found in Montgomery on May 28, 2016.

By Mark Hilton, February 21, 2020

Latest Entry from Alabama
“Geneva, Alabama”

And finally the first, last, and oldest markers from Florence. The first: Patton Elementary School, was added March 4, 2010. The last: Birthplace of W.C. Handy added on October 30, 2019. The earliest marker erected was erected in 1956: Lauderdale County, added on September 1, 2010.

The Alabama Historical Association is currently in charge of the familiar dark blue and gold official historical markers found all over the state and the Alabama Department of Transportation typically installs and maintains those that are roadside. You will also find official markers erected by the Alabama Historical Commission, a predecessor. We have 747 of their markers in the database. Also, a number of counties have erected historical markers on their streets and roads and within their public areas, as have some cities and towns.

By Mark Hilton, January 14, 2017

An Alabama Historical Association Historical Marker

Then there are federal government agencies that put up historical markers, especially in national parks and other areas under their jurisdiction. And finally, there are the numerous public and private organizations and individuals that erect markers. Some do this as a continual endeavor, and others once in a while, to mark something, someone, or someplace they find important or interesting. When one of our correspondents comes across one that satisfies our criteria, we add it to the database.

You’ll find that even the smallest, least populated, or most rural areas of Alabama have been marked with history. Check out Choctaw County, Cleburne County and Fayette County. We've only found, respectively, 2, 2, and 1 historical markers there. Visiting one or more of these parts of Alabama might make for a pleasant road trip, and maybe you’ll discover more historical markers while you’re there. If you do, perhaps you’ll take the time to photograph them and, when you get home, become an HMdb correspondent by adding them to the database. Happy Hunting!