History of Coffeeville, Alabama

History of Coffeeville, Alabama. . The town of Coffeeville began in 1808 as Murrell's Landing, a boat landing and ferry crossing on the Tombigbee River. William Murrell was a landowner and state representative for Clarke County. By 1819, the town had been renamed in honor of General John Coffee who led his brigade in most of the Creek War battles as well as the Battle of New Orleans. It was one of the principal towns in the county's early formation. Ulcanush Church, the oldest church in the county still in its original location, was founded in 1816 near Coffeeville. It is one of the oldest Baptist churches in Alabama and is the "mother church" of many Baptist churches in the county. For years, Coffeeville was known for its York Mansion, a landmark Greek Revival structure that stood in the center of town. It was built around 1856 by John W. Figures, a prominent Coffeeville merchant and later purchased by Oscar York. It was razed in the 1970s., Reverse Side , Coffeeville has the distinction of being the only community in Clarke County to poll a majority vote in the 1860 election against secession from the United States. Later, in the 20th century, Coffeeville became the first town in the county to elect an African American councilman, Reginal Walton, in 1980. The first Rural Electric Association cooperative in Alabama was established in Coffeeville in 1936. The Clarke Washington Electric Membership Cooperative eventually moved to Jackson. In the 1960s, both the Coffeeville Lock and Dam and the Jim Folsom Bridge opened. First called the Jackson Lock and Dam, it was started in 1956 and opened to river traffic on August 15, 1960 at a cost of about $22 million. In 1960, the construction of the "river bridge” ended the Tombigbee River ferry which, was last operated by Lewis Williams. Coffeeville observed its 200th anniversary May 31, 2008