Moulton

Moulton is the seat of Lawrence County and is located in the northwest corner of the state just north of the William B. Bankhead National Forest. It is named for Michael Moulton, a member of Gen. Andrew Jackson’s forces who was killed in the Creek War of 1813-14. Moulton has a mayor-council form of government. The Moulton Advertiser, which began publication in 1828, is the oldest continuously published weekly newspaper in the state. Moulton was the birthplace of Holiness Movement founder Mary Lee Cagle and Confederate brigadier general Philip Roddey.

History

When Alabama became a state in December 1819, the only structure on the site of present-day Moulton was an inn. The site lay along several important east-west and north-south routes to Tennessee, south Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. After Alabama became a state, both the settlement of Moulton and the town of Courtland incorporated and began vying for selection as the county seat. After Gov. Thomas Bibb decreed that the county must choose the most centrally located city, Moulton was awarded the title. By the following year, a village had begun to spring up around the inn, including a log courthouse. During the early nineteenth century, most residents made their living by farming or as merchants in the town. The town hosted the Baptist Female Institute, a school for women that opened in 1852. In 1859, the original courthouse burned and was replaced with a brick building the following year. That structure was torn down in 1936 and replaced with the current courthouse.

The town expanded significantly in the mid-twentieth century, and manufacturing enterprises and other businesses located there. In 1974, a devastating tornado killed 28 and injured 272 people.

On April 27, 2011, a massive storm, causing numerous powerful tornadoes, struck the southeastern United States. More than 250 people were killed in Alabama, including one person in Moulton.