New Brockton

James P. Kaetz, Auburn University
New Brockton is located in Coffee County in the southeastern portion of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.
History
New Brockton Water Tower
The first settler in the area that now encompasses New Brockton was Huey E. Brock, who arrived in 1871. In 1878, he opened a store to supply other settlers, and his customers began refer to the store as "Brockton." Within a decade, a number of other stores had been constructed, but they were all destroyed by fire in 1888.
The town came to be named New Brockton when the postmaster in town asked that "New" be added to help avoid confusion with the town of Blockton. The first train came through town in 1898, prompting a development boom as settlers moved to town to take advantage of the better shipping and transportation. Brock himself donated land for churches, cemeteries, and a school.
In 1911, a vocational school was built in town. In 1946, the town added a new fire department, and a National Guard Armory was added in 1961.
Demographics
According to 2016 Census estimates, New Brockton recorded a population of 1,280. Of that number, 78.6 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 12.7 percent as African American, 2.0 percent as Hispanic, 6.7 percent as two or more races, 1.3 percent as American Indian, and 0.5 percent as Asian. The town's median household income was $44,261, and the per capita income was $19,384.
Employment
According to 2016 Census estimates, the workforce in New Brockton was divided among the following industrial categories:
  • Manufacturing (23.7 percent)
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (12.0 percent)
  • Retail trade (11.1 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (10.6 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (9.7 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (8.4 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (7.9 percent)
  • Public administration (6.3 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (4.5 percent)
  • Construction (1.6 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (0.9 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (0.8 percent)
  • Information (0.5 percent)
Education
Coffee County Schools maintains one public high school and one public elementary school in New Brockton. Enterprise State Community College is a two-year institute of higher education located in nearby Enterprise.
Transportation
Old Depot in New Brockton
New Brockton is served by State Highway 122, which connects with State Highway 51 to the east, and U.S. Highway 84, which runs southeast-northwest through the town.
Events and Places of Interest
Each May, New Brockton hosts a Spring Festival that includes food vendors, children's entertainment, and an Easter Egg hunt.

Additional Resources

Coffee County Heritage Book Committee. Heritage of Coffee County. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants Inc., 2004.
Watson, Fred S. Coffee Grounds: A History of Coffee County, Alabama, 1841-1970. Anniston, Ala.: Higginbotham Inc., 1970.
Published:  November 16, 2012   |   Last updated:  October 1, 2020