Glenwood

James P. Kaetz, Auburn University
Glenwood is located in southeast Crenshaw County in the south-central part of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government. Alabama poet laureate Elbert Calvin Henderson (1903-1974) was born in Glenwood.
History
The Flowing Well
In 1896, the town of Glenwood was established when the Central of Georgia Railway built a rail line through the area. The population of Glenwood expanded with the increasing traffic along the railway and eventually a hotel, post office, a blacksmith shop, and several sawmills sprang up in the town. In 1905, the town established a school, and the area's abundance of evergreen ferns gave rise to a commercial nursery industry. Glenwood was incorporated in 1907. In 1909, the town dug a well to provide the local area with drinking water. Known as the Flowing Well, it became a popular gathering place and a recognized landmark for the area. In 1953, the Glenwood Mining Company was founded to exploit iron ore resources in the surrounding area; it ceased operations around 1973. The removal of the rail lines in the early 1980s led to an exodus of citizens from the town.
Demographics
According to 2020 Census estimates, Glenwood recorded a population of 254. Of that number, 78.3 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 8.7 percent as two or more races, 6.7 percent as African American, and 6.3 percent as Asian. The town's median household income was $34,375, and the per capita income was $22,260.
Employment
According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Glenwood was divided among the following industrial categories:
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (23.1 percent)
  • Retail trade (21.6 percent)
  • Public administration (17.2 percent)
  • Manufacturing (16.4 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (7.5 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (4.5 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (4.5 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (2.2 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (2.2 percent)
  • Information (0.7 percent)
Education
Students in Glenwood attend Crenshaw County schools; no public schools are located within the town limits.
Transportation
County Highway 6 bisects Glenwood running northwest-southeast, and County Highway 5 runs northeast from the center of town.
Events and Places of Interest
Glenwood holds an annual "Festival at the Well" that celebrates the town's heritage and the landmark artesian well in the center of town. Attractions include musical acts, food vendors, arts and crafts booths, and children's activities.

Additional Resources

Crenshaw County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Crenshaw County, Alabama Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2002.
Published:  May 4, 2018   |   Last updated:  January 23, 2023