Autauga County


Located in central Alabama, northwest of the state capital of Montgomery, Autauga County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The town of Prattville began as a pioneering company town and was founded by industrialist Daniel Pratt. Autauga County's proximity to the cotton-growing Black Belt made it a manufacturing giant during the nineteenth century. The county is run by an elected five-member commission and includes three incorporated communities, each governed by a mayor and city council.

· Founding Date: November 21, 1818
· Area: 595 square miles
· Population: 49,730 (2006 Census Bureau estimate)
· Major Waterways: Alabama River
· Major Highways: I-65, U.S. 31, U.S. 82, State Route 14
· County Seat: Prattville
· Largest City: Prattville

Early History 

Daniel Pratt (1799-1873) was the first major industrialist Daniel PrattAutauga County was created by an Act of the Alabama Territorial Legislature on November 21, 1818, almost one year before Alabama became a state. Carved out of Montgomery County, Autauga once contained portions of present-day Elmore and Chilton counties. The county was named for the Autauga Indians, members of the larger Creek Confederacy, who once lived in the area. After the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the area included in the territory ceded by the Creeks in the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814. The first county seat was located at Washington, on the former site of the Autauga town at Atagi, and then moved to Kingston in 1830. The first courthouse was built in 1870; it was replaced by a larger one in 1907.

In 1833, industrialist Daniel Pratt settled in Autauga County and built a cotton gin manufacturing company that became the largest in the world. Pratt likewise built the first railroad in the county and helped finance the state's first iron and steel enterprises. In 1868, the county seat was moved to Prattville, which was named in his honor.

Major Cities and Demographics 

The Daniel Pratt Gin Company was founded in Daniel Pratt Gin Company 1898At the time of the 2000 census, Autauga County recorded a population of 43,671, a 27 percent increase from the 1990 census. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the 2006 population was 49,730, with 80.7 percent of respondents identifying themselves as white, 17.3 percent as African American, and 1.7 percent Hispanic. In 2004, the median household income was $45,379, compared with $37,062 for the state as a whole. The per capita income of the county was $18,518 in 1999, compared with $18,189 for the state as a whole. The county seat, Prattville, which partially lies in Elmore County, had an estimated population of 30,000 in 2005, an increase of 23 percent from 2000. Other significant population centers in the county are Autaugaville and Billingsley.

Economy 

During the nineteenth century, farming and manufacturing were the prevailing occupations in Autauga County. Daniel Pratt’s cotton-gin business made Prattville the center of Alabama industry during the antebellum period. In addition to the cotton-gin factory, Pratt constructed the Prattville Manufacturing Company, which became one of the most successful cotton and woolen manufacturing companies in the South. He also built a millworks that produced sashes, doors, and window blinds, machine and blacksmith shops, tin and wagon factories, and a flour mill. The Civil War and Reconstruction disrupted the economy of Autauga County, and agriculture and industry declined as a result of the shortage of manpower and cash.

Logging trucks transport timber to a processing mill Logging in Autauga CountyCurrently the leading employers in the county are the International Paper Company; Haldex Friction Products; Kinedyne Corporation; Autauga County Board of Education; Wal-Mart; City of Prattville; Autauga County; and Prattville Baptist Hospital. Continential Eagle purchased Prattville Manufacturing in 1899 and today continues to be one the largest employers in the county. The Prattville Chamber of Commerce estimates that upwards of 50 percent of the labor force commutes to jobs outside the county, most to neighboring Montgomery.

The workforce in present-day Autauga County is made up of the following occupations: 27.1 percent management and professional; 14.1 percent service industry; 28.7 percent sales and office; 11.3 percent construction, extraction, and maintenance; 18 percent production; 16.5 transportation, and material moving; and less than 1 percent fishing and agriculture. The Autauga County School System currently employs 937 teachers and administrators who serve more than 13 schools. In addition, the county contains two private schools, Autauga Academy and Prattville Christian Academy.

Geography 

Autauga County is 54th in size among Alabama's Autauga County MapComprising approximately 595 square miles, Autauga County lies in the central area of state, wholly within the Coastal Plain physiographic section. It is bounded to the north by Chilton County, to the east by Elmore and Montgomery counties, to the south by Lowndes County, and to the west by Dallas County.

The Alabama River runs along the southern boundary of the county and numerous creeks, such as the Little Mulberry, Autauga, and Swift, intersect the area. Interstate 65 is Autauga County's major transportation route, running north-south in the far western part of the county. U.S. 82 and U.S. 31 are the county's other major transportation arteries. Prattville-Grouby Airport Field is the county's only public airport.

Events and Places of Interest 

Capitol Hill in Prattville, part of the Robert Capitol Hill Golf CourseAutauga County's gently rolling landscape is host to several outdoor parks and recreational areas. Cooters Pond Park, located on the banks of the Alabama River, contains boat ramps, covered pavilions, and large greenspace areas for outdoor activities. Other parks include Pratt Park, Wilderness Park, Heritage Park, and Overlook Memorial Park. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capital Hill, featuring the Prattville Marriot Hotel and Conference Center, is located off Interstate 65 near Prattville. The Nationwide Tour Championship golf tournament has been held at Capitol Hill for the past five years.

Since 1984, Prattville has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Daniel Pratt's cotton gin manufacturing company and other features of this unique town can be seen via a driving or walking tour. Buena Vista, an antebellum plantation built by William Montgomery circa 1830, was the first designated historic site in Autauga County and is open for tours.

Additional Resources 

Mims, Shadrack. A History of Autauga Co unty. Prattville, Ala.: Prattville ARBC, 1976.

Nobles, Larry W. Old Autaug a: Portrait of a De ep South County. Brierfield, Ala.: Cahaba Trace Commission, 2000.

Patricia Hoskins Morton
Auburn University


Published March 6, 2007
Last updated November 20, 2009