Scottsboro


Located in the mountainous northeastern corner of Alabama on the banks of Lake Guntersville on the Tennessee River, Scottsboro serves as the county seat of Jackson County. The town is named after its founder, Robert T. Scott, who migrated from North Carolina and in 1856 established a rail station on his land in Jackson County. Originally named Scottsville, the town's name was changed to Scott's Mill and then in 1858 to Scottsboro. In the 150 years since its founding, Scottsboro has developed from a small stop on the Memphis and Charleston rail line to a city rich in both history and natural beauty. Scottsboro has a mayor-council form of government. Elections are non-partisan, with the mayor and council members serving four year terms.

History 

The birth and growth of Scottsboro resulted largely from the rejection of a rail line by the citizens of the then-county seat at Bellefonte in 1856. Robert Scott, the proprietor of the Bellefonte Tavern, The Scottsboro Train Depot, one of three remaining Scottsboro Train Depotconvinced the Memphis and Charleston railroad to locate the rail line on his nearby property. Just as the importance of rail traffic eclipsed that of river commerce, so Scottsboro soon eclipsed Bellefonte as the political and business center of Jackson County. On Friday, November 13, 1868, by order of the court commissioners, county records and activities were moved from Bellefonte to Scottsboro, establishing it as the county seat. Between the years of 1868 and 1930, Scottsboro steadily grew from town to city. Sawmills and cotton gins were established in Scottsboro in the 1880s, and by the turn of the century Scottsboro was home to hotels, schools, several law and medical offices, an opera house, and a newspaper. On October 5, 1927, Colonel Charles Lindberg visited Scottsboro and performed stunts in his aircraft Spi rit of St. Louis before flying on to Chattanooga.

Scottsboro remained out of the international spotlight until March 1931, when nine young African American men were falsely accused of rape by two white women. The trial of the so-called "Scottsboro Boys" was held in Scottsboro and marked the beginning of a long legal battle in which the gross inequities of the Alabama justice system became an international spectacle. The trials generated great interest, inspired a number of literary and artistic works, and for generations made the name Scottsboro synonymous with racial injustice.

Economic Development and Employment 

From its founding and through the first half of the twentieth century, Scottsboro's economy was based largely on agriculture and lumber production, but the creation of the federal Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 set Scottsboro and the surrounding region on Finished high tenacity fibers for use in automotive Scottsboro Industrya different economic path. By making the Tennessee River fully navigable and harnessing it for abundant hydroelectric power, TVA modernized north Alabama and set the stage for economic development. With ample rail service, a navigable waterway, and abundant electric power, Scottsboro's industrialization began in the 1950s with the establishment of additional textile plants and diversified in the 1960s to include facilities for Revere Aluminum and Goodyear Tire & Rubber. In 1974, TVA was granted a license to construct a nuclear power plant at the site where the town of Bellefonte once stood. The plant project was abandoned in 1988 after a $6 billion investment, but in 2008, TVA applied with the Nuclear Regulatory Agency to reinstate construction permits.

The workforce in present-day Scottsboro is divided among the following occupational categories:

· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (26.7   percent)
· Manufacturing (23.1 percent) Retail trade (13.5 percent)
· Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (5.4 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (5.3 percent)
· Construction (5.0 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing and utilities (5.0 percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste   management services (4.6 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services   (4.1 percent)
· Public administration (3.8 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (0.7 percent)
· Information (0.7 percent)
· Wholesale trade (2.0 percent)

Leading employers in Scottsboro include Maples Industries, Lozier Corporation, and Carrier HTP.

Demographics 

Children jump from a dock into the Tennessee Jackson County Park in ScottsboroIn 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Scottsboro's population at 14,863. Of that number, 91.1 percent was White, 5.3 percent was African American, 1.5 percent was Hispanic, 1 percent was American Indian, and .5 percent was Asian. The city's median household income in 2008 was $37,505, with 9.7 percent of families living below the poverty line. Of the adult population, 71.8 percent are high school graduates or higher and 17.9 percent have obtained a bachelor's degree or higher.

Education 

The Scottsboro City School System, consisting of three elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school, ranks 31st out of 128 public school systems in Alabama. It is one of only 65 school systems in Alabama that has earned accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for every school in the system. The school system serves approximately 2,700 students and employs 183 teachers.

Transportation 

Scottsboro is located at the crossroads of major roadways, rail lines, and waterways. The Tennessee River, which runs through Scottsboro and surrounding municipalities, is part of a large river system that connects 21 states to the Gulf of Mexico. Barge shipments on the waterway reach the deep-water port of Mobile in approximately four and one half days. Located on Highway 72 between Huntsville (Madison County) and Chattanooga, Tennessee, Scottsboro is within a one-hour drive to five major interstates: I-565, I-65, I-24, I-59, and I-75. Three railroads, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Sequatchie Valley, serve the freight needs of Scottsboro. The municipal airport, with a 5,250-foot lighted runway, is primarily used for private air traffic.

Events and Places of Interest 

Payne's Soda Shop has been doing business on Payne's Soda Shop in ScottsboroScottsboro and the surrounding area offer many opportunities for outdoor recreation. The 69,000-acre Lake Guntersville, known for its fishing and boating, is accessible from several city and county parks. Goose Pond Colony, a municipally owned resort on the lake, offers two 18-hole championship golf courses, lakeside cottages, a lodge, campground, marina, pool, and restaurant. In addition to above-ground recreation, Jackson County is home to more than 1,500 charted caves, more than half of all the caves in the state of Alabama.

Scottsboro also hosts several unique shopping opportunities. First Monday Trade Day, more than a century old and typically beginning on the Sunday preceding each first Monday of the month, is a traditional outdoor flea market that takes place on the Courthouse Square. The most famous shopping attraction in Scottsboro, however, is the Unclaimed Baggage Center, a huge outlet where lost baggage from airline and bus companies is sold. The eclectic variety of lost items made available for sale at the store attracts nearly a million visitors a year, making it one of Alabama's top attractions.

The Memphis and Charleston Railroad Depot, built in 1856, stands near the square in the downtown area, as does Payne's Soda Shop, which opened in 1869.

King Caldwell Park, named for Scottsboro native and oil magnate David King Caldwell, is also located downtown and offers visitors nature trails, picnic facilities, and a playground. Annually, the park is the site of Art Sunday, an arts and crafts festival held on the first Sunday before Labor Day.

Additional Resources 

Carter, Dan. Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1969.

Gist, W. Jerry. The Story of Scottsboro, Alabama. Nashville, Tenn.: Rich Printing Company, 1968.

Hammer, Walt. A Pictorial Walk Thru Ol' High Jackson. Collegedale, Tenn: College Press, 1967.

Heritage of Jackson County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1998.

Kennamer, John Robert. The History of Jackson County. Winchester, Tenn.: Southern Printing and Publishing Company, 1935.

Greg Schmidt
Auburn University


Published May 5, 2009
Last updated December 1, 2011