Albany, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Albany, Alabama, also known as New Decatur, Alabama, was a city in Morgan County
, Alabama
, USA, situated immediately to the southeast of the city of Decatur
near the Tennessee River
. New Decatur/Albany existed as a city from 1887 until 1927, when it merged with the city of Decatur. Today, it exists as a neighborhood within the city of Decatur, and is on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, the important transportation hub of Decatur, Alabama often changed hands between the Union and the Confederacy. Eventually, the entire city (except for three buildings) fell victim to the war and burned to the ground during the Battle of Decatur
. Just as the city was coming back to life, a yellow fever
epidemic swept the area in 1878, causing the population of the community to dwindle to approximately 400 by 1880.
On January 11, 1887, as Decatur was still rebuilding from the destructive results of the war and the outbreak, the Decatur Land Improvement and Furnace Company
, Inc., funded by Eugene C. Gordon
, C.C. Harris, and W.W. Littlejohn, invested $7.5 million toward 5600 acres (2,266.2 ha) of land southeast of the city. The company formed a new city as a means of reinventing Decatur as a manufacturing and transportation center following the war. They named their new city New Decatur and gave it the nickname "The Chicago of the South," referencing its status as a transportation hub, and as a marketing tool toward Midwesterners. New Decatur was designed as a planned community with the help of famed landscape architect Nathan Franklin Barrett. The company set aside 100 acres (40.5 ha) of this land for churches and schools and established what is known today as Delano Park
, an oddly-shaped stretch of parkland designed to break the monotony of an urban-like street grid. New Decatur's charter was confirmed by the Alabama State Legislature on February 18, 1889.
The company advertised this new development across the Northeast and Midwestern United States as "the healthiest city in the South," following the installation of a modern water and drainage system, which was thought to ward off disease. The new city saw an initial boom, but slowed soon after due to deteriorating economic conditions. Eventually, though, because of the city's industries and quality of life, many Americans began to move south to New Decatur and inhabit the city. In an effort to mend fences and avoid favoritism toward one region of the United States or another, streets in New Decatur were named in honor of generals from both the Union
(Grant
and Sherman
) and Confederate
(Johnston
and Jackson
) Armies.
Though New Decatur was built to complement, not compete with, the existing city of Decatur (by then called "Old Decatur"), the influx of "Northerners" angered many residents of the existing city. As a result, hostility between inhabitants of Old Decatur and New Decatur began to surface as wounds from the Civil War were still healing. In 1916, the need to ease these rivalries led New Decatur to adopt the new name of Albany, giving it an identity completely separate from Old Decatur. The city's residents nominated the name in honor of Albany, New York
. By this time, the cities of Albany and Old Decatur had formed a major metropolitan area
with an estimated population of 8,000.
Eventually, the hostilities between the two cities began to die down, and the need for a common bridge over the Tennessee River united them. On August 28, 1923, a measure to consolidate the two cities failed due to tax inequities. On February 4, 1927, the two cities finally merged into one, taking the original name of Decatur.
Both cities' business districts remain in existence less than a mile apart and form modern Decatur's sprawling downtown area. Much of the original turn-of-the-century
architecture of the two cities still exists as well, and both Old Decatur and Albany each have neighborhood historical associations charged with maintaining and promoting their separate histories. In addition, the two areas of town still maintain moderately distinct cultures. As Decatur has continued to expand to the south and west (and become more modern in the process), the Albany and Old Decatur neighborhoods stand out as the city's historic core.
The historic Albany neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on February 3, 1983.
Morgan County, Alabama
Morgan County is the most populous county in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the second most populous county in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area in the U.S. State of Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 from land acquired from the...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, USA, situated immediately to the southeast of the city of Decatur
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
near the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
. New Decatur/Albany existed as a city from 1887 until 1927, when it merged with the city of Decatur. Today, it exists as a neighborhood within the city of Decatur, and is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the important transportation hub of Decatur, Alabama often changed hands between the Union and the Confederacy. Eventually, the entire city (except for three buildings) fell victim to the war and burned to the ground during the Battle of Decatur
Battle of Decatur
The Battle of Decatur was a demonstration conducted from October 26 to October 29, 1864, as part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. Union forces of 3–5,000 men under Brig. Gen. Robert S. Granger prevented the 39,000 men of the Confederate Army of Tennessee under ...
. Just as the city was coming back to life, a yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
epidemic swept the area in 1878, causing the population of the community to dwindle to approximately 400 by 1880.
On January 11, 1887, as Decatur was still rebuilding from the destructive results of the war and the outbreak, the Decatur Land Improvement and Furnace Company
Decatur Land Improvement and Furnace Company
Decatur Land Improvement and Furnace Comany, Inc. was a company which engaged in a planned urban development in the state of Alabama in the late nineteenth century. On January 11, 1887, as Decatur, Alabama was still rebuilding from the destructive results of the war and the outbreak, the Decatur...
, Inc., funded by Eugene C. Gordon
Eugene C. Gordon
Major Eugene C. Gordon was a railroad construction engineer, Confederate Officer in the Civil War and subsequently founded and led Decatur Land Improvement and Furnace Company, Inc...
, C.C. Harris, and W.W. Littlejohn, invested $7.5 million toward 5600 acres (2,266.2 ha) of land southeast of the city. The company formed a new city as a means of reinventing Decatur as a manufacturing and transportation center following the war. They named their new city New Decatur and gave it the nickname "The Chicago of the South," referencing its status as a transportation hub, and as a marketing tool toward Midwesterners. New Decatur was designed as a planned community with the help of famed landscape architect Nathan Franklin Barrett. The company set aside 100 acres (40.5 ha) of this land for churches and schools and established what is known today as Delano Park
Delano Park (Decatur)
The Delano Park, operated by the Decatur Parks and Recreation Board, is the oldest park in the city of Decatur, Alabama.It was created in 1887, as part of a master plan to "re-invent" the City of Decatur, then New Decatur. The city created the "Decatur Land Improvement and Furnace Company" for...
, an oddly-shaped stretch of parkland designed to break the monotony of an urban-like street grid. New Decatur's charter was confirmed by the Alabama State Legislature on February 18, 1889.
The company advertised this new development across the Northeast and Midwestern United States as "the healthiest city in the South," following the installation of a modern water and drainage system, which was thought to ward off disease. The new city saw an initial boom, but slowed soon after due to deteriorating economic conditions. Eventually, though, because of the city's industries and quality of life, many Americans began to move south to New Decatur and inhabit the city. In an effort to mend fences and avoid favoritism toward one region of the United States or another, streets in New Decatur were named in honor of generals from both the Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
(Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
and Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
) and Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
(Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
and Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
) Armies.
Though New Decatur was built to complement, not compete with, the existing city of Decatur (by then called "Old Decatur"), the influx of "Northerners" angered many residents of the existing city. As a result, hostility between inhabitants of Old Decatur and New Decatur began to surface as wounds from the Civil War were still healing. In 1916, the need to ease these rivalries led New Decatur to adopt the new name of Albany, giving it an identity completely separate from Old Decatur. The city's residents nominated the name in honor of Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. By this time, the cities of Albany and Old Decatur had formed a major metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
with an estimated population of 8,000.
Eventually, the hostilities between the two cities began to die down, and the need for a common bridge over the Tennessee River united them. On August 28, 1923, a measure to consolidate the two cities failed due to tax inequities. On February 4, 1927, the two cities finally merged into one, taking the original name of Decatur.
Today
The evidence that two cities once existed on the site is strong. The street layouts are vastly different, and most of the original street names still exist. As a result, duplicate street names persist throughout modern Decatur and can cause confusion for drivers.Both cities' business districts remain in existence less than a mile apart and form modern Decatur's sprawling downtown area. Much of the original turn-of-the-century
Turn of the century
Turn of the century, in its broadest sense, refers to the transition from one century to another. The term is most often used to indicate a non-specific time period either before or after the beginning of a century....
architecture of the two cities still exists as well, and both Old Decatur and Albany each have neighborhood historical associations charged with maintaining and promoting their separate histories. In addition, the two areas of town still maintain moderately distinct cultures. As Decatur has continued to expand to the south and west (and become more modern in the process), the Albany and Old Decatur neighborhoods stand out as the city's historic core.
The historic Albany neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on February 3, 1983.