Talladega County | Encyclopedia of Alabama

Located near the geographic center of the state in the Coosa River Valley, Talladega County is home to the Talladega Superspeedway race track and the state's highest mountain, Mount Cheaha. The county was also the birthplace and childhood home of actor Jim Nabors, known for his roles as Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle USMC television series in the 1960s as well as a substantial recording career. Talladega County is governed by an elected five-member commission and includes the incorporated cities of Talladega, Sylacauga, Childersburg, and Lincoln.

The first and only county seat of Talladega County was established at Talladega City in 1834. Until the first courthouse was built in 1838, the court met in various homes and buildings. The first courthouse was a three-story structure, later reduced to two stories with a clock tower. Repairs and additions were made to the courthouse in 1882 and again in 1905. In 1908, steel magnate Andrew Carnegie's foundation built funded the town's first public library; it is now the Jemison-Carnegie Heritage Hall Museum. In 1912, the courthouse was struck by a tornado and then suffered fire damage in 1925. In 1977, the courthouse underwent major restoration. According to the Alabama Historical Commission, the Talladega County courthouse is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the state of Alabama.

According to the 2016 U.S. Census, the population of Talladega County was 81,057. Of that total, 64.6 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 32.1 percent African American, 2.2 percent as Hispanic, 1.6 percent as two or more races, 0.5 percent as Asian, and 0.3 percent as Native American. The county seat Talladega is largest city in the county, with an estimated population of 15,793. Other significant population centers include Sylacauga, Childersburg, Lincoln, Oak Grove, and Munford. The median household income was $37,923, compared with $44,758 for the state as a whole, and per capita income was $20,430, compared with $24,736 for the state as a whole.

Like most of Alabama, farming was the prevailing occupation of Talladega County until well into the twentieth century. A number of crops were grown in the county, but wheat was predominant. With its long stretches of upland forests, lumbering was also an important part of the economy of Talladega County. By the early twentieth century, a series of locks and dams along the Coosa River enabled the movement of goods on the river and made manufacturing a greater part of the county's economy. Dam construction in the 1930s and 1940s brought hydroelectric power to the area, and manufacturing boomed. In 1941, the U.S. Army operated the Alabama Army Ammunition Plant, just outside Childersburg, producing chemicals such as TNT and smokeless powder. Shut down in 1945, the plant is now a Superfund toxic clean-up site. Textile manufacturing was especially important until the early twenty-first century, when Avondale Mills closed down in July 2006. Sylacauga is sometimes known as the Marble City because it sits on a solid deposit of hard, white marble. Gantt's Quarry, near Sylacauga, is one of the largest marble quarries in the South. Today, the automotive industry is the largest industry in Talladega County.

The Talladega County School System oversees 18 primary and secondary schools. Sylacauga City Schools oversees four primary and secondary schools and Talladega City Schools oversees nine primary and secondary schools. Talladega College in Talladega City is a historically black four-year liberal arts college offering a variety of academic degrees. Established in 1867, it is the oldest historically black college in the state of Alabama (Alabama State University also was founded in 1867). Founded in 1858, the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind in Talladega consists of the Alabama School for the Deaf, the Alabama School for the Blind, and the Helen Keller School. The institute also includes a series of regional and technical centers to support the development of those with sensory impairments.

Resting at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains in Childersburg is DeSoto Caverns, a privately owned cave system that offers guided tours. The park's largest cave is 12 stories high and longer than a football field. The caverns are decorated with thousands of stalactite and stalagmite formations, making it one of the most concentrated collections of such specimens in the United States. Visitors may also enjoy a variety of activities, such as panning for gemstones or navigating the giant Lost Trail Maze.

The Kymulga Grist Mill and Covered Bridge are located just northeast of Childersburg. Built by a Confederate soldier, the mill and bridge are more than 140 years old and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Several of the park's trees are believed to be older than the mill itself. Visitors to the mill and bridge can picnic in the adjacent park with its many animals and plants. Other places in Talladega County of historic significance include the Waldo Covered Bridge (1858) near the community of Waldo, the Courthouse Square Historic District and Silk Stocking District and the Ritz Theatre in Talladega, the Sylacauga Historic District, and Swayne Hall on the Talladega College Campus. The Isabel Anderson Comer Museum and Arts Center in Sylacauga promotes local arts and humanities efforts and includes exhibits on notable local people and historical events.

Perhaps the most popular modern attraction in the county is the Talladega Superspeedway, one of the biggest, fastest, and most competitive motorsports facilities in the world. Inaugurated in 1969, the speedway can seat more than 143,000 spectators in the grandstands and thousands more in the 212-acre infield. Adjacent to the track is the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum, which honors the most accomplished men and women in motorsports.

Additional Resources

The Heritage of Talladega County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2000.