THE CITY OF TUSCALOOSA
BY ARKEITHIA COLLINS
1826-1850 HISTORY
- From 1826 to 1846 , Tuscaloosa was the state captial of Alabama .
- During this period , in 1831 , The University of Alabama was established .
Civil War
- During the Civil War , Tuscaloosa County furnished about 3,500 men to the Confederate armies .
- During the last weeks of the War , a federal raiding party burned the campus of the University .
Growth
- By the advent of the 20th Century , the growth of the University of Alabama and a strong national economy fueled a steady growth in Tuscaloosa which continued unabated for 100 years .
- The first permanent white settler of the Black Warrior Village was Thomas York and his family .
Capital of Tuscaloosa
- Tuscaloosa served as the home for the state government from 1826 until 1846 .
- As the Eastern section of the state grew , legislators decided to move the capital to the middle of the state at Montgomery .
- Tuscaloosa lose over half of its population after 1846 .
Early Settlers and Years in Tuscaloosa
- The country seat was established in the town of Tuscaloosa , which was incorporated December 13 , 1821 from the Black Warrior Village .
- Tuscaloosa was 'laid out' by Collin Finnell in early 1821 for the government .
- Tuscaloosa became a busy river port , as the town was situated at the highest point river taffic could navigated to from Mobile .
The University of Alabama
- In 1827 , the state University was established at Tuscaloosa .
- On April 18 , 1831 , the University of Alabama began operations and enrolled 52 students .
- In 1860 , the University of Alabama became a military University .
- In 1865 , Union troops known as Croxton's Raiders burned all but four of the University's buildings .
Native American History
- The Black Warrior Village has been in existence as early as 1580 , although it was abandoned at times .
- The primary native tribes of the area were the Choctaw and Creeks .
- The Creeks resettled the old village around 1800 .
- By the order of General Andrew Jackson , General Coffee and his men attacked the Creek village in 1813 during the Creek War .