
· Founding Date: January 20, 1830
· Area: 714 square miles
· Population: 10,565 (2016 Census estimate)
· Major Waterways: Alabama River
· Major Highways: Interstate 65, U.S. 80, U.S. 31
· County Seat: Hayneville
· Largest City: Fort Deposit
· Area: 714 square miles
· Population: 10,565 (2016 Census estimate)
· Major Waterways: Alabama River
· Major Highways: Interstate 65, U.S. 80, U.S. 31
· County Seat: Hayneville
· Largest City: Fort Deposit
History

Lowndes County's first and only county seat was established at Hayneville in 1830. The original brick courthouse was constructed in 1832. In 1856, the courthouse was deemed unsafe by the county commission and a second Greek Revival courthouse was built. Still in use today, the courthouse had two-story wings added in 1905 to create more office space. In 1981, an annex was added to the rear of the building. The courthouse has also undergone some minor restoration as well.
During the civil rights era of the 1960s, Lowndes County was at the forefront of efforts to reform voting rights and other areas of racial injustice in the South. The Lowndes County Freedom Organization, founded by local activists and former members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, was the earliest incarnation of what would become the Black Panther Party. Civil rights activist and seminarian Jonathan Myrick Daniels was murdered by a white store owner in Hayneville on August 13, 1965, after being released from jail there. Daniels and approximately 30 others had been arrested for participating in civil rights demonstrations in Fort Deposit.
Major Cities and Demographics

Economy
Like so much of Alabama, farming was the prevailing occupation of Lowndes County until well into the twentieth century. As part of the Black Belt, cotton was Lowndes County's main agricultural product in the nineteenth century. By the early to mid-twentieth century, farmers had diversified into corn, potatoes, and livestock. Although Lowndes County has attempted to move toward a more industrialized economy, it has done so slowly and with limited success. The county remains largely rural and agricultural.
Employment
According to 2016 Census estimates, the workforce in Lowndes County was divided among the following industrial categories:
· Manufacturing (23.6 percent)
· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (20.1 percent)
· Retail trade (11.1 percent)
· Public administration (6.1 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (5.9 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (5.4 percent)
· Construction (5.1 percent)
· Wholesale trade (5.0 percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (4.9 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (4.7 percent)
· Finance and insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (3.9 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (2.6 percent)
· Information (1.8 percent)
· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (20.1 percent)
· Retail trade (11.1 percent)
· Public administration (6.1 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (5.9 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (5.4 percent)
· Construction (5.1 percent)
· Wholesale trade (5.0 percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (4.9 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (4.7 percent)
· Finance and insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (3.9 percent)
· Other services, except public administration (2.6 percent)
· Information (1.8 percent)
Education
The Lowndes County school system employs 318 teachers and administrators who serve approximately 2,500 students in nine primary and secondary schools. There are no colleges or universities in Lowndes County.
Geography

Interstate 65 is one of Lowndes County's main transportation routes and runs north-south near the eastern border. U.S. Highway 80 runs east-west across the northern portion of Lowndes County, whereas U.S. Highway 31 runs north-south along the eastern border. The Fort Deposit-Lowndes County Airport in Fort Deposit serves general aviation.
Events and Places of Interest

About two miles north of the town of White Hall is the site of the December 1813 Battle of Holy Ground between Creeks led by William Weatherford and American forces under Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Claiborne and their Choctaw allies, led by Pushmataha.

Each April, the town of Fort Deposit hosts the annual Calico Fort Arts and Crafts Festival, which began in 1972 and is one of the oldest and largest fairs in the South. The outdoor festival includes various artists and approximately 200 exhibitors of jewelry, furniture, folk art, dolls, clothing, soft sculpture, toys, puppets, quilts, birdhouses and feeders, rugs, pillows, and stained glass.
Additional Resources
The Heritage of Lowndes County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2005.
Additional Resources
The Heritage of Lowndes County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2005.
Jeffries, Hasan K. Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama's Black Belt. New York: NYU Press, 2009.