Hayneville

Hayneville is the county seat of Lowndes County. It is located in central Alabama in the Black Belt region and was named for South Carolina politician Robert Y. Hayne, likely by emigrants to the region from that state. Hayneville is one of the stops on the Selma to Montgomery March National Historic Trail. Hayneville has a mayor-council form of government.
History
Lowndes Interpretive Center Building
Hayneville was designated as the county seat of Lowndes County when it was founded in 1830. Hayneville's early economy centered on cotton production. The town was later a railway terminus and home to the Hayneville Railway Company, which was organized in 1903. Two years later, the company was reorganized as the Hayneville & Montgomery Railroad Company and provided connections for shipping with the L & N Railroad Company's tracks. The agricultural focus shifted to more diverse crops and livestock in the latter half of the twentieth century. Hayneville, like the rest of the Black Belt, has struggled to shift to a more productive modern economy.
Demographics
According to 2020 Census estimates, Hayneville recorded a population of 1,073. Of that number, 89.5 percent identified themselves as African American, and 10.5 percent as white. The city's median household income was $23,836, and per capita income was $14,945.
Employment
According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Hayneville was divided among the following industrial categories:
  • Retail trade (22.3 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (18.0 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (15.3 percent)
  • Educational services, and health care and social assistance (12.0 percent)
  • Manufacturing (10.7 percent)
  • Construction (7.7 percent)
  • Public administration (5.7 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (5.7 percent)
  • Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (1.3 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste management services (1.3 percent)
Education
Jonathan M. Daniels Monument
Hayneville schools are administered by the Lowndes County School System. The city has two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The city also has two vocational schools and an early education center.
Transportation
Hayneville has one major road, State Highway 21, which runs north-south through the city and connects to Interstate 65 to the south and Lowndesboro and U.S. 80 to the north.
Events and Places of Interest
The Lowndes Interpretive Center, which is part of the Selma to Montgomery March National Historic Trail, contains exhibits and artifacts relating to the march. The 1856 Greek Revival county courthouse in Hayneville is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Additional Resources

The Heritage of Lowndes County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2005.
Published:  September 20, 2010   |   Last updated:  October 10, 2022