Blountsville

Blountsville is located in Blount County in the northeastern portion of the state between the cities of Gadsden and Cullman. It has a mayor/city council form of government. The town and the county were named for a former Tennessee governor.

The area that became Blountsville was settled as early as 1816. Initially called Bear Meat Cabin after the home of a Creek Indian, the town became a popular stopover for the many settlers streaming into Alabama after the Creek War of 1813-14. In December 1820, Blountsville became the county seat of newly created Blount County, a distinction it held until 1889, when the county seat was moved to Oneonta. By 1860, some five major roads ran through the town. The first school in the county, Blountsville Academy, was built in the town sometime before the Civil War. It was replaced by Blount College in 1890.

During the Civil War, many male residents enlisted and fought for the Confederacy. The Confederate government operated a facility to care for horses in Blountsville, and the town was raided by U.S. Army colonel Abel D. Streight and his forces prior to their defeat and capture by Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest. After the war, federal soldiers were stationed in Blountsville.

According to 2020 Census estimates, Blountsville recorded a population of 2,009. Of that number, 87.7 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 18.4 percent as Hispanic, 5.6 percent as two or more races, 1.4 percent as African American, and 0.5 percent as Asian. The town's median household income was $38,229, and the per capita income was $15,391.

According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Blountsville was divided among the following industrial categories:

Schools in Blountsville are part of the Blount County Public Schools and the town has two elementary schools and two high schools. Wallace State Community College offers classes through Blountsville's J. B. Pennington High School.

Blountsville is bisected by U.S. Highway 231/State Highway 53, which runs northeast-south; County Road 47, which runs west; and County Road 26, which runs east-west.

Sevearl structures in Blountsville are on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, including the Barclift Inn (c. 1834) and the Warren House Complex (c. 1850s). The Freeman House in the Blountsville Historical Park, built around 1825, is operated by the Blountsville Historical Society and houses a museum and visitor's center. A reenactment of the Civil War's Forrest-Streight Raid is held on the grounds during the annual Heritage Festival. Spring Valley Beach Waterpark in Blountsville attracts visitors from throughout the area.

Additional Resources

Blount County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Blount County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1999.