ABOUT
City of Decatur
Decatur’s rich history dates back to 1823 when it was founded by order of the U. S. Congress and President James Monroe in honor of the renowned U. S. naval officer Commodore Stephen Decatur (1779-1820). Decatur, who won a sword from Congress and a captaincy when he was only 25, was one of the most daring officers in the United States Navy during its early years. He is remembered for his timeless toast: “Our country; in her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be right; but our country, right or wrong.”
Situated on the banks of the Tennessee River, Decatur was an integral port during the War Between the States. The area’s key railroad junction made the city a prime location for both sides. Union troops took over the Old State Bank, one of three bank branches opened in 1833 as part of the original state-wide banking system designed by Andrew Jackson, and turned the building into a makeshift hospital and guard house. The Old State Bank and three other buildings were the only structures to survive the Civil War when Union troops withdrew from the city.
Morgan County
Morgan County was established in 1818 from land acquired from the Cherokee Indians by the Treaty of Turkey town. Originally named Cotaco for the creek that runs through it, the county was later re-named in honor of Daniel Morgan, a Brigadier General who is best known for his victory at Cow Pens during the American Revolution. The county seat was transferred from Somerville to Decatur in 1891, where it remains today.
Today, Morgan County continues to cater to the world through internationally-sanctioned sports events and lays claim to America’s first wave pool. It is home to the hundreds of wildlife that resides in the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and is a destination for bird watchers from around the nation. Thousands of visitors come to the growing county each year to attend sports tournaments and some of the state’s best festivals.
Hartselle
The City of Hartselle is comparatively young as towns go, having been established in 1870 as a site considered strategic alongside the South and North Alabama Railroad. Originally the budding village was located a half-mile north of the present downtown area; it had to pick itself up and move at the railroad’s request because the slopes of the old site made it impractical as a train stop and station.
Hartselle was named for George Hartselle, a founding father, and there are still some of his descendants in town. The town was recognized by the Post Office by the establishment of a postal facility in 1873, but was not chartered by the state until March 1875.
The business district of the early town was, for the most part, laid out alongside the railroad (Railroad Street). in August 1916, Hartselle suffered a disastrous fire which wiped out the business district, all 21 buildings. The Community’s greatest claim to fame, or infamy, carne in the early morning hours of March 15, 1926. Fifteen dastardly criminals looted the Bank of Hartselle. That morning, eight blasts of nitroglycerin rocked the sleeping city.
