Abbeville

History

European Americans set up an active trading post in Abbeville in Alabama Territory early in 1819. The first settler gateway to the wiregrass region was at Franklin, located fourteen miles west of Abbeville. Named for the nearby Abbie Creek. Locals say the name of Abbie Creek derives from the Muscogee name for Abbie Creek, Yatta Abba, meaning "dogwood tree grove". Abbeville was designated as the Henry County seat in 1833; the seat had previously been Columbia. Abbeville acquired its Post Office in 1833. Abbeville suffered a catastrophic tragedy that wiped out most of the town when an arsonist almost burned the whole town to the ground on May 20, 1906. An entire block of Kirkland Street, the major portion of the business district, was destroyed. The nearby courthouse was almost lost but was saved through the efforts of the "bucket brigade" firefighters, who kept pouring water on the flat roof. During the week of June 28, 1906, a mechanic named Ward was arrested and charged with arson and starting the fire. His bond was set at $500.  After his bail was paid, Ward fled Abbeville and the county and was never heard from again. Brick buildings were erected to replace the wooden structures that had been lost in the fire. In February 1937, Wes Johnson, an 18-year-old African-American man, was accused of attacking a white woman and was arrested. He was abducted from the Henry County jail by a mob of 100 white men and lynched: shot and hanged to death. His body was found "bullet marked" and "swinging from a tree." As was typical of lynchings, none of the members of the mob was charged with a crime. It has been suggested by local historians that Johnson and the white woman were engaged in a consensual sexual relationship, and the accusation of assault was merely a…

Geography

The city is located in southeastern Alabama along U.S. Route 431, Alabama State Route 10, and Alabama State Route 27. U.S. 431 runs from north to south along the western side of the city as a four-lane divided highway, leading north to Eufaula and southwest to Dothan. AL-10 runs from west to east through the center of town as Washington Street, and leads east to the Georgia state line near Fort Gaines and northwest to Blue Springs. AL-27 leads southwest from the city to Ozark. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.32%) is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Abbeville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  901
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  845
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  842
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  797
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  778
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  756
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  743
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  690