Samson

History

During the Great Depression, the T.S. Faulk and Company Store in downtown Samson purchased a large shipment of snuff, which remained stationary at the town's depot for an extended period of time. This led to Samson being nicknamed "Snuff City, U.S.A." The nickname is commemorated today with a New Year's drop of a Rooster snuff can. In an attempt to shed this moniker, several community groups decided to plant extensive beds of red roses along all the roads leading into Samson. With this planting, they hoped the new slogan "City of a Million Roses" would take root. However, as the roses gradually disappeared, the old slogan resurfaced. On March 10, 2009, in the Alabama towns of Kinston, Samson and Geneva, the deadliest mass shooting in the state's history took place in Geneva County. Twenty-eight-year-old Michael McLendon began this massacre by killing his mother and burning down her house in Kinston. He then headed east about 10 miles on Highway 52 and went on an hour-long shooting spree with two high-powered weapons in downtown Samson and a few of its neighborhoods. McLendon then headed to Geneva. McLendon killed ten people and wounded six others in the shooting rampage before committing suicide. The shooting spree remains the deadliest mass murder in Alabama, surpassing the Ball Family Murders of 2002. Reportedly, McLendon had talked to a confidant about being depressed and frustrated with his inability to become a Marine or a police officer.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.28% is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,237
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,206
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,123
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,120
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,088
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,088
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,038
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,002

Largest nearby schools

• Samson Elementary School
  Elementary · Samson · 379 students · 18.9:1 ratio
• Samson High School
  High · Samson · 189 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• Samson Middle School
  Middle · Samson · 169 students · 24.1:1 ratio