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History of Wedowee by DC Wedowee is a small town, population 796, located in East Central Alabama on what is know as the Piedmont Plateau and is considered part of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, which allows for its mild winters and warm summers. The county seat of Randolph county, Wedowee is approximately 30 miles from Alabama's highest peak, Mount Cheaha, and adjacent to Lake Wedowee, an impoundment of Alabama Power's R.L. Harris Dam which is considered one of the cleanest lakes in Alabama, Wedowee has much to offer sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasits.
Located on US Highway 431, a main north-south highway for travelers to Florida from points north, Wedowee is only 29 miles south of I-20 (including the towns of Oxford and Anniston) and is approximately half way (approximately 85 miles) between Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia. Residents find easy access to major Universities, including Auburn University (55 miles), Jacksonville University (40 miles), West Georgia (located in Carrollton, Georgia, 40 miles), and small 2-year colleges at Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, Alabama (17 miles), and Gadsden-Ayers Campus (33 miles). Furthermore, Wedowee is within a few miles of beig located in the geographical center of the county.
The first settlers to the area around Wedowee, were Native Americans. Evidence has been found indicating that there were people living near Wedowee creek as early as 6000 BCE. Their culture, commonly known as Archaic period, took advantage of the abundant game and natural resources found within the area. They produced finely made spear points such as Kirk and Dalton which were used in conjunction with the Atlatl, a weighted throwing device, in order to quickly and accurately dispatch game such as the whitetail deer. Subsequent groups such as the Woodland and Mississippian took advantage of the rich soils in the area to grow corn, squash, and other vegetables. These native peoples built mounds for ceremonial purposes, established towns, developed trading networks and utilized the clays and steatite to make cooking utensils of the highest quality. These were closely followed by the Muscogee Indians, which were here when Europeans first came to the continent.
Wedowee takes its name from a Muscogee Creek Indian Chief whose village was located adjacent to the small stream that also bears his name. Wedowee, meaning "old water" in the Muscogee Creek language, (1) was originally settled in the early 1830's and became the first county seat, of Randolph County, either in the fall of 1834 or spring of 1835. The first post office in Randolph County was established here on April 12, 1837 and the first courthouse, built of logs, was used in 1836. The courthouse would subsequently be rebuilt in 1897 after a devastating fire destroyed it and its valuable records. Another fire in 1940, in which few records were lost, resulted in it being rebuilt of fire-proof materials.
Political sentiments were important in the development of Wedowee's, and likewise Randolph County's first newspapers. The American Eagle, a Know-Nothing newspaper which arose because of the debate over the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas Nebraska Act, which was published in January of 1856. Subsequent papers such as The Journal (1870's), The Randolph Toiler (also known as The Reformer of The Clipper, 1894-1899), The Randolph Star (1902-1915(?)), and The Randolph Press were also published in Wedowee. These papers offered political commentary, advertising, and social news to the sparse number of inhabitants in Randolph County.
Staunchly loyal to the Union during the Civil War, many from Wedowee entered the war on the side of the North. Known as Tories, these men bitterly opposed secession. Interestingly, this no doubt led to William H. Smith of Wedowee, becoming governor of the state of Alabama in July of 1868. During his administration Randolph County, along with several surrounding counties, was deeply plunged into fiscal debt with no hope of redemption. Because of the burden of debt, it lost the right to govern itself and was subsequently called a "strangulated county." Within a decade, the State relieved the County of its debt, thereby ending a very disturbing period in their history.
The political history of Wedowee was very turbulent during Reconstruction. Continued financial strains and severe drought, during the late 1870s and early 80s, magnified the political strife. It was during this time that strong politicians like Robert Stell Heflin, of Wedowee, helped to maintain stability in the county. John T. Heflin and W.A. Handley were sent from Wedowee to the State Constitutional Convention in 1901 in order to ensure the county's desires for such things as: "Doing away with the fee system of paying officers and common school education for every child." (2)
Wedowee remained a small agricultural community throughout the following decades. Its citizens marched off to war, brought back war bonds and saw many of its young leave for larger economic areas. Recent growth has come as a result of the lake provided by the impoundment of the Big and Little Tallapoosa Rivers. Lake residents come form many larger area such as Atlanta and Newnan, Georgia, and have made a substantial impact on the economy of Wedowee. New business, factories and merchants have moved into the city limits, many in order to accomodate the influx of county residents.
GPS location (at courthouse): 33 degrees 18'32"N 85 degrees 29'5"W
Elevation (at courthouse): 845 feet above sea level
(1) William A. Read, Indian Place Names in Alabama (Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 1984), 76.
(2) The News Journal, January 13, 1899.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bartlett, Walter J. and John B. Stevenson. "A History of Randolph County (1832-1882)," The Heritage of Randolph County, Alabama. Fay Young and others, eds. Clanton, Alabama: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 1998.
Guinn, J.M.K. "Randolph County, Alabama, Sixty-Two Years Ago: The Red Man's Home, The White Man's Eden," in Marilyn Davis Barefield, ed. Historical Records of Randolph County, Alabama (1832-1900). Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, Inc., 1985.
Pickett, Albert James. History of Alabama and Incidentally of Georgia and Mississippi, From the Earliest Period. Birmingham: Birmingham Book and Magazine Co., 1962.
Weathers, B.F. "Early Days in Randolph County." Historical Records of Randolph County, Alabama (1832-1900). Marilyn Davis Barefield, ed. Easley South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1985.
*Information provided by Dana Chandler. We greatly appreciate his time and effort.
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