Established by act January 30, 1867. Territory taken
from Greene, Perry, Tuskaloosa and Marengo counties. Named for
Colonel Stephen F. Hale of Greene county. Lies in the west centre
of the State. Area, 732 square miles; woodland, all, except a few
tracts of open prairie. County about evenly divided between
prairie region and gravelly hills with pine. Upper half of county,
rolling uplands; lower half, mostly prairie, very slightly
undulating, and very little elevated above the water courses. In
the uplands, the red loam forms all the most important soils and
subsoils. The tablelands and the better class of uplands generally
have a brown loam soil, with red clay subsoil. Warrior river
bottom lands very fertile and well suited to corn. Some of the
best canebmke lands of the State are in this county, and the
uplands and river lands of the northern part of the county are
among the best of their class. Altogether, Hale is
one of the best agricultural counties of the State. The Warrior
river bounds the county on the west, and, being navigable through
the greater part of the year, affords the county good water
transportation. Population, white, 5,058; colored, 22,445; total,
27,501. County seat, Greensboro; population, 1,759. Other towns,
Newberne, Havana, Stewart Station, and New Prospect. Acres in
county, improved, 138,815; unimproved, 272,049; total, 410,864.
Assessed value of property in 1891, real, $1,660,915.00 ;
personal, $1,272,738.00; total, $2,933,653.00. County debt, 1890,
25,600.00. Railroads, miles of main track, Alabama Great Southern,
17.22; East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia (Akron branch), 28;
East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia (Meridian division), 5.
Telegraph, miles of poles, 53. Newspapers, Alabama Beacon weekly,
Watchman, Greensboro. Bank, 1, Greensboro. Products, cotton, corn,
oats, potatoes, peas, etc. Crops in 1889 (census of 1890)—cotton,
acres, 90,738; bales, 2S,973; value, $1,332,033.00; corn, acres,
41,923; bushels, 676,279 ; oats, acres, 2,990; bushels, 42,346.
Unappropriated government land in county, 760 acres. Lands, $2 00
to $25.00 an acre. County well watered. Educational advantages
excellent; Southern University at Greensboro. Churches
numerous.
Source: Handbook of Alabama, by Saffold
Berney, 1892, Transcribed by C. Anthony
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