Established by act December 18, 1832. Named for John Randolph, the distinguished Virginia statesman. Lies in eastern Alabama, on the Georgia line. Area, 599 square miles; all metamorphic; woodland, all. Surface broken and mountainous, with fertile valleys. Soil varieties, gray and red uplands, with pine, oak and hickory timber, and light, sandy, bottom soils, with white oak, beech and poplar timber. County watered and drained by the Tallapoosa and Little Tallapoosa rivers and a number of large creeks. Water for domestic purposes abundant and of most excellent quality. Wells and springs of best freestone water abound.

Population, white, 13,984; colored, 3.235; total, 17,219.

County seat, Wedowee.

Acres in county, improved, 84,771; unimproved, 286,313; total, 371,084.

Assessed value of property in county in 1891, real, $1,086,616.00; personal, 8408,757.00; total, 81,495. 378.00.

Newspapers, Observer, weekly, Wedowee; Herald, weekly, Roanoke.

Railroads, miles of main track. East Alabama, 3. Telegraph, miles of poles, 3. Chief crops, corn, cotton, oats, wheat, potatoes, etc. All the fruits and vegetables adapted to the latitude come to perfection. County peculiarly adapted to the production of peaches and grapes. Stock raising profitable. Lands easily tilled and, when fertilized, yield well. Gold, copper, mica, tin, graphite and kaolin found in county. Crops in 1889 (census of 1890)—cotton, acres, 28,387; bales, 10,348; value, 8468,958; corn, acres, 27,331; bushels, 331,213; oats, acres, 5,815; bushels, 41,746. Climate salubrious. Health exceptionally good. Churches numerous and good schools throughout the county. At Wedowee, Rock Mills and Roanoke are high schools of merit. Lands, $2.00. to $15.00 an acre. Government land in county, 3,920 acres. County debt, $4,025.00.

Source: Hand-Book of Alabama 1892, by Saffold Berney, Transcribed by C. Anthony

 

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