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Farming For A Better Future, page 101
creation of Guntersville Lake, the small town became a recreation destination.
In the early 20th century, Guntersville grew at a great rate from 1900 to 1940, from a total of 267 households in 1900 to 1066 households in 1940. The majority of the households were white and the percentage of African Americans declined with time. In 1900, there were 72 (27%) African American households. While the number of households of color increased steadily to a peak of 169 households in 1940, the percentage of the total households gradually declined to only 16%. The number of those households of color that owned farms were even fewer. Although the census district of Guntersville primarily contained the city, there were a few rural farmers. There were 4 African American landowning
(Left) 1936 USGS/TVA Topographic Map of Guntersville, Guntersville, Alabama Quadrangle (Lower Left) 1950 USGS/TVA Topographic Map of Guntersville, Guntersville, Alabama Quadrangle (Below) Guntersville Depot, 2010 (Flickr, User Brent Moore)
farmers in 1900 - Bob Moore within the city limits and Anderson Erskin, Lizzie Starnes, and Mack Cochran outside the city. These farms represented only 1% of the total households and 6% of the total African American households. There were no landowners of color reported on the 1910 census, however, there were 10 on record in 1920. This was the peak number of African American farming landowners in Guntersville. They still only represented 2% of the total households and 11% of the total households of color. From 1930 to 1940, there was only one landowning farmer of color in all of the 739 and 1066 households in the area.
Earsie (Ersie) Vaughn (1882, 1888, or 1896-1946) was a farmer outside of Guntersville and the only African American landowning farmer in the census district of Guntersville in 1930 and 1940. The road names have changed, but in 1930 Vaughn lived on Arab Highway; in 1940 his address was Carlisle Boulevard. Vaughn was a veteran of WWI and is buried in the Warrenton Cemetery, across the lake to the northwest.
101 - DEKALB, JACKSON & MARSHALL - (4629)