Download
[Page]
[Document]mcc-ns1-143
Farming For A Better Future, page 117
10B
Stevenson
Stevenson is located approximately three miles north of the Tennessee River along the railroad and highway that follows the river on the southeast edge of Jackson County south of Bridgeport and north of Fackler. A familiar story to the North Alabama, the area of Stevenson was originally Cherokee land before the forced removal in the 1830s. However, unlike the more mountainous areas to the south of the river, people began to settle Jackson County and Stevenson before the land was legally available. By the 1850s, the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad paralleled the river and connected the many growing settlements.
In another familiar story, the river and railroad proved to be strategic assets during the Civil War, making
USGS/TVA Topographic Maps of Stevenson, Stevenson, Alabama Quadrangle with African American Neighborhood Highlighted (Below) 1936 Map (Right) 1950 Map (Far Right) 1972 Map
Stevenson a pawn to be fought over. Essential to holding Stevenson was Fort Harker. Following the Civil War, Stevenson became home to a community of freedmen called Averyville where a Quaker missionary established a school for newly freed slaves. In the early 20th century, Stevenson would revive interest in African American education with a Rosenwald school, built in the same area in the 1920s.
In the early 20th century the town of Stevenson grew from a total of 292 households to 743 households from 1900 to 1940. The population of African American households also grew steadily from 86 (29%) households in 1900 to 129 (17%) households in 1940. however, the growth of the community of color did not match that of the overall white community and while African American homes made up nearly a third of households at the beginning of the century, they represented less than 20% of the households by 1940.
The number of African American-owned farms did not follow a steady trend from 1900 to 1940, but
117 - DEKALB, JACKSON & MARSHALL - (4645)