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Farming For A Better Future, page 201

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(Above) 1951 USGS/TVA Topographic Map of Courtland, Courtland, Alabama Quadrangle (Left) 1974 USGS/TVA Topographic Map of Courtland with North Courtland Highlighted, Courtland, Alabama Quadrangle (Above) 1940 Census District of Courtland Overlaid on the 1936 USGS Topographic Map Courtland and Masterson, Alabama Quadrangles. side. By 1910, north side farmers totaled 22, and the number of southside farmers remained at eight. Census records of 1920 and 1930 show that 25 and 23 African American landowners lived on the north side, and only three lived south of Courtland. This early 20th century peak in landowning farmers dropped dramatically in 1940, when there were only eight farmers total, all living on the north side. Additionally, few of those farmers kept their land in Courtland from decade to decade. Of the 30 landowning farmers in 1910, only one on the north side owned his farm in 1900 as opposed to five of the seven farmers on the south side owned their farms in 1900. By 1920, only seven of the 28 landowning farmers owned their farm for more than 10 years. Two had owned since 1900, and both were on the south side. Only three farmers - Nelson Bowman, George Swoope, and Lawrence Campbell - owned their farms for at least three decades, from 1900 to 1930. The community of Courtland continues to be fairly segregated today. In 1988, the town of North Courtland was incorporated. As of 2010, North Courtland was 97.5% African American. While this is only the town and not the rural areas, agriculture (Below) Excerpt of the 1920 Census Showing Nelson Bowman and George Swoope Owning a Farm (National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry.com) (Bottom) Excerpt of the 1930 Census Showing Lawrence Campbell Owning a Farm (National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry.com) 201 - LAWRENCE - (4729)    

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