Lowndes County, Alabama
Lowndes County comprises more than 700 square miles with a population of 10,311 as of the 2020 Census and a poverty rate of 21%. Lowndes County is located in the south-central part of the state in Alabama’s Black Belt, wholly within the Coastal Plain physiographic section. The county is characterized by rolling prairies and flat plains dotted with pine and oak forests. Lowndes County is bordered to the north by Autauga County, to the east by Montgomery County, to the southeast by Crenshaw County, to the south by Butler County, and the west by Wilcox and Dallas Counties. The Alabama River and its middle tributaries flow throughout Lowndes County. The Alabama River serves as the unifier of Alabama’s eastern and western rivers and provides both economic and recreational opportunities for Lowndes County. More than 144 species of fish have been identified in the Alabama River.
History of Lowndes County, Alabama
Lowndes County’s first and only county seat was established at Hayneville in 1830. The original brick courthouse was constructed in 1832. In 1856, the courthouse was deemed unsafe by the county commission, and a second Greek Revival courthouse was built. Still in use today, the courthouse had two-story wings added in 1905 to create more office space. In 1981, an annex was added to the rear of the building. The courthouse has also undergone some minor restoration as well.
During the civil rights era of the 1960s, Lowndes County was at the forefront of efforts to reform voting rights and racial injustice in the South. The Lowndes County Freedom Organization, founded by local activists and former members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, was the earliest incarnation of what would become the Black Panther Party.
Civil rights activist and seminarian Jonathan Myrick Daniels was murdered by a white store owner in Hayneville on August 20, 1965, after being released from jail there. Daniels had been among a group of 30 arrested for participating in civil rights demonstrations in Fort Deposit.
Lowndes County Housing Characteristics
Lowndes County has 4,779 housing units, 62% of these homes are in the unincorporated region of the county, and 38% are distributed in incorporated municipalities that include seven incorporated towns: Benton, Fort Deposit, Hayneville, Gordonville, Lowndesboro, Mosses, and White Hall. The majority of homeowners living in incorporated towns use public water and rely on septic systems for sewer (wastewater management).
If a Lowndes County Resident has a septic system failure, due to the soil, a new specially engineered system typically costs upwards of $15,000, which is out of reach for most Lowndes County Residents.