Tuscumbia, Alabama

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Not to be confused with Tuskegee, Alabama or Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Tuscumbia

City

Colbert County Courthouse in Tuscumbia

Nickname(s): 

"Charm of the Shoals" "The Town"

Location of Tuscumbia in Colbert County, Alabama.

Coordinates:  34°43′51″N 87°42′10″W

Country United States

State Alabama

County Colbert

Settled 1815

Incorporated (town) December 20, 1820[1]

Named for Chickasaw Indian chief [2]

Government

 • Type Mayor/Council
  • Mayor Kerry (Bubba) Underwood

Area
[3]

 • Total 9.26 sq mi (24.00 km2)

 • Land 9.22 sq mi (23.88 km2)

 • Water 0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)

Elevation 466 ft (142 m)

Population

 (2010)

 • Total 8,423

 • Estimate  8,461

(2019)[4]

 • Density 917.58/sq mi (354.27/km2)

Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))

 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)

ZIP code 35674

Area codes 256, 938

FIPS code 01-77280

GNIS feature ID 0153743

Website www.cityoftuscumbia.org

Tuscumbia is a city in and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, United

States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,423. [5] The city is part of The
Shoals metropolitan area.
Tuscumbia was the hometown of Helen Keller (Ivy Green) and much of the city is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Tuscumbia Historic District.
The city serves as the location for the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
 Contents

 1History
 2Geography
 3Demographics
 4Education
 5Media
 6Major Highways
 7Notable people
 8References
 9External links

History[edit]
Tuscumbia had its beginnings when the Michael Dixon family arrived about 1816.
They traded with Chief Tucumseh for the Tuscumbia Valley and built their home at
the head of the big spring. From these humble dwellings quickly developed a village
known as the Big Spring Community. The men of the community requested that the
state legislature incorporate them as a city. [6] The town was incorporated in 1820
as Ococoposa[1] and is one of Alabama's oldest towns. In 1821, its name was
changed to Big Spring[7] and on December 22, 1822, to Tuscumbia, after the Chief
Rainmaker of the Chickasaws.[6][8][9]
Although shoals on the nearby Tennessee River made the river nearly impassable, a
federal highway completed in 1820 provided the area with good access to markets.
Tuscumbia soon became the center for agriculture in northern Alabama. [9] A line to
the town on the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad was completed in 1832,
and by 1850 Tuscumbia was a major railroad hub for train traffic throughout the
South.[9]
From 1826 to the 1860s, the Tuscumbia Female Academy operated in Tuscumbia.[10]
During the Civil War, the railroad hub made Tuscumbia a target of the Union Army,
which destroyed the railroad shops and other parts of the town. The Civil War
resulted in the permanent closure of the Tuscumbia Female Academy. [10]
Tuscumbia became the county seat for Colbert County in 1867. [2]
In April 1894, three African-Americans suspected of planning arson were removed
from the Tuscumbia jail by a mob of 200 men who hung them from the bridge over
the Tennessee River.[11]
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic resulted in the temporary closure of The
Alabama Music Hall of Fame and Ivy Green at the beginning of the month of April
2020 to help curb the spread of COVID-19.[12][13]

Geography[edit]
Tuscumbia is located northeast of the center of Colbert County
at 34°43′51″N 87°42′10″W (34.730839, -87.702854).[14] It is bordered to the north by
the city of Sheffield and to the northeast by the city of Muscle Shoals.
The Tennessee River is 1 mile (1.6 km) to the northwest.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.8 square miles
(22.8 km2), of which 8.8 square miles (22.7 km2) is land and 0.039 square miles
(0.1 km2), or 0.50%, is water.[15]

Demographics