Map of Carbon Hill city, Alabama

Carbon Hill is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in February 1891. At the 2010 census the population was 2,021, down from 2,071 in 2000.

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History

About 310 million years ago, Carbon Hill was located in a swampy area south of the equator. A number of important fossil discoveries and trackways have been located near Carbon Hill.

Carbon Hill, Alabama was settled in 1886 because of coal mining and the railroad. A post office was established in 1887 with John T. Anderson as the first Postmaster. By 1888, the community had grown enough to support the Carbon Hill United Methodist Church.

The Galloway Coal Company was responsible for the early development of Carbon Hill. Col. Robert Galloway entered the coal and transfer business in 1863. On May 1, 1890 Galloway bought mines and property on Carbon Hill (as it was then called) from The Kansas City Coal and Coke Company for $130,000. Galloway turned the operation into a commercial success. Other mining companies set up operations after word spread of Galloway’s success.

On February 1, 1891, the Sheriff of Walker County telegraphed the governor of Alabama requesting fifty soldiers to be dispatched to Carbon Hill. Mayor Anderson wired: “There is a lawless mob here. Colored people are shot and driven from home. No arrest made. We need troops.” Superintendent B. W. Whitfield of the Carbon Hill Coal and Coke Company was anxious to fire 200 striking miners, and the men had caught word of it. The strikers feared the black citizens would take their jobs.

On February 14, 1891, the town of Carbon Hill was incorporated, with John T. Anderson as mayor. February 14 is also known as St. Valentine’s Day; the founding fathers wanted the tiny town to be known as The Village of Love and Luck. The notion of coal as luck derives from the cultural traditions of Scotland (where Colonel Galloway was born) – it is also customary and considered lucky in Scotland and the North of England to give coal as a gift on New Year’s Day. This occurs as part of First-Footing and represents warmth for the year to come.

On May 27, 1917, an F3 tornado hit Carbon Hill, killing 6 people and destroying 200 homes in an area 3 miles wide by 17 miles long.

Carbon Hill was “especially hard-hit by the Depression,” and became known for its “savvy utilization of federal resources” provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Public Works Administration (PWA). Residents used the funding to build a new high school, and made improvements to sewers, sidewalks, and streets.

On November 17, 1957 an F4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 13.2 miles away from the Carbon Hill city center killed 4 people and injured 15 people.

An F3 tornado destroyed much of Carbon Hill on November 10, 2002.

An EF1 (max speeds 86-110 mph) tornado quickly passed through Carbon Hill on April 12, 2020, part of the 2020 Easter tornado outbreak. It remain on the ground for four minutes, traveling in a northeasterly direction and was 1,000 yards at its widest point. The tornado remained on the ground for 2.9 miles uprooting and snapping tree, destroying homes and other structures. This tornado was one of four that struck the Walker County on same day. No deaths or severe injuries were reported.

Mark Chambers controversies

Mark Chambers was appointed to the mayoralty in 2014. He won a full mayoral term in 2016. On June 5, 2019, Chambers made national news when local news outlet WBRC reported that Chambers made three public posts on Facebook with derogatory and threatening statements aimed at members of the LGBT community, including:

He also called immigrants “ungrateful” and initially denied writing the inflammatory social media post to a reporter.

Chambers later apologized for the posts, which were deleted, and in an interview with a local newspaper revealed having no intention to resign.

Following social media posts on June 25, 2020, by the Alabama Crimson Tide football team supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement, Chambers commented on Facebook, “I got several Alabama pictures for sale Nick Sabin (sic) and the Tide is done in my opinion… Their sorry ass political views is why their (sic) getting out of my house… When you put Black lives before all lives they can kiss my ass.” By June 28, Chambers’s comments had been deleted. He subsequently resigned from the mayoralty, and was replaced by councilor April Kennedy Herron.

Carbon Hill Road Map

Carbon Hill city Satellite Map

Geography

Carbon Hill was begun as a small mining town in extreme western Walker County. The city is located at 33°53′26″N 87°31′28″W / 33.89056°N 87.52444°W / 33.89056; -87.52444 (33.890690, -87.524307).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (15 km), of which 5.5 square miles (14 km) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km) (0.90%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Carbon Hill has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated “Cfa” on climate maps.

See also