Georgiana

Georgiana is located in Butler County in southern part of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government. Georgiana is the birthplace of legendary country music star Hank Williams.

Georgiana was founded in 1855 by minister Pitt S. Milner, who moved to the area from Pike County, Georgia, after the Louisville & Nashville (L&N) Railroad constructed a line through it. Milner first opened a post office and named it Georgiana, a combination of his daughter's name and the name of his home state. Milner opened a general store in 1858, and other stores and a saloon soon followed, as did a steam-powered sawmill and grist mill. Several roads were cut to Georgiana from nearby communities. The L&N built a depot in the town after the first train rolled through in 1859, and executives urged Milner to rename the town Pittsville in Milner's honor, but he insisted that it remain Georgiana. The first school was built in 1856, and a second grist mill was constructed in 1867. The driving force in the town's economy was the cotton industry. In 1868, the town erected a large school building and named it Georgiana Academy. Georgiana incorporated in 1869 as a town and in 1872 as a city.

According to 2020 Census estimates, Georgiana recorded a population of 1,597. Of that number, 66.6 percent of respondents identified themselves as African American, 21.5 percent as white, 6.0 as Asian, 5.5 percent as Hispanic or Latino, and 0.4 percent as two or more races. The town's median household income was $37,454, and the per capita income was $17,373.

According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Georgiana was divided among the following industrial categories:

There is one K-12 public school in Georgiana. It is overseen by the Butler County Public Schools.

Interstate 65 runs north-south through the northwest corner of Georgiana, State Highway 106 runs east-west through the center of the town, and U.S. Highway 31 runs northeast-south through the eastern edge of the town.

Each spring, Georgiana hosts the Hank Williams Festival to celebrate its most famous native son. His childhood home is now owned by the city of Georgiana and operated by a local nonprofit as the Hank Williams Boyhood Home and Museum and houses exhibits and memorabilia relating to his life and career. The Milner-Boone House (c. 1858), J. C. Watson House/Watson Hospital (c. 1913), and Williams Home are listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Additional Resources

Butler County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Butler County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2003.

Little, John Buckner. The History of Butler County, Alabama, from 1815 to 1885. Cincinnati, Ohio: Elm Street Printing Company, 1885. Rpt. 1971.