Cowarts

Cowarts is located in west-central Houston County in the extreme southeast corner of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.

History

Cowarts was first settled in the mid-nineteenth century, at the time under the name Cowart. In the late 1890s, a sawmill opened that eventually would employ around 500 people. In 1889, the Midland Railroad built a spur to the area that allowed timber and other products to be transported to outside markets. When the train depot first opened, a sign painter added an ‘s’ to the town’s name on the depot sign, and the mistake became permanent.

The town’s growth was derailed by two major events. First, the sawmill shut down in 1910, dealing a severe blow to the economy. Then on September 17, 1918, a tornado hit the town, killing nine and injuring many more and destroying many of the town’s structures. The same tornado killed two people in nearby Webb. The town incorporated in August 1961, with a population of around 225. A water system was constructed in 1966 with the help of a federal grant.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Cowarts recorded a population of 2,153. Of that number, 83.3 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 9.8 percent as African American, 4.3 percent as Hispanic or Latino, 5.7 percent as two or more races, and 0.4 percent as American Indian. The town’s median household income was $49,414, and the per capita income was $21,376.

Employment

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

  • Retail trade (19.1 percent)
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (18.5 percent)
  • Manufacturing (14.7 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (8.9 percent)
  • Construction (8.7 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (8.1 percent)
  • Public administration (5.4 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (5.3 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (5.0 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (2.8 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (2.5 percent)
  • Information (0.2 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (0.9 percent)

Education

Students in Cowarts attend schools in the Houston County Schools; no public schools are located within the city limits of Cowarts.

Transportation

U.S. Highway 84 runs roughly east-west through Cowarts, and County Road 41/65 bisects the town running north-south.

Additional Resources

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

Watson, Fred S. Hub of the Wiregrass: A History of Houston County, Alabama, 1903-1972. Anniston, Ala.: Higginbotham, Inc., 1972.

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