Cusseta

Cusseta is located in southeast Chambers County in the east-central part of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government. Patrick Floyd “Pat” Garrett (1850-1908), the sheriff who shot infamous outlaw Billy the Kid, was born near Cusseta.

History

Fort Cusseta Cusseta is located near the site of a Creek town of the same name. The current town of Cusseta developed along the Montgomery and West Point Railroad line after the Creeks were forced from their land in the early 1830s. The town was first known as Blackstone after a man named Black who had built a trading post in the area. The first post office was established in 1837, as was an all-male school, Cusseta Academy. A girls’ academy opened in 1849 but closed in 1863. Cusseta Academy was burned by a federal raiding party led by Gen. James H. Wilson during the Civil War, as was the train depot and the train tracks. Cusseta was first incorporated in 1853, but that incorporation lapsed. The town reincorporated in 2007.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Cusseta recorded a population of 98. Of that number, 76.5 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 19.4 percent as Hispanic or Latino, 3.1 percent as African American, and 1.0 percent as Asian. The town’s median household income was $63,750, and the per capita income was $26,019.

Employment

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

  • Retail trade (35.6 percent)
  • Manufacturing (26.7 percent)
  • Construction (22.2 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (4.4 percent)
  • Educational services, and health care and social assistance (4.4 percent)
  • Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (4.4 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (2.2 percent)

Education

Students in Cusseta attend Chambers County schools; no public schools are located within the town limits.

Transportation

Cusseta lies at the crossroads of County Road 83, which runs north-south, and County Road 389, which runs east-west and connects with Interstate 85 approximately four miles southeast of town. CSX Transportation Inc. runs a rail line through the town.

Events and Places of Interest

Fort Cusseta Historic Site, located just outside Cusseta, houses the remains of a log fort built by settlers in the mid-1830s during the period of Indian removal. Portions of the fort’s massive walls still remain.

Additional Resources

Chambers County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1999

External Links

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