Beatrice

Beatrice is located in north-central Monroe County in the southwestern corner of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.

History

Rikard’s Mill Historical Park Beatrice was established by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad during construction of a line between Pine Apple, Wilcox County, and Repton, Conecuh County, in 1899-1900. The town was named for the granddaughter of the general superintendent of construction on the project and was constructed on land gifted by local landowner Barbara Robbins to the railroad for a right of way. The Robbins home was later converted into a popular hotel that was in service for many years. The Robbins family also sold much of their remaining land to create the town center. Beatrice was incorporated in 1901.

The town prospered as a shipping center, with one of the main products being cotton from the surrounding farms. The first school was called the Quigley Institute after a local land speculator who had bought the bulk of the land from the Robbins family and laid it out as a town. The first bank opened in 1907. Businesses in town include a 100-year-old outdoors store.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Beatrice recorded a population of 162. Of that number, 76.5 percent of respondents identified themselves as African American, and 23.5 percent as white. The town’s median household income was $27,500, and the per capita income was $17,767.

Employment

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

  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (31.1 percent)
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (24.4 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (15.6 percent)
  • Public administration (13.3 percent)
  • Manufacturing (6.7 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (4.4 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (2.2 percent)
  • Retail trade (2.2 percent)

Education

Schools in Beatrice are part of the Monroe County school system; the town has one K-12 school.

Transportation

State Highway 265 runs north from the center of Beatrice, and State Highway 21/47 runs south and east.

Events and Places of Interest

The Robbins Hotel (1840) and the New Hope Baptist Church (1870) are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Rikard’s Mill Historical Park, part of the Monroe County Heritage Museum, is located in Beatrice.

Additional Resources

Monroe County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Monroe County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2004.

External Links

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