Orrville

Orrville is a town in west-central Dallas County. It has a mayor/council form of government.

History

Ben Ellis-Dunaway House Orrville was a center of cotton production by the 1840s, for its proximity to the Alabama River. In 1850, builder Willis Green constructed the Orrville Male Academy in the town. It later became the home of Confederate veteran Benjamin F. Ellis. The town incorporated around 1908. During the 1950s, the town became a center of the recreational boating industry with the establishment of the Baker-Jewell boat manufacturing company.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Orrville recorded a population of 145. Of that number, 55.9 percent of respondents identified themselves as African American and 44.1 percent as white. The town’s median household income was $13,393, and the per capita income was $20,905.

Employment

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

• Retail trade (32.5 percent)
• Manufacturing (22.5 percent)
• Educational services and health care and social assistance (20.0 percent)
• Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (12.5 percent)
• Public administration (10.0 percent)
• Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (2.5 percent)

Education

Schools in Orrville are overseen by the Dallas County School System. The town has one elementary school and one combined 6-12 middle school and high school.

Transportation

Orville is bisected by State Route 22, which runs east-west through the town, and County Road 33 runs north-south through the eastern half of the town. A line of the Norfolk Southern Corporation railroad goes through the northwestern quarter of the town.

Events and Places of Interest

The Orrville Farmers Market offers visitors access to fresh local produce and other agricultural products and also has a restaurant and gift store. Several structures in Orrville are listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, including the Beloit Industrial Institute (ca. 1929), the Craig-Wilson Home (ca.1840-1890), the Dunaway-Meyer House (ca. 1895), the Prosperity Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (ca. 1913), the Providence School (ca. 1920), and the Watson House (ca. 1915).

Additional Resources

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