January 21, 1832

Centreville was established on the west bank of the Cahaba River at a waterfall by Sarah F. Chotard, who received a land grant from the federal government in 1823. The town became the Bibb County seat, which was moved briefly in the mid-1820s to present-day Antioch. Centreville was incorporated on this day in 1832. Boundary lines for the town were later redrawn, and Centreville was re-incorporated in 1890. The town is noted for its historic district, which is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

The Cahaba River photographed from the Cahaba River Historical Park in Centreville, Bibb County. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Jimmy Emerson)

Bibb County Courthouse Square. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Bibb County Courthouse built in 1902. (Photograph by Calvin Beale, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wikipedia).

Ritz Theater, Centreville, 1979. (Photograph by John Margolies, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.