March 28, 1873
Evergreen was founded in 1819 when James Cosey, a Revolutionary War veteran, and several other men settled within the present city limits on what is known today as South Main Street. Clergyman Alexander Travis is credited with calling the town by its present name because of the abundance of green foliage, plants and ferns. Evergreen became the seat of Conecuh County in 1866 after federal raiders burned Sparta, the previous county seat, during the Civil War. Evergreen was incorporated as a city March 28, 1873. The Conecuh Sausage Company opened in Evergreen in 1947 and remains a leading employer in the area.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
City of Evergreen historical marker, 2015. (hoteltwo, muddawber, waymarking.com)
The Evergreen Train Depot was built in 1907 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Jimmy Emerson)
Established in 2011, the Brown Hawkins Rural Learning Center is in Evergreen at the former home of African-American minister Hillary James “Brown” Hawkins. Hawkins was a notable figure in the black Baptist Church and served in many leadership roles in the denomination. Hawkins purchased the land on which the center is located in 1945, built the home and operated a successful farm there for many decades. The site now serves as an educational facility for teaching K-12 students about rural life as experienced by 19th- and early-20th-century Alabamians. Children are given the opportunity to milk cows, wash laundry on historic equipment and feed chickens, among other activities. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photo courtesy of Billy Milstead; Rural Southwest Alabama)
Post office in Evergreen, 2015. (Bazonka, Wikipedia)
Booker’s Mill is a historic property in Evergreen. The mill for which the site was named was built in the late 1860s and burned in 1982; it provided hydroelectric power to the surrounding community for many years. Today, the property serves as an event center and houses many period structures. The former farm store is now a museum that contains collections of farming implements and Native American artifacts. An 1887 cabin was constructed from trees on the property, and the historic chapel hosts weddings. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photo courtesy of Billy Milstead; Rural Southwest Alabama)
The Conecuh County Government Center in Evergreen, 2013. (Chris Pruitt, Wikipedia)
For more on Alabama’s bicentennial, go to Alabama 200.
