December 5, 1832
Originally settled as Columbia in 1821, the Alabama legislature added the additional syllable by a vote in 1832. On this day five years later, Columbiana was officially incorporated.
Prior to incorporation, Shelby County property owners voted to have the county seat in Columbia over Montevallo. Columbiana ended up getting the county Museum and Archives as a result, and is also home to the Karl C. Harrison Museum of George Washington. That landmark is home to the largest collection of memorabilia from the estate of George and Martha Washington to be found anywhere outside of Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
The Shelby County Museum and Archives is located in the old county courthouse in Columbiana. The structure was built in 1854 in the Jeffersonian architectural style. The museum displays artifacts and photographs from the territorial period through World War II. The archives houses histories of Shelby County families, communities, and organizations, as well as Federal Census records and other research materials. The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Jimmy Emerson)
Shelby County Courthouse in Columbiana, 2012. (Rivers Langley, SaveRivers, Wikipedia)
City Hall in Columbiana, 2012. (Rivers Langley, SaveRivers, Wikipedia)
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
