Published On: 12.05.19 | 

By: 14236

On this day in Alabama history: Columbiana founded in Shelby County

Dec 5 feature

Downtown Columbiana, 2012. (Rivers Langley, SaveRivers, Wikipedia)

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.

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