Bibb County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. The county is a part of the Birmingham, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is included in the ARC's definition of Appalachia. As of the 24th decennial 2020 census, its population was 22,293. The county seat is Centreville. The county is named in honor of William W. Bibb (1781–1820), the Governor of Alabama Territory (1817–1819) and the first Governor of Alabama (1819–1820, when he died). He is also the namesake for Bibb County, Georgia, where he began his political career. It is a "prohibition" or dry county; however, a few towns have become "wet" by allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages: Woodstock (December 2017), West Blocton (August 2012), Centreville (June 2010), and Brent (May 2010). The Bibb County Courthouse is located in the county seat of Centreville.
History
Cahawba County was established ("erected") on February 7, 1818, named for the Cahawba River (now more commonly known as Cahaba River). This name came from the Choctaw language word meaning "water above." On December 4, 1820, it was renamed as Bibb County.
In the wake of the American Civil War, the state legislature passed laws to create a new constitution that raised barriers to voter registration and effectively excluded Freedmen from the political process. Many residents resisted the objectives of Union occupation both during and after Reconstruction because they wanted to restore the Antebellum social and political norms. During this time of transition, Bibb, Dallas, and Pickens counties held the third-highest number of lynchings in the state. On June 18, 1919, Jim McMillan was lynched by a White mob. On November 7, 2000, Bibb County voted against a proposed amendment to Alabama's constitution to abolish the prohibition of interracial marriages.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Jefferson County - north
- Shelby County - northeast
- Chilton County - southeast
- Perry County - southwest
- Hale County - southwest
- Tuscaloosa County - northwest
National protected areas
- Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge
- Talladega National Forest (part)
Endemic species
Several species of plants are endemic to Bibb County, Alabama; that is, they grow in this county and nowhere else in the world.
- Xyris spathifolia
- Dalea cahaba
- Spigelia alabamensis
- Lithospermum decipiens
- Solanum pumilum
- Castilleja kraliana
- Erigeron dolomiticola
- Liatris oligocephala
- Silphium glutinosum
Transportation
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Highway 11
- 20px U.S. Highway 82
- 20px State Route 5
- 20px State Route 25
- 20px State Route 58
- 20px State Route 139
- 20px State Route 209
- 20px State Route 219
Rail
- Norfolk Southern Railway