Attalla’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold just one old photo of Attalla. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The town developed on the area of a former Muscogee (Creek) village that was important during the Creek War. Most of the Creek people were forced out under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. White European migrants from the coastal areas came into this area to acquire land. The wealthier ones developed cotton plantations based on the labor of enslaved African Americans.
Cherokee people had also lived in this area, after being encroached on in Tennessee and western North Carolina. David Brown (Cherokee) was assisted by the Rev. D. S. Butterick in preparing the Cherokee Spelling Book while he lived here.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Attalla’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Attalla’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1950 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Attalla
See all 4 →Attalla, decade by decade
1990s
CommonsPost Office2026
CommonsAlabama Power Company sign2026
CommonsAtalla, Alabama - Aerial2016
CommonsUS278 West US431 North at US11 - Atalla Bridge2015
CommonsSeven Cedars Attalla Oct 20142014
CommonsHouses on 5th Avenue Attalla Oct 20142014
CommonsBrown's Motor Court2011
LOCHistoric Alabama Power Company sign20102 historic places in Attalla
Attalla has 2 listings on the National Register, and they protect 31 historic buildings, because Attalla Downtown Historic District alone counts 30.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Etowah County - Attalla - ED AL 28-87 to 94, 28-117 (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (1) and the National Register (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.