A history of Decatur,
since 1821
Postcards, papers and photographs of Decatur from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Initially, the area was known as "Rhodes Ferry Landing", named for Dr. Henry W. Rhodes, an early landowner who operated a ferry that crossed the Tennessee River in the 1810s at the present-day location of Rhodes Ferry Park. The city was incorporated as Decatur in 1821. It was named in honor of Stephen Decatur; after he was killed in a duel in 1820, President Monroe directed that the Alabama town be named for him.
In the early 1830s, Decatur was the eastern terminus of the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad, the first railway built west of the Appalachian Mountains. In 1850, the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur was incorporated into the Memphis & Charleston Railroad.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Decatur’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Decatur
See all 56 →
Decatur, decade by decade
1920s
1990s
15 historic places in Decatur
Decatur has 15 listings on the National Register, and they protect 777 historic buildings, because Bank Street-Old Decatur Historic District (Boundary Increase) alone counts 260.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Morgan County - Decatur - ED 52-2 - ED 52-14 (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (5) and the Library of Congress (7). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.