History of Troy, Alabama facts for kids

Troy is a city in Alabama, USA. It has a rich history, from its early days as a small settlement to its growth into an important town.

Early History of Troy

The land where Troy now stands was once part of the Creek Indian territory. Around 1824, people started settling here. It was first called Deer Stand Hill, which was a hunting ground for Native Americans. Later, it was known as Zebulon, then Centreville, before finally being named Troy in 1838. Sadly, a big fire in 1901 destroyed much of Troy, and the town had to be rebuilt.

Troy became the main town, or "county seat," of the area in 1838. Soon, hotels, taverns, and small shops opened. This quickly made Troy the social center of the county.

Troy During the Civil War

When the American Civil War began in 1861, Troy was a small village with about 600 people. A group of soldiers from Troy formed the 57th Alabama Infantry Regiment in 1863. These soldiers fought in battles, including the Battle of Peachtree Creek in July 1864, where they were defeated.

Troy itself was not damaged by the war. However, many of its young men died fighting on battlefields across the South. On April 26, 1865, a group of Union cavalry soldiers, led by General Benjamin Henry Grierson, camped near Troy. The next day, they moved on to other towns like Louisville and Eufaula without any problems.

Rebuilding After the War

After the Mobile & Girard Railroad was finished in 1870, Troy's population grew very quickly. Many people moved to Troy, including Jeremiah Augustus "Gus" Henderson. He owned a large store in a nearby town called Gainers Store. It was hard for him to transport goods by wagon. So, in 1869, he moved his store to Troy to be closer to the new railroad. One of his sons, Charles Henderson, later became the governor of Alabama and helped Troy a lot.

Troy experienced a rapid period of growth in the years that followed. New factories, churches, stores, and beautiful Victorian houses were built outside the town square. Troy's population jumped from 1,000 people in 1870 to over 3,000 by 1880. This was the biggest population growth Troy has ever seen in a single decade.

Charles Henderson's Legacy

Charles Henderson made many important contributions to Troy. His most significant impact happened when he was mayor. He suggested that Troy should get electric lights. But instead of buying power, he proposed that Troy create its own electric company. In May 1891, during his first term as mayor, the city established its own electric company. His wife, Laura Montgomery Henderson, turned on the lights for the first time that evening. Since then, Troy has often produced its own power or bought it from companies connected to Charles Henderson.

In 1906, Charles Henderson built his home on College Street. Many influential people lived on this street, including two U.S. congressmen, Oliver C. Wiley and Ariosto A. Wiley. Also, a chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Lucien Gardner, lived there. The founder of a major insurance company, Frank Park Samford, and the founder of Golden Flake snacks, Sloan Bashinsky, also lived nearby. It's amazing how much influence came from one street in Troy!

While starting the electric company was very important for Troy, Charles Henderson's most famous contribution was a special fund he created. This fund was meant to support education in Pike County and Troy. After he passed away in 1937, his will set up a trust with $1 million of his money. After 20 years, the money from this trust was to be used to build and equip schools. He also wanted the trust to build and run a hospital for children with disabilities in Troy.

Charles Henderson had been thinking about the effects of polio. However, after his death, the Salk vaccine helped get rid of the disease. So, a hospital for children with disabilities was no longer needed. The courts decided that the money should instead be used to build the Charles Henderson Child Health Care Center in Troy. Today, this trust has $41 million to operate the clinic, and it continues to grow each year.

Troy Normal School

In 1887, a group of teachers and important citizens in Troy worked together. They wanted to bring a state normal school (a school to train teachers) to Troy. Thanks mostly to Ariosto A. Wiley, a powerful state senator from Troy, the city won the chance to host the school. Another town, Lowndesboro, Alabama, had also wanted it. The school was built in downtown Troy on a four-acre campus.

This school, which later became Troy University, had a difficult start. It was lucky to survive in its small downtown location. Its future became secure when the third president, Edward Madison Shackelford, led the move from downtown to its current larger campus starting in 1924.

Historic Roads

To help settlers move and to speed up mail delivery from Washington City to New Orleans, the Federal Road was created after 1805. It started in Augusta, Georgia and went west through Georgia. It entered Alabama in what is now Russell County and continued through several other counties like Macon and Montgomery. Then it went southwest to Mobile and on to New Orleans.

Three Notch Road

In 1824, a military road called the Three Notch Road was built. It started at Fort Barrancas in Pensacola, Florida, and followed high ground to Fort Mitchell in Russell County, Alabama. There, it connected to the Federal Road. Captain Daniel E. Burch of the U.S. Army marked the path by making three notches on trees for his crew to follow. The road was cleared in 1824. It became known as the Three Notch Road and passed through Troy and Pike County. While it wasn't used much for military supplies, it was very helpful for settlers moving into southern Alabama and northwest Florida.

John Wilkes Booth Monument

Troy is home to what remains of a monument believed to be the only one ever built to honor John Wilkes Booth. Booth was the man who killed President Abraham Lincoln at the end of the Civil War.

This monument was not built by the town or with money from Troy citizens. Instead, it was created in 1906 by one person named Joseph Pinkney Parker. After returning home from the war, Parker felt his family had been treated unfairly. He decided to build a monument with the words: "Erected by Pink Parker in honor of John Wilks Booth for killing old Abe Lincoln."

Parker wanted to place the monument in front of the Pike County Courthouse in Troy. However, local officials did not agree with this idea. So, he placed it in his own front yard. When people in the North heard about the monument, there were large public protests. People pressured the Troy city council to remove it. By 1920, its existence became major news across the country. By 1921, letters from all over the nation demanded that the monument be taken down immediately.

The monument stood on Parker's lawn facing Madison Street in Troy for many years. It remained there until Parker's death in 1921, amidst all the controversy. After his death, the monument was re-carved and used as a tombstone for Parker in Oakwood Cemetery.