Timeline of Montgomery, Alabama facts for kids

This is a timeline of important events in the history of Montgomery, Alabama, a city in the United States. It shows how Montgomery has grown and changed over many years.

Montgomery's Early Years: The 1800s

• 1819 – Montgomery officially became a city.
• 1821
  • The Montgomery Republican newspaper started.
  • The Franklin Society was created.
• 1824 – A Presbyterian church and the Montgomery Light Infantry group were formed.
• 1828 – The Alabama State Library made Montgomery its main location.
• 1833 – The Montgomery Advertiser newspaper began publishing.
• 1847 – The Sons of Temperance group was started.
• 1850 – The famous company Lehman Brothers began its business here.
• 1851 – The Alabama State Capitol building was finished. This is where the state government meets.
• 1861
  • February: Montgomery became the first capital of the Confederate States of America. The First White House of the Confederacy was set up, and Jefferson Davis became its president.
  • May 21: The Confederate capital moved from Montgomery to Richmond, Virginia.
• 1864 – A railroad connecting Atlanta and Montgomery was destroyed during the Civil War.
• 1867 – Swayne School was built.
• 1870 – The city's population reached 10,588 people.
• 1873 – The Chamber of Commerce was started to help local businesses.
• 1877 – The Second Colored Baptist Church was established.
• 1887 – The Normal School for Colored Students opened, which was a school for African American students.
• 1889 – Hale Infirmary, a hospital, was founded.
• 1898 – A monument honoring the Confederacy was put up.
• 1899 – The Montgomery Library Association was organized.

Growing Up: The 1900s

• 1900 – The population grew to 30,346.
• 1901 – The Alabama Department of Archives and History, which keeps important state records, moved its headquarters to Montgomery.
• 1902 – St. Margaret's Hospital was founded.
• 1907 – The Bell Building was built.
• 1910
  • The Wright Flying School started operating, teaching people how to fly.
  • William Gunter became the mayor of Montgomery.
• 1913 – The Rotary Club of Montgomery was formed, a group that helps the community.
• 1914 – The Empire Theater was built.
• 1916 – The city adopted a new way of governing called the commission form.
• 1926
  • The Junior League of Montgomery was organized, a group of women who volunteer.
  • The Scottish Rite Temple was constructed.
• 1927 – The Jefferson Davis Hotel was built.
• 1929
  • A municipal (city) airport began operating.
  • The State Teachers College was active.
• 1930 – The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts was established.
• 1938 – A Coca-Cola bottling factory started operating.
• 1940
  • The population reached 78,084.
  • A hospital for veterans began operating.
• 1941 – Mayor William Gunter passed away.
• 1942 – Montgomery Bible College was founded.
• 1947 – The Alabama Historical Association made Montgomery its main location.
• 1948 – The U.S. Maxwell Air Force Base was established.
• 1949 – The City of Montgomery Library was established.
• 1950 – The population reached 106,525.
• 1954 – WSFA television began broadcasting.
• 1955 – December 1: Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat. This led to the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
• 1956 – December 20: A court ruling in the Browder v. Gayle case made racial segregation on buses illegal. The bus boycott ended.
• 1960 – The population reached 134,393.
• 1961 – May 20: Freedom Riders, who were civil rights activists, were attacked in Montgomery.
• 1964 – WKAB-TV began broadcasting.
• 1965
  • The Selma to Montgomery marches for civil rights took place, ending in Montgomery.
  • March 25: Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "How Long, Not Long" speech.
• 1967
  • February 7: The Dale's Penthouse fire occurred.
  • Auburn University at Montgomery was established.
  • The Alabama Historical Commission made Montgomery its main location.
• 1968 – The Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery was established to protect historic places.
• 1971 – The Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that fights for civil rights, was founded.
• 1972 – The Montgomery Zoo opened.
• 1977
  • Wynnsong 10 cinema opened.
  • Emory Folmar became mayor.
• 1978 – The Montgomery Genealogical Society was established.
• 1980 – The population reached 177,857.
• 1984 – Masjid Qasim Bilal El-Amin, a mosque, was established.
• 1985 – The Alabama Shakespeare Festival became active, putting on plays.
• 1986 – The Montgomery Area Food Bank was established to help people in need.
• 1989 – The Civil Rights Memorial was dedicated.
• 1990 – The population reached 187,106.
• 1992 – The Montgomery County Historical Society was organized.
• 1995 – The Equal Justice Initiative and the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum were established.
• 1996 – The RSA Tower was built.
• 1997 – The city's website went online.
• 1999 – Bobby Bright became mayor.
• 2000 – The population reached 201,568.

Modern Times: The 2000s

• 2005 – The Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama factory began operating.
• 2009
  • Todd Strange became mayor.
  • Montgomery formed a sister city agreement with Pietrasanta, Italy.
• 2010 – The population reached 205,764.
• 2011 – Martha Roby became a U.S. representative for Alabama's 2nd congressional district, and Terri Sewell became a U.S. representative for Alabama's 7th congressional district.
• 2018 – April: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice was unveiled.
• 2019 – Steven Reed became mayor.
• 2020 – The population was 200,603.
  • Montgomery recorded its highest number of homicides.
• 2021 – Montgomery recorded its highest homicide rate in history, with 77 homicides.