HISTORY
See where history was made.
Early years
Dallas County came into existence in 1818, while the city of Selma was established two years later, in 1820, by a group headed by U.S. Vice President William Rufus King. At that time, the county took its name from Alexander J. Dallas, a Scottish immigrant lawyer, and the city drew its name from Ossian’s poems. The name Selma, which means “high seat” or “throne,” originated from the poem “The Songs of Selma,” one of William R. King’s personal favorites.
Dallas County had just barely come into its infancy when it was selected to be the location of Alabama’s first permanent state capital (now a ghost town and popular tourist destination), Cahawba.
This early settlement and development now mean that Selma is the second-oldest surviving city in the State of Alabama, and numbers among its many historic districts an abundance of structures that date to the 1800s. Thousands of tourists visit Selma and Dallas County each year, many of whom are tracing their family roots.
In addition to the City of Selma’s development, its excellent rail and waterway transportation arteries are the successor to its foundation.
At one time, as many as 49 different railroads operated into and out of the city. The city’s prime location, high atop the Alabama River’s soapstone bluffs, made Selma a natural hub for steamboat traffic throughout central and south Alabama. These routes ensured Selma’s place as a major transportation center for the region’s booming agricultural economy.
Development in the City of Selma was predicated on its excellent rail and waterway transportation arteries. At one time, as many as 49 different railroads operated into and out of the city. The city’s prime location high atop the Alabama River’s soapstone bluffs made Selma a natural hub for steamboat traffic throughout central and south Alabama. These routes ensured Selma’s place as a major transportation center for the region’s booming agricultural economy.
With this economic boom in full swing, Selma also becomes a commercial and professional center for an entire area of the state. This shift made the city a nucleus for political power and, at one time, resulted in both of Alabama's U.S. Senators hailing from Selma. While the county and region suffered a severe political blow in 1825, the capital relocated from Cahawba to Tuscaloosa, leaving the political power of those in charge at the time to maintain it at the state and national levels for decades to come.
civil war
The onset of the war saw Selma’s sprawling industrial complex converted to the production of wartime materials, ranking second only to the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia. During the production phase of wartime materials, munitions, cannons, and armaments were materials made for the Confederate war effort.
The city was an easy choice for this role, as it boasted not only production facilities ripe for conversion but also a central location and an extensive transportation infrastructure. By 1863, the majority of Confederate war material was produced in Selma, employing over 10,000 people.
In fact, the Selma Ordinance and Naval Foundry were one of only two locations (the other being Tredegar in Richmond) that produced the technologically superior Brooke rifle, a massive naval and coastal defense cannon. Additionally, the Selma works contributed to the production of at least five of the Confederacy’s Ironclads, including the CSS Tennessee.
Selma’s importance as a manufacturing and transportation center made it a prime objective for Union strategists. However, the city’s location deep in the heart of the Confederacy made it a challenging target for them to advance, and there were several failed attempts made between 1863 and 1865. Major General William Tecumseh Sherman himself led an attack on Selma from the west that was turned back to the Mississippi River near Meridian, just 107 miles shy of his intended target.
