menu search

Posted in Alabama History October 27, 2015 by Jennifer Young

This Is What Alabama Looked Like 100 Years Ago…It May Surprise You!

Without a doubt, Alabama has changed greatly over the past 100 years. It’s quite amazing once you sit back and think about it.

These 15 historical photos, which were captured 100+ years ago, are proof that Alabama has come a really long way since its beginning in 1819:

1. Child workers at Merrimac Mills in Huntsville, Alabama in November 1910. Photo was captured by Lewis Hine.

2. This historic photo of the "Old Market House" in Mobile, Alabama was captured in 1906.

3. Cotton is being brought to market in Montgomery, Alabama, circa 1900.

4. This historic photo was captured in Birmingham, Alabama during the year 1909. It was used in an advertisement for a "First-Class Ambulance Service/Funeral Director/Funeral Chapel" business.

5. The inauguration of Jefferson Davis in Montgomery, Alabama on February 18, 1861.

6. The Masonic Temple in Birmingham, Alabama in 1908.

7. A graveling crane and stone yard in Riverton, Alabama. It's supporting the Colbert Shoals Canal project on November 8, 1895.

8. The building featured in this historic photo was once the original building of the East Alabama Male College, which is now Auburn University. It was originally used for classrooms and the library. The building also served as a Confederate Hospital from 1864-1866 during the Civil War. This photo was taken in 1883.

9. A group of students from Tuskegee Institute studying botany sometime between the years 1910-1915.

10. This historic photo, which was taken in 1901, features officers of the 2nd Alabama Infantry Regiment on horseback in downtown Eufaula, Alabama.

11. A young newsboy in Mobile, Alabama. Photo was captured in October 1914.

12. This historic photo of the Mobile County Courthouse was captured sometime between the years 1905-1915.

13. A young wagon boy in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo taken in 1914.

14. The city of Montgomery, Alabama is showing the state house where the "Congress of the Southern Confederacy" meets on February 4, 1861.

15. Brown McDowell, a 12-year-old usher at the Princess Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama, works from 10am-10pm. He can barely read and has only reached the second grade in school. This photo was taken in October 1914.

Alabama’s history is quite amazing, don’t you think? Did anything in these photos surprise you about Alabama’s past? Let us know your thoughts below!

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.

Jennifer is the Alabama staff writer for Only In Your State. She enjoys discovering new places and currently calls North Alabama home.