Hamilton, Alabama, United States

🇺🇸 Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in 1896 and since 1980 has been the county's largest city, surpassing Winfield. It was previously the largest town in 1910.

History Hamilton was founded in the early 19th century by settlers who moved to the Alabama Territory from Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas. It is built upon lands that once served as "hunting grounds" for the Chickasaw people. The city was first called "Toll Gate", but its name later changed in honor of one of its distinguished citizens, Captain Albert James Hamilton (known as A.J. Hamilton), who had represented Marion County in the state legislature in the sessions of 1869, 1874 and 1875. Captain Hamilton donated forty acres of his land to the town. The same forty acres were then divided into lots and sold to help defray the cost of building the courthouse. The Toll Gate community was elected in 1881 to be the next county seat, and by 1883 the Marion County courthouse in Pikeville had ceased to be functional. When the courthouse was moved from Pikeville to Toll Gate, the town's name was then changed from Toll Gate to Hamilton. On March 30, 1887, the newly built county courthouse was destroyed by fire. It was again rebuilt with wood, but replaced in 1901 with native sandstone.

During the Civil War, Union forces passed through the town in search of goods and horses. A detachment of Wilson's Cavalry destroyed by fire the plantation belonging to the Helvingstons on the Military Ford, south of Toll Gate (Hamilton).

Geography Hamilton is located west of the centre of Marion County, in the valley of the Buttahatchee River. Interstate 22 passes around the southern and western sides of the city, with access from Exits 7, 11, 14, and 16. I-22 leads west 45 miles (72 km) to Tupelo, Mississippi, and south-east 89 miles (143 km) to Birmingham. U.S. Routes 43 and 278 pass through Hamilton. US 43 leads north 53 miles (85 km) to Florence, while US 278 leads east 74 miles (119 km) to Cullman. The two highways join at the centre of Hamilton and lead south together 13 miles (21 km) to Guin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Hamilton has a total area of 38.1 square miles (99 km²), of which 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²), 0.04%, are water. The Buttahatchee River, a tributary of the Tombigbee River, flows north-east to south-west through the city, east of downtown.

Arts and culture Several cemeteries in Hamilton still celebrate annual Decoration Days in the spring and summer.

Artifacts • Indian Mounds site

Festivals • Jerry Brown Arts Festival (held annually the first weekend in March) • Buttahatchee River Fall Fest (held annually in October) • Hamilton's Hometown Christmas (held annually in December)

Parades • Homecoming parade (sponsored by Hamilton High School each fall) • Hamilton Christmas parade (held annually in December)

Parks and recreation • E.T. Sims Jr. Recreation Center, park, and playground • Key Branch Nature Trail and Aggieland Disc Golf course • Splash Pad playground

Education Hamilton is a part of the Marion County School District. Hamilton Elementary School, Hamilton Middle School, and Hamilton High School serve the Hamilton area.

Hamilton has a branch campus of Bevill State Community College.

Media Hamilton's local newspaper, The Journal Record, has a second office in Winfield, Alabama.

Hamilton is home to two local television stations: WMTY TV 46 (cable channel 5), and TV8-WATVC.

Infrastructure Marion County – Rankin Fite Airport is located in Hamilton.