Pine Apple, Alabama
| Pine Apple, Alabama | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
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| Coordinates: 31°52′4″N 86°59′15″W / 31.86778°N 86.9875°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Wilcox |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.1 sq mi (8 km2) |
| • Land | 3.1 sq mi (8 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 302 ft (92 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 145 |
| • Density | 46.8/sq mi (18.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 36768 |
| Area code(s) | 251 |
| FIPS code | 01-59880 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0152909 |
“Pine Apple” redirects here. For the fruit, see Pineapple
Pine Apple is a town in Wilcox County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 145. It has two places on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hawthorne House and the Pine Apple Historic District.[1]
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[edit] History
Like many communities throughout the South, Pine Apple has experienced some racial disturbances. One such disturbance is described by historian Douglas A. Blackmon. [1]
According to Blackmon, one of the more interesting historical sites in Pine Apple is the cemetery of the Friendship Baptist Church. The site includes the graves of residents born before Alabama became a state and the grave of William Joseph Melton (1846-1900). Although the wealth of the Melton family was attributed to the turn-of-the-century cotton boom, the family did not have access to the free labor of slaves to harvest crops. Instead, Blackmon relates, some of the Meltons used fear and intimidation to compel blacks to work for them and the practices led to suggestions of involuntary servitude and peonage.
Blackmon says that, four years after William Joseph Melton's death, on the eve of his daughter Leila’s wedding, a cousin (Evander “Pig” Melton) was shot and wounded after participating in a craps game with a group of black men. Arthur Stuart, a black man who happened to be nearby, but who was probably innocent, was apprehended. Townspeople, with the complicity of the town constable, broke into the local jail where Stuart was being held, beat Stuart and started a fire. The fire engulfed Stuart's cell, the jail, the bank and other surrounding buildings, killing Stuart and burning parts of the town to the ground. Three weeks later, Melton died from his gunshot wounds.
No one was ever charged with Arthur Stuart’s death and no Meltons were ever prosecuted for mistreatment of local blacks.
Remarkably, in spite of this history, Pine Apple is the hometown of Prince Arnold, who in 1978 became the first black sheriff of Wilcox County.
[edit] Geography
Pine Apple is located at 31°52′4″N 86°59′15″W / 31.86778°N 86.9875°W (31.867882, -86.987624)[2].
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 145 people, 65 households, and 44 families residing in the town. The population density was 46.8 people per square mile (18.1/km²). There were 101 housing units at an average density of 32.6 per square mile (12.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 62.76% White, 36.55% Black or African American, and 0.69% from two or more races.
There were 65 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 81.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $44,583. Males had a median income of $29,583 versus $30,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,876. There were 7.7% of families and 15.8% of the population living below the poverty line, including 35.9% of under eighteens and 14.3% of those over 64.
[edit] Notable natives
- Fred Cone - a former running back in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.
- Kenneth R. Giddens - Broadcaster and Voice of America executive.
[edit] References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
Coordinates: 31°52′04″N 86°59′15″W / 31.867882°N 86.987624°W
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