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History of Montgomery

Hernando de Soto claimed this area for Spain in 1540. French settlers came in 1717 when they established Fort Toulouse. Within a short time, many new residents came and settlements of East Alabama and New Philadelphia grew up, merging in 1819 to form the city of Montgomery.

Montgomery was chosen in 1846 to be the state capital. In 1861, Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the president of the Confederacy in Montgomery. This is also the place where Rosa Parks helped to usher in a time of great social change. 1965 was the time when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. finished his Selma to Montgomery march on the state capital steps.

The area has many firsts to its name, including the first electric streetcar system in 1886. The nation's first flight school for powered planes was established in 1910 by the Wright Brothers.

The city of Montgomery was named for the revolutionary war hero, General Richard Montgomery. He was killed during the assault on Quebec. The County of Montgomery was named for Major Lemuel Purnell Montgomery, who was killed at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.