Hobson City, Alabama incorporated as African American municipality

Background. The community originated as Mooree Quarters, a historic Black area near Oxford, Alabama. By 1890, many Black families had been forcibly confined to this segregated area due to campaigns by local officials. The residents, determined to control their future, sought legal advice from attorney Ross Black in Anniston to navigate the stringent voting and incorporation requirements of the 1899 Alabama Constitution.

Incorporation. On July 20, 1899, approximately 125 Black residents submitted a petition to the Calhoun County Probate Judge. After completing the necessary legal steps, the town was officially incorporated on August 16, 1899. It became the first city in Alabama founded solely by and for Black citizens, described by contemporary newspapers as the only municipality in the United States controlled entirely by Black people.

Legacy. Hobson City is located in southern Calhoun County. It is recognized as Alabama's first self-governed all-black municipality. The town continues to have an African American majority. The name honors Hobson, a white naval hero of the Spanish-American War and member of the Alabama Legislature, though the municipality itself was founded by and for Black citizens.