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These Historical Photos Show Montgomery, Alabama In The Early 20th Century

Montgomery is the capital city of Alabama, located in the central part of the state. The city was founded and chartered in 1819 and named after Irish soldier Richard Montgomery. After the Civil War Montgomery, the population of the city multiplied and the city thrived, cotton, livestock, yellow pine and textile were the major industries. In 1886 Montgomery became the first city in the United States to install citywide electric streetcars. In the early 1900s, the real estate sector boomed and flourished with the spreading of suburban mania. In the mid-20th century, Montgomery was the center of civil right movement and protests. The Civil Rights Memorial in downtown Montgomery honors those who died during the civil rights movement.

Here below are some historical photos of Montgomery, Alabama from the early 20th century that show street scenes, buildings, landmarks and everyday life.

#1 A Soft drink truck, Montgomery, Alabama, March 1943

#2 Dexter Avenue and the Capitol, Montgomery, Alabama, circa 1906

#3 Local delivery truck driver, Montgomery, Alabama, March 1943

#4 Table boy in a drug store, Montgomery. Alabama, October 1914

#6 Willie Cheatham, Western Union messenger, Montgomery, Alabama, October 1914

#7 In front of City Hall, Montgomery, Alabama, March 1943

#9 Commerce Street from Court Square, Montgomery, Alabama, circa 1906

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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5 Comments

  1. Whenever I see pictures of old Montgomery, I am just amazed at how STUPID the gen x, baby boomers, their parents, etc. were for just destroying all of that beauty to build suburbs and interstates. This happened all over the country, but Montgomery still hasn’t been able to recover from it.

    They took beauty/culture and threw it away for the “American Dream”.

    • It was horrible, but it wasn’t Gen X or the Boomers that did it. The so-called Greatest Generation and their elders ruined our cities. I guess the Greatest Gen crowd didn’t get enough of destruction and demolition in WWII and decided to come home and demolish America.

      Steve Young wrote “Montgomery in the Rain” as a lament for the demolition of much of the architectural beauty of the city.