I Didn't Know That: Montgomery City and County Named after two different people
By Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
There is something weird you need to know about Montgomery and, no, it has nothing to do with what lawmakers are doing in Alabama's capital city.
You probably know that the city of Montgomery is located in Montgomery County. What you may not realize is that the two aren't named for the same person.
Montgomery – the county – was created April 6, 1816 by the Mississippi Territory General Assembly. It was named for Major Lemuel Putnam Montgomery, a Tennessee attorney who fought in the Creek War. Major Montgomery died March 27, 1814 and was the first U.S. soldier killed at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, which took place near present-day Alexander City.
So, that's Montgomery County. But then there's the matter of the city of Montgomery.
It's not named for Putnam.
Montgomery – the city – was founded Dec. 3, 1819, about two weeks before Alabama became a state. It is named for Gen. Richard Montgomery, a Revolutionary War officer who led the attack on Canada and was killed in the battle of Quebec. In 1822 Montgomery – the city – was named the seat of Montgomery – the county.
The city became the state's permanent capital in 1846; the capital of the Confederacy in 1861; and the capital of the civil rights movement in the 1950-60s.
And the rest, they say, is history.