History of Enterprise

In 1881, the founder of Enterprise, John Henry Carmichael, moved to Coffee County. Carmichael built a small store on what is now North Main Street. It would take fifteen more years before the area would become a place for other residents to populate the area.

Enterprise was incorporated in 1896 with a population of 250. Two years later the Alabama Midland Railway Company located in Enterprise and by 1906 the population grew to 3,750.

In 1915, the Enterprise area was struck with a problem that could have stopped the growth of the area completely as the Mexican boll Weevil found its way into Alabama from Texas and wreaked havoc on the cotton crop. In Coffee County, almost 60 percent of the cotton production was destroyed. Farmers faced bankruptcy and the area economy was at stake. Farmers turned to peanuts and other crops to overcome the damage wrought by the boll weevil.

By 1917, Coffee County produced and harvested more peanuts than any other county in the nation. (In 1993, Coffee County ranked 4th in the state of Alabama with 128,000 acres planted in peanuts.) In gratitude for the lessons taught, residents erected the world's only monument to an agricultural pest, the boll Weevil Monument. The monument, dedicated on December 11, 1919, stands in the center of the downtown district at the intersection of Main Street and College Street. The Boll Weevil Monument is a symbol of man's willingness and ability to adjust to adversity. The base of the monument is inscribed: "in profound appreciation of the boll weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity this monument was erected by the citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama.

Other reminders of Enterprise's beginnings are located throughout the city. The Pea River Historical and Genealogical Society Library is a repository of historical documents. The library and gift shop are of special value to students of history. Books, microfilm, newspaper files, and old photographs can be viewed by those interested in investigating their roots or the history of Enterprise. Today, the broadened and diversified agricultural economy, local industry, and the presence of the Army Aviation Center at nearby Fort Rucker are largely responsible for Enterprise's relative immunity to economic catastrophe.