Jasper, city, seat (1824) of Walker county, northwestern Alabama, U.S., about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Birmingham. Settled in 1815, it was named for Sergeant William Jasper, a defender of Fort Moultrie (then Fort Sullivan) during the American Revolution. It developed after the arrival of the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham and the Sheffield and Birmingham railroads in 1886. Coal, timber, and poultry processing are the major contributors to the city’s economy. The manufacture of furniture is also important. William B. Bankhead, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1936–40), and his actress daughter, Tallulah Bankhead, lived in Jasper. William B. Bankhead National Forest is 15 miles (24 km) north. Lewis Smith Lake, with 500 miles (800 km) of shoreline, provides recreational opportunities. The Alabama Mining Museum, in nearby Dora, commemorates the importance of coal mining in the state’s history. The Foothills Festival, featuring a variety of activities and entertainment, is held annually in October. Jasper has a campus of Bevill State Community College. Inc. 1888. Pop. (2000) 14,052; (2010) 14,352.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
Alabama, constituent state of the United States of America, admitted to the union in 1819 as the 22nd state. Alabama forms a roughly rectangular shape on the map, elongated in a north-south direction. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, and Mississippi to the west.…
Birmingham, largest city in Alabama, U.S., located in the north-central part of the state. It is a leading industrial centre of the South. Birmingham is the seat (1873) of Jefferson county, a port of entry in the Mobile customs district, and the focus of a large metropolitan area that includes…
American Revolution, (1775–83), insurrection by which 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies won political independence and went on to form the United States of America. The war followed more than a decade of growing estrangement between the British…
Tallulah Bankhead, American actress who was as famous for her personal life as for her theatrical achievements. Bankhead, the daughter of Alabama congressman and future speaker of…