Hobson City, Alabama

Hobson City is a town in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 759. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hobson City became Alabama's first self-governed all-black municipality in 1899 and continues to have an African American majority.

The town of Hobson City, originally known as Mooree Quarters, was a Black settlement established in 1868 within a section of Oxford, Alabama. In 1890, a pivotal moment occurred when a Black man ran for Justice of the Peace in Oxford.  Mayor Whitehead threatened that if the Black candidate won, he would redraw the town’s boundary lines to exclude Mooree Quarters. When the Black man won the election, the threat was carried out, and in 1896, Mooree Quarters was officially removed from Oxford’s town limits.

Under the 1899 Alabama Constitution, voting eligibility was restricted by stringent requirements, including being a male over 21, owning at least 40 acres of land, paying taxes, holding a steady job for 12 months, and being able to read and understand the Constitution. Despite these barriers, some Black property owners met the criteria and were permitted to vote in local elections. Twenty such men, who qualified under these terms, played a key role in the incorporation of the town.

For nearly three years, Mooree Quarters existed as an unincorporated settlement within the county. Determined to take control of their future, a committee of residents sought the advice of attorney Ross Black in Anniston, Alabama. At the time, Black attorneys were barred from practicing law in the state. Ross Black recommended that the community incorporate their territory into an independent municipality. On July 20, 1899, approximately 125 Black residents of Mooree Quarters submitted a petition to Calhoun County Probate Judge E. F. Cook, requesting to establish their own distinct town. After completing the necessary legal steps, the town was officially incorporated on August 16, 1899, becoming the first city in Alabama founded solely by and for Black citizens. S. L. Davis was elected as Hobson City’s first mayor. The town was named in honor of Richard P. Hobson, a white naval hero of the Spanish-American War and a member of the Alabama Legislature.

The town was incorporated on August 16, 1899. Records from a contemporary Alabama newspaper, The Peoples' Journal, described the municipality as "the only municipality controlled and governed entirely by colored people anywhere in the United States." The newspaper further commented, "The whole country will doubtless be interested in the result of this experiment." Under the leadership of the first mayor, S. L. Davis, and the first police chief, James Duran, police protection was restored to the area. The town was named after Richmond P. Hobson, a white naval hero in the then-recent Spanish-American War and member of Congress. Newman O'Neal was the mayor in 1919 until he faced death threats and was assaulted by the Ku Klux Klan forcing him to flee the city.

The mayor in 1970, J. R. Striplin, was its thirteenth black mayor in succession. The town has buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.