return to top History of Attalla, Alabama circa 1955 from an
article by George P. Walker, III Click here to read about
Attalla as it was in 1915 in the book titled Attalla, Alabama -
Gateway to the Sunny South The book was given to Mayor O’Rear by
Mr. Bob McElroy and was originally published between 1915 &
1920. Author & Publisher are unknown. Attalla’s history actually
predates its incorporation as a town. La Fayette visited what is
now Attalla in 1825, as a guest of the U. S. government. A
French writer, Courter B. Chateaubriand, was also a visitor and
wrote a novel on “Atala, an Indian maiden". (1) The town
occupies the site of an Indian village which was of considerable
importance during the Creek War. It was the home of Captain John
Brown, a famous Indian, whose daughters, Catharine and Anna,
established the Creek Path Mission school in 1820, six miles
south of Guntersville. It was in Attalla that David Brown, an
Indian, assisted by the Rev. D. S. Butterick, prepared the
“Cherokee Spelling Book”. Early s