Countdown to 70: Trussville incorporated 70 years ago this week

This is the first in a series that will highlight Trussville’s early history as we approach the 70th anniversary of incorporation.

By Chris Yow
Editor

TRUSSVILLE — Though settled long before by English settler and town’s namesake Warren Truss and his family in the 1800s, Trussville was officially incorporated 70 years ago on June 10. The town voted to incorporate on June 2, 1947.

The first town council for Trussville took office June 10, 1947 along with Mayor Horace Norrell. Photo courtesy Trussville Historical Society

In its early years, Trussville was just a group of individual farmers and landowners, according to Jane Alexander of the Trussville Historical Society. Of course, the building of the Cahaba Project in 1936 brought more and more people to the community to work in the area.

“From 1936 to 1947, the people who lived in the Cahaba Project and the rest of Trussville came together and decided to form a city,” Alexander said. “I think the people who lived here and had businesses here were very forward thinking. They wanted to govern themselves.”

Not everyone voted for the incorporation, close to 40 people voted against the measure, but an overwhelming number of voters passed the measure.

The first council took office on June 10, 1947, led by Mayor Horace Norrell, who owned the grocery store in town. He defeated P.H. Mabe and John Waters. The town’s original council included J. Alton Williams, George A. Glenn, Mary Lou Farley, Richard Beard and John C. Yarbrough. Farley was also the principal of Hewitt Elementary School.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary, the historical society is hosting an event Saturday, June 10 at noon on the mall in the Cahaba Project. There will be games and events that would have been popular in the days when the city incorporated, including a three-legged sack race, cake walk, checkers and more.