Jasper (Alabama)

Jasper is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 14,352, up from 14,052 in 2000. The city is the county seat of Walker County, and once ranked among the world's leading producers of coal. The town is also the location of the SyFy Channel's documentary show "Town of the Living Dead".The City is also home to the annual "Foothills Festival" that happens every year in "Historic Downtown Jasper Square." They hold Live Music and food vendors all around the square. In 2017 the dates for the "Foothills Festival" have been announced for September 15 and September 16. http://www.foothillsjasper.com/HistoryJasper, named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, an American Revolutionary War hero, was settled around 1815, but was not incorporated until August 18, 1886.During the Civil War, Union troops marching toward Selma burned the courthouse and several other buildings in town and raided neighboring farms for supplies.The first significant growth of the area was realized in 1886, when the Kansas City-Memphis & Birmingham and the Sheffield & Birmingham Railroads were completed through Jasper. The population grew from 200 people in 1886 to more than 3,000 in 1890. In a special edition in 1891, the Mountain Eagle stated there were six coal mines, two sandstone quarries, 400 coke ovens, one foundry and machine shop, two saw mills, one brick works, four hotels, and two banks.