Coffeeville is located on the Tombigbee River in northwest Clarke County in the southwest corner of Alabama. The town of Coffeeville was incorporated in 1817.  It has a mayor-city council form of government. Alabama State Highway 69 runs north-south through the town, to the northwest, County Road 31 runs northwest, and U.S. Highway 84 bisects the town running roughly east-west. Elected officials include a mayor and five council members, and utilities board that is made up of seven members. Coffeeville is a town in Clarke County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 263.

 

Coffeeville is known for its excellent hunting and fishing. Coffeeville Lake is the third largest lake in the Black Warrior and Tombigbee system with a surface area of 8,800 acres. Coffeeville is on the state birding trail. The cypress swamps along the river near Coffeeville may reward birders with an active heronry during the spring and summer. Waders can be seen throughout the year. Among other species found at various times include Northern bobwhite, the Mississippi kite and osprey. 

 

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers operates and maintains a modern campground located just two miles west of town. Approximately 25,000 campers, from all over the United States, visit the Service Park each year. Coffeeville is also home to the Coffeeville Lock & Dam. The Coffeeville Lock and Dam was constructed on the Tombigbee between 1956 and 1960, and was dedicated in 1961. In 1960, the Jim Folsom Bridge (pictured above) was constructed over the Tombigbee River, replacing the ferry service. The Lock & Dam locks hundreds of commercial vessels each year, seeing all types of products such as coal, wood, steel, gas, oil, chemicals and many more. The lock also sees hundreds of recreational vessels each year. There are several boat ramps close by for fishermen and water enthusiast to utilize.

 

Coffeeville History

 

The earliest settlers appeared in the Coffeeville area as early as the late eighteenth century. By 1808, the settlement, a flourishing river town, was called Murrell's Landing, after early settler William Murrell. In 1819, the town was renamed Coffeeville, in honor of General John Coffee, a hero of the Creek War of 1813. A town plat was drawn up on November 19, 1819; six days later the state legislature approved articles of incorporation for Coffeeville. Early settlers surrounding the town either farmed or worked in the timber industry. Goods were shipped to and from Mobile by riverboat. A stagecoach route ran through town, and travelers crossed the Tombigbee River by ferry. After the civil war, Coffeeville continued to thrive, reaching a population of 1,683 in the 1880 census.