Butler

Formed December 13, 1819 (23^rd county)

Butler County (19,055), Greenville (7,375)                

The tall working clock tower dominates the red brick and masonry courthouse.  The Romanesque Revival building was constructed in 1903 using the designs of B. B. Smith.  This is the fourth courthouse to be built on this site.  Alabama State Highway 10 circles the courthouse in the middle of the square at Conecuh and Commerce streets.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Fort Dale and Greenville have served as county seats.  Butler County was named for Captain William Butler who fought in the Creek War.  Butler County was the birthplace of 1 Alabama Governor, Thomas H. Watts.  Greenville was named for Greenville, South Carolina.  Butler County was created from Conecuh and Monroe counties on December 13, 1819 as the 23^rd county.  The county seat was originally at Fort Dale. 

Butler County government consists of a sheriff, revenue commissioner, and coroner (executive).  It has 4 commissioners (legislative.)  A Circuit Judge serves Butler, Crenshaw, and Lowndes counties and a District Judge, a Probate Judge, a District Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Butler County (judicial.)  The county is in south central Alabama slightly southwest of Montgomery, Alabama.  The center of the county is 10.2 miles South-Southwest of Greenville nearer Georgiana.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lowndes, Crenshaw, Covington, Conecuh, Monroe, and Wilcox counties.  Greenville is located slightly north of the center of the county.  Greenville is the county seat and largest city.  It is 38.7% of the county population.

The county has an area of 776.8 square miles.  It ranks 25 out of 67 in size.  It ranks 49 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 24.0 persons per square mile making it 49 out of 67 in the state.  Butler County has 48.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 65 travels from Lowndes County in the northeast into Conecuh County in the southwest.  United States Highway 31 generally parallels Interstate Highway 65 from Lowndes County into Conecuh County.  The county is basically a square.