Clarke County, Alabama

Clarke County
Clarke County
County
	Clarke County Courthouse in Grove Hill
	Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
	Alabama's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 31°40′25″N 87°50′17″W / 31.673611111111°N 87.838055555556°W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 10, 1812
Named for	John Clarke
Seat	Grove Hill
Largest city	Jackson
Area
• Total	1,253 sq mi (3,250 km2)
• Land	1,238 sq mi (3,210 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2) 1.1%
Population (2020)
• Total	23,087
• Density	18/sq mi (7.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Website	www.clarkecountyal.com

Clarke County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of 2020, 23,087 people lived there.^[1] The county seat is Grove Hill.

History

Clarke County was formed on December 10, 1812 by the Mississippi Territory. It is named in honor of General John Clarke of Georgia, who was later elected governor of that state.^[2] The county had many forts, built by settlers for protection during the Creek War (1813-1814). One of the most notable was Fort Sinquefield.^[3]

The first county seat was Clarkesville, formed in 1820. The seat was moved to Macon, later renamed Grove Hill, in 1831. During the American Civil War, the county was notable for its salt production.^[2]