DEMOPOLIS

city, Marengo county, western Alabama, U.S., at the confluence of the Tombigbee and Black Warrior rivers, which form a navigable waterway. Founded in 1817 by Napoleonic exiles who unsuccessfully tried to raise olives and grapes, it was named Demopolis (Greek: city of the people) and was chartered in 1819. A cotton-plantation society flourished (183060), and many fine Greek Revival mansions were built, including Gaineswood and Bluff Hall. Later, beef cattle, dairying, soy beans, and lumbering replaced dependence on cotton. Manufacturing industries (chiefly lingerie, paperboard and pulp, and chemicals) also developed, with shipping provided by the Demopolis Inland State Docks (1956). Recreational activities focus on nearby Lake Demopolis, with a 400-mi (640-km) shoreline, formed by the dam on the Tombigbee. Pop. (1990) 7,512.