Citronelle, Alabama

==History==
The area was inhabited by [[indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous peoples]] for thousands of years. By the time of European contact, the historic [[Choctaw]] and [[Muscogee|Creek]] people hunted in the area.

The first known European explorers of this area were French in the 18th century. They learned that the land had healing herbs and mineral springs. The area was settled in 1811 and established as a jurisdiction (incorporated) in 1892. The name "Citronelle" is French and is derived from the [[Cymbopogon|citronella plant]]. In the late 19th century, the town became a popular resort destination because of the climate, herbs, and healing waters. Many hotels were built to accommodate the surge of visitors.

On May 4, 1865, one of the last significant [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] armies was surrendered by Lieutenant General [[Richard Taylor (Confederate general)|Richard Taylor]] under the "Surrender Oak". This was the third in the series of five major surrenders of armies that ended the war. The two previous surrenders occurred at [[Appomattox Court House National Historical Park|Appomattox Court House]], Virginia, between Confederate General [[Robert E. Lee]] and US General [[Ulysses S. Grant]]; and the second and largest at [[Bennett Place]] near [[Durham, North Carolina]] between US General [[William T. Sherman]] and Confederate General [[Joseph E. Johnston]].

A living history/reenactment of the surrender occurs each year in Citronelle. The historic "Surrender Oak" no longer stands, as it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1902.

In 1955, oil was discovered in the area. Today Citronelle is known as the oil capital of Alabama.<!-- ! Give some stats or other information; what is an annual yield? Why is the population still so small if this is the oil capital? --><ref>[http://citronellechamber.com/chamber_of_commerce/history.htm Citronelle: History], Citronelle Chamber of Commerce  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020603172538/http://citronellechamber.com/chamber_of_commerce/history.htm |date=June 3, 2002 }}</ref>