The Wiregrass Region of Southeast Alabama is named for the long-stemmed grass of its native ecosystem. When the boll weevil devastated cotton crops in the early 1900s, farmers diversified their crops and peanuts flourished—leading many to dub the region “the peanut capitol of the world.” Today, one-quarter of the US peanut crop is harvested in the Wiregrass. The National Peanut Festival in Dothan celebrates this heritage.
Photos courtesy of: Alamy, Getty, Alabama Department of Archives and History