Population: 755 (2019)
County: Calhoun
About: Hobson City, AL, is located in Calhoun County, which is in the eastern part of the state. Hobson City was Alabama’s first incorporated African American city. The area was first known as Mooree Quarter, a Black settlement of Oxford, AL. Since Black citizens in Mooree Quarter were permitted to vote in Oxford City and Calhoun County elections, they were able to make their presence and influence known when the first African American justice of the peace was elected. On July 20, 1899, Oxford’s mayor petitioned the state government to redraw the corporate boundaries of the city to exclude the Mooree Quarter. The citizens of Mooree Quarter, with the help of Anniston Attorney Ross Black, then filed a petition with the Calhoun County Probate Judge to become a separate municipality. On August 16, 1899, the town was incorporated as Hobson City. The town became only the second municipality in the United States to be completely governed by African Americans, and the first of its kind in the state of Alabama. Hobson City’s leaders saw that education needed to be a priority for their community. In 1905, the first school, known as the Hobson city and Oxford Academy, was built. Unfortunately, the building burned in a 1923 fire. A new school was built and renamed the Calhoun County Training School, which was the first school in the county for African American students. Today, 89% of Hobson City’s population identifies as Black or African American.
Fun Fact: Dr. Davis Satcher, the 16th Surgeon General of the United States, attended the Calhoun County Training School in Hobson City.
Community Website: Town of Hobson City Website
Community Social Media: Town of Hobson City Facebook Page and Town of Hobson City Twitter
At a Hobson City Advisory Group meeting, members chose to receive COVID-19 booster shots. 
ENI advisory groups and first responders in our partner communities are being trained in Mental Health First Aid, a course that gives participants the tools needed to help determine if somebody needs mental health care. Pictured is the MHFA training for Hobson City. 
Community partners are crucial to the success of ENI. Regional Medical Center Behavior Health Specialist Kathy Dorsey partners with ENI to provide assessments on COVID-19 for those with intellectual disabilities in Hobson City and surrounding areas.
Resources
News and More
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What is Mental Health First Aid? | May 1, 2023
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Hobson City Welcomes ENI | December 16, 2021
Meet the Hobson City Community Liaison, Terry Mosley
ENI is a community-focused, community-shaped initiative. Community Liaisons act as a resource to help communities shape ENI to fit their needs and wants. If you want to learn more or get involved with ENI, reach out to your Community Liaison.
Terry Mosley’s career has been spent helping people. He served as a Court Advocate for the Dannon Project, a non-profit that helps unemployed or underemployed at-risk youth and non-violent returning citizens reentering society. Prior to that, Terry worked as the Upward Bound Program Director at Talladega College for over 20 years. There he served high school students in Alabama in enhancing their academic skills and motivation to seek higher education. Terry holds both a B.S. in Criminal Justice and an M.S. in Counseling from Jacksonville State University.
256-310-7464