The area near Hurtsboro was settled somewhat later than other sections of Russell County because it was located somewhat south of the Federal Road, the main route for settlement in the early nineteenth century, and thus did not immediately benefit from the tide of settlers coming in on the road. In 1857, Joel Hurt Sr. and his partner William Marshall established a sawmill near the route of the Mobile and Girard Railroad. The settlement that grew up around the sawmill became known as Hurtsville. When the town incorporated in 1872, the name was changed to Hurtsboro to avoid any confusion in the postal service with already incorporated Huntsville.
Hurtsboro’s zenith came in the early 1900s, when two railways, the Central of Georgia and the Seaboard Airline, both extended lines through the town and shared a depot there. Stores and hotels serving travelers on the two lines fronted the Central of Georgia track. With the decline in railway travel came a corresponding decline in the city’s population.
On April 1, 1981, Hurtsboro was dealt a severe blow when a tornado hit the town, killing two and injuring 23 and damaging many downtown buildings and residences.
Demographics
According to 2020 Census estimates, Hurtsboro recorded a population of 480. Of that number, 66.9 percent identified themselves as black, 32.1 percent as white, and 1.0 percent as Asian. The city’s median household income was $41,528, and per capita income was $25,373.