Waterloo, Alabama
town in Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States
Waterloo is a town in Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Florence–Muscle Shoals metropolitan area, known as "The Shoals". As of the 2020 census, Waterloo had a population of 178. The town and surrounding area is served by Waterloo High School and by the Waterloo Volunteer Fire Department.
History
The town was incorporated in 1832 on the banks of the Tennessee River. The name most likely commemorates the Battle of Waterloo. According to the 1910 U.S. Census, Waterloo was reincorporated in 1903.
In the 1930s, the town was moved to its current location when the Tennessee Valley Authority completed the Pickwick Landing Dam, which impounds Pickwick Lake. Waterloo has lost a large area of land to floods and later the construction of Pickwick Landing Dam.
In 1880, when it first appeared on the U.S. Census, and again from 1910 to 1940, it was the second largest community in Lauderdale County after Florence, reaching its zenith of 524 residents in 1940.
The public source identifies “Waterloo, Alabama” as town in Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Waterloo, Alabama and town.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Waterloo, Alabama”, the useful work is to connect “town in Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q68241. Authority coordinates are 34.917, -88.064. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1832, 1910 and 1903.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Waterloo, Alabama”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Waterloo, Alabama primary sources, Waterloo, Alabama archive and Waterloo research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Waterloo, Alabama”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Waterloo, Alabama” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.