After being acquired in 1814 Jesse Wilson claimed a small hill on the northern bank of Wilson's Creek by the present Montevallo City Cemetery and created a homestead there, making it the oldest settlement in Shelby County.

In an attempt to encourage the university to choose the site the settlement changed its name to Montevallo, which is Italian for the hill in the valley.

During the American Civil War, Union troops under the command of James H. Wilson camped in Montevallo in the spring of 1865 and skirmished with Confederates near the railroad depot.

After the war, commercial life and growth was dominated by the coal mine owned by Truman Aldrich who leased the mine and attempted to increase production in response to the growing iron industry in the region and the growing city of Birmingham.

Commerce and economic growth increased in Montevallo after the establishment of the college, which was renamed Alabama College in 1919, started admitting men in 1956 and started admitting African Americans in 1968 and became the modern liberal arts University of Montevallo.

The university became the main source of commerce in Montevallo and money generated by it was used by the municipal government to build schools.

The library began modestly as a collection of several hundred books in a small room at City Hall.

The mission of the Foundation is to promote funding for expansion of the facilities, services, and programs of Parnell Memorial Library.

One of the primary agents of community arts programming is the Montevallo Main Street Players.

For years, members of the Montevallo Main Street Players have needed a theater, complete with an up-to-date lighting and sound system, that they can use consistently for producing plays and storing props.

The group requested that the City locate property suitable for building a new library that would also serve as a community cultural center.

The new library includes an art gallery and a quality theater used by the Montevallo Main Street Players, the public schools, and other area groups.

Shoal Creek Park is a historical 167-acre estate that provides a series of walking and biking trails, in addition to a Pavilion, Antebellum style house, known as Perry Hall, and parking lot, located on Highway 119 in Montevallo surrounding Shoal Creek.

[12] Orr Park, located in Montevallo along Shoal Creek offers residents and visitors a natural recreational environment.

In the early 1990s, local artist Tim Tingle, a coal miner by trade, took it upon himself to transform storm-damaged cedar trees into works of art.

The American Village serves the Nation as an educational institution whose mission is to strengthen and renew the foundations of American liberty and self-government by engaging and inspiring citizens and leaders, with a special emphasis on programs for young people.

[15] The friendly relationship between Echizen Town and Montevallo began in 1995 with a common interest in pottery.

Echizen Town is well known for its unusual pottery and the University of Montevallo excels in teaching and creating the art.