Ode to a Boll Weevil

Seriously. In the middle of town in Enterprise, Alabama there is a pest on a pedestal - the boll weevil. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, cotton was king, not just in Enterprise but all over the southern US. The entire town of Enterprise and it’s residents livelihoods depended solely on the cotton industry. 

By the time the weevils hit Enterprise, they had already been national news, and it didn’t take long for the residents to see first hand what kind of destruction the weevil could bring; entire fields lay bare, and everything, entire lives were changed, literally overnight. 

With no money from the cotton, there was no money for food, clothing, tools, or home products; and no money to pay back the bank. Entire homes were in jeopardy; everything in the town was built or purchased from the income from the cotton. But the destructive boll weevils nearly wiped out the entire town of Enterprise.

But more changes were coming.  Roughly 75 miles north, at Tuskegee University, was a young man who would change everything, for Enterprise, for Alabama and for the entire southern US. His name was George Washington Carver, and how he changed the success of the south was to introduce a new crop that was resistant to the evil weevils - peanuts. Carver led to the development and introduction of the many uses for the lowly peanut, which increased the demand for the peanuts the farmers would eventually grow.

Up until 1915, no one planted peanuts, and any that happened to grow were used as fodder for pigs and cattle. It was only when the weevil wiped out the cotton crop that the Enterprise farmers tried something new.

In the middle of the town of Enterprise now stands a statue of a woman holding a boll weevil overhead. Many businesses have jumped on the band wagon as well, with human-sized boll weevils perched outside of numerous businesses, offices and shops. There is a fireman boll weevil, a school teacher boll weevil in front of the school, a police officer boll weevil, a doctor & nurse in front of the local medical center, a mechanic weevil, a chef weevil in front of a pizza parlor and even a McWeevil in front of the local McDonald's. There is the BOWL weevil bowling alley, the Boll Weevil Soap Company and the Boll Weevil Bakery. There are t-shirts referring to the pesky bugs, including one that says “Fear No Weevil”.

Tourism to Enterprise has exploded since the parody weevils showed up, and people come from all over the US to see them, have their photos taken with them, and but weevil souvenirs, and the town is thriving.  

The town mayor states that it isn’t paying homage to the weevils, but rather a reminder of what they have overcome.