Andalusia was first settled in 1841 after flooding of the Conecuh River and the surrounding lowlands forced citizens to move to higher ground.[citation needed] The new town was originally called "New Site" but was known as Andalusia by the time a post office was established in 1846.[4] The Avant House is one of seven sites in Andalusia listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.In 1960, the precinct was changed to "census division" as part of a general reorganization of counties.[19] Andalusia East Census Division was created in 1960 and contained the towns of Babbie, Heath, Libertyville and Sanford.It did not contain any incorporated communities, and included the rural area west of the city of Andalusia to the Conecuh County line.[21] On July 4, 1975, a plaque monument was placed in front of the Covington County Courthouse by the Altrusa Club, as part of the commemoration of the United States Bicentennial.The plaque read "In memory of PHILIP NOLAN, Lieutenant in the Army of the United States."[22] Nolan is the protagonist of American writer Edward Everett Hale's fictional short story "The Man Without a Country", first published in The Atlantic in December 1863, during the Civil War.