Ingalls' Iron Works was originally established in 1910 by Robert Ingalls, in Titusville, Alabama, and grew to be the largest steel company in the region. The shipyard in Decatur, Alabama, on the Tennessee River, was started in 1937. As World War II approached, the yard’s small size forced Ingalls to look for a bigger site, first in Birmingham, Alabama, then in Chickasaw, Alabama, and finally in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Ingalls’ shipbuilding interests were sold to Litton Industries in 1961 then to Trinity Industries in 1981. Trinity closed the Decatur yard due to inspections that revealed the yard’s facilities were outdated and would require significant capital investment. Trinity opted to shut down the yard, ending 44 years of shipbuilding in Decatur.

In 2001, Decatur-Morgan County Tourism voted to self-impose a room occupancy fee, the proceeds of which would be used for tourism product development. With funds generated from this self-imposed room occupancy fee, Ingalls Harbor was built and rests on 27 acres on the south side of the Tennessee River.

Ingalls Harbor has quickly become one of the best boat launch sites in the nation, attracting many nationally-acclaimed sport fishing tournaments each year including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Wal-Mart FLW Series, American Bass Anglers, and Bassmaster Weekend Series.