Historical marker describes origins of Evergreen, Ala.

This week’s featured historical marker is the “City of Evergreen” marker in downtown Evergreen.

The marker is located to the left of the main entrance to the historic L&N Depot in “No Man’s Land” in Evergreen, Ala. It’s across the street from Regions Bank. The two-sided marker was erected in October 2010 by the Alabama Tourism Department and the City of Evergreen. What follows is the complete text from the marker:

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“CITY OF EVERGREEN – The Emerald City: Evergreen, the county seat of Conecuh County, is located in the central part of the county on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Founded in 1819 by James Cosey, George Andrews and the Clough Brothers, Evergreen was originally known as ‘Cosey’s Old Field.’ Reverend Alexander Travis, the uncle of William Barrett Travis, from the famous Battle of the Alamo, came along and began calling it Evergreen. Evergreen had a population of 500 in 1870. It was incorporated on March 28, 1875. At the 2000 census, the population was 3,630.”

“CITY OF EVERGREEN – The Emerald City: The name ‘Conecuh’ comes from the Muscogee Native American word ‘econneka,’ meaning ‘land of cane,’ which refers to the great amounts of native cane that once grew in the area. Evergreen was made famous by decorating the White House with smilax for President Grover Cleveland, which was the basis for the previous motto, ‘Evergreen Decorates America.’ Having an abundance of nature’s own green foliage led to Evergreen’s present motto, ‘The Emerald City.’”

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This marker is just a few feet from the railroad line that cuts through the center of Evergreen. For over 100 years, from 1850 to 1982, the L&N Railroad operated the line, carrying passengers and freight across the Southeast. Headquartered in Louisville, Ky. the railroad’s nickname was “The Old Reliable.” The L&N Railroad was replaced by the Seaboard System Railroad, which was replaced by CSX Transportation in 1986. CSX currently operates the railroad today.

If you visit the marker today, be sure to visit the inside of the old train depot as well if it’s open for business. The building currently houses the City of Evergreen’s Economic Development Office and the Evergreen-Conecuh County Chamber of Commerce. The building’s over 100 years old and recently underwent extensive renovations. “Ghost hunters” in the reading audience might get a kick out of it because past employees claim that the building’s haunted.

This marker is also just a short distance away from a number of other historic markers in the downtown Evergreen area. Others markers in the area include the one in front of the former Alabama Baptist Children’s Home site, the marker in front of Evergreen Baptist Church and the marker on West Front Street honoring Dr. Ernest Stanley Crawford.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another local historical marker. I’m also taking suggestions from the reading audience, so if you know of an interesting historical marker that you’d like me to feature, let me know in the comments section below.