Downtown historical marker describes early history of Repton, Alabama

This week’s featured historical marker is the “HISTORIC AND BEAUTIFUL REPTON” marker in downtown Repton, Ala.

The marker is located on the west side of State Highway 41, which passes through downtown Repton, parallel to the railroad tracks through town. The marker is across the street from the block of buildings in downtown Repton and is across the street from the town’s old town hall building, which is now occupied by a clothing store.

There’s printing on both sides of this marker, which was erected in April 2010 by the Town of Repton and the Alabama Tourism Department. What follows is the complete text from the marker:

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“Repton is located in Conecuh County, which was created on February 13, 1818. The name of the county is a word of Muscogee origin, and is said to be a corruption of ‘Econneka,’ meaning ‘land of cane,’ according to Marcus H. Cruikshank. The population of Repton in 1880 was 100; 1920 – 422; 1940 – 365; and in 2000 – 280. As transportation shifted to trucking, the town slowly withered. In 2004, the Repton Restoration Society was established to help the Town of Repton breathe life into this once vivacious community. This marker is located on the site of the town’s first beautification project, 2009. This project would not have been possible without the hard work and generosity of many people. A debt of gratitude is owed to the Alabama Railroad Company which allowed the town access to this site in order to brighten, build and move the community forward.”

“In the early 1900s, Repton was a bustling railroad town along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Among other businesses, it boasted several hotels, banks, stories, a livery stable, cotton gin and the only hospital with a Board Certified Surgeon between Selma, Alabama and Century, Florida. The U.S. Post Office was established in 1881 and the Town of Repton was incorporated on January 10, 1899. In that same year, the railroad was extended through the middle of the downtown area and a turntable was installed. The name Repton was the surname of a railroad official at that time. The first elected officials of Repton were Mr. A.F. Peterman, Mayor, and council members: Dr. William Watson, C.S. Kelly, C.H. Stallworth, E.L. Martin and W.S. Wiggins.”

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For those of you unfamiliar with the Town of Repton, it’s a small municipality located in Conecuh County, Ala. on U.S. Highway 84, between Evergreen and Monroeville. The town is only about 1/2-mile square, and it’s also the home of Repton Junior High School, which was once Repton High School.

If you’ve never been to Repton, I encourage you to pay it a visit sometime. It’s an interesting place and the home to a lot of good folks. For more information about the town, visit the Repton Restoration Society’s Web site at www.reptonalabama.com.

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.