Town of Pine Hill was officially incorporated 125 years ago

Historical marker in downtown Pine Hill.

Tomorrow – Dec. 3 – marks 125 years since the official incorporation of the Town of Pine Hill.

According to the Alabama League of Municipalities, the Town of Pine Hill was officially incorporated on Dec. 3, 1895. While this date marks the town’s official incorporation, Pine Hill is actually much older, tracing its roots back to the early days of Wilcox County history. In fact, the Pine Hill post office was officially established in the 1830s.

To the people who live there, it’s no secret that the Town of Pine Hill is one of the most unique places in all of Wilcox County. When I find myself passing through Pine Hill, I always slow down for a few minutes to take it all in. For those who know where to look, there is much of interest to see.

To those who haven’t been to Pine Hill before, I suggest you start your visit at the historical marker on the north side of Broad Street, in front of the small park near the intersection of Broad Street and Dunn Street. This marker was erected by the Alabama Tourism Department and the Town of Pine Hill in October 2010. This two-sided marker has much to say about the town’s history.

According to this historical marker, the Pine Hill “area was Choctaw Indian country before the arrival of settlers moving south and west in this new nation. The first settlement, known as Arnold, was located one mile north of the present town center. Mr. Charley A. Sheldon from Massachusetts, scouting for timber, described the area as that ‘pine hill,’ thus the first post office was given the name Pine Hill when established in 1839. The arrival of the railroad in 1888 was the catalyst that brought Pine Hill to its present location.”

This historical marker has much more to say about the town’s history, and once you’re finished reading it, take a few minutes to head down Dunn Street to town hall. In one corner of the town hall property, you’ll see a tall, metal flag pole, and at the base of this pole there is a time capsule. This time capsule was placed there on July 4, 1976 to mark the 200^th birthday of the United States of America.

From there, if you’ve got a few more minutes to spare, take the short walk over to the old Pine Hill Bank Building on Broad Street. This impressive old building currently houses the K.A. Mayer Masonic Lodge, which was organized in December 1909. If you take a close look at second-floor exterior of the building, you’ll notice two white diamond-shaped stones, which harkens back to the time when this building also housed a Knights of Pythias fraternal club.

With that said, there is much more to see in Pine Hill. One Pine Hill landmark that I’ve yet to explore is the old Pine Hill Depot Museum, which I’m told is open only once a year during the town’s annual Depot Days. It’s always good to have something to look forward to, so I hope to pay it a visit during next year’s Depot Days.

In the end, let me hear from you if you know of any other interesting Pine Hill landmarks and points of interest. I’m also interested in hearing any old ghost stories, local legends and Indian lore from this part of the county. If you know of anything along those lines, please let me know, so it can be documented for the generations yet to come.