Flomaton, Alabama historical marker describes town's unique history

Flomaton, Alabama Historical Marker

This week’s featured historical marker is the “FLOMATON, ALABAMA” marker in Escambia County, Alabama. The marker is located in front of the Flomaton Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center building at 702 Sidney Manning Blvd. in Flomaton.

This marker was erected by the Alabama Tourism Department and the City of Flomaton in October 2010. There’s text on both sides of this marker, and both sides are different. What follows is the complete text from the marker.

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“FLOMATON, ALABAMA: As railroads were reconstructed following the Civil War, a junction of north-south and east-west lines was established along the Alabama-Florida border near the confluence of Big Escambia Creek and the Conecuh-Escambia River. A settlement followed which became known as Reuterville, for Major Reuter, the contractor who on April 9, 1872, drove the last spikes joining the different railroads. The community was also known as Pensacola Junction, or simply the Junction, as well as Whiting, after the railroad station master. Following several years of confusion due to the three names, the Post Office requested a permanent name from the citizens. The result was the first three letters of Florida and the last two letters of Alabama being joined to make the name Floma. To avoid confusion with Florala, the Post Office added ‘ton,’ meaning town, and the name became Flomaton. The Town of Flomaton was incorporated on May 18, 1908. (Continued on other side)”

“FLOMATON, ALABAMA (Continued from other side): As an important rail junction, Flomaton has seen the famous and the infamous. President Theodore Roosevelt, 1905; President Woodrow Wilson, 1919; President Calvin Coolidge, 1930; and a campaigning future President Lyndon Johnson in 1960, all visited here. Outlaws Rube Burrow, Railroad Bill, John Wesley Hardin and Brown Bowen also came through at various times. During World War I, Flomaton resident, Corporal Sidney E. Manning, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism displayed while fighting in France. Named by General Pershing as one of his ‘Immortal Ten,’ Manning refused to accept a monument in his hometown while he lived, saying only ‘I did no more than those who came back and a lot less than those who did not.’ Over the years, Flomaton has benefited from its status as a rail center. It serves as a gateway to the Gulf Coast and continues to progress from development of its natural resources, namely timber, sand, gravel, oil and natural gas.”

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If you’re ever in Flomaton, stop and check out this marker and visit the Chamber of Commerce office, which also doubles as the Flomaton Area Railroad Museum. The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and they’ve even got an old caboose on display on the museum grounds. For more information, visit www.flomaton.com.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another 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.