Ever wondered how the town of Red Level, Alabama got its name?

This week’s featured historical marker is the “RED LEVEL HISTORY” marker in Covington County, Alabama. This marker is located on Main Street in Red Level, just across the railroad tracks from the town’s post office.

This historical marker was erected in July 2010 by the Alabama Tourism Department and the Town of Red Level. 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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“A RED LEVEL HISTORY: Red Level community became the town of Red Level when chartered by the Alabama Legislature on March 4, 1901. Named after Read’s Level, a store two miles away from present-day location, it was the designated post office from 1857-1866. The Civil War forced its closing, but it was re-established in 1868. The name changed to Red Level in 1876, and moved to its present location in 1880. Red Level is home or birthplace to notables: Dr. Luther L. Terry, U.S. Surgeon General during the Kennedy administration and first author of the Surgeon General’s report on smoking; Dr. Thomas L. Smith, Brigadier General, U.S. Army Dental Corps; Flying Tiger hero Ben Crum Foshee, killed in action in China in 1942; and President Bill Clinton’s great-grandfather, James M. Cassidy. Red Level School was established in 1898, and later became part of the Covington County School System. Fairmount cemetery has served the community since the 1800s. (Continued on other side)”

“A RED LEVEL HISTORY: (Continued from other side) Red Level citizens worked and traded with local merchants and farmers, ginning, warehousing and trading cotton, livestock, feed, fertilizer and many other goods. Some of those were: Read’s Level, J.O. Adkinson Stables, City Hotel, Commercial Hotel, Bush Furniture Company, Red Level Mercantile Company, John I. Deens, Dr. J.R. Ealum Drug Company, W.C. Smith Drugstore, Smith Barber Shop, Joe Smith Store, Terry Drugstore, Pure Food Store, I.E. Wilson Barber Shop and Beauty Parlor, Miss Lettie Hugghins Ladies Shop, Miss Roxie Wesleys 5&10 Store, Eva Adams Dress Shop, Adam’s Gin, Foshee Feed and Milling Co., Clark Hardware and Funeral Home, the Red Level Café, the YellowBird Café, Gorum’s Enterprises, United Super Grocery and Appliance, Rene’s Style Shop, Barrow Motor Service, Brook’s Grocery, Barrow Furniture, the Gulf/Bp (“the bottom”) gas station, Sara’s Nursery, A.B. Powell Lumber Co., J.W. Stowers Lumber Co., Patrick-McGowan Lumber Co., Western Union, General telephone and many others forgotten or unknown.”

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I encountered this historical marker last Friday while on the way to a baseball tournament in Opp. I’d been to Red Level a few times before, but this was the first time that I’d been there since this marker was put in place. If you ever find yourself in downtown Red Level, be sure to check out the old Fairmount Cemetery and Crystal Springs Park, which is located near Red Level High School’s football field.

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.