Historical marker in downtown Pine Hill, Ala. |
This week’s featured historical marker is the “PINE HILL,
ALABAMA” marker in Wilcox County, Ala. This marker is located on the north side
of Broad Street, in front of a small park near the intersection of Broad Street
and Dunn Street, in Pine Hill, Ala.
This marker was erected by the Alabama Tourism Department
and the Town of Pine Hill in October 2010. There’s text on both sides of the
marker, and both sides are different. What follows in the complete text from
the marker:
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“PINE HILL, ALABAMA – Incorporated December 2, 1895 – This 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.
Many of the original settlers came from North and South Carolina. Among early
families were Arnold, Brewer, Evans, Fuller, Gorman, Hall, Hare, Jordan, Lindsey,
Mayton, Morgan, Shamburger, Sheffield and Small. There were other settlements
in the area that contributed to the population of Pine Hill, namely Yellow
Bluff, Bethel and Enon. (Continued on other side)”
“IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF PINE HILL (Continued
from other side):
1839 – Post office established
1856 – Dr. J.A. Thompson becomes first doctor
1888 – Birmingham & Mobile Railroad established
1890 – First official school begins
1894 – First church building, Pine Hill Baptist Church,
begins
1895 – Town of Pine Hill incorporated and Clay Sheffield
Bank established
1903 – Vredenburgh Saw Mill Company begins operating
1911 – Alabama & Northwestern Railroad established
1925 – First telephone system established
1927 – Electrical service begins
1946 – Bank of Pine Hill chartered
1951 – Municipal water system built
1952 – Volunteer Fire Department begins
1966 – MacMillan-Bloedel Wood Products Complex established
and municipal airport built
1967 – Natural gas distribution system begins
1970 – Surface water treatment plan and sewage system
established
1981 – Pine Hill purchases municipal park and museum
property.”
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The thing that caught my eye about this marker was the
mention of the Pine Hill museum, which is located on Oak Grove Street, not far
from this historical marker. Today, the museum’s called the Pine Hill Depot Museum, and
it’s located in the town’s old 1905 railroad depot. According to the
Encyclopedia of Alabama, this small museum is dedicated to the preservation of the
history of the Pine Hill community and the surrounding area and features railroad-related
artifacts. If you’re interested in visiting this museum, a good day to do so is
the town’s annual Depot Day, which is held in September.
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.
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