Merrellton, Alabama Explained

Official Name:Merrellton, Alabama
Pushpin Map:Alabama#USA
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Alabama
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Calhoun
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:673
Coordinates:33.8633°N -85.7419°W
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:160086

Merrellton, also known as East and West Junction, Junction, and Merrelton, is an unincorporated community in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States.

Merrellton is located on Alabama State Route 21, 16.6miles north of Anniston.

History

A post office was established in 1884 and was named Merrill, after the daughter of the postmistress, Adelia E. Frank. A school was established in the early 1900s.[1] The post office closed in 1923, and the school closed in 1927.

In 1929, a tornado struck an African-American church which was used as a school, demolishing the building and killing five pupils.[2]

Merrellton was a historic junction for two now-abandoned railway lines, the East & West Railroad and the Southern Railway.[3] In 1996, the city of Jacksonville acquired from the Norfolk Southern Railway the track bed of the former Southern Railway which passed through Merrellton. The track bed was used to complete a portion of the Chief Ladiga Trail, Alabama's first rail trail.[4]

Notable people

Notes and References

  1. Book: O'Dell, Kimberly . Calhoun County . Arcadia . 1998 . 66. 9780738589985 .
  2. News: March 23, 1929 . Freakish Storms Leave Six Dead . The Daily Iowan.
  3. Web site: Calhoun County . University of Alabama . August 28, 2017.
  4. Web site: Chief Ladiga National Recreation Trail, Jacksonville and Piedmont, Alabama . National Recreation Trails . August 28, 2017.
  5. Book: I'll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition . LSU Press . 1977 . 388. 9780807103579 .