Atmore in Escambia County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Williams Station, Alabama 1866-1897
⎯⎯⎯
Atmore, Alabama

Williams Station, Alabama 1866-1897 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 11, 2014

1. Williams Station, Alabama 1866-1897 Marker

Inscription. Williams Station, Alabama
1866-1897
Creek Indians lived in these parts some 200 years before trains began stopping here in 1866 to leave supplies for a farmer, William Larkin Williams, who lived nearby. Workers, who came first to build the railroads, were attracted by the vast forests of longleaf pine and rich farmland. As the settlement grew around Mr. Williams' supply stop, it became known as Williams Station. Saw mills sprang up in this timber-rich area. Abundant resources for lumber and turpentine meant there was money to be made in Williams Station well before the land was cleared for cotton. In 1876, North Carolinian William Marshall Carney moved to the area from Mobile. During the next two decades, Williams Station grew in proportion to Carney's various business interests. His generous philanthropic gifts helped build a school and three local churches. Because of Carney-generated growth and enthusiasm, residents thought the town deserved a name more refined than that of a mere railway whistle stop. In 1897, the town was renamed Atmore in honor of Charles Pawson Atmore.

Atmore, Alabama
In 1897, town

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leaders wanted to change the name of Williams Station to Carney, in honor of William Marshall Carney, the man who had contributed greatly to the town's growth. However, Mr. Carney's brother had already started a settlement in Baldwin County and given it his family name. Having two towns with the same name so close together would create confusion. Determined to honor W.M. Carney, the leaders asked him to select the town's new name. He honored his good friend, Charles Pawson Atmore, general passenger agent for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in Louisville, Kentucky. According to the New York Times, C.P. Atmore died at age 66, on May 29, 1900. There is no record that he ever visited the little town named for him.
On May 23, 1907, Atmore became an incorporated municipality. The town celebrated this centennial milestone at Heritage Park in May 2007.

Erected 2010 by the Alabama Tourism Department, Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Atmore.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it

Atmore Alabama Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 11, 2014

2. Atmore Alabama Marker

is included in the Alabama Tourism Department series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1942.

Location. 31° 1.446′ N, 87° 29.535′ W. Marker is in Atmore, Alabama, in Escambia County. It is on East Nashville Avenue (U.S. 31) 0.1 miles west of Presley Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Atmore AL 36502, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Railroad Bill (a few steps from this marker); Watson Cabin (approx. 0.4 miles away); Escambia County Training School (approx. 0.9 miles away); Canoe Station (approx. 4.9 miles away); Perdido Vineyards (approx. 9.3 miles away); History of Lottie, Alabama

Williams Station, Alabama 1866-1897 / Atmore, Alabama Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, February 6, 2022

3. Williams Station, Alabama 1866-1897 / Atmore, Alabama Marker

(approx. 10.6 miles away).

Credits. This page was last revised on February 6, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2014. This page has been viewed 2,409 times since then and 103 times this year. Last updated on August 11, 2020. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 12, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 3. submitted on February 6, 2022, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Williams Station, Alabama 1866-1897⎯⎯⎯Atmore, Alabama

Williams Station, Alabama 1866-1897
⎯⎯⎯
Atmore, Alabama