Aldrich in Montevallo in Shelby County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Alabama Coal Mining

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 4, 2023

1. Alabama Coal Mining Marker

Inscription. Coal was being mined in Shelby and the surrounding counties of Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, Bibb, Walker, and St. Clair as early as the 1830s. By 1859, the largest mine operation in the state was the Alabama Coal Mining Company, consisting of several drift mines in the Montevallo area. Changing owners, names, and locations several times, it was in continuous operation for over a century when the Montevallo Coal Mine Company in Aldrich closed July 5. 1942. Two historic buildings remain: the Montevallo Coal Mine Company Store (1928) and Farrington Hall (1908), the office building from 1925-1942. These buildings make up the Aldrich Coal Mine Museum established as a tribute to the coal mining industry and coal miners in Alabama.
Both Montevallo Coal Mine Company Store and Farrington Hall are listed in the
Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Erected by Alabama Historical Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. A significant historical date for this entry is July 5, 1942.

Location. 33° 6.487′ N, 86° 53.592′ W. Marker is in Montevallo, Alabama, in

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Shelby County. It is in Aldrich. It is on County Road 203 north of Aldrich Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 137 Co Rd 203, Montevallo AL 35115, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area.

It is also 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 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Epsibeth Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church (approx. one mile away); Almont Elementary School (approx. 1.1 miles away); Ward Chapel A.M.E. Church (approx. 1.7 miles away); Lynching in America / Lynching in Montevallo (approx. 1.8 miles away); King House (approx. 1.8 miles away); Prentice High School

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 4, 2023

2. Alabama Coal Mining Marker

Farrington Hall is visible in the background.

(approx. 1.8 miles away); University Of Montevallo National Historic District (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montevallo.

Also see . . . Aldrich Coal Mine Museum. The museum showcases coal mining in the area, which dates as far back as 1839. (Caroline Greer, Encyclopedia of Alabama, posted Nov. 21, 2019) (Submitted on February 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Truman H. Aldrich image. Click for full size.

From The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama by Ethel Armes, circa 1910

3. Truman H. Aldrich

Now an unincorporated community within the city limits of Montevallo, Aldrich was connected with coal mining as far back as 1839. It did not come to be known as Aldrich until 1875, when industrialist Truman H. Aldrich purchased both the town and the surrounding mines, naming it after himself. An executive of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, he also founded the Cahaba Coal Mining Company in Bibb County in 1881.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,132 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.