Sipsey in Walker County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Town of Sipsey

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 11, 2023

1. Town of Sipsey Marker, Side One

Inscription. The Town of Sipsey was founded in 1912 by Milton H. and Rose Fies and the Maryland Coal and Coke Co. (later named the DeBardeleben Coal Co). The village was built as a showplace of a mining village in the South. It consisted of a large commissary, school building, church and 200 houses built from logs sawed on the property. The first load of coal was shipped out on August 13, 1913. Labor cost when the mine opened was: outside labor $1.50 per day; track men, $2.75 per day; electrician, $3 per day; machine men, $3 per day; motormen, $2.75 per day; and trip rides, $2.50 per day. This was based on a 10-hour day. In 1915, a new two-story school was built. On the first floor were three classrooms and on the top floor was the Masonic Lodge. This was the first school in the county to implement a nine-month school term. Shortly after the new school was built, another school for African Americans was built. This was the largest school of its kind in the county. Later, it became a recreational center.

The church built in Slpsey at the time was a Union Church, which meant that the Baptist and Methodist shared the

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church on alternate Sundays. This church still stands and is still in use. The first clinic was built in 1913. The Company Dairy was founded in 1917. The town also had a pool hall, picture show, concessions, and amusement features. Prices at the time the town was built were $6 for rent; white meat, five cents per pound; lard, five cents per pound; and flour 75 cents for 24 pounds. Sipsey is a Choctaw Indian name for the word poplar. The name was chosen because of the numerous poplar trees that were here when the town was founded.

Erected 2010 by Alabama Tourism Department • Town of Sipsey.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Tourism Department series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 13, 1913.

Location. 33° 49.526′ N, 87° 5.289′ W. Marker is in Sipsey, Alabama, in Walker County. It is on Sipsey Road (County Road 22) west of Park Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker is in front of Sipsey City Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3835 Sipsey

Town of Sipsey Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 11, 2023

2. Town of Sipsey Marker, Side Two

Rd, Sipsey AL 35584, 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 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 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Black Warrior Town / The Escape (approx. 1.9 miles away); Union Chapel Cemetery (approx. 5.4 miles away); Union Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church Cemetery (approx. 5.4 miles away); City Of Cordova (approx. 7.1 miles away); Daily Mountain Eagle (approx. 9.9 miles away); Carl Atwood Elliott (approx. 10.7 miles away); Walker County War Memorial (approx. 10.9 miles away); Confederate Monument (approx. 10.9 miles away).

Town of Sipsey Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 11, 2023

3. Town of Sipsey Marker

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, June 14, 2026

4. Town of Sipsey Marker

In front of city hall

Credits. This page was last revised on June 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,203 times since then and 98 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4. submitted on June 15, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia.