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

Camp Springs

Walker County

⎯⎯⎯
The Junction

Walker County

Camp Springs Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, February 11, 2026

1. Camp Springs Marker

Inscription. In the mid-1820s, founding settler Eldridge Mallard established the Byler Toll Road central collection booth near the artesian springs along the Byler Road, leading to the founding of the Camp Springs settlement. Named by General Andrew Jackson's army, who camped near the springs in 1818, the town is now known as Eldridge. Located on Wyers Bluff, Camp Springs was used as a muster ground where militia troops assembled for dress parade and recreation. The gorge containing the spring was once known for its rich deposits of coal and sandstone. Following extensive mining activities in the area, the Kansas City Railroad constructed a railway in the 1880s near the Byler Road. (Continued on other side)

(Continued from the other side) Located on the Byler Road, the Junction refers to the spot where several roads and Native American trails intersected. According to legend, a chief from the Chickasaw tribe of Native Americans created the trail that leads into Eldridge from the east, called the Chickasaw Trail, which the French referred to as Chemin de la Caroline. The Mobile Trace referred to the north-south route.

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Native Americans also used the woodland buffalo and elk migration routes that crossed through this area.

Erected 2026 by Byler Road Tourism Alliance and Alabama Historical Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.

Location. 33° 55.356′ N, 87° 37.033′ W. Marker is in Eldridge, Alabama, in Walker County. It is at the intersection of Kelley Street and Alabama Highway 118, on the left when traveling east on Kelley Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 21 Kelley St, Eldridge AL 35554, 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

The Junction Marker - Reverse Side image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, February 11, 2026

2. The Junction Marker - Reverse Side

States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Eldridge Mallard Toll Booth (approx. 0.8 miles away); History of Kansas (approx. 3.8 miles away); Broun School (approx. 4 miles away); Tidwell Cemetery (approx. 4.2 miles away); Dublin Post Office (approx. 4.3 miles away); New River Baptist Church (approx. 6.4 miles away); Town of Glen Allen, Alabama (approx. 7.1 miles away); Killingsworth Gin / Dry Creek Post Office (approx. 7.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Eldridge.

More about this marker. Marker was installed February 4, 2026

The Junction - Camp Springs Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, February 11, 2026

3. The Junction - Camp Springs Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 11, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 58 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 11, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.

Camp Springs

Walker County

⎯⎯⎯The Junction

Walker County

⎯⎯⎯
The Junction