Yarbo in Washington County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Yarbo
Photographed by Mark Hilton, February 17, 2026
1. Yarbo Marker
Yarbo was one of the short lived sawmill towns that sprang up in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In 1904 the American Lumber Company began logging operations here and named the town Spencer. E.L. Jordan built a turpentine distillery and built a small store and houses for his employees. In 1917, Robert and Jeff Yarborough built a sawmill and established the first Post Office. The towns name was changed to Yarbo which was a shortened form of Yarborough. Shortly after, the mill was sold to the Ingram-Day Lumber Company. The town flourished to include a school, commissary, a walk-through park and a theater. The mill closed at the end of the war in 1946 and was sold to E.L. Jordan then moved to Jordan. Many of the employees stayed with the mill and others moved away to find other employment.
Erected by the Washington County Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.
Location. 31° 32.572′ N, 88° 16.345′ W. Marker is in Yarbo, Alabama, in Washington County. It is at the intersection of Jordan Street (Alabama Route 17) and Ingram Saw Mill Road, on the right when traveling south on Jordan Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 44 Old Yarbo Rd, Millry AL 36558, United States of America. Touch for directions.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Mobile Bay. 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 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ellisville (approx. 4.3 miles away); German P.O.W. Camps from WW II (approx. 5 miles away); Washington County Veterans Memorial (approx. 5.4 miles away); Washington County (approx. 5.4 miles away); Washington County Courthouse (approx. 5.4 miles away); Washington County Confederate Memorial (approx. 5.4 miles away); Healing Springs (approx. 7.3 miles away); Judge Harry Toulmin (approx. 7.6 miles away).
Regarding Yarbo. Yarbo is a shortened form of Yarborough and is named for the first postmaster, Robert E. Yarborough.
Also see . . . "Yarbo - A Lumber Town That Time Forgot" (Short YT video). (Submitted on February 18, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed by Mark Hilton, February 17, 2026
2. Yarbo Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 18, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 69 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 18, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
