Near Bankston in Fayette County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Zion Church & Byler Road

Fayette County

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, September 5, 2026

1. Zion Church & Byler Road Marker

Inscription.
Zion Church was organized in the 1830s, not long after the Byler Road was built. Samuel Blankenship deeded three acres to 7 trustees of the church on March 1, 1861. Formed in 1941, the Zion Church and Cemetery Association constructed a two-story, 24-foot square brick church building and dedicated it on January 3, 1960. Plans for restructuring 17 miles of the Byler Road began in 1955. In 1957, locals, including George Cotton, formed the Zion Centennial and Byler Road Rededication project. The group held a program on July 20 & 21, 1957, in commemoration of Zion Church. Byler Road and the first burial at Zion Cemetery.

(Reverse Side)
The first burial in the cemetery was that of H.W. Chaney, who was driving hogs on foot on the Byler Road when he died on December 23, 1857. A camping ground at or near the cemetery allowed travelers and their teams on the Byler Road to rest overnight. A 1957 Fayette County Times newspaper article noted that the "weather beaten old road relic of the past which once echoed the clatter of horses' hooves a spot where travelers camped enroute from Courtland to Tuscaloosa...

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floored with planks in low damp places, will live in history. It will be maintained for future generations".

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

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Communications • Religion & Religious Structures • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.

Location. 33° 42.481′ N, 87° 38.767′ W. Marker is near Bankston, Alabama, in Fayette County. It is at the intersection of County Road 93 and Zion Road, on the left when traveling north on County Road 93. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3400 CR 93, Bankston AL 35542, 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 the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, September 5, 2026

2. Zion Church & Byler Road Marker

least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Handy Post Office (approx. 2.3 miles away); Bankston (approx. 2.8 miles away); A Post Office with Three Names (approx. 4 miles away); Alabama Christian College of Berry, Alabama (approx. 4.1 miles away); Town of Berry / Berry Heritage Park (approx. 4.2 miles away); Dobbs, Alabama (approx. 5.4 miles away); New Liberty Church and Cemetery / O'Possum Trot School (approx. 6½ miles away); Killingsworth Gin / Dry Creek Post Office (approx. 8.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bankston.

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, September 5, 2026

3. Zion Church & Byler Road Marker

The Old Zion Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, September 5, 2026

4. The Old Zion Church

Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 5, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.