Abbeville in Henry County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Abbeville Southern Railroad
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Pelham House
Photographed by David J Gaines, October 14, 2012
1. Abbeville Southern Railroad Marker
Abbeville Southern Railroad. For the first 75 years of its history, Abbeville’s commerce was tied directly to the Chattahoochee River by Indian trails and wagon roads. The arrival of the first train on the Abbeville Southern Railroad, November 27, 1893, signaled the dawn of a new era in Abbeville’s commercial life. In the December 1, 1893 issue of the Abbeville Times, the editor described the arrival which was received by “hundreds of people with happy and throbbing hearts.” Railroad workers were treated to a holiday and parade the next day “with over one hundred and thirty mules and many more laborers leading the band.”
Pelham House. Originally constructed about 1820 as a single pen log dwelling, this building was later enlarged into a dogtrot house and covered with weatherboards. It was situated next to the earliest Henry County road known as the Irwinton (Eufaula), Franklin, Columbia Postal-Stagecoach River Road. It is an excellent example of the oldest type of folk house in the lower Chattahoochee Valley. Preserved by the L. F. Mills family for over 100 years, this house was dis-assembled, moved and restored on this site by the A. J. Rane family of Abbeville.
Erected 1991 by Historic Chattahoochee Commission, Henry County Historical Society and the Great Southern
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is November 27, 1879.
Location. 31° 34.305′ N, 85° 15.367′ W. Marker is in Abbeville, Alabama, in Henry County. It is on Alabama Route 10, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Abbeville AL 36310, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Wiregrass. 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 walking distance of this marker: Liberty Enlightening the World (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); A County Older Than the State (approx. 0.4 miles away); Henry, The Mother County (approx. 0.4 miles away); History of the Bank of Henry (approx. 0.4 miles away); Nordan's (approx. 0.4 miles away); In Honor of William Calvin Oates (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Southeast Alabama Agricultural School / First Free Secondary School in Alabama (approx. 0.4 miles away); Archie Theatre (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Abbeville.
Photographed by David J Gaines, October 14, 2012
2. Pelham House Marker
Photographed by James L.Whitman, January 21, 2023
3. Abbeville Southern Railroad / Pelham House Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2012, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,046 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 29, 2012, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. 3. submitted on February 1, 2023, by James L.Whitman of Eufaula, Alabama. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
