Guin in Marion County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

City of Guin, Alabama: The Early Years
⎯⎯⎯
The Storms of 1974

City of Guin Alabama: The Early Years Marker. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 4, 2016

1. City of Guin Alabama: The Early Years Marker.

Inscription.
City of Guin, Alabama: The Early Years
In 1889, Dr. Jeremiah Guin gave land to the Kansas City, Missouri & Birmingham Railroad to allow completion of its Memphis to Birmingham railway. The rails connected at Dr. Guin's farm, about ¼ mile west of the present railroad crossing, with a ceremonial golden spike being driven to commemorate the occasion. A flagstop (depot) called Guin was established and soon thereafter 32 citizens petitioned the Alabama legislature for incorporation of a town. The depot was operated until the 1960s, and was the site where many local soldiers boarded trains to fight in WWI, WWII and the Korean War. The Town of Guin, incorporated on December 30, 1889, initially had about 350 citizens, 13 storehouses, four hotels, two cotton yards and a livery stable. Over the following years, Guin became home for Marion County's first high school, a bank, automobile dealership and America's first combined Senior Center/Disaster Shelter facility with the Collins Life Center.

The Storms of 1974
On April 3, 1974, the Guin area was struck by an outbreak of violent tornadoes which still rank among the

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

most severe in recorded history. The tornado which struck downtown Guin was classified as an F5 super cell tornado registering speeds of up to 250 miles per hour. Twenty-Three local people lost their lives that night and hundreds more were injured. About 2,000 residents were left homeless from the total loss of 221 homes and partial damage to 358 more. Guin's business district was flattened, with 55 businesses, its hospital, City Hall, and rural electric office all sustaining damage. The Baptist, Church of Christ, and Methodist Churches were also demolished. In the months after the storm, The Alabama National Guard, U.S. Small Business, H.U.D. Administration, the American Red Cross, and thousands of volunteers from all over America poured into Guin to assist in the rebuilding effort.

Erected 2010 by The Alabama Tourism Department and The City of Guin.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Tourism Department series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 3, 1974.

Location. 33° 57.947′ N, 87° 54.879′ W.

The Storms of 1974 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 4, 2016

2. The Storms of 1974 Marker

Marker is in Guin, Alabama, in Marion County. It is at the intersection of 11th Avenue (U.S. 43) and U.S. 278, on the right when traveling west on 11th Avenue. Located in the corner Guin Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7500 U.S 43, Guin AL 35563, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. 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 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Stephen A. Caudle, Jr. (a few steps from this marker); Historical Pikeville (approx. 5.6 miles away); The Pastime Theatre (approx. 6.1 miles away); In Honor of Those Who Served in World War II (approx. 6.2 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx.

Remains of the Guin Mobile Home plant after an F5 tornado in 1974. image. Click for more information.

Public Domain.

3. Remains of the Guin Mobile Home plant after an F5 tornado in 1974.

April 3, 1974 – The Guin Tornado
Mike's Blog entry
(Submitted on August 12, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
Click for more information.

6.2 miles away); Vietnam Veterans Memorial (approx. 6.2 miles away); Johnny Michael Spann Memorial Park (approx. 6.2 miles away); Winfield, Alabama (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Guin.

Also see . . .
1. Guin. Encyclopedia of Alabama entry. (Submitted on August 30, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. 1974 Super Outbreak. Wikipedia extract on the Guin Tornado of 1974. (Submitted on August 12, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Guin Memorial Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 4, 2016

4. Guin Memorial Park

In memory of those who died in tornado - April 3, 1974

View of marker looking west towards Alabama Highway 142. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 4, 2016

5. View of marker looking west towards Alabama Highway 142.

This marker and tornado marker in Guin Memorial Park. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 4, 2016

6. This marker and tornado marker in Guin Memorial Park.

Marker on left near road.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 31, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,596 times since then and 155 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 12, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 6. submitted on September 18, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

City of Guin, Alabama: The Early Years⎯⎯⎯The Storms of 1974

City of Guin, Alabama: The Early Years
⎯⎯⎯
The Storms of 1974