Railroad Avenue Historic District

Railroad Avenue Historic District. Opelika, Alabama. obverse , The Railroad Avenue Historic District was the downtown nucleus of Opelika when the city was incorporated as part of Russell County, Alabama in February, 1854. The city limits extended a mile in every direction from the Montgomery and West Point Railway Station. In 1864 another railroad was built from Opelika to Columbus, thus establishing the city as a transportation center. During 1864 and 1865, Opelika's government supply warehouses, its depot, rolling stock and railroad were a target of Federal raiders Rousseau and Wilson. Train service from Atlanta to Montgomery was re-established in 1865. , reverse , When Lee County was established on December 5, 1866, Opelika became its county seat. The commercial district, a collection of wooden buildings, was destroyed by fire in 1868. The physical rebuilding of the district began during the 1870's. The Railroad Avenue Historic District is composed of 105 buildings which date primarily from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It contains the major commercial and political structures in the city. The District was accepted for placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.