Anniston:
A Historic Military and Industrial Town
By Betsy Bean, Executive
Director
The Spirit of Anniston*
The city of Anniston began
life in the early 1870s as a private community owned by a couple of industrialists
who saw dollars in them thar hills of rock = iron ore = train wheels.
However, the first spark
of Anniston’s industrial future began before that during the Civil War,
when an iron munitions furnace was built in nearby Oxford. It was destroyed
in the war but afterward, the site attracted the attention of Samuel Noble,
who had been looking for opportunities to expand his iron works factory
in nearby Rome, Ga.
The Noble family purchased
the land, and in 1872, teamed up with the Tylers of South Carolina to create
the Woodstock Iron Company; they built a 50-ton charcoal furnace in 1873
at what is now Gurnee Ave. and Ninth St.
In order to house the
iron workers, Samuel Noble built what he called “a model city” laid out
in a grid pattern, including cottages on tree-lined streets, a company
store, a farm to produce food, a school and a church. Annie’s town or Anniston,
named for Alfred Tyler’s wife, was incorporated in 1879.
In 1883, the company town
was opened up to the general public through the creation of the Anniston
Land Company, whose offices still stand at the corner of Thirteenth and
Moore, and may ultimately become a new City Hall. A building boom ensued
so that by 1892, the population of Anniston had swelled to almost 10,000,
making it the fastest growing town in the state. During that decade, numerous
impressive buildings were constructed, including an Opera House, multi-story
bank buildings, department stores, drug stores, a huge inn, hotels, churches,
municipal buildings, saloons, and two train depots. Several of those early
structures still stand, most notably the two depots on Moore Ave., the
churches on Quintard, a variety of commercial buildings, and the wonderfully
ornate Peerless Saloon at 13 W. 10th St.
Unfortunately, the Panic
of 1893 caused several business failures including that of the Woodstock
Iron Company. Also by that time, two of the key founders had died; General
Daniel Tyler in 1882 and Samuel Noble in 1888; both are buried in Hillside
Cemetery overlooking the city. Crowan Cottage at 1427 Woodstock Ave, one
of the Noble family homes, still stands, and luckily, investors recently
bought Crowan and three other adjacent mansions with plans to restore them.
The 20th Century
Anniston began the last
century on the upswing following an 1899 countywide election to become
the county seat. A two-story stone and brick courthouse featuring Corinthian
columns and a clock tower was built at 11th and Gurnee; it still serves
its original purpose although it has been altered through the years by
fire damage and space needs. By 1910, the population had grown to 12,794,
with industrial factories to the west of town; Noble St. as the main commercial
thoroughfare; and Quintard Ave. as a residential boulevard lined with trees
and large Victorian mansions. The Victoria Inn is the last remaining mansion
as the avenue has become more commercial, although the tree-lined median
with various statues and monuments still provides respite for the eyes.
Another major change
that would impact the city occurred in 1917 when the federal government
acquired 18,972 acres of land just north of the city for the establishment
of Camp McClellan, later classified as a permanent fort in 1929. A major
building program began in the 1930s when Spanish Colonial Revival buildings
were constructed for offices, homes, and other facilities. This is now
the Post Headquarters Historic District, which is on the National Register
of Historic Places and is also a local historic district with design guidelines.
Over the next 80+ years,
the military influence brought further economic prosperity to the area
as soldiers, black and white, spent much of their leisure time in the city.
In fact, African-American soldiers known as Buffalo Soldiers, frequented
the W. 15th street commercial district during the 1940s and 50s, which
is fondly remembered as the area’s heyday with nightclubs, shops, and a
movie theatre.
Mother’s Day 1961 brought
national notoriety to Anniston when the first Freedom Ride to desegregate
interstate travel resulted in a mob attack on a Greyhound bus at the local
station, a yellow brick building at 1031 Gurnee that now houses a sign
company. There are local plans to commemorate the Freedom Riders and to
develop Civil Rights-related heritage tourism.
Anniston faced many challenges
as the 20th century came to a close with the decommissioning of Fort McClellan
in 1999, the revelation of industrial pollution, the disposal of chemical
weapons at the Anniston Army Depot, the expansion of urban sprawl, and
the continuing need for racial reconciliation.
However, numerous opportunities
arose as the 21st century began, including the extension of the Silver
Comet bike trail from Atlanta into downtown Anniston. Known as the Chief
Ladiga Trail in Alabama, it will end at the 4th street Amtrak station,
a 1926 Neo-Georgian building that is currently being restored.
The 10-story, partially
burned 1920s building at 10th and Noble has recently been purchased by
investors who are using historic and New Market tax credits to restore
it for mixed use, including offices for the Water and Sewer Board. Anniston
was also chosen as the future site for a new federal courthouse to serve
the region.
Local leadership sees
light at the end of the tunnel as the worst of the crises have ended, and
new opportunities arise for continued revitalization of downtown and adjacent
historic neighborhoods, and the careful redevelopment of the treasure now
known simply as McClellan.
* A Main Street Program
of Revitalization
