City of Elba
200 Buford Street,
Elba, AL 36323
031415469-086067106
Description:
History of Elba
Elba is located in the heart of the Pea River basin, at the juncture of Whitewater Creek and Pea River. Elba had its economic beginning when a ferry was established to cross Pea River in the early 1830&rsquo, s by a Mr. McLane. It was located between what is today Claxton and Polka Streets and connected east-west traffic across the river.
The land on which Elba is located was entered by Ephrim King on February 17, 1836. This land was sold to John B. Simmons and his brother-in-law Gappa T. Yelverton about 1840. Simmons&rsquo, mercantile was the first store in Elba. The post office was located in the store and John Simmons was the postmaster. At that time the little town was called Bridgeville. A new post office was opened on February 2, 1841 with Bartley M. Tucker as postmaster. On June 20, 1850 the name was changed to Bentonville, in honor of Col. Thomas Hart Benton, Senator from Missouri who served in Alabama in the Creek Indian Wars of 1813-1814. The citizens soon decided should be changed to be more fitting for a thriving community. On December 8, 1851, the suggested names were placed in a hat. John B. Simmons, who had been reading a biography of Napoleon Bonaparte with reference to him being exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Italy, placed the name of Elba in the hat. Mr. John Fountain, the ferry operator, was asked to draw a name and Elba was drawn. In 1852 the State Legislature created a voting precinct and the new town of Elba was officially recognized.
In 1852, after Elba was selected the county seat of Coffee County, the town was moved back from the river one-half mile to the present location. The Courthouse was in the center and most of the streets were named for leading citizens. Elba was incorporated on April 13, 1853. The first public school was established in 1863. The two-story frame building had one room on each floor. The upper room was the meeting room for the Masons and school was opened in 1900. The first graduate was Mary Annie Ham Mays in 1902.
Evergreen Primitive Baptist Church was located in what is now Evergreen Cemetery which is still an active cemetery for the city of Elba. The first marked grave in the cemetery was that of James Ham who died in 1858. His wife Susannah Mathews Ham, in the only &ldquo, Real Daughter&rdquo, buried in the cemetery. Her father Philip Mathews was a Revolutionary soldier. The gazebo in the cemetery, called a Summer House, was built in 1895.
The first church of any denomination established in the town of Elba was Methodist. It is still active as Elba United Methodist Church. It is considered the mother church of Elba. A minister was appointed to the Elba Circuit on December 15, 1853. The present Methodist Church was officially opened on Sunday, February 12, 1911. Large panels of elegant stained glass found in the church sanctuary are the memorial to the Confederate dead from Coffee County.
The coming of the railroad was a great economic boost to Elba and Coffee County. The only major structure on the line was the trestle across Pea River in Elba. The railroad line was planned for West Elba where the line ended and the &ldquo, New Town&rdquo, area of the town, also the industrial area, began. This section of Elba continues to be called &ldquo, New Town&rdquo, . The name of the railroad line changed several times. The first train came to Elba on March 20, 1892 and the trains were discontinued on November 27, 1984.
Pea River History is a vital part of the history of Elba. The Creek Indians named the river Talakhatchee but the early settlers rejected the name. In the Creek language, talak means pea and hatchee means stream, branch, or small river. The Talakhatchee River is a sister stream of the Choctawhatchee River, whose name was not rejected. Pea River is about 120 miles long. It emerges from a swamp in Bullock County near Union Springs and joins her sister river at
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Description:
History of Elba
Elba is located in the heart of the Pea River basin, at the juncture of Whitewater Creek and Pea River. Elba had its economic beginning when a ferry was established to cross Pea River in the early 1830&rsquo, s by a Mr. McLane. It was located between what is today Claxton and Polka Streets and connected east-west traffic across the river.
The land on which Elba is located was entered by Ephrim King on February 17, 1836. This land was sold to John B. Simmons and his brother-in-law Gappa T. Yelverton about 1840. Simmons&rsquo, mercantile was the first store in Elba. The post office was located in the store and John Simmons was the postmaster. At that time the little town was called Bridgeville. A new post office was opened on February 2, 1841 with Bartley M. Tucker as postmaster. On June 20, 1850 the name was changed to Bentonville, in honor of Col. Thomas Hart Benton, Senator from Missouri who served in Alabama in the Creek Indian Wars of 1813-1814. The citizens soon decided should be changed to be more fitting for a thriving community. On December 8, 1851, the suggested names were placed in a hat. John B. Simmons, who had been reading a biography of Napoleon Bonaparte with reference to him being exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Italy, placed the name of Elba in the hat. Mr. John Fountain, the ferry operator, was asked to draw a name and Elba was drawn. In 1852 the State Legislature created a voting precinct and the new town of Elba was officially recognized.
In 1852, after Elba was selected the county seat of Coffee County, the town was moved back from the river one-half mile to the present location. The Courthouse was in the center and most of the streets were named for leading citizens. Elba was incorporated on April 13, 1853. The first public school was established in 1863. The two-story frame building had one room on each floor. The upper room was the meeting room for the Masons and school was opened in 1900. The first graduate was Mary Annie Ham Mays in 1902.
Evergreen Primitive Baptist Church was located in what is now Evergreen Cemetery which is still an active cemetery for the city of Elba. The first marked grave in the cemetery was that of James Ham who died in 1858. His wife Susannah Mathews Ham, in the only &ldquo, Real Daughter&rdquo, buried in the cemetery. Her father Philip Mathews was a Revolutionary soldier. The gazebo in the cemetery, called a Summer House, was built in 1895.
The first church of any denomination established in the town of Elba was Methodist. It is still active as Elba United Methodist Church. It is considered the mother church of Elba. A minister was appointed to the Elba Circuit on December 15, 1853. The present Methodist Church was officially opened on Sunday, February 12, 1911. Large panels of elegant stained glass found in the church sanctuary are the memorial to the Confederate dead from Coffee County.
The coming of the railroad was a great economic boost to Elba and Coffee County. The only major structure on the line was the trestle across Pea River in Elba. The railroad line was planned for West Elba where the line ended and the &ldquo, New Town&rdquo, area of the town, also the industrial area, began. This section of Elba continues to be called &ldquo, New Town&rdquo, . The name of the railroad line changed several times. The first train came to Elba on March 20, 1892 and the trains were discontinued on November 27, 1984.
Pea River History is a vital part of the history of Elba. The Creek Indians named the river Talakhatchee but the early settlers rejected the name. In the Creek language, talak means pea and hatchee means stream, branch, or small river. The Talakhatchee River is a sister stream of the Choctawhatchee River, whose name was not rejected. Pea River is about 120 miles long. It emerges from a swamp in Bullock County near Union Springs and joins her sister river at
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