08/14/2026
🎉 Fun Fact Friday – Part 2 🎉
Last week, we explored the stories behind many of the communities across the northern half of Tuscaloosa County. This week, we're continuing our journey by heading south and east to discover the origins of even more community names.
Many of these communities grew because of railroads, coal mining, agriculture, and local industries, while others were named for pioneering families, landowners, physicians, and prominent local figures. Together, they tell the story of how Tuscaloosa County developed over the past two centuries.
📍 Let's continue exploring the history behind the places we call home!
⛰️ East Tuscaloosa County
👨👩👧 Burchfield – Named for the Burchfield family, early settlers in the area, particularly J.P. Burchfield.
⛏️ Kellerman – Believed to have been named for a civil engineer associated with the Kellerman Mine Company around 1900.
🏡 Pattersontown – Named for the Patterson family, who founded and settled the community.
👑 Yolande – A former mining town named after Yolande de Dreux, a medieval Queen of Scotland.
🏭 Searles – Named in honor of philanthropist and investor Edward F. Searles, an officer of the Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron Company, who had financial interests in the region's mining industry.
⚒️ Abernant – Named for the local Abernanth family and the Abernant Coal Company, active during the early 1900s, whose Welsh-inspired name combines aber ("estuary") and nant ("stream").
🌳 Bucksville – Named for early pioneer David Buck, who settled there in 1820 and founded a general store.
📮 Rickey – Believed to have been named for an early postmaster or local settler.
🚜 Caffee Junction – Named for local landowner Benjamin Caffee.
🩺 Docray – Named for Dr. Ray, one of the area's original landowners.
👨🌾 Dowdle – Named for early settler James Dowdle.
⛏️ Dudley – Named after Bishop Thomas U. Dudley, with coal mining beginning in the area during the 1880s
👤 Peterson – Originally known as Peterson City, named for Charles M. Peterson, who purchased much of the surrounding land in 1903. When the Tuscaloosa Mineral Railroad (Louisville & Nashville) arrived in 1911, the station was named Shiras in honor of Peter Shiras of Ottawa, Kansas, the only non-Tuscaloosan to purchase stock in the railroad. For a short time both names were used, but when the post office was established in 1914, Peterson became the official name.
🏘️ Vance – Originally known as Trion, possibly named after Trion, Georgia, or the town of Tryon, North Carolina. Around 1870, the community became known as Smallwood after local sawmill owner Charles Smallwood. In 1879, it was renamed Vance in honor of Dr. William Vance, a respected physician and pioneer. The Trion Post Office was established in 1849, followed by Smallwood in 1872 and Vance in 1879. The town was incorporated in 1970.
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🌾 South Tuscaloosa County
🌱 Hull – Named for Henry Hull, who established a large cotton plantation in the area around 1835.
👨👩👧 Maxwell – Named for the Maxwell family, among the area's early English settlers.
🌳 Englewood – Named for early landowner Lewis Engle.
🏘️ Taylorville – One of the county's oldest communities, named for a prominent early family.
💎 Pearl – Named for Pearl Williams, the daughter of the community's first postmaster.
🚂 Duncanville – The post office was established in 1890. When the railroad reached the community in 1898, Duncanville was named either for local property owner William M. Duncan or railroad official W. Butler Duncan.
📫 Hagler – According to Place Names in Alabama, Hagler was named for Isaac S. Hagler, the community's first postmaster, who was appointed in 1880.
👨👩👧 Pearson – Named for an early local family who owned the land.
🚉 Coaling – Originally known as Clements Depot in 1871, the community was named for prosperous landowner Hardy Clements. It later became known as Coaling because it served as a railroad coal fueling station and was surrounded by nearby coal mining operations. The name is also closely tied to early settler Daniel Black, who granted the railroad a right-of-way across his property and named the community. Black eventually owned more than 1,000 sheep, a large herd of cattle, a store, and a grist mill.
🏞️ Big Sandy – Named for Big Sandy Creek and the surrounding valley. The creek, first recorded during John Coffee's 1820 survey, was given a descriptive name because of its sandy characteristics. Its tributary, South Sandy Creek, rises in Bibb County before joining Big Sandy in Tuscaloosa County.
🌊 Little Sandy – Named for the sandy banks of the nearby waterway.
🌲 Cedar Cove – Named for the dense stands of red cedar trees that once surrounded the community.
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🏛️ Central Tuscaloosa County
🧵 Cottondale – Originally known as KENNEDALE in 1868, named after cotton mill owner Joseph S. Kennedy when the Baugh, Kennedy, and County cotton mill was opened here. In 1876, it became Cottondale to reflect the thriving cotton mill that served as the community's economic backbone.
🌿 Holt – Named for property owner Frank Holt, who purchased the land in 1901.
🚜 Fleetwood – Named for local landowner Fleetwood Rice.
🏡 Howton – A settlement and Louisville & Nashville Railroad station named in 1912 for the prominent Howton family, who settled the area in the early 1900s.
💬 We've now explored the stories behind communities from across Tuscaloosa County! Which community do you call home? Did you discover something new about its name or history?
We'd love to hear from you in the comments! If there are other Tuscaloosa County history topics you'd like us to explore in a future Fun Fact Friday, let us know below. Your suggestion might inspire one of our upcoming posts!
