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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 09 February 2010 20:01 |
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Thomasville, Alabama
In the early 1880's, the area that is now downtown Thomasville was a forest of tall timber and dense undergrowth. But soon the railroad would change all this.
By early 1888, there was already a town growing in the hills east of the present downtown business area. The town's founding father was a railroad man, W.L. Henderson. The name Thomasville came from another railroad man, General Samuel Thomas, who graciously .donated $500 for the building of the first school.
In 1889, an epidemic of a mosquito-spread fever swept through the town, wiping out dozens of people and causing some families to pack up and move away. Ten years later, another disaster struck. A fire nearly wiped out out the whole business district. The buildings had been hastily constructed of timbers from trees cut to clear the land. After the fire, the town decided to rebuild with brick. Therefore, most of the businesses in Thomasville's downtown district were built in 1899.
Thomasville quickly became a leading trade area. During the l93Os and 40s, "meeting the train" each day as it stopped at the depot became a social event. Industries opened, bringing jobs to the area. Some of these included sawmills, garment factories, cotton gins, and in the 1960s, paper mills. A military radar base opened in the 1950s, bringing In many servicemen and their families.
Thomasville continues to prosper today. |
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