Origins of the name "Delmar"
Delmar was originally called "Frog Level." Presumably, the community was called Frog Level because of the swampy land that existed around the area at the time. In the 19th century, the citizens of Frog Level asked the U. S. Postal Service to open a post office in their community, since the nearest post office was in Ark (where Needmore, Alabama is currently located). Their request was denied because there was another Frog Level, Alabama (now Fayette, Alabama) and it already had a post office. In order to get a post office, the citizens of the Frog Level in Winston County had to change their town's name. Around 1887, the town began to be known as "Delmar."
The exact origins of the name "Delmar" are unknown. A popular belief holds that a construction engineer with the railroad had a retired race horse by the name of "Delmar" or "Del Mar" (Spanish for "from the sea"). The horse was well known and loved by the community. When work on the railroad was completed around 1887, the community was renamed after the race horse.
After notifying the U. S. Postal Service of its name change, Delmar's first post office was opened on September 1, 1887. Newton L. Powell was the first Postmaster of Delmar. The current post office building was erected in 1971, during the service of Postmaster Mrs. Martha Roberts Stewart.
Today, the name of the town of Delmar is pronounced "Delmer."
19th century history
According to legend, Delmar was not always the sleepy little community it is today. During the Coal Mining boom of the 19th century, there were several saloons in Delmar. Reportedly, Delmar was as lively as a town out of the Wild West, complete with drunken bar room brawls.
Byler Road was completed through Winston County in 1820. The historic highway, which ran through parts of what are today Delmar, Natural Bridge, Lynn, and Haleyville, connected the towns of northern Alabama with Tuscaloosa, which at the time was the capital of Alabama.
When Alabama seceded from the Union in 1861, the people of Winston County did not want to fight their Northern or Southern brothers and wanted to remain neutral in the Civil War. They decided that if a state could secede from the nation, then a county could secede from a state, and formed "Free State of Winston." The people of neighboring counties called the people of Winston County Tories (Northern sympathizers).
During the closing phases of the Civil War, Union troops made their way through Winston County on parts of what today are Winston County Road 17. Union troops set up their camps on the side of the road. Today, the road is better known as "Yankee Trace Road."
After the Civil War, a rail line was built from Sheffield, Alabama to Delmar by the Northern Alabama Railroad. After several years, a rail line was built from Parrish, Alabama to Delmar. This allowed rail service from Birmingham to the Shoals area. Today, Norfolk Southern Railway still runs cargo trains through Delmar.
20th century and recent history
In the late 1960s, Marshall Durbin built its regional headquarters in Delmar.
On the night of April 3, 1974, Delmar was struck by a deadly tornado, as were communities in 12 other states and Canada during the 1974 Super Outbreak. Five people died in Delmar as a result of the tornado. Several homes and other structures were destroyed. Many homes that suffered little or no direct damage were without electricity, telephone, and water service for several days.
In January 1993, the people of Delmar decided to establish a volunteer fire department for their community. Currently, the department has 30 firefighters, two pumpers and two tankers and a brush truck. The current Fire Chief is Ray Cantrell.
In 1998, MSR Forest Products built a large plant in Delmar. Today, it employs over 100 people.
On January 27, 2000, Delmar received its first visit from a U.S. Senator when Richard Shelby visited the small Winston County town.
Like so many small towns and communities in Alabama, Delmar has experienced times of economic boom and bust over the past 100 years. Today, Delmar is experiencing somewhat of an economic upturn with several businesses opening in and around Delmar. Tony BrakeField serves as the current mayor of Delmar.
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for Continental Army Major General Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 200,603 at the 2020 census. It is now the third most populous city in the state, after Huntsville and Birmingham, and is the 128th most populous in the United States. The Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area's population in 2022 was 385,460; it is the fourth largest in the state and 142nd among United States metropolitan areas.
Winston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,540. Its county seat is Double Springs. Known as Hancock County before 1858, the county is named in honor of John A. Winston, the fifteenth Governor of Alabama.
Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census the city's population was 13,137.
Maplesville is a town in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 637. It is located approximately halfway between Tuscaloosa and Montgomery on U.S. Route 82.
Haleyville is a city in Winston and Marion counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It incorporated on February 28, 1889. Most of the city is located in Winston County, with a small portion of the western limits entering Marion County. Haleyville was originally named "Davis Cross Roads", having been established at the crossroads of Byler Road and the Illinois Central Railroad. At the 2020 census the population was 4,361, up from 4,173 at the 2010 census.
Marion is a city in and the county seat of Perry County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 3,686, up 4.8% over 2000. First known as Muckle Ridge, the city was renamed for a hero of the American Revolution, Francis Marion.
Point of Rocks is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Frederick County, Maryland. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,466.
Green Level is an unincorporated community in southwestern Wake County, North Carolina, United States. It was founded c. 1800 and is one of the best preserved crossroads communities in the county. Although historically connected to the town of Apex, Green Level now lies within the municipal jurisdiction of the town of Cary.
Boyds is an unincorporated community in rural Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located approximately 27 miles (43 km) north of Washington, D.C. Its ZIP Code is 20841.
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention. The church was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974 because of its importance in the civil rights movement and American history. In 1978 the official name was changed to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was pastor there and helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 during the civil rights era. The church is located steps away from the Alabama State Capitol.
Mount Meigs is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County in the state of Alabama. The Mount Meigs Campus, a juvenile correctional facility and the headquarters of the Alabama Department of Youth Services, is in Mount Meigs. Mount Meigs is located at 32°21′46″N86°6′7″W.
Luxomni is an unincorporated community between central and southwestern Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States, a mile east-northeast of Lilburn. It was founded in 1891 around a rail depot for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, on the line to Lawrenceville, the county seat. The town has largely been absorbed into Lilburn and greater Gwinnett County, and is no longer part of the local vernacular.
Southmont is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,470. It is located along North Carolina State Highway 8 on the northern shores of High Rock Lake. There is an organized effort underway to incorporate the community as "The Village of Southmont".
Lebanon was the name of two different communities that were founded in Texas in the 19th century, neither of which exist today. The first was a town located in Collin County that had a post office designated as Lebanon, Texas, before it was relocated to Frisco. The second was a smaller unincorporated community located in Live Oak County, of which only a cemetery remains today.
Verbena, also known as Summerfield, is an unincorporated community in southeastern Chilton County, Alabama, United States. Named for the indigenous flower, Verbena developed into a popular resort location for the more affluent citizenry of Montgomery, the state's capital, during the yellow fever outbreaks of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many stately homes, some of which have undergone recent renovation and restoration, line the streets of the town as a reminder of this historic past.
Maxwell is an unincorporated community in Caldwell County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, it had a population of 500 in 2000. The community is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
Posey Field is an unincorporated community located in Winston County, Alabama, United States. The community was founded c. 1950 and has a population of 74.
Spanish Camp is an unincorporated community in north central Wharton County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The community is located between Egypt and Hungerford along Farm to Market Road 1161, (FM 1161) near its intersection with Farm to Market Road 640 (FM 640). After the Mexican army of Antonio López de Santa Anna camped at the site in 1836, the community took the name Spanish Camp. In 1870, a church in the community was founded by former slaves and the congregation still existed as of 2013.
Originally called Dick's Creek, the town received its name following the completion of the railroad by engineer and professor Col. Robert A. Hardaway. Hardaway is an unincorporated community in Macon County, Alabama, United States, located 12.9 miles (20.8 km) southwest of Tuskegee. Hardaway has a post office with ZIP code 36039.
Hurricane is an unincorporated community in Baldwin County, Alabama on the Tensaw River about 12 miles (19 km) north of Spanish Fort, Alabama.
