Milstead, Alabama

Milstead, Alabama
Unincorporated community
The abandoned two-span Tallapoosa River Railroad Bridge in Milstead was part of the Tallassee and Montgomery Railway.
Milstead Location in Alabama Show map of Alabama Milstead Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 32°26′33″N85°53′51″W / 32.44250°N 85.89750°W / 32.44250; -85.89750
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Macon
Elevation	207 ft (63 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	334
GNIS feature ID	156715 [1]

Milstead, also known as Cowles or Cowles Station, is an unincorporated community in Macon County, Alabama, United States.

History

The community was named after the location where a gristmill once stood by the Tallapoosa River. ^[2] Milstead was located at the junction of the Tallassee and Montgomery Railway and the Western Railway of Alabama. ^[3]

Fort Decatur, a fort built during the Creek War, was located near Milstead. John Sevier died here while conducting a survey of Creek lands. ^[4]

A post office operated under the name Cowle's Station from 1867 to 1895, under the name Cowles from 1895 to 1896, and under the name Milstead from 1896 to 1964. ^[5]

Auburn University maintains the E.V. Smith Research Center in Milstead. ^[4]

Gallery

• 
  Auburn University's E.V. Smith Research Center is located in Milstead.
• 
  The Tallapoosa River at Milstead
• 
  The site of Fort Decatur, an earthen fort established in March 1814 as part of the Creek War and the larger War of 1812, is located on the banks of the Tallapoosa River near modern-day Milstead. Today, the fort site is marked by a historical marker (pictured) that was placed by the Alabama Anthropological Society in 1931.

References

1. "Milstead". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. Foscue, Virginia (1989). Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press. p. 94. ISBN   0-8173-0410-X.
3. The American and English railroad cases: a collection of all cases, affecting railroads of every kind, decided by the courts of appellate jurisdiction in the United States, England, and Canada [1894-1913]. E. Thompson Co. 1901. pp.  171.
4. Mike Bunn; Clay Williams (July 1, 2008). Battle for the Southern Frontier: The Creek War and the War of 1812. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 59. ISBN   978-1-62584-381-4.
5. "Macon County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved April 3, 2020.