East Lake Community - Birmingham, AL - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Historical marker recounting the history of the east Lake area. The marker is located in the 7700 block of First Avenue North. The marker was placed by the Alabama Historical Commission, the City of Birmingham and the South East Lake Neighborhood Association.

Marker Name: East Lake Community Marker Type: Urban Addtional Information:: The Creek Indian Cession of 1814 opened this section of Alabama to settlement. At the time of statehood in 1819 many pioneer families had located here in what later became known as Jones Valley. By 1820 the area was called Ruhama Valley as a result of the religious fervor of Hosea Holcomb who preached mercy or "Ruhamah." As early as 1839 a post office named Rockville was established for the local community. Major growth came in 1886 as a result of the promotion of the East Lake Land Company by Robert Jemison Sr. to provide housing sites for the miners drawn to the booming iron ore industry in Birmingham. Lots 50 feet wide and 180 feet long were laid out on 2,000 acres between what is now 69th Street to 85th Street and 5th Avenue North and 5th Avenue South. Development was dependent on the East Lake Railroad which began operating on October 8, 1887. On this site a car barn was built to house the equipment of the 21 steam locomotives operating between downtown Birmingham and the East Lake terminus at 83rd Street. The town of East Lake was incorporated December 13, 1900. As a result of the street car the business district developed rapidly. On January 1, 1910 East Lake was incorporated into the City of Birmingham but it has remained a distinctive community. Date Dedicated / Placed: 1992 Marker Number: None

Visit Instructions:
Please post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location. Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Alabama history please include that in your log.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.