Marker Name: Atlantic Coast Line Depot
Marker Type: Urban
Addtional Information::
The Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Depot once stood behind Broad Street, nestled close to the tracks between Depot Avenue and Depot Lane. The Alabama Midland Railway, later known as the Atlantic Coast Line, completed its tracks across Dale County in September 1889. Ozark’s businesses doubled in anticipation of the arrival of the depot by 1889 and between 1890 and 1920. Dale County’s population grew by approximately 32 percent. The railroad connected the rural community to Alabama and the nation. The original wooden depot, located within a block of the public square, burned in 1910. A new brick depot opened with the arrival of the morning train on September 5, 1911.
Soldiers in three conflicts utilized the depot. On June 26, 1916, Company G, 4th Alabama Infantry and the National Guard Band departed here for mobilization in Montgomery and duty along the U.S.-Mexican border. When Camp Rucker opened in the spring of 1942, officers and draftees of the 81st Infantry arrived at the depot. On September 16, ,1950, the Headquarters and Headquarters Company 131st Heavy Tank Battalion of the National Guard departed from the depot for Fort Knox, Kentucky< where they trained Armored Troops.
Passenger travel from the Atlantic Coast Line Depot ceased in the 1960s. The depot remained until January 2018 when it was demolished.
Date Dedicated / Placed: 2019
Marker Number: Not listed
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