Star of Elmore County - Eclectic, Alabama
Posted by: 
xptwo
N 32° 38.251 W 086° 03.707
16S E 588002 N 3611491
The Welcome to Eclectic "Star of Elmore County" is one of five such signs. This one is located on Highway 170 and can be seen as one heads north toward the town.
Waymark Code: WMDB00
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 12/17/2011
Views: 4
According to the information on one of the welcome signs, they were built by W. J. (Bill) Teague in honor of his wife and community. They were dedicated on September 5, 1999.
Eclectic itself took its name, "the Star of Elmore County," from stories of a spectacular meteor shower in 1833. The following comes from the town web site, which has much more of the history: (
visit link) The authors are Jimmy K. Lanier and Gary Wright.
"Eclectic, “the Star of Elmore County,” has a rich and wonderful history. This is where the charm of the old South and all of its wonderful traditions clash in a friendly manner with its passion for progress in creating a dynamic future for itself and its citizens. It is said that when the spectacular meteor shower of November 12, 1833 lit up the night sky in Alabama, the stars actually fell on Eclectic, Alabama. It has not been determined whether this Leonid meteor shower actually sent any debris anywhere near Eclectic, but the romantic in all of us would like to think so."
"In August 1907, a total of 51 eligible voters cast their ballots and the Town of Eclectic was incorporated. Its boundaries formed “a three-mile radius where the street from Eclectic High School intersects the Tallassee public road.” In September 1907 the first Mayor and town council were elected."