Opelika A Railroad Town / Opelika An Industrial City - Opelika, AL - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Opelika An Industrial City
Opelika's original name was Opelikan when the town was founded in the 1830s. In 1850, the name was respelled as Opelika. In 1851, the Montgomery & West Point Railroad Company extended its Montgomery to Opelika rail line on to West Point, Georgia. This line was the only direct rail route between New Orleans and the Eastern Seaboard. As a result of its transportation infrastructure, Opelika grew rapidly and many warehouses were built for storing cotton and other goods. Opelika was incorporated on February 9, 1854. With the addition of a rail connection to Columbus, Georgia in 1855 and one to Birmingham added a few years later, Opelika became a regional hub for commerce. During the Civil War, Opelika warehouses were used as Confederate supply depots. In 1864 and 1865, Union raids commanded by Lovell Rousseau and James Wilson attacked the town, tearing up the railroads and destroying Opelika's warehouses. In 1866, Opelika became the county seat of newly formed Lee County.

Opelika An Industrial City
In 1900, Opelika Cotton Mill opened as the first textile plant in the city. In the 195Os, Opelika attracted the nation's first and largest magnetic tape manufacturing plant, and in 1963, tire manufacturer Uniroyal constructed a massive plant here. By the early 1970s, Opelika's industries employed nearly 10,000. Between the late 1970s and 2005, non-agricultural employment in the area grew at a slow, but steady pace. Many shops, stores, and businesses have been a part of Opelika's history, including Big Apple, A&P and Kwik Check for grocery shopping, and Woolworth's, Elmore's, Hagedorn's, Hollingsworth, Norman and Stern, the Diana Shop, Montgomery Fair, and Eleanor's for other items. A child's first pair of Chuck Taylor High Tops could be purchased at Koplan's; first baseball glove at Jack Moore's Sports Shop; toys at Humphries or Western Auto; and 45 records at Miller Music. Favorite pastimes included enjoying a movie at Martin Theater, saving up S&H Green Stamps, and visiting the library in the basement of City Hall. Locals swapped stories over breakfast at the Corner Café and over lunch at Haynie's.

Marker Name: Opelika A Railroad Town/Opelika An Industrial City Marker Type: Urban Addtional Information:: Erected by the Alabama Tourism Department and the City of Opelika. Date Dedicated / Placed: 2010 Marker Number: Not listed

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