Pell City

History

Railroad investors founded Pell City in 1890 and named it after George Pell of the Pell City Iron and Land Company, one of its financial backers. The city was incorporated on May 6, 1891, but nearly failed during the Panic of 1893. The mill was the economic and social center of the town during its development and early growth. Besides the textile mill, other economic endeavors included agriculture and mercantile establishments. Large cotton, soybean, and cattle farms were located in the area. Pell City increased its size in 1956 when the nearby towns of Eden and Oak Ridge were merged with the city. The first mayor was Green Evans. The residences of Sumter Cogswell and Green Evans (Pell City's first mayor) are two of the earliest structures, dating from the late nineteenth century. The majority of the historic structures date from 1902 to 1905. Ashville, Alabama, in the northern part of St. Clair County was the county seat from 1821 to 1907. A constitutional amendment in 1907 established Pell City as the second county seat, and for many years St. Clair County was the only county in the country with two full-service county seats. Both county seats remain operational to this day although Pell City has far surpassed Ashville in growth in large part due to I-20 and Logan Martin Lake. The construction of Logan Martin Dam in 1964 created the lake and a large recreational area, which brought new businesses, temporary summer residents and tourists, and hundreds of new permanent residents building new homes along the new lake. On April 8, 1998, an F2 tornado struck north of the city limits after the F5 tornado expired in western Jefferson County. This windstorm killed two people in a mobile home. It remained for , partially damaging a church, twenty-six homes and mobile…

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and or 9.57% is water. It is the largest city in St. Clair County. The city is located on the shores of Logan Martin Lake, created by the construction of Logan Martin Dam in 1964 to provide hydro-electric power to the central region of the state. The city is surrounded by the unincorporated communities of Wattsville to the north, Cropwell to the south, Seddon to the east, and Chulavista to the west. The city is located along Interstate 20, which runs west to east through the northern part of the city, leading east 114 mi (183 km) to Atlanta and west 35 mi (56 km) to Birmingham. Access to the city can be found from exits 156 and 158. U.S. Route 231 also runs through the city, leading north 19 mi (31 km) to Ashville and southwest 21 mi (34 km) to Harpersville. U.S. Route 78 also runs through the city, paralleling I-20.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  316
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  289
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  274
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  261
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  233
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  214
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  214
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  203

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2021-12-22
  10 km E of Maplesville, Alabama
• M 2.8 — 2016-05-16
  8 km W of North Johns, Alabama
• M 3 — 2016-04-29
  7 km W of North Johns, Alabama
• M 3 — 2016-04-22
  8 km NW of Lake View, Alabama
• M 2.9 — 2014-09-27
  10 km W of North Johns, Alabama
• M 2.9 — 2013-04-10
  5 km S of Parrish, Alabama