Acton, Alabama

Acton, Alabama
Unincorporated community
Acton, Alabama
Acton, Alabama
Coordinates: 33°21′22″N 86°48′25″W / 33.35611°N 86.80694°W / 33.35611; -86.80694Coordinates: 33°21′22″N 86°48′25″W / 33.35611°N 86.80694°W / 33.35611; -86.80694
Country United States
State Alabama
County Shelby
Elevation 505 ft (154 m)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
  Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 205
GNIS feature ID 112906[1]

Acton is an unincorporated community in Shelby County, in the U.S. state of Alabama.

History

Alabama Fuel & Iron Company established coal mines at Acton and the company town of Acton grew up around them. The mines were served by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. On November 18, 1913, 21 miners were killed by an explosion in Mine Number 2.[2] After the mines closed, the area was converted into the Riverchase real estate development.[3]

A post office was established at Acton in 1908, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1926.[4] The community was likely named for William Acton, a local businessperson in the mining industry.[5]

In the 1970s, the land was developed into the Riverchase residential planned community, which was annexed into Hoover, Alabama in 1980.

References

  1. "Acton". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Explosion Kills Miners", New York Times, November 19, 1913
  3. James Sanders Day (24 June 2013). Diamonds in the Rough: A History of Alabama's Cahaba Coal Field. University of Alabama Press. pp. 83–206. ISBN 978-0-8173-1794-2.
  4. "Shelby County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  5. Foscue, Virginia O. (1989). Place Names in Alabama. University of Alabama Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8173-0410-2.

External links


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