08/07/2026
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🎉 Fun Fact Friday 🎉
Have you ever wondered how communities throughout Tuscaloosa County got their names?
Last week, we explored the stories behind Tuscaloosa's roads. This week, we're taking a journey across the county to discover the origins of many of our communities. Some were named for early settlers and influential families, while others trace their roots to railroads, coal mines, ferries, churches, mills, or even communities with entirely different names before becoming what we know today.
📍 This is Part 1 of our journey through Tuscaloosa County! There are so many fascinating community names and stories to share that we're splitting this week's Fun Fact Friday into two parts. Today we're exploring communities across the western half of the county. Be sure to check back next Friday when we'll uncover the stories behind communities in the southern and eastern portions of Tuscaloosa County.
📍 Communities Around Tuscaloosa County
🌄 Southwest Tuscaloosa County
⚖️ Elrod – Known in 1830 as Mitchell for a local family, then in the 1850s as Sipsey Turnpike for the road named for the river. In 1898, after the Mobile and Ohio Railroad reached the area, the community was renamed Elrod in honor of local physician William W. Elrod.
🚂 Buhl – Named for a Mobile & Ohio Railroad employee, Mr. Buhl, after the railroad expanded into western Tuscaloosa County in late 1898.
🌊 Coker – Formerly known as Big Creek, for a nearby stream; then Koster for a local German family. When PO was established in 1888, to avoid confusion with another Alabama community, it and the town were named Coker for a family who settled in the area in the 1840s.
🐺 Romulus – Believed to have been named after Romulus and Remus, the legendary twin brothers from Roman mythology.
🏚️ Jena – Located just across the county line in Greene County, Jena was named by the local Huffman family in honor of their hometown, who had immigrated from Jena, Germany.
👨👩👧 Fosters – Named for the Foster family, who settled in the area in 1818. James Foster was among the earliest settlers, and members of the family, including R.S. Foster and John L.S. Foster, served as postmasters when the Fosters Post Office was established in 1839.
👩 Ralph – Originally called Hickman for William P. Hickman, the first postmaster, appointed in 1867. Renamed in honor of Kathleen Ralf Stewart, the wife of postmaster William L. Stewart, or possibly their son, Ralph Stewart.
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🧭 Northwest Tuscaloosa County
🌉 Moore's Bridge – Named for Duncan Taney Moore, who operated an early ferry crossing before constructing a bridge over the river. The community served as an important trading point, and its post office operated from 1853 to 1966.
⛪ Mayfield – Grew around the historic Mayfield Church and was likely named for the Mayfield family, whose name has deep roots in Tuscaloosa County's early history.
🌿 Brownville – This community has had several names through the years. Around 1900 it was known as Sulphur Springs because of nearby mineral springs, later became Hog Eye, referring to its small size, and in the 1920s, the area was known as Red Valley because of its location and because its houses were painted red. Name changed to Brownville for W. P. Brown after he founded a lumberyard here in 1925.
📬 Echola – Settled in the 1850s and named Fox for a prominent local family. In 1899 the designation was changed to Elbert, probably also for a local family. Because of possible confusion with Elberta, AL, Golden Mayfield, the postmaster, created a new name in 1912, a combination of Echo and Alabama.
🌼 Samantha – Originally known as Cowden, named for merchant, landowner, and first postmaster Sylvester Monroe Cowden. It was later renamed Samantha in honor of his wife, Elizabeth Samantha Dodson Cowden.
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🌲 North Tuscaloosa County
🏡 New Lexington – A prosperous agricultural settlement dating to 1819, New Lexington had one of the county's earliest post offices. Originally called Halberts after early settler and first postmaster Joshua Halbert, it was renamed in 1836, likely in honor of Lexington, South Carolina, the former home of prominent settler Isaac Cannon.
💧 Windham Springs – Named for Levi Windham and the natural sulfur springs he developed around 1850. The resort closed after a storm destroyed the hotel in 1917.
👨🌾 Wiley – Named for the Wiley Alexander Hagler family.
⛏️ Whitson – A former coal mining community named for the Whitson family, who settled there in 1818.
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💬 Which of these communities do you call home? Did you learn something new about its name or history? Let us know in the comments!
👀 Don't miss Part 2 next Friday, when we'll explore even more Tuscaloosa County communities—including Cottondale, Coaling, Duncanville, Kellerman, Holt, and many others—and discover the stories behind their names.
