Fort Davis, Alabama, is named after Fort Madison Davis, the town’s first postmaster and one of the town’s founders, and not a military base. As of 2020, the town had a population of 156.
One of the town’s landmarks is the Fort Davis Railroad Depot. Built in 1904, it was a part of the Savannah-Americus-Montgomery Railway line. This is the second depot for the town of Fort Davis after the first one burned.
Heading south out of Prattville, Alabama, towards Montgomery is a dome-shaped building in the center of a parking lot. It’s the final vestige of Stuart’s Red Devil Lake, a recreation area built in the 1930s. It was billed as “Montgomery’s Finest and Most Unusual Recreation Center.” One unusual feature is the dome, which served as a fountain in the lake. Patrons could get free admission if they purchased Red Devil Gas, a series of gas stations owned by the lake owner. Unfortunately, a dam broke at Red Devil Lake in 1939, permanently closing the recreation area.
Elmore County Training School opened in Wetumpka, Alabama, on September 20, 1926. The first principal was A. R. Mosely. It was the county’s first high school for Black students and the largest Rosenwald built in th county. The school closed in 1963.
After the school closed, the city built a park around the school for the Black citizens of Wetumpka. The school served as a community center and eventually became the Elmore County Black History Museum
Union Springs is the county seat of Bullock County, Alabama. Like many towns, it experienced significant growth because of rail lines that ran through the time. With a population of just over 3,400, the town is filled with palatial homes that show how the town thrived.
The Rainer-Lewis is one of those homes. The Neo-Classical Revival home was completed in 1904 for William Walton (W. W.) and Celia Rainer. W. W. served as the Merchant and Farmers Bank president and was also involved in state politics. William passed away in 1929, and census records indicate that Celia lived in the home until she died in 1931.
I cannot determine who the homeowners were from 1931 to 1971. I know that the Rainer children were not living in the home in the 1940s. Confirmed homeowners after that were J. W. Springers in 1971 and D. F. Masters in 1980. John Mertz sold the home to Helen and Frances Masters in 1993.
Albert and Joice Lewis owned the home for the longest time outside of the Rainer family. They owned the home from 1994 to 2009 until they relocated to California. Dr. Joice Bailey Lewis served as superintendent of Bullock County schools. She was the first female superintendent for Bullock County.
The home was last occupied in 2015. Since then it has slowly fallen into disrepair.
The State Theatre opened in 1940 on Highland Avenue in the historic neighborhood of Centennial Hill. It operated as a movie theater for the Black community until at least 1955. Over the years, it underwent several name changes, including the Nu Art Theatre, the Ritz Theatre, and the Art Theatre. By 1995, the building had been repurposed as a nightclub called Top Flight Disco. In 2008, it reopened as the Rose Supper Club Inc., which operated until its closure in 2013. It is now vacant.
Wayman Chapel AME Church was founded in May 1867 and built in 1882. It is named after Bishop Alexander Wayman, the seventh bishop of the AME Church.
The church’s striking architecture, featuring classic Gothic Revival elements, honors “Mother Bethel,” the founding AME church in Philadelphia. The church is still active today.
