Flomaton, AL

Flomaton sits in Escambia County against the Alabama-Florida line, with Century, Florida, just south of the border. It began in 1869 at a junction of three railroad lines and was incorporated in 1908; the name combines Florida, Alabama, and “town.” Rail made Flomaton a regional junction, and the town’s working history still includes timber, sand, gravel, oil, and natural gas. U.S. 29 and U.S. 31 pass through the town, keeping the border crossing part of the everyday map.

ATTRDavidtork / CC BY-SA 4.0

That history has a few physical markers. The Flomaton Area Railroad Museum recalls the junction era and also serves as an Alabama welcome center, while the Hiram Renfroe log cabin preserves the town’s oldest structure and the Jackson Theatre dates to 1926. Escambia County schools operate the local elementary and high school grades. Town services include fire and rescue, police, a library, a senior center, utilities, and public works, with a walking trail around the pond at Dewey J. Bondurant Jr. Park. Flomaton is a small town with a border address and a railroad past that still shows up in its public buildings and routes.