Killen, AL

Killen grew around the Muscle Shoals Canal, the 14.5-mile waterway that opened in 1890 with nine locks to get around the shoals of the Tennessee River. Lock Six sat just south of town, and canal work brought employees, suppliers, and new houses into the area. The post office switched from Masonville to Killen in 1896, the town incorporated in 1957, and the old canal was eventually submerged after Wilson Dam was completed. Today Lock Six Day Use Area keeps that canal history visible, while Brooks Elementary, Brooks High, the library, and Killen Park give the town its everyday landmarks. Killen is a Lauderdale County town with a canal buried under the reservoir story.