Lineville, AL

Lineville is a city in Clay County that began as Lundie's Cross Roads and later became County Line. The name changed to Lineville in 1870, after Clay County was formed from parts of Talladega and Randolph counties. The town grew around roads, schools, graphite mining, and the railroad: Lineville College opened in 1890 and operated until 1911, while the Atlanta, Birmingham, and Atlantic Railroad reached town in 1907. Alabama Routes 9, 48, and 49/77 still give Lineville its crossroads shape.

ATTRRivers Langley / CC BY-SA 4.0

Around town, history turns up in the Lineville Museum, the old water tower, and the city library's local collections. Clay County Veterans Memorial Park adds picnic areas, a pond, a playground, and preserved military vehicles. The city sits about ten miles from Cheaha State Park and close to Talladega National Forest, so the surrounding map runs from downtown streets into ridge-and-forest country. Lineville's present-day map is that of a small regional center shaped by schools, highways, railroad history, and the nearby mountain landscape.