Pinckard, AL

Pinckard is a Dale County town born from a railroad operating decision. In the 1880s, the Midland Railroad needed a division office between Troy and a proposed line to Thomasville, and local farmers donated land for the right of way. The line opened in 1889 with a dispatch office and turntable, drawing stores, a hotel, and residents. The town took the name Pinckard in 1892 for J. Oscar Pinckard, a local citizen and schoolteacher, and incorporated that year. State Highway 134 still runs through the center, while State Highway 231/53 marks the northern edge and a CSX line remains part of the map.

South Dale Middle School occupies a building constructed in 1961 as the Pinckard Colored School, later called the Mack M. Matthews School; it is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. The school is part of Dale County's system, tying present-day education to the town's Black school history. Pinckard's town calendar also brings people to the Highway 134 corridor for events such as the 2025 Christmas Festival and Purple Heart City flagpole dedication. The railroad's original division-office role has faded, yet transportation, school, and civic memory still meet on the same roads.