Bolling, Alabama

Bolling, Alabama
by Linda Bratcher McGuire

[ Webmaster's Note: These photos are extremely old and could not be retouched to remove scratches and faded areas. Please allow time for the photos to load properly. Thanks.]

Bolling Church

According to the stories, W. Hampton Flowers, of the Flowers Mill in Bolling, had the church built in 1888 so his daughter would have a church to be married in. There were no churches in Bolling prior to this. The Flowers family donated the church to the community, and it served the Bolling residents as a school, a community center, as well as a church. Though it was listed as a Methodist Episcopal Church, it was also used by the Baptists. Often the Methodists and the Baptists would hold joint services. The church still stands today and is maintained by the residents of the community.

In the original construction, it had an auditorium & sunday school rooms. The steeple and the bell were added by Mr. Stewart Washburn, Superintendent of the Gulf States Land Sales Co., in the early 1900's. It is said that the bell was so large that members of the church worried it would one day come crashing down on the congregation.

This 1971 photo of the Bolling Baptisit Church was taken at the conclusion of a wedding ceremony. The bride, unknown at this time can be seen in the lower left portion of the photo.

Downtown Bolling
ca. 1907

This photo was taken from an advertisement booklet which is believed to have been prepared by the Gulf States Land Co. in an effort to promote Bolling as a good place to live and a good place in which to open a business. It is believed the booklet was made between 1908-1910. The saw mill began operation in 1865. The Post Office was opened in 1873 with J. J. Flowers as postmaster. There was also a telegraph office in 1873. The general merchandise store was operated by Mr. Leckie. The first home in Bolling was built by Mr. B. C. Milner in 1865. Other early families who settled in Bolling were the Wrights, Plants, Wesleys, Boggans, Gaffords, Taylors, Parkmans, Mitchells, Hendersons, Byrds, Greens, Faircloths, Popes and Ashcrafts.

Bolling Hotel

This photo was also in the booklet promoting Bolling. It entitled "Company's Hotel at Bolling", & it was probably owned by the Gulf States Land Sales. Gulf States Land Sales bought all the Flowers land, including the saw mill. This hotel is no longer standing.

Bolling Depot

Though this building stood for many years, it was not the first Bolling Depot. Note the cow grazing at the back of the depot near the portico covering the freight wagon. When the L & N discontinued passenger service in 1938, the depot was closed & later torn down. Samuel J. Bratcher was the L & N Agent. He was moved as Agent to the Depot in Georgiana, AL where he remained until his retirement in 1947.

Bolling School

The school was built by the Gulf State Land Sales Co. for the community in 1914. It was touted as being "the most modern two-room school in the state". It was torn down quite a long time ago.

These photos were contributed by Harry Luckie of Prattville, AL. He states that both of these photos were taken about 1926.