Bexar, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bexar, Alabama
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Bexar Apothecary, taken as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey
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 Bexar, Alabama
Location in Alabama
Bexar, Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Marion |
| Elevation | 518 ft (158 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area codes | 205, 659 |
| GNIS feature ID | 114199 |
Bexar is a small, quiet community in western Marion County, Alabama. It's mostly a farming area, located very close to the border with Mississippi.
Contents
Discovering Bexar's Early Days
The community of Bexar was started around 1830. It was named after San Antonio de Béxar, a mission famous for the Battle of the Alamo. This battle was one of the toughest fights in North American history.
Bexar first appeared on the Alabama state map in 1853. A big road, U.S. Route 78, used to go through Bexar. This road connected important cities like Birmingham and Memphis, Tennessee.
In the 1960s, the road was made better and moved about a mile north of Bexar. Today, Bexar mostly has homes and a few churches. You can also see empty buildings where the post office and general store used to be.
Bexar's Population Story
Bexar was counted in the U.S. Census only once, in 1880. At that time, 37 people lived there.
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 37 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Connecting Through Mail: Bexar's Post Office
The post office in Bexar opened on August 12, 1843. This makes it the oldest post office in all of Marion County.
One postmaster, Richmon Pearce Goggans, worked there for a very long time. He served from 1905 until 1953.
The post office closed on February 15, 1974. Mrs. Willie Lou Lochridge was the last Postmaster, serving from May 1971 until it closed. The people in the community tried hard to keep it open, but they were not successful.
The post office building was quite modern for its time, built in 1962. Former postmaster Pearce Goggans was a special guest at its opening. U.S. Rep. Carl Elliott also gave a speech.
The Bexar post office delivered mail to a large area. This included parts of western Alabama and eastern Mississippi. Now, other post offices serve this area. These include Detroit, Vina, and Hamilton in Alabama. Mail also comes from Tremont, Mississippi. The ZIP code for Bexar's post office was 35547.
Learning in Bexar: A Look at Its Schools
Bexar was home to two important schools over the years.
Gravel Springs Junior High School
Gravel Springs Junior High School, known as the Golden Tigers, opened in 1907. It taught children from the surrounding countryside until 1985. This was the last "country school" in Marion County.
Until the 1950s, students from Gravel Springs would go on to Hamilton High School after finishing sophomore year. When it closed, the school only taught up to 8th grade.
There have been three buildings for Gravel Springs Junior High. The last one was built in 1947 and is still standing today. A local family owns the school grounds. They use it as a place to gather each Christmas and on Decoration Day.
After the school closed, some parts of the building were used to make horse trailers. Even so, the building still looks much like it did when it closed in 1985.
Ada Hannar High School
Another school that served Bexar was Ada Hannar High School. It started in 1921 as the Marion County Training School. It was also known as the Rosenwald School.
Professor G.H. Hannar and his wife, Ada, were the first teachers. That's how the school got its name. The Marion County Board of Education allowed a new school to be built. This new building replaced the older Rosenwald School. Ada Hannar High School was dedicated on September 19, 1965.
However, in 1967, due to desegregation, the school began to close grades. Students were moved to Hamilton. The school completely shut down at the end of the 1969 school year.
For a few years, the school gym was used by local children to play basketball. Later, the building became a manufacturing plant. Sadly, a fire badly damaged most of the school building. The remains of the school are still there, but they are very overgrown with plants and trees.
