Bluffton, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bluffton
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 Bluffton, Alabama
Location in Alabama
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Cherokee |
| Elevation | 850 ft (260 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area codes | 256 & 938 |
| GNIS feature ID | 156087 |
Bluffton is a small, unincorporated community in Cherokee County, Alabama, United States. An unincorporated community means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a town or city with its own local government.
Contents
The Story of Bluffton
Bluffton has an interesting past. It started as a busy mining town. Today, it is mostly known as a ghost town.
A Mining Boomtown
Bluffton was founded in 1888. It began as a place where people mined for iron. By 1890, about 8,000 people lived there. This was a very large number for the time.
The Bluffton Land, Ore and Furnace Company ran the iron mine. They also built a famous place called the Signal Hotel. This hotel was very special. It was the first building in all of Cherokee County to have electric lights! A famous writer, Rudyard Kipling, even stayed there once.
Life in Early Bluffton
Life in early Bluffton was quite active. The town had its own newspaper, called the Bluffton Mascot. There were also two churches: a Methodist Episcopal church and the Salem Baptist Church. The Salem Baptist Church is still used today.
Bluffton was also supposed to be the home of a new college. It was going to be called The University of the Southland. A special ceremony happened in 1889 to start building it. But the college was never actually built.
Besides the mines, Bluffton had other important things. It had a system to provide water to homes. There was also a school and a post office. The town even had Cherokee County's very first power plant. This plant made electricity for the area.
Why Bluffton Became a Ghost Town
Even with all these things, Bluffton's boom didn't last. The iron ore found there wasn't as good as expected. Also, better quality iron was found closer to Birmingham. This made it harder for Bluffton's businesses to succeed.
Soon, many businesses started to fail. People began to leave the town. Bluffton quickly became known as a ghost town. The post office in Bluffton closed in 1934. This was a sign that the town was no longer a busy place.
