Daviston, Alabama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daviston, Alabama
Town
Location of Daviston in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Tallapoosa
Area
• Total	9.16 sq mi (23.74 km2)
• Land	9.13 sq mi (23.66 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation	761 ft (232 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	174
• Density	19.05/sq mi (7.35/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	36256
Area code(s)	256
FIPS code	01-19816
GNIS feature ID	0117144

Daviston is a small town located in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. It is a quiet community with a long history. In 2020, about 174 people lived in Daviston. The town's population was 214 in 2010.

History of Daviston

Daviston became an official town on February 16, 1887. It is thought to be the very first rural town in Tallapoosa County to be officially formed. The first mayor of Daviston was J.D. Dunn.

The town grew after new lands became available in 1832. These lands were once part of Creek Indian territory. As new roads were built, like Chapman Road, more people moved into the area.

How Daviston Grew

Daviston quickly became a busy place. It had many important businesses for its time. These included mills for grinding grain and cutting wood. There was also a blacksmith shop and a shop that made buggies. People could find a general store, a public well for water, and even a pharmacy. Doctors also practiced in the town.

The first record of land ownership in Daviston dates back to 1836. The town's post office opened in 1853. John Davis was the first postmaster. It is believed that the town was named after him. The story goes that his handwriting might have made "Davis Town" look like "Daviston" when the name was sent to the government. The name has stayed Daviston ever since.

Daviston School's Story

In 1883, twin brothers Walker and Walter Allen moved to Daviston. Walker Allen became the principal of Daviston School. A two-story wooden school building was started in 1884. It was built on land given by J.T. Moncus and was called Daviston College.

Around 1912, the school became a high school. Sadly, the building burned down in 1923. Another building was started but also burned before it could be used. A third school building was built in 1923. This building was officially recognized as a good school that same year. Lillie Thompson, who finished school in 1916, was the first person to graduate from Daviston High School.

The Daviston School closed its doors in 1988. At that time, it was the smallest school in Alabama. It had 120 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Over 105 years, 38 different principals led the school. Daviston School was a very important part of the community. In 1998, a group started an annual Daviston School Reunion. It is held every year in November.

Geography of Daviston

Daviston is located in Alabama. The town covers a total area of about 9.2 square miles (23.7 square kilometers). Most of this area is land. Only a very small part, about 0.11%, is water.

Population Information

In 2000, there were 267 people living in Daviston. These people lived in 109 households. About 74 of these households were families. The population density was about 29 people per square mile.

Most of the people in Daviston were White (82.02%). About 17.98% were Black or African American. A small number, 1.50%, were Hispanic or Latino.

About 34.9% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many households (52.3%) were married couples. Some households (14.7%) had a female head with no husband. The average household had 2.45 people.

Famous Person from Daviston

• Floyd Mann, who was the director of Alabama Public Safety from 1959 to 1963, was from Daviston.

See also

In Spanish: Daviston para niños