Falco, Alabama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Falco, Alabama
Unincorporated community
Falco post office in 1942
Falco, Alabama Location in Alabama Show map of Alabama Falco, Alabama Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Covington
Elevation	243 ft (74 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	334
GNIS feature ID	118171

Falco, sometimes spelled Falko, is a small, quiet community in Covington County, Alabama, United States. It is an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Instead, it's part of the larger county. Falco is special because it is located entirely within the beautiful Conecuh National Forest.

History of Falco

How Falco Got Its Name

The community's name, Falco, is actually an acronym. This means it's formed from the first letters of other words. In this case, "Falco" comes from the "Florida-Alabama Land Company." This company was very active in the area, mainly cutting down trees for wood, which is called harvesting timber.

Early Days and Growth

Falco was started in 1903 by the Florida-Alabama Land Company. It quickly became a busy place. The community was home to a large sawmill, which is a factory where logs are cut into lumber. There was also the Falco Bank, the Falcola Bottling Company, and a big hotel with 40 rooms. People could also visit a grist mill, which grinds grain, and several general stores where they could buy almost anything.

A two-story railroad depot, like a train station, was also built. This depot was close to the logging railroads. These smaller train lines connected Falco to bigger railway systems, like the Central of Georgia and L&N lines. This made it easy to transport goods and people.

Decline and Legacy

The town began to change after a big fire in 1925. This fire destroyed the main sawmill. After the fire, the mill was moved to a different location in Willow, Florida. This was a big loss for Falco, and the town started to become smaller. A post office served the community under the name Falco from 1903 until 1955.

Falco's history was also captured by a famous photographer named John Collier Jr.. He took pictures of the community while working for the Farm Security Administration. This government agency helped people during tough economic times.

Population Changes

Falco was officially counted as an incorporated community in the U.S. Census from 1920 to 1940. This means that for a time, it was recognized as a town with its own government for census purposes.

Notable Person

• Emory Williams – He was a well-known businessman and entrepreneur who came from Falco.