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Fort Davis, Alabama
The Fort Davis Railroad Depot in 2011.
The Fort Davis Railroad Depot in 2011.
Fort Davis, Alabama is located in Alabama
Fort Davis, Alabama
Fort Davis, Alabama
Location in Alabama
Fort Davis, Alabama is located in the United States
Fort Davis, Alabama
Fort Davis, Alabama
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Alabama
County Macon
Elevation
312 ft (95 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
36031
Area code(s) 334
GNIS feature ID 118517

Fort Davis is a small, unincorporated community in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It's located along U.S. Route 29, about 12.9 miles (20.8 km) south of Tuskegee. Fort Davis has its own post office with the ZIP code 36031, which first opened on June 4, 1891.

History of Fort Davis

How Fort Davis Got Its Name

The community of Fort Davis is not named after a military base, as you might think. Instead, it's named after one of its founders, Fort Madison Davis. His mother's family name was Fort. Fort Madison Davis was a farmer and owned a store. He also became the community's very first postmaster!

When the Savannah-Americus-Montgomery Railroad was built through the area in the late 1800s, Fort Davis and his brother, Hubert T. Davis, planned out the town. They first called it "Hamilton." But later, they changed the name to "Fort Davis" to honor Fort Madison Davis. Once the railroad was finished, many people from a nearby community called Cotton Valley moved closer to the new railroad. The railroad served Fort Davis from 1892 until 1985. The tracks were removed starting in 1987.

The Fort Davis Railroad Depot

The first Fort Davis Railroad Depot was built in 1892. This was around the time the SA&M Railroad came through the community. The building you see today was constructed in 1904. This happened after the first depot was damaged by a fire.

The depot was used from 1892 until 1975. After that, the railroad company gave the depot to the Fort Davis Historical Group. For over a hundred years, the depot was a very important part of the community. It is still a well-known landmark for people in southern Macon and northern Bullock Counties. The depot is also one of the last remaining buildings from the old SA&M Railroad.

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