Lacon, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lacon, Alabama
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 Lacon, Alabama
Location in Alabama
Lacon, Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Morgan |
| Elevation | 597 ft (182 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 256 |
| GNIS feature ID | 151974 |
Lacon (pronounced 'lay-kon'), also known as Cedar Crossing, is a special kind of place in Morgan County, Alabama. It's called a ghost town because most people have moved away, and it's not a busy town anymore. Lacon got its name from a town in Illinois.
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The Story of Lacon
Lacon was built at the bottom of Burleson Mountain. It was right next to the railroad tracks. There was a good spring for water and plenty of clay in the ground. These things helped a large brick factory, called a brickyard, to be built there.
Lacon's Famous Bricks
The brickyard in Lacon made special bricks. You could tell where they came from because they had the word "LACON" pressed into their sides. These bricks were used to build many things.
Why Lacon Changed
After some time, the brickyard closed down. A new highway was built that went around the town instead of through it. Because of these changes, the village of Lacon almost disappeared. Services that people needed, like shops and a post office, moved to the nearby town of Falkville. A post office operated in Lacon from 1891 until 1955.
Lacon Trade Day
Even though the town became quiet, the area around Lacon came back to life in the 1970s. It became home to a big weekend flea market called Lacon Trade Day. This market is a popular place for people to buy and sell all sorts of items.
The "Lacon" exit from Interstate 65 (Exit 318) is less than a mile south of where the old town was and where the flea market is now. There's also a "lagoon" next to U.S. Highway 31 and Trade Day. People say this lagoon was formed from digging up clay for the old brick factory.
Trains and the Helper Engine
The CSX railroad still uses the area near Lacon. They keep a special "helper" engine on a side track just south of Lacon. This engine is used to help push heavy trains. It assists southbound trains as they go through Holmes Gap and climb over Sand Mountain, which is a big ridge made of sandstone.
