Round Mountain, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Round Mountain
|
|
|---|---|
 Round Mountain, Alabama
Location in Alabama
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Cherokee |
| Elevation | 577 ft (176 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 256 & 938 |
| GNIS feature ID | 125974 |
Round Mountain is a small, unincorporated community located in Cherokee County, Alabama, United States. An unincorporated community means it's a place with a shared identity but without its own local government.
For a short time, Round Mountain was officially a town. This happened in 1908. In the 1910 U.S. Census, it had 210 people living there. This made it the largest place in Cherokee County at that moment. This was because other bigger towns like Centre and Cedar Bluff did not have their population counted in that specific census.
History of Round Mountain
Early Days and the Iron Furnace
A post office was opened in Round Mountain in 1873. It helped people send and receive mail until it closed in 1960. The community grew around a very important place: the Round Mountain blast furnace.
A blast furnace is a special type of oven used to make iron from iron ore. The furnace in Round Mountain first started working in 1852. It was quite busy, making about 11 tons of iron every week. This furnace was also very important because it was the first one in Alabama to use a type of rock called red iron ore to produce iron.
During the American Civil War, in 1864, parts of the furnace were damaged by Major General Francis Blair. However, it continued to operate for many years after that. The Round Mountain blast furnace finally stopped making iron in 1906.
Notable People from Round Mountain
- Robert Sibley (1881-1958) was born near Round Mountain. He became a successful mechanical engineer. He was also a leader for university alumni groups and helped create a park system in California.
