Aldrich is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Shelby County,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, United States, that is now part of

Montevallo Montevallo is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. A college town, it is the home of the University of Montevallo, a public liberal arts university with approximately 3,000 students. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city o ...

History

Coal was mined in the area around Aldrich beginning in 1839. In 1875,

Truman H. Aldrich Truman Heminway Aldrich (October 17, 1848 – April 28, 1932) was a civil engineer, a mining company executive, and a paleontologist, and briefly served in the United States House of Representatives and as Postmaster of Birmingham. He is the so ...

purchased the town surrounding the mines and named it Aldrich. He leased the mining operations to his younger brother,

William F. Aldrich William Farrington Aldrich (March 11, 1853 – October 30, 1925) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from Alabama. He was brother of Truman Heminway Aldrich and great-great-grandfather of William J. Edwards. Biography Aldr ...

, who was married to

Josephine Cables Aldrich Josephine Cables Aldrich (June 12, 1843 – August 12, 1917) was an American spiritualist, Theosophist, editor, and publisher from the U.S. state of Connecticut. Married to the politician, William F. Aldrich, she was the editor of ''The Occult ...

, spiritualist, Theosophist, editor, and publisher. Convict labor was employed at some time during the operation of Aldrich's coal mines, and is mentioned in

Douglas Blackmon Douglas A. Blackmon (born 1964) is an American writer and journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for his book, '' Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II.'' Early life and education ...

's ''

Slavery By Another Name ''Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II'' is a book by American writer Douglas A. Blackmon, published by Anchor Books in 2008. It explores the forced labor of prisoners, overwhelmingl ...

''. A prison was built to house the convicts, and the convict cemetery is located near where the prison once stood. The community was once home to churches, a school, and houses that were all built by the operators of the mines. A post office was established in 1883, with William Aldrich as the first postmaster, and was in use until it was closed in 1965. From 1895 to 1902, Aldrich had a locally published newspaper, ''The Alabama time-piece''. The mines were closed on July 5, 1942. Today, Aldrich is home to the

Aldrich Coal Mine Museum The Aldrich Coal Mine Museum is a historical museum located in the former company store of Montevallo, Alabama. Aldrich was once a coal mining town, but is now a part of Montevallo. The museum contains historical photographs, artifacts, and displ ...

Demographics

Aldrich never reported a population figure separately on the U.S. Census as an unincorporated community on the U.S. Census according to the census returns from 1850-2010.http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-1-2.pdf, 2010 AL Census It has since been annexed into Montevallo.

Gallery

File:PERSPECTIVE EXTERIOR VIEW OF RIGHT END AND FRONT. - Farrington Hall, Shelby County Road 203, Aldrich, Shelby County, AL HAER ALA,59-ALDR,2-1.tif, Farrington Hall File:EXTERIOR VIEW, FRONT (WEST) FACADE. - Aldrich Commissary, 137 Shelby County Road 203, Aldrich, Shelby County, AL HAER ALA,59-ALDR,1-1.tif, Aldrich Commissary File:INTERIOR VIEW SHOWING HENRY EMFINGER'S MINING ARTIFACT COLLECTIONS. - Aldrich Commissary, 137 Shelby County Road 203, Aldrich, Shelby County, AL HAER ALA,59-ALDR,1-2.tif, Artifact collection located in commissary File:FRONT FACADE AND SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE. - Superintendent's House, County Road 203, Aldrich, Shelby County, AL HAER ALA,59-ALDR,3-2 (CT).tif, Superintendent's House (colorized from original photograph)

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Shelby County, Alabama Unincorporated communities in Alabama Neighborhoods in Alabama Coal towns in Alabama Company towns in Alabama