Bemiston 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 ...

and former

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

Talladega County, Alabama Talladega County (pronounced Talla-dig-a) is a County (United States), county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama."ACES Winston County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpa ...

, United States. Bemiston now lies within the city limits of Talladega.

History

Bemiston was founded in 1927, as a

mill town A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe Italy * ''Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World Her ...

built around the Bemis Brothers Bag Company cotton mill. The mill was built between

Alabama State Route 21 State Route 21 (SR 21) is a State highway (US), state highway that extends from the Florida state line, near Atmore, Alabama, Atmore in Escambia County, Alabama, Escambia County to Piedmont, Alabama, Piedmont in Calhoun County, Alabama ...

and the

Eastern Alabama Railway Eastern Alabama Railway, LLC is one of many short line railroad companies owned by Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. On November 26, 1990, the line was sold by CSX to the Eastern Alabama Railway, a subsidiary of Kyle Railways. Kyle Railways later sold ...

. The 700,000-square-foot mill produced handbags during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and

sandbags A sandbag or dirtbag is a bag or sack made of hessian (burlap), polypropylene or other sturdy materials that is filled with sand or soil and used for such purposes as flood control, military fortification in trenches and bunkers, shielding gl ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The community was home to a school, general store, automobile repair shop, nurses' office, and gymnasium. The company built a power plant and sewer and water treatment plant to serve the community. A recreational director was hired to develop a community baseball and basketball team. The workers' houses were made of

California Redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

, with two-car garages and running hot and cold water. A community dairy farm was started by the company with 68

Holstein cattle Holstein Friesians (often shortened to Holsteins in North America, while the term Friesians is often used in the UK and Ireland) are a breed of dairy cattle that originated in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Hols ...

to provide milk to the residents. Bemis closed the mill in 1979, but the factory was acquired by Master Brand Industries, a cabinet maker. The community has since been listed on the

Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage The Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, commonly referred to as the Alabama Register, is an official listing of buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts deemed worthy of preservation in the U.S. state of Alabama. These properties ...

Demographics

Bemiston appeared on the 1950 U.S. Census as an unincorporated community prior to its annexation into Talladega in 1955.

References

Unincorporated communities in Talladega County, Alabama Company towns in Alabama Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage Historic districts in Talladega County, Alabama Unincorporated communities in Alabama Bemis Company {{TalladegaCountyAL-geo-stub