Verbena, also known as Summerfield, is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in southeastern

Chilton County Chilton County is a County (United States), county located in the Central Alabama, central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 45,014. The county seat is Clanton, Alabama, C ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. Named for the indigenous flower, Verbena developed into a popular resort location for the more affluent citizenry of Montgomery, the state's capital, during the yellow fever outbreaks of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many stately homes, some of which have undergone recent renovation and restoration, line the streets of the town as a reminder of this historic past. The town was built beside the railroad currently owned by

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...

. In its heyday, Verbena had two hotels, a bank, a post office, and a general store. Many of those buildings are gone or boarded up today, but the Verbena United Methodist Church still stands on County Road 59 near the town's center. According to the U.S. Census in 1890, Verbena showed a population of 756, making it the largest community in Chilton County at that time.

Modern era

Today, Verbena is a quiet community on the outskirts of Clanton. The town is located on

U.S. Route 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. I ...

four miles south of

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway System, interstate highway in the central United States. As with most primary interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between th ...

exit 205. It has a USPS Post Office (ZIP Code 36091), several small specialty stores, and numerous churches. The local school is Verbena High School (K5-12), home of the Red Devils. The community is served by the Chilton County Sheriff's Department and Verbena Volunteer Fire and Rescue. Other communities in the area that are typically considered to be a part of Verbena are Cooper (pronounced "Coopers" by many locals), Enterprise (not to be confused with the city of

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

in South Alabama), and Midway. The town is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Gallery

File:Verbena United Methodist Church July 2011.jpg, Verbena United Methodist Church. File:Wingate-Weir House Verbena July 2011.jpg, Wingate-Weir House. File:Verbena High School July 2011.jpg, Verbena High School. File:Dennis-Howard House Verbena July 2011.jpg, Dennis-Howard House. File:Peach Blossom Verbena July 2011.jpg, Peach Blossom.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Verbena has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Climate Summary for Verbena, Alabama
/ref>

References

*McKinney, S. B. (1981)

erbena, Ala. Verbena Historical Society. OCLC# 21390772

External links

Verbena Historical SocietyVerbena United Methodist Church
{{authority control Historic districts in Chilton County, Alabama Populated places established in 1873 National Register of Historic Places in Chilton County, Alabama Unincorporated communities in Alabama Unincorporated communities in Chilton County, Alabama Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama

Modern era

Gallery

Climate

References

Further reading

External links