Ardela, Alabama
Ardela Cadle, Cadle Station, Ardela Junction | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 33°06′13″N 87°03′20″W / 33.10361°N 87.05556°WCoordinates: 33°06′13″N 87°03′20″W / 33.10361°N 87.05556°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Bibb County |
| Established | 1880s |
Ardela (formerly Cadle or Cadle Station) is a ghost town and former railroad junction in Bibb County, Alabama, United States. The site lies near West Blocton in the Cahaba coal field. Established in the 1880s, it served the operations of the Cahaba Coal Mining Company, whose mines at nearby Blocton began shipping coal in 1884. The settlement was named for Cornelius Cadle, a colonel in the Union Army and co-founder of the mining company.
The name "Cadle" appears on Alabama maps from 1890 to 1894. By 1902, the location was recorded as "Ardela," a name it retained on state maps until 1971.
History
Founding and the Cahaba Coal Mining Company
In 1883, Truman H. Aldrich and Cornelius Cadle organized the Cahaba Coal Mining Company and built a rail line from Woodstock, connecting with the Alabama Great Southern Railroad, to the company's mines at Blocton in northern Bibb County.[1] The first seam was opened and coal shipped in the spring of 1884.[1]
Cornelius Cadle, a former Union Army colonel, served as vice president, general manager, and first postmaster of the company town.[1][2][3]
Name transition to Ardela
The settlement appeared under the name "Cadle" on Alabama maps from 1890 to 1894. By 1902, maps recorded the location as "Ardela" or "Ardela Junction," a name that persisted until 1971.[4] The Alabama Maps database records the transition but does not note a reason for the change.
A 1903 Geological Survey of Alabama bulletin on water power resources noted a prospective water-power site "between River Bend and Cadle, in Bibb County," on the Cahaba River.[5]
Decline
The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company later acquired the Cahaba Coal Mining Company's operations.[1] The name "Ardela" last appeared on Alabama state maps in 1971.[4]
Geography
The site is located in northeastern Bibb County at approximately 33°06′13″N 87°03′20″W / 33.10361°N 87.05556°W
, near the Cahaba River and the community of West Blocton. The GNIS classifies it as a historical populated place (Feature ID 138361).[6] A 1910 United States Geological Survey report on the southern Cahaba coal field recorded Ardela station and Ardela Junction in section 28 (T. 22 S., R. 5 W.) of northeastern Bibb County.[7] By 1910 the Louisville and Nashville Railroad ran past Ardela station.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Armes, Ethel (1910). The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama. Birmingham, Alabama: Chamber of Commerce. pp. 295–297. Search this book on
- ↑ Proceedings of the Alabama Industrial and Scientific Society. I. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The Society. 1891. p. 4. Search this book on
- ↑ "Congressional Record, Senate, December 11, 1890" (PDF). United States Government Publishing Office. p. 316. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Bibb County: Current or Historic Place Locale Remarks" (PDF). Alabama Maps, University of Alabama. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 29, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ A Preliminary Report on a Part of the Water Powers of Alabama. Bulletin No. 7. Geological Survey of Alabama. 1903. Search this book on [page needed]
- ↑ "Cadle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Butts, Charles (1910). The Southern Part of the Cahaba Coal Field, Alabama (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 431-B. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 114. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 9, 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) Search this book on
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