Marvel, Alabama

Unincorporated community in Alabama, United States

Unincorporated community in Alabama, United States

Marvel, Alabama

Unincorporated community

The old Marvel Water Tower, photographed in 1993

Marvel, Alabama

Location within the state of Alabama

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Marvel, Alabama

Marvel, Alabama (the United States)

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Coordinates: 33°08′48″N 87°00′11″W﻿ / ﻿33.14667°N 87.00306°W﻿ / 33.14667; -87.00306
Country| United States
State| Alabama
County| Bibb
Elevation

| 522 ft (159 m)
Time zone| UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)| UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)| 205, 659
GNIS feature ID| 122348[1]

Marvel is an unincorporated community in Bibb County, Alabama, United States.

## History

[edit]

The community was named for the poet Andrew Marvell by Elizabeth Roden, wife of the operator of the mines at Marvel.[2] Marvel was founded by Benjamin F. Roden, who was the founder of the Roden Coal Company. Roden was an early business owner who was instrumental in the rapid growth of Birmingham. He operated a grocery company in Birmingham, established the first street car system in Birmingham, and founded the city of Avondale.[3] The Roden Coal Company operated two mines in Marvel.[4] The coal company also operated a company store in the community, which included a candy, drug, and tobacco department.[5] An explosion at the mines in October 1916 killed 19 miners.[6]

A post office operated under the name Marvel from 1907 to 1973.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Marvel". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. ^ Foscue, Virginia (1989). Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press. p. 92\. ISBN 0-8173-0410-X.
3. ^ Armes, Ethel (1972). The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama. Birmingham: The Book-Keepers Press. pp. 235–6.
4. ^ Statistics of the Mineral Production of Alabama for 1915. Geological Survey of Alabama. 1917. p. 4.
5. ^ J. D. Weeks (1999). Birmingham: In Vintage Postcards. Arcadia Publishing. p. 62\. ISBN 978-0-7385-0333-2.
6. ^ Causey, Donna. "On this date in 1916, a tragedy took place in Bibb County, Alabama". Alabama Pioneers. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
7. ^ "Bibb County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved December 10, 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. AL-120, "Marvel Water Tower, Bibb County Road 10, Marvel, Bibb County, AL", 2 photos, 1 photo caption page

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Bibb County, Alabama, United States

County seat: Centreville

Cities|

* Brent
* Centreville

Map of Alabama highlighting Bibb County

Towns|

* Vance‡
* West Blocton
* Woodstock‡

Unincorporated
communities|

* Abercrombie
* Active
* Antioch
* Brierfield
* Coleanor
* Eoline
* Gary Springs
* Green Pond
* Lawley
* Little Hope
* Lucille
* Marvel
* Maud
* Piper
* Randolph
* Sand Mountain
* Sixmile

Ghost town|

* Cadle

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Alabama portal
* United States portal

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