Star of Elmore County - Eclectic, Alabama - Artistic Welcome Signs on Waymarking.com

Eclectic, Alabama, took its name, "the Star of Elmore County," from stories of a spectacular meteor shower in 1833. The following comes from the town web site, which has much more of the history: (visit link) The authors are Jimmy K. Lanier and Gary Wright.

"Eclectic, “the Star of Elmore County,” has a rich and wonderful history. This is where the charm of the old South and all of its wonderful traditions clash in a friendly manner with its passion for progress in creating a dynamic future for itself and its citizens. It is said that when the spectacular meteor shower of November 12, 1833 lit up the night sky in Alabama, the stars actually fell on Eclectic, Alabama. It has not been determined whether this Leonid meteor shower actually sent any debris anywhere near Eclectic, but the romantic in all of us would like to think so."

"In August 1907, a total of 51 eligible voters cast their ballots and the Town of Eclectic was incorporated. Its boundaries formed “a three-mile radius where the street from Eclectic High School intersects the Tallassee public road.” In September 1907 the first Mayor and town council were elected."

According to the information on one of the five welcome signs with the same design, they were built by W. J. (Bill) Teague in honor of his wife and community. They were dedicated on September 5, 1999. This welcome sign is located on Highway 170 and can be seen as one heads north toward the town.

From the Alabama Archives web page at (visit link)

"In 2002 the phrase "Stars Fell on Alabama" began to appear on license plates. It refers to the night of November 12, 1833, when a fantastic meteor shower seen across the Southeast caused this night to be known as “the night stars fell on Alabama.” The shower created such great excitement across the state that it became a part of Alabama folklore and for years was used to date events. A century later it inspired a song and book."

Information on the 1934 book "Stars Fell on Alabama" by Carl Lamson Carmer can be found at the Encyclopedia of Alabama at (visit link)

Relevant Website: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   12/25/2011 OHail visited it