Chambers County AlArchives History .....McGinty, Alabama History August 26, 2005
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Gerald K. McGinty http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00021.html#0005198 August 26, 2005, 5:57 pm

Book Title: Our McGinty Family In America


McGinty, Alabama - History

McGinty, AL, also referred to as McGinty Crossroads, McGinty Crossing and 
McGinty Station, appears today on the official AL roadmap. It is located near 
the intersection of River Road and Columbus Road in what is now Valley, AL. 
This crossing is located very close to RiverView (originally spelled this way). 
Today, there is a paved bicycle path that crosses the intersection.  This path 
was once a spur of the Chattahoochee Valley railroad track that was built in 
1897. It ran behind Wiley McGinty’s property and on to the cotton mill in 
RiverView.  The CV railroad route map, as early as 1916, shows McGinty as one 
of the regular stops on the railroad line. This confirms that this area was 
already named McGinty at that time. The 1926 railroad schedule shows that on 
the weekends, you could board the train at McGinty in the morning, and be in 
West Point in thirty minutes or so.  An afternoon train would take you back to 
McGinty. 

Wiley McGinty’s grandfather, Levin Moore, originally owned 320 acres of land 
including the crossroads and what is now called McGinty, AL. When he passed 
away in 1855, the land passed to his wife, Penelope, and at her death, to her 
daughters, Ann and Malinda. Ann Moore was Wiley’s mother.  It is not yet known 
exactly how and when Wiley got the land for his home, but it was part of the 
family estate. The first house that Wiley built was in 1891.  It is still 
located at one of the corners at the crossroads. Wiley also operated a general 
store on one of the other corners of this intersection.  Later in life, he 
moved a few blocks down from the crossroads to 1025 River Road. The writer 
visited the River Road house many times as a young boy and it was still 
occupied in 2003. The first school constructed from sawed lumber was also built 
on the northwest corner of the "crossroads“. 

Wiley was the only McGinty to actually live at the crossroads. He was a 
prominent citizen, having been justice-of-the-peace for forty-eight years. He 
also was a builder, and, among others, constructed several small houses near 
the CV railroad track just south of the crossroads. It is thought that McGinty, 
AL was named partly for his presence at the crossing, and also for all the 
earlier McGintys that had lived in the immediate area.

Submitted by Gerald K. McGinty, from his book, "Our McGinty Family in America," 
August 2005




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