Chambers County AlArchives History .....History Of McGinty, Alabama August 21, 2005
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Gerald K. McGinty, Sr. http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00021.html#0005198 August 21, 2005, 6:42 pm

Book Title: 


McGinty, Alabama

McGinty, AL, sometimes called 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.  As early as 1916, the CV railroad route map shows McGinty as one of 
the regular stops on the railroad line. This confirms that this area was 
already named McGinty by that time. The 1926 CV railroad time 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.



Additional Comments:
Debra,

Please replace my current essay on McGinty, AL with this, updated one. Thanks, 
JMcG

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