Montevallo, Alabama: Center of Alabama
Upright slab of Alabama white marble, with an engraved outline of the state and a big star in the middle. Erected in 1955, even though the Center had been officially moved south, two years earlier, by the Submerged Lands Act. Montevallo obviously refused to accept this meddling by the (Yankee) federal government, and erected this defiant monument.
- Address:
- Reynolds Cemetery Rd, Montevallo, AL
- Directions:
- From Montevallo drive east two miles on Hwy 25. Turn left (north) onto Reynolds Cemetery Rd, which quickly becomes a dirt road. Drive a quarter-mile. The monument will be on the right, at the cemetery entrance.
- Admission:
- Free
Results 1 to 5 of 6... Page of 2 [Next 1 items]
Visitor Tips and News About Center of Alabama
Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.
Easy to find off cemetery road, and not too far from the downtown area.
[Tigger Manning, 01/14/2023]
The monument was established in 1955 to mark the center of the state. I've been to the southernmost point in the U.S. and to the Continental Divide, so I can add this spot to my travels. It is located at a cemetery. If you're looking for places off the beaten path, this is one of them.
[Buffett2010, 01/30/2019]I recently found out that Montevallo lost the designation as the geographical center of Alabama in 1953, when Congress approved something called the Submerged Lands Act, extending into the Gulf of Mexico the boundary lines of all five states that border it. In Alabama's case, that extension was for three miles. The result was to shift the center of the state into Chilton County. There is currently nothing to mark the location there that I'm aware of, and it's on private property.
[Eric Koch, 08/17/2015]The center of Alabama is also located on the steps of Main Hall at the University of Montevallo. It's marked with a star.
[Jill, 02/12/2014]
Several oddities in this cemetery. The Center of Alabama marker is odd itself, but the mound of rocks is an elevated gravesite. There is grass on top with a tombstone. Also, another of the graves has a hole in the tomb and is creepy.
[Tansy Ridings, 07/15/2012]Page of 2 [Next 1 items]
Nearby Offbeat Places
Tinglewood Trail - Orr Park, Montevallo, AL - 2 mi.
Rock Igloo Prayer House, Calera, AL - 3 mi.
Crenelated Concrete Water Tower, Marvel, AL - 11 mi.Latest Tips Across Roadside America
Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.
Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!
Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.
Sounds like Chilton County has had plenty of time to erect its own monument, and hasn't. The center with the monument is the one we want to visit, so we'll stick with Montevallo.