Pike Road Alabama
is a town located in northeastern Montgomery County in the south-central part of the state. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town was 310. The 2010 census indicated a population of 5,406. It is part of the Montgomery metropolitan area.
Pike Road Alabama History
The Pike Road area has been settled since around 1815. Pike Road is so named because it was once a toll road, where one paid a fee or “pike” to travel on it. The community itself thus came to be referred to as Pike Road. In 1997, a vote was held among the residents of the Glynlakes, Bean, Barnes, and Meriwether Road communities to incorporate as Pike Road; the measure passed with 97 percent of the vote.
Pike Road Alabama Events
- Pike Road holds its Summer Fest celebration each year on July 4; it includes live musical entertainment, food, and a fireworks show.
- The Pike Road Arts and Crafts Fair has been held on the first Saturday in November since 1966 on the grounds of the historic Marks House.
Pike Road Alabama Historical Places
Marks House
Circa 1825
Built by William Matthews Marks, who immigrated from Oglethrope County, GA, on acreage purchased from the U.S. land office in Cahaba, AL for $1.25 per acre.
Foundation is pegged-together heart pine; framing is 3″ by 9″ timbers; mantles, dados, and all the bricks are hand made. Kitchen, baths, a rose garden and pavilion for dancing were added by the Churchill Marks family in the 1920s. The house was purchased by Dr. Haywood B. (Woody) Bartlett in 1957.
In 1967, the movie of Truman’s Capote’s “Thanksgiving Visitor” was filmed in the house. The facility has served as the Pike Road Community Club Center since 1968. The Pike Road Arts and Crafts fair is held here annually on the first Saturday in November. The house suffered extensive fire damage on August 28, 1997 and was subsequently restored by the Pike Road Community.
The Oaks Plantation
The house was built ca. 1830’s by Alexander Carter on a small land holding. Increasing fortunes led to a 1780-acre diversified and innovative plantation. Oak trees planted on either side of the front drive led to it’s name. During WWII, an auxiliary landing strip, called Mt. Meigs Field, was built on the land by the Army Corp of Engineers. It was used for training by American, French, and British aviation cadets from Gunter Field, as well as by “Tuskegee Airmen” from Moton Field. Prominent families who owned The Oaks include those of Edward Pierce, E.T. Davis, William Nicrosi, Price McLemore, Tine Dave, any Wayne Dawson.
The Historical Marker was placed by the East Montgomery County Historical Society, Alabama Historical Association, April 14, 2011.
Pike Road Alabama Developments
Pike Road is currently developing a 30-mile-long nature trail that will connect the many neighborhoods making up the town.
Pike Road Alabama Links
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