Crumley Chapel, Alabama
Unincorporated community
Crumley Chapel is located in Alabama
Crumley Chapel
Crumley Chapel
Crumley Chapel is located in the United States
Crumley Chapel
Crumley Chapel
Coordinates: 33°34′14″N 86°54′46″W / 33.57056°N 86.91278°W / 33.57056; -86.91278
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountyJefferson
Elevation
604 ft (184 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)205, 659
GNIS feature ID116930[1]

Crumley Chapel, also known as Crumleys Chapel or Oakwood, is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Alabama northwest of Birmingham. The area was first settled in early 1840. The community's name originated from a local church and cemetery, which were named after Robert Crumley, an early farmer of the area.[2]

Crumley Chapel Methodist Church was founded in 1859. The Crumley Chapel Cemetery was founded in 1858 and dedicated to Oliver Shoemaker and his wife. Shoemaker donated the land for the cemetery.[3]

Ernie Pyle, during his time as a roving reporter, reported on the bitter feud over the attempt to rename the town.[4] He reported in March 1939 that since November 1938 there had been animosity and even some violence about it. At that time the replacement name was "Westwood".[4] Pyle half-jokingly suggested a truce with the compromise name of "Crumwood", knowing that the feuders would probably not take his advice.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Crumley Chapel". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Community Histories & Stories". Hueytown Historical Society. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  3. ^ "Crumley Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery" (PDF). City of Hueytown, Alabama. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Pyle, Ernie (1989) [1935-1941], Nichols, David (ed.), Ernie's America: The Best of Ernie Pyle's 1930s Travel Dispatches, Random House, ISBN 978-0394575728.



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