Gold Hill, also known as Goldhill, Gold Mine, or Gold Ridge, is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

north-centrally located in Lee County,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

, United States, just a few hundred feet south of the Chambers County line. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Area. Today, Gold Hill lies mostly in the corporate limits of Auburn.

History

Gold Hill was settled in the 1830s, and—despite being in the southern reaches of the territory mined for

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

in the 1840s Alabama

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

—was not named for the mineral, but rather for an early settler named Goldsmith. In the 1870s, Gold Hill received a second name, Gold Ridge, after confusion between the railroad stops at Gold Hill and nearby Camp Hill led the postal administration to rename the Gold Hill

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

. Despite being "officially" considered Gold Ridge by the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

and the railroad, residents have always considered the community to be only Gold Hill. Gold Hill is also the location of "Roamer's Roost", the home of

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

scientist William P. Spratling and his son, silversmith

William Spratling William Spratling (September 22, 1900 – August 7, 1967) was an American-born silver designer and artist, best known for his influence on 20th century Mexican silver design. Early life Spratling was born in 1900 in Sonyea, Livingston Count ...

. A post office operated under the name Gold Hill from 1837 to 1967.

The Old Barn

There was an old barn in Gold Hill which stood for 140 years. It was located adjacent to the railroad crossing on Alabama State Route 147. The building was erected in 1870 and served as the community's general store. During most of its history, the barn which housed the general store was connected to about of farmland. The store, and the farms that surrounded it operated much in the same way all the way up until the 1940s. Following The Great Migration, many of the field laborers left the area to begin new lives in northern cities such as

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

and Buffalo. This left the community a shell of its former self. Eventually, the store closed down and the mail trains didn't make stops in "Gold Ridge" anymore (to this day, the mail is still delivered to the community from the post office in Waverly, Alabama). Despite this, the barn stood as Gold Hill's most recognizable landmark until it was torn down in 2010. Image: GoldHillAlabama.JPG, The old barn near the railroad crossing was, perhaps, Gold Hill, Alabama's most recognizable landmark until it was torn down in 2010. Image:GoldHillAlabamaBarn.JPG, The old barn from another angle. Image:FRONT (WEST) AND NORTH SIDE - James Ellington House, Oak Bowery Road vicinity, Gold Hill, Lee County, AL HABS ALA,41-GOLD,1-2.tif, The historic James Ellington House is located in Gold Hill. Image:GoldRidgeAlabama.JPG, Gold Hill received a second name, "Gold Ridge", after confusion between the railroad stops at Gold Hill and nearby Camp Hill. Image:GoldHillAlabamaClearedTrees.JPG, Trees and sky in Gold Hill, Alabama.

References

*Nunn, Alexander (Ed.) (1983). ''Lee County and Her Forebears''. Montgomery, Ala., Herff Jones. LCCCN 83-081693 *Williams, Ed. "A Visit to Gold Hill, Alabama." Ed Williams' Homepage. 8 August 2003. Auburn University. 20 March 200

Unincorporated communities in Alabama Unincorporated communities in Lee County, Alabama Auburn, Alabama Columbus metropolitan area, Georgia{{Short description, Unincorporated community in Alabama, United States