The Vagabond

July 27, 2026

July 17, 2026

By Danny Crownover Back in the fall of 1883 the small boys of Gadsden were enjoying such things as: Jeter’s world, “preachin’ Jim Abbott&...

Civil War cavalry camped here in 1863

June 26, 2026

By Danny Crownover It was in 1863 that an advance detachment of the Eighth Alabama Cavalry, unaware of the denizens of the quain...

City’s early paving moves opposed

June 18, 2026

By Danny Crownover Despite the war and shortages in material and labor Gadsden has done much paving in the past few years and in 1945 prepared to la...

A look at news from 1881

June 12, 2026

By Danny Crownover May 10, 1881, the walls of Kyle’s Opera House had just been completed and the roofing was going on. Much cre...

Boring for oil and gas near Gadsden

June 5, 2026

By Danny Crownover In 1868, Gadsden was excited over the effort to drill an oil well in Owl Valley just on the northern edge of the city, and the results were so favorable that it was d...

Gadsden's cattle aroused civic ire

May 29, 2026

By Danny Crownover Even when it was a tiny village, Gadsden had a few citizens who protested against the idea of allowing s...

First officials of Gadsden

May 8, 2026

By Danny Crownover Col. R.B. Kyle was the first mayor of Gadsden. The aldermen elected with him in 1867 were Dr. Joseph Bevans, Major W.P. Hollingsworth,...

Historic Gadsden Bells

May 1, 2026

By Danny Crownover Back in the late 1940s, it was suggested that the old bell in the court house tower and other of historical value be preserved a...

Music and the sheriff's family

April 24, 2026

By Danny Crownover When Sheriff O. P. Reagan was a farm boy in the Abernathy Community of nearby Cleburne County, he fell in love with the village music tea...