The Vagabond

June 7, 2026

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...

Duplication of street names

April 17, 2026

In South Gadsden, there are streets named for U.S. presidents. By Danny Crownover Back in the 1940s, there was a newly platte...

Gadsden old cemetery relocated 1879

February 27, 2026

By Danny Crownover When Gadsden was first surveyed and platted into 260 lots by W. S. Brown, the engineer who first surveyed the Tennessee & Coosa Railro...

Wild reception for first steamboat here

February 27, 2026

By Danny K. Crownover Legend has it that the wild reception of the first steamboat on the Coosa River when it reached Gadsden on July Fourth, 184...

Runaway train in Gadsden and a heroic stop

February 16, 2026

By Danny Crownover Back in the early 1890s Gadsden was startled when a wild locomotive came dashing through town going east at full speed, heading for the L....