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HISTORY OF PHIL
CAMPBELL
In the
1880s, a railroad work crew leader and
engineer by the name of Phillip Campbell
(originally from England) established a work
camp near the location of modern Phil
Campbell. Mel Allen, a prominent local
businessman, told Mr. Campbell if he would
construct a railroad depot and add a side
track to the stretch of railroad going
through the area, he would name the
subsequent town after Campbell. Mr. Campbell
built both the depot and siding, which led
to Phil Campbell being the only town in
Alabama to have both the first and last
names of an individual. The first school in
Phil Campbell was a two story frame building
constructed in 1910. It was located at the
back of the Phil Campbell Methodist Church.
The school was subsequently destroyed by
fire. The second school was constructed in
1915 and was located at the site of the
present school on Alabama State Route 13 in
Phil Campbell. This school was a small
wooden building. Like the previous school,
this school was also destroyed by fire. The
fire began at six o'clock in the evening on
Christmas Day, 1924.During the next two
years, school was held in local church
buildings, the town's former bank building,
and the U.S. Post Office building located
near the railroad. Graduation services for
the first accredited Phil Campbell High
School class were conducted in the Phil
Campbell Methodist Church. The year was 1926
and the class had eight graduating members.
The third Phil Campbell school was completed
in 1926. There were two buildings, a main
classroom building and a vocational school.
After the main building was destroyed by
fire in 1954, the present school buildings
were constructed.
On April 27,
2011, the town suffered extensive damage
from a swift moving tornado. The tornado was
classified as an EF-5 with 210 mph winds.
The tornado damaged many buildings in and
around the main part of town. Twenty-six
people lost their lives. The town was also
affected by an F5 tornado on April 3, 1974.
Newspaper Article - How Phil Campbell
Got It's Name by Richard Sheridan
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