Bacon Level, Alabama

Bacon Level
Unincorporated community
Bacon Level Location in Alabama.
Coordinates: 33°07′43″N 85°17′27″W / 33.12861°N 85.29083°WCoordinates: 33°07′43″N 85°17′27″W / 33.12861°N 85.29083°W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Randolph
Elevation	751 ft (229 m)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	334
GNIS feature ID	156011[1]

Bacon Level is an unincorporated community located 3–4 miles southeast of Roanoke, in Randolph County, Alabama, United States. Nearby churches include Bacon Level Baptist Church.

The surnames of some early settlers were Prather, Meachum, Bonner, Ussery, Vinson, Rushton and Gladnys (Gladnys Mill).

(Note-The state line between today's Georgia and Alabama is about 2–3 miles to the east but, from the 1830s through the Civil War, there were arguments about where the line was... and so a few references might include this location as then during that period as in Georgia.)

Pottery Industry

Located esp in this community were many potters (and in old Cedric, approx. 1 mile to South, Southeast) who are highly regarded down to today for their excellent pottery, esp urns, churns, jugs of all sizes and shapes for storage (of milk, water, whisky, sugar). They used the local porcelain white clay of highest quality, sometimes along with some local red clay with esp outer glaze of hickory ashes giving a tan or grown glaze.

Some of the many potter names were Cyrus Cogburn, Joseph Rushton (at old Cedric), John Barnes, John Lehman, Cicero D Hudson (at Hickory Flat) and also in shops of Mapp, Ussery and MacPherson. This industry began in late 1820's and continued on 60-70 years. And continues esp today in nearby Rock Mills, Alabama about 3 miles to the north. Before the railroad came through nearby, 5-10 wagon loads of pottery would be sent to the Valley area to the further south. But esp the immigration roads passing nearby allowed those moving on west to Mississippi and esp Texas, to buy needed urns and esp churns manufactured here.

References

1. "Bacon Level". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.

http://randolphcountyalabamapottery.com/