Bemiston was founded in 1927, as a mill town built around the Bemis Brothers Bag Company cotton mill. The mill was built between Alabama State Route 21 and the Eastern Alabama Railway. The 700,000-square-foot mill produced handbags during the Great Depression and sandbags during World War II. The community was home to a school, general store, automobile repair shop, nurses' office, and gymnasium. The company built a power plant and sewer and water treatment plant to serve the community. A recreational director was hired to develop a community baseball and basketball team. The workers' houses were made of California Redwood, with two-car garages and running hot and cold water. A community dairy farm was started by the company with 68 Holstein cattle to provide milk to the residents. Bemis closed the mill in 1979, but the factory was acquired by Master Brand Industries, a cabinet maker. The community has since been listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.
Elevation:
554.5 ft
(169.0 m)
County: Talladega County
State: Alabama
Coords: 33.4101091, -86.1208051