POWERGRAMS

23 There's nothing negative about getting railroaded in Atmore. Tracks split the town of 8,000 people, frequently bringing cars of CSX and the Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway rolling through. Atmore, in fact, is the "Official Alabama Rail Welcome Center." Most folks understand there would be no town without the railroad that reaches back to long before Atmore's official origins and continues pumping the local economy. Atmore is a railroad town, with black metal signs topped by locomotive silhouettes guiding visitors to significant spots of interest. Atmore dates to 1866, when trains began stopping at William Williams' farm to drop off supplies. The stop became known as Williams Station during the next three decades before residents of the growing settlement sought a more "refined" name. Successful businessman William Carney had helped pay for a school and three churches in the late 1800s, so historians say many residents thought the town should become Carney or Carneyville. However, a nearby town was already named for Carney's brother, so W.M. Carney suggested naming his town for friend Charles Atmore, an agent for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Atmore lived in Louisville, Kentucky, and never visited the town Carney named for him. On a Friday morning in 2021, folks are filling tables at the Whistle Stop restaurant on Main Street, ordering grits, eggs, bacon and toast, seated in booths named for old railcars and depots. An opposite wall is lined with football portraits of talented Tiger and Tide football players. Founded in 1900, Atmore has been home to a few famous athletes through the years. Ron Middleton starred for Auburn and is now tight ends coach for the New York Jets. Don McNeal starred for Alabama and the Miami Dolphins and is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Woody McCorvey starred for Alabama State, coached at Alabama, Alabama A&M, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Tennessee, is now Clemson's associate athletic director and was a 2020 ASHOF inductee. Evander Holyfield was a four-time world heavyweight boxing champion and is an ASHOF member. And there's the late Paul Birch, who starred in 39 films but is perhaps best remembered by members of the Greatest Generation as the Marlboro Man. Smoking isn't allowed these days inside most places, especially in popular eating establishments like family- owned Buster's Restaurant, where "Good Taste is Everything." Its pork chops, lima beans and cornbread were named one of Alabama's 100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die, but you better arrive early on Wednesdays before the popular plate sells out. The tall glass windows at Buster's usually reveal a packed house; patrons awaiting traditional Southern meals swiftly brought to their tables. Photos on the walls include the 2017 state champion Escambia County High School football team and a historic one of President John F. Kennedy in August 1962 meeting Creek Chief Calvin McGhee at the White House. Railroads may be essential to Atmore's founding, but there's also no mistaking the significance of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. ATMORE Destination: By Chuck Chandler PHOTOS BY PHIL FREE By Chuck Chandler PHOTOS BY PHIL FREE AERIAL PHOTOS BY JAY PARKER

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