of
The Wizardry
Ozark
"No pets, profanity, slurs, artificial noise makers
allowed inside … thank you," reads a sign above the
stadium entrance.
Smaller signs throughout this town of 14,000
people note that "Ozark is a litter-free city." Along
Broad Street and other primary avenues, many
houses have American flags hanging on porches and
some have Old Glory flying from tall flagpoles. A
recent survey said Ozark is Alabama's most patriotic
city.
Incorporated on Oct. 27, 1870, Ozark was settled
mostly by farmers who bought former American
Indian land from the federal government. Fifteen
years earlier, the postmaster named the town for
Native Americans from Arkansas and Missouri. After
the Dale County Courthouse in Newton burned in
1869, voters chose Ozark as the new county seat and
many Newton businesses moved about 10 miles north
to Ozark. continued
by Chuck Chandler
PHOTOGRAPHY by PHIL FREE
AERIAL PHOTOS by JAY PARKER
28
