Vandiver
Vandiver is an unincorporated community and census-designated place along Bear Creek Road (Shelby County Road 43) where it intersects with Alabama State Highway 25 between Dunavant and Sterrett in northeastern Shelby County.
James Vandiver was appointed as the community's first postmaster in 1888, and it was for him that it got its name.
The town is traversed by Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks, originally laid in 1903 for the Central of Georgia Railway. The 2020 U.S. Census counted 1,084 residents of the community.
The Falkner School in the western part of Vandiver is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. From 2000 to 2009 Vandiver was the home of the 29 Dreams motorcycle resort, which was redeveloped as Courtyard 25 bar and restaurant.
In 2025 a drilling company installing fiber-optic cable for Alabama Power Company in the southern slope of Coosa Mountain dug into an aquifer, causing several household wells to run dry.
References
- Foscue, Virginia O. (1989) Place Names in Alabama. University of Alabama Press ISBN 081730410X
- Kates, Margaret (February 13, 2025) "Alabama Power drilling leaves mountain community without water." AL.com