Pennington, AL news and local guide

The Meridian and Bigbee Railroad later built through town on a line linking Montgomery with Meridian, Mississippi, and in 1934 the railroad's Naheola Bridge was built over the river. During the Depression cotton became the town's main business, along with timber, fish and game. In the 1950s the Allison Lumber Company spurred growth and paved the way for a paper mill, first the Marathon Southern Corporation and later American Can Company and James River Corporation. In 1956 the Naheola Bridge was modified to carry both trains and cars, one of only a handful of such bridges in the country, and in 1999 a new bridge beside it was named for Senator Richard Shelby. Pennington was incorporated in 1964, with Philip McIlwain as its first elected mayor. The actress, poet and activist Billie Jean Young was born here in 1947. Sources Encyclopedia of Alabama: Pennington Wikipedia: Pennington, Alabama