Whistler, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Whistler, Alabama
, was an unincorporated town in Mobile County
, until the 1950s when it was annexed into neighboring Prichard
. The founding of Whistler, in the 1850s, coincided with construction of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad
. The M & O, an early land grant railroad, eventually extended from Mobile to the Ohio River, and beyond to Saint Louis, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. The town, 7 miles north-northwest of Mobile, developed around the M & O shops. Whistler was named for famous railroad construction engineer and West Point Military graduate, George Washington Whistler
, who was father of James McNeill Whistler
. The younger Whistler was painter of "Arrangement in Grey and Black," which is better known as "Whistler's Mother
."
Current, the US Postal Service ZIP code
36612 is accepted as Whistler. Sadly, only old timers cling to Whistler 36612 for mail. Others now use Mobile 36612 or Prichard 36612. Eight Mile Creek flows along much of the northern side of Whistler, before joining Chickasabogue, a tributary of Mobile River. During Whistler's heyday, both creeks provided popular swimming holes for cooling off during hot summer months. Currently, Mobile County's Chickasabogue Park offers a place to relive old times with a cooling dip in the creek. The park's swimming area has been used for generations.
U.S. Highway Route 45, which originates in Mobile, passes through Whistler en route to Chicago and on to Lake Superior, in Michigan's upper peninsular. Now, most would be U.S. 45 travelers use Interstate Highway 65, which passes on the eastern edge of the town. I-65 goes from Mobile to the shores of Lake Michigan, just east of Chicago at Gary, Indiana.
Whistler was annexed into the City of Prichard in the 1950s, thus the Prichard 36612 address. At that time, many historic Whistler street names were changed, due to duplication with Prichard street names or to continue Prichard street names. The annexation of Whistler and neighboring Eight Mile community resulted in the highest census population ever for Prichard: 47,371.
Casey Jones
, legendary railroad engineer, was baptized into the Catholic faith at Whistler's St. Bridget Church. He joined the Catholic faith so he could marry the daughter of the owner of a local boarding house.
Billy Williams, former Chicago Cub great and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is a native of Whistler. His nickname was "Sweet Swingin' Billy from Whistler."
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, was an unincorporated town in Mobile County
Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...
, until the 1950s when it was annexed into neighboring Prichard
Prichard, Alabama
Prichard is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, in the United States.Prichard borders the north side of Mobile, as well as the Mobile suburbs of Chickasaw, Alabama, Saraland, Alabama, and the unincorporated sections of Eight Mile, Alabama. As of 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the...
. The founding of Whistler, in the 1850s, coincided with construction of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad
Mobile and Ohio Railroad
The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobile, Alabama and the Ohio River near Cairo, Illinois...
. The M & O, an early land grant railroad, eventually extended from Mobile to the Ohio River, and beyond to Saint Louis, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. The town, 7 miles north-northwest of Mobile, developed around the M & O shops. Whistler was named for famous railroad construction engineer and West Point Military graduate, George Washington Whistler
George Washington Whistler
George Washington Whistler was a prominent American railroad engineer in the first half of the 19th century....
, who was father of James McNeill Whistler
James McNeill Whistler
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger...
. The younger Whistler was painter of "Arrangement in Grey and Black," which is better known as "Whistler's Mother
Whistler's Mother
Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother, famous under its colloquial name Whistler's Mother, is an 1871 oil-on-canvas painting by American-born painter James McNeill Whistler. The painting is , displayed in a frame of Whistler's own design, and is now owned by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris....
."
Current, the US Postal Service ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
36612 is accepted as Whistler. Sadly, only old timers cling to Whistler 36612 for mail. Others now use Mobile 36612 or Prichard 36612. Eight Mile Creek flows along much of the northern side of Whistler, before joining Chickasabogue, a tributary of Mobile River. During Whistler's heyday, both creeks provided popular swimming holes for cooling off during hot summer months. Currently, Mobile County's Chickasabogue Park offers a place to relive old times with a cooling dip in the creek. The park's swimming area has been used for generations.
U.S. Highway Route 45, which originates in Mobile, passes through Whistler en route to Chicago and on to Lake Superior, in Michigan's upper peninsular. Now, most would be U.S. 45 travelers use Interstate Highway 65, which passes on the eastern edge of the town. I-65 goes from Mobile to the shores of Lake Michigan, just east of Chicago at Gary, Indiana.
Whistler was annexed into the City of Prichard in the 1950s, thus the Prichard 36612 address. At that time, many historic Whistler street names were changed, due to duplication with Prichard street names or to continue Prichard street names. The annexation of Whistler and neighboring Eight Mile community resulted in the highest census population ever for Prichard: 47,371.
Casey Jones
Casey Jones
John Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...
, legendary railroad engineer, was baptized into the Catholic faith at Whistler's St. Bridget Church. He joined the Catholic faith so he could marry the daughter of the owner of a local boarding house.
Billy Williams, former Chicago Cub great and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is a native of Whistler. His nickname was "Sweet Swingin' Billy from Whistler."