Discover Wadley: Riverfront Location and Railroad History

Wadley lies on the west bank of the Tallapoosa River in southwestern Randolph County.

Wadley by the River and the Road

State Highway 77 ends in Wadley and approaches it from the northwest. The highway is a different kind of reference point from the Tallapoosa River: the river describes Wadley’s location on the west bank, while the road indicates the direction from which it reaches the town. Check current road conditions before your trip.

The Wadley Railroad Depot

The Wadley Railroad Depot was built in 1907 by the Atlanta, Birmingham, and Atlantic Railroad. Until it closed around 1964, it served as a passenger and freight depot. The two transportation connections differ in their historical context: the highway helps orient visitors traveling by road, while the depot represents the former passenger and freight traffic in Wadley.

The single-story railroad building is made of cast-in-place concrete, designed in the Mission style, and topped with a hipped clay-tile roof. The depot is also considered an outstanding example of a small Spanish Mission-style railroad station. A hipped roof has sloping surfaces on all sides; cast-in-place concrete is concrete poured into its final shape directly at the construction site.

House, Hotel, and Campus History

The Gay Craft House in Wadley dates to around 1840. Its approximate date places it in an earlier period of construction than the depot, built in 1907. The Old Wadley Hotel Building offers another perspective on Wadley’s past: it was once one of the finest hotels in the area and had 30 rooms as well as gas lighting.

The history of the Wadley campus of Southern Union State Community College also reaches back to Bethlehem College, which received its charter on June 2, 1922.

The Planned Town and Its College

Wadley was established as a planned railroad and trading town. The Callaway Development Company acquired the site around 1906; the first stores served railroad construction workers. When the town was incorporated on September 15, 1908, Wadley had a population of 333. The business district at the time included, among others, the Bank of Wadley, Handley’s Hardware Store, and several brick commercial buildings. Plans also called for a dam on the Tallapoosa River and a textile mill. The company ceased its activities in Wadley in 1910; the plans were never carried out. A focal point of the historic town plan was Highland Circle, a park on a hill west of the business district. Main streets were planned to be 80 feet wide, with rear lanes also included in the plan. For Bethlehem College, local banker John M. Hodge donated a 40-acre property. Classes began on September 13, 1923, with 51 students in one building. The college remained church-affiliated until 1964.

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