Baileyton

Baileyton is located in northeast Cullman County in the north-central part of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.

History

The area that now encompasses Baileyton had scattered settlement during the early nineteenth century, and the town’s namesake, Robert Bailey, was one of the first to build a homestead in the area in 1870. Bailey also ran a cotton gin. The first Methodist church organized in town met in his home.

Originally part of Blount County, the town became part of Cullman County when it was created in 1877. The town opened its first post office, named Baileyton, in August 1882; it was located in the first general store. Local citizens built the first school in Baileyton around 1885; it served until a new building was constructed in 1916.

In addition to Bailey’s cotton gin, other early businesses included a second gin, a sawmill, a gristmill, and several general stores. In 1889, the town petitioned the county for better roads to accommodate the growing population; a Masonic Lodge also was established in 1889. Later businesses included a shingle factory opened in 1900 and one of the first plant nurseries in the state in 1926. Baileyton was incorporated in February 1973.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Baileyton recorded a population of 1,012. Of that number, 97.2 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 8.7 percent as Hispanic, and 1.8 percent as two or more races. The town’s median household income was $50,817, and the per capita income was $22,390.

Employment

According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Baileyton was divided among the following industrial categories:

  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (33.6 percent)
  • Retail trade (15.0 percent)
  • Manufacturing (11.2 percent)
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (11.0 percent)
  • Public administration (5.8 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (5.6 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (4.2 percent)
  • Construction (4.2 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (3.3 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (2.8 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (1.9 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (1.2 percent)
  • Information (0.2 percent)

Education

Schools in Baileyton are part of the Cullman County school system; the town has one elementary school.

Transportation

State Highway 69 bisects Baileyton going roughly southwest-northeast. County Road 1595 leaves the town running straight north, and County Road 1718, runs from town to the south. County Road 1568 runs west from Baileyton.

Events and Places of Interest

The Baileyton “Good Time” Drag Strip offers two Saturday evening races with prize money for the winners. The Baileyton United Methodist Church is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. The Baileyton Cemetery was named to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register by the Alabama Historical Commission in 2011.

Additional Resources

Cullman County Heritage Book Committee. Heritage of Cullman County, Alabama. Vols. I and II. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 1999.

Jones, Margaret Jean. Combing Cullman County. Cullman, Ala.: Modernistic Printers, Inc., 1972.

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