South Vinemont

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

History

The town of South Vinemont (or simply Vinemont, although that is the name of a nearby unincorporated community) was established near a line of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad at one of the highest points in the state: 1,100 feet above sea level. The town’s original name was Pinnacle, in honor of its lofty perch. Settlers began to arrive in 1871, with Joseph Fromhold being the first in the area. The first post office opened in 1887.

Farmers who followed discovered that the soil was ideal for growing grapes, and soon several wineries were established. In January 1898, a group of Chicago businessmen formed the Alabama Vineyard and Winery Company, and settlers from Chicago followed in large numbers. The town adopted the name Vinemont later that year. A hotel was built around 1900 to accommodate visitors who came for the mountain air, and the Vinemont Canning and Processing Company also opened that year. The wine industry did not flourish, however, and today little remains of the vineyards except for those vines cultivated for home use.

Vinemont was incorporated in 1961; but when town representatives delivered the incorporation paperwork to the state capital, they were informed that the name “Vinemont” was taken already, so they chose the name South Vinemont.

The town installed a sewage system in the 2010s. South Vinemont’s fire station is rated a Class 3 station, a designation that only eight percent of fire stations nationwide have attained.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, South Vinemont recorded a population of 600. Of that number, 85.7 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 30.8 percent as Hispanic, 4.2 percent as two or more races, 1.5 percent as Asian, and 0.7 percent as African American. The town’s per capita income was $17,159.

Employment

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

  • Manufacturing (23.3 percent)
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (19.8 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (15.4 percent)
  • Construction (11.1 percent)
  • Public administration (9.1 percent)
  • Retail trade (5.9 percent)
  • Information (4.0 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (4.0 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (3.2 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (3.2 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (1.2 percent)

Education

Schools in South Vinemont are part of the Cullman County school system; the town has one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school.

Transportation

U.S. Highway 31 bisects South Vinemont running north-south, connecting the town with Interstate Highway 65 less than a mile west of town.

Events and Places of Interest

South Vinemont has opened the first phase of a new sports complex consisting of two baseball fields; when finished, the complex will have five fields.

The Battleground School and the Heitmueller Farm are both listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Additional Resources

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

External Links

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