History of Sylvania

1830s
As the Cherokee Indians were forced out of the area, white settlers seeking new, cheap land settled on Sand Mountain. These settlers were tough, independent-minded willing to endure the hardships of an undeveloped wilderness.

The first apparent settlement in Sylvania was called Mahan. It is know that a Masonic Lodge was formed and later moved to Henagar. The lodge still bears the Mahan name. The Mahan Cemetery on County Road 562 at the edge of Sauty Creek is the last physical evidence of the first settlement. The towns post office was located on the eastern banks of Sauty Creek off County Road 194 just north of where it junctions with County Road 562.

Three factors played a major role in the Mahan's prominence. The creek was easy to follow; it's water flow was strong enough to provide year-round grist milling; and it was one of the most direct route across Sand Mountain from those traveling from Wills Valley and Fort Payne to the Tennessee River in Scottsboro.

1870s
The Chattanooga Railroad Company, who owned much of the land in present day Sylvania, went bankrupt and made much of the land available for individuals to purchase.

1890s
In the twenty years after the land was sold, a distinctive progressive community had been formed. The center of which was located at the present junction of Main Street and County Road 27. Growth in the economy and population was continuous for the next 60-years.

During this time Sylvania was one of the major trading and business centers of Sand Mountain. The merchants carried an inventory of goods that was the envy of the entire area. The town had a hotel, several boarding houses, a school and several grist mills and eventually, a movie theater and a cotton gin.

One Sylvania citizen said he moved to Sylvania in 1908 because it had on the the best educators in Northeast Alabama. One of these great educators included a teach that prepared students to take the certification test for law.

1920s
A railroad company made plans to extent a railroad track from Albertville, Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee. A major depot had been planned for Sylvania. The location and design of the depot had been identified and streets and lots laid out around it. Before construction could began, the Great Depression of the 1930s haulted all plans.

A discussion of Sylvania's history should not by-pass it's well known annual Fourth of July Celebration. No on living knows when it started, but it is believed to date back to the 1880s. It continued successfully for about eighty years, ending in the 1960s. For most of these years it was the major summer event of the area with attendance in the thousands. There were concession stands, carnival rides and singing. Politicians, both locally and statewide never missed the event. Candidates for Governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress were frequent guests.

A period of economic uncertainty followed when the construction of the first paved road across Sand Mountain by passed Sylvania and was placed a few miles south. But the incorporation of the town in the 1970s resulted in a renewed spirit and interest in the growth of the town.