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Welcome to Ardmore AL/TN Chamber of Commerce
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Two States ~ Four Counties ~ ONE Community
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History ~ Ardmore, Alabama/Tennessee
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Crape Myrtle Capital of the South
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Lots to offer!
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Ardmore is located in two states and four counties; Giles and Lincoln Counties in Tennessee and Limestone and Madison Counties in Alabama. It has grown from a one store-house built in 1911 to a thriving town of business, banks, factories, churches and school today.
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In 1910, the Louisville and Nashville railroad announced plans to build a direct route between Nashville, Tennessee and Decatur, Alabama. This route was to cross the Tennessee-Alabama state line where Ardmore is now located. In 1911, the actual construction of the railroad began.
By the time the railroad was completed in 1914, the village of Austin, as it was originally called, was a flourishing community.
The first railroad depot was a boxcar, located where Mr. Alex Austin had originally conceived it to be on the Alabama side. When the depot was first opened in 1914, the railroad company named it Ardmore. That name was then taken over by the town.
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In 1915-1916, a two story brick high school was constructed on the Alabama side of town, which was accredited by the state of Alabama about ten years later. In 1928, an elementary school was built.
The first church was the Baptist Church which was organized in 1915. The building was constructed in 1918.
The Bank of Ardmore opened in 1918 on the Tennesse side. It was one of the three banks in Giles County to remain open during the Great Depression of 1930.
In 1939 an up-to-date hardware store, a grocery store, and a doctor's office were built. In 1940, the Ardmore Cheese Company opened. The factory located on the Tennessee was most of Ardmore's industy at that time. The cheese factor is still in operation today.
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