"Old 100"
Our Baldwin 2-6-2
Steam Locomotive

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ALGER-SULLIVAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

One might wonder why The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society in Century, Florida, would devote a whole section of their website to an old steam engine. The fact is that this particular engine is symbolic of a time when the reason for the town's existence, the Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company, was headed toward its end. 

This locomotive was for years ever present and visible, chuffing its way around the mill yard and even up on the L&N tracks by the railroad station. Many who were raised in the little town of Century can recall seeing it working steadily and regularly. Even in later years it was on prominent display on Front Street where a couple of generations of children would climb on it and pretend they were really engineers. When we found that it was languishing at a railroad museum in Indiana, we pursued its purchase to bring back "home" so it could be placed as a static display.

We applied for and received a grant in 2007 from the State of Florida for "historical preservation" which included aquisition and restoration. Our application was submitted to Tallahassee three times and finally we were able to bring Old 100 steam engine home to Century in May of 2007.

The Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company got its start in South Alabama and even though its main plant was in Florida, just across the Ala-Fla state line, the logging was done in the lower reaches of South Alabama: Escambia, Conecuh and Monroe Counties. As a matter of fact, a well-known Alabama logging and railroad book ("Logging Railroads of Alabama," by Thomas Lawson) calls the ASLC the "premier" logging railroad company in Alabama, even though the sawmill was in Florida.

The ASLC had a tremendous inpact on the lives of many, many people in southern Alabama, as well as an economic boost to that part of the State. So if you have connections to or influence on anyone with historical or political status in Alabama, we welcome you to our family!

The following pages give a bit of history behind the engine and its symbolism. They consist of articles written over the last few years about the engine and pictures taken somewhat recently of its present condition. They should bring you up to date on its importance to our little town.

If you have any questions you may email the Society at ashs@algersullivan.org
                                                                                                                                                 

This page last modified on Monday, February 27, 2012