Champion Mines
John Hanby came in 1817 and found a rich seam of brown iron ore. Named Champion in 1882 when Henry DeBardeleben and James Sloss bought land and brought L&N Railroad causing county seat to be moved from Blountsville to Oneonta in 1889. Most ore was mined by Shook and Fletcher 1925-1967 from Champion & Taits Gap mines under E. N. Vandergrift, superintendent. Ore was shipped to Woodward, T. C. I. & Sloss furnaces in Birmingham and Republic in Gadsden.
Marker is at the intersection of 6th Street South (U.S. 231) and Champion Road, on the right on 6th Street South.
Courtesy hmdb.org
