Editing Piedmont, Alabama (section)

== History ==

=== Founding and early growth ===
The area now known as Piedmont is a community that began in the early 1840s, located at the crossroads of two early [[post road]]s. Major Jacob Forney Dailey of [[North Carolina]] came to Alabama in 1848 and bought land in present-day Piedmont. Major Dailey named the area Cross Plains, and an official post office with that name was established on September 22, 1851.

The Standard Coosa-Thatcher Cotton Mill was established in Piedmont in the late 1800s and was the main source of employment in and around the city for nearly a century. After being named "Hollow Stump" and "Cross Plains" local residents settled for the name Piedmont in 1888. The word Piedmont means "Foot of the mountains" which was more appealing to local residents since the city is surrounded by mountainous scenery.

=== Recent history ===
The [[Standard Coosa-Thatcher Company]] was a textile corporation founded in Piedmont in 1891. It was publicly traded beginning in 1922.<ref>''Standard-Coosa To Be Acquired'', [[New York Times]], April 15, 1982, pg. D5.</ref> The firm is important because of its endurance for nearly a century and its expansion throughout the southeast United States and into the western United States. Also known in Piedmont as the "Cotton Mill", it began operating in 1892 and closed in 1995. In 2016, demolition of the building began. Over the next two years or so, workers tore down the mill and reclaimed more than 100-year-old lumber and other material for resale.