Troy’s College Street Was Once Home to Alabama’s Most Influential Citizens
It was the 1800s version of Who’s Who in Alabama
Troy, Alabama was first settled in the 1830s and was originally known as Deer Stand Hill, because of the deer that would graze on wild oats atop the hill. It was also once known as Zebulon and Centreville before gaining its current name. From its beginnings as a tiny settlement, it has become a bustling college town with lots of opportunities.
Home to Troy University, Troy is a progressive city with quite a history. The hometown of civil rights leader and former U.S. Representative John Lewis and Clarence “Pine Top” Smith, a talented pianist who invented the boogie-woogie style of music, demonstrates how people who do big things can come from small places.
If you are from this area, there’s no doubt you are familiar with the name Charles Henderson. The local high school and middle school are named after him, as well as the city’s first pediatric clinic, and several streets and roads. But who was Charles Henderson and what impact did he have on the future of Troy?
During his residence in Troy, Henderson had a home on College Street, near downtown. However, he wasn’t the only influential person on the block. Oliver C. Wiley, Ariosto A. Wiley, Lucien Gardner, Frank…
