New London, Alabama

New London, also known as London, Kelly's Creek, or Kellys Creek, is an unincorporated community in St. Clair County, Alabama, United States.

New London, Alabama
Unincorporated community
New London, Alabama Show map of Alabama New London, Alabama Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 33°28′54″N 86°21′34″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	St. Clair
Elevation	466 ft (142 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	205, 659
GNIS feature ID	164782[1]

History

John O'Kelly was the white trader to the Upper Creek town of Coosa. His half-blood son, John O'Kelly (also known as Toe Kelly), became chief of Coosa in the 1790s. O'Kelly was invited to Pensacola in 1794 to a council with the Spanish, and he signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson as chief of Coosa in 1814. Under the treaty, O'Kelly claimed land where Kelly Creek joins the Coosa River. He then established a branch of the town Coosa along Kelly Creek. The town was then known as Kelly's Town until the Indian Removal Act.[2] The community was originally called Kelly's Creek for the creek named for O'Kelly. After the Civil War, it became known as New London. By the 1880s, it was known primarily as London.[3] A post office was established under the name Kellys Creek in 1841 and was in operation until 1908.[4]

Notable person

• John Abercrombie, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1913 to 1917 and president of the University of Alabama from 1902 to 1911.

References

1. "New London". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
2. Wright, Jr., Amos J. (2003). Historic Indian Towns in Alabama, 1540-1838. University of Alabama Press. p. 97. ISBN 0-8173-1251-X.
3. Foscue, Virginia (1989). Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press. p. 86. ISBN 0-8173-0410-X.
4. "St. Clair". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 8 November 2014.