By Tracia Bussey

When the founders of Thorsby first purchased the land from the L & N Railroad to develop a new town, they realized a need for a fine hotel for people to stay in.

This hotel set atop a rise in the center of town, almost exactly where today’s Dollar General in Thorsby is located.

Many a weary traveler stepped off the train at the Thorsby Depot and checked into the Thorsby Hotel during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Some merely staying overnight while on a long trip, some visiting friends or conducting business, while many looked for a plot of land to buy and settle in the new town they had read about in advertisements.

The old hotel had a top balcony, which gave visitors a panoramic view of the town.

A small park existed between the back of the hotel and the Thorson home.

Later, the hotel served the Thorsby Institute as a girl’s dormitory, and like so many of the old buildings that were constructed of wood in that time, it was lost to fire.

–Tracia Bussey is a community columnist for The Clanton Advertiser. She can be reached at traciadbussey@gmail.com.