BlockBefore

Bankhead, Alabama

22 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Valley Head-Mentone census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35984. It stands on Stillhouse Branch. The Survey maps it on the Valley Head quadrangle.

Bankhead within DeKalb County

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 22 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Photographs

8 of 10 photographs shown, 1937

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

The Clouse family who have been resettled in a new home of Bankhead Farms, Alabama
The Clouse family who have been resettled in a new home of Bankhead Farms, Alabama
Rothstein, Arthur, 1937. Library of Congress
Construction of community center at Bankhead Farms, Alabama
Construction of community center at Bankhead Farms, Alabama
Rothstein, Arthur, 1937. Library of Congress
Tom Moore, homesteader at Bankhead Farms, with some of the chicks he is raising. Alabama
Tom Moore, homesteader at Bankhead Farms, with some of the chicks he is raising. Alabama
Rothstein, Arthur, 1937. Library of Congress
The Kelley family's furniture being moved into a new home at Bankhead Farms, Alabama
The Kelley family's furniture being moved into a new home at Bankhead Farms, Alabama
Rothstein, Arthur, 1937. Library of Congress
J. A. Britain and wife in their new home at Bankhead Farms, Alabama
J. A. Britain and wife in their new home at Bankhead Farms, Alabama
Rothstein, Arthur, 1937. Library of Congress
Terrace. Bankhead Farms, Alabama
Terrace. Bankhead Farms, Alabama
Rothstein, Arthur, 1937. Library of Congress
Company houses. Bankhead, Alabama
Company houses. Bankhead, Alabama
Rothstein, Arthur, 1937. Library of Congress
A homesteader with some of the baby chicks he is raising. Bankhead Farms, Alabama
A homesteader with some of the baby chicks he is raising. Bankhead Farms, Alabama
Rothstein, Arthur, 1937. Library of Congress

Every photograph of DeKalb County

Fires near this place

345 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 345 fires within 5 miles of Bankhead between 1992 and 2019, burning about 5,526 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 221 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Arson/incendiarism221
Debris and open burning78
Missing data/not specified/undetermined32
Recreation and ceremony6
Equipment and vehicle use3
Railroad operations and maintenance2
Smoking1
Natural1
Misuse of fire by a minor1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2019Debris and open burningunder an acreGeorgia Forestry CommissionFY2020CHATTOOGA005
6 September 2002Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreGeorgia Forestry CommissionFY2003-CHATTOOGA-018
21 September 2016Debris and open burning1.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commission20160921-2
20 September 2008Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAlabama Forestry CommissionCO RD 759, VALLEY HEAD ALABAMA, AL
20 September 2000Arson/incendiarism8.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
19 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined391 acresAlabama Forestry Commission20190919-35
19 September 2000Arson/incendiarism35 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
18 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreAlabama Forestry CommissionNOR-20150918-002

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in DeKalb County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Bankhead: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Iron. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Valley Head AreaIronPast ProducerHematite

Every working recorded in DeKalb County

Storms near this place

5 since 2007

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bankhead in 5 storm reports between 2007 and 2025: 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2010Tornado (EF3)Bankhead$1,500,000The same supercell which produced the tornado in from Blount into Marshall and DeKalb Counties produced a second tornado around 11:25 PM CDT. This tornado touched down 4 miles south southwest of Mentone, near Desoto State Park. The tornado reached EF-3 intensity with speeds up to 140 mph destroying several single wide manufactured homes. The tornado also snapped and uprooted numerous large trees. Significant damage was seen along it's path to the Alabama/Georgia state line. The hardest hit areas were between CR 117 and CR 106, just to the south southeast of Mentone. The most significant damage occurred to a trailer park (Morning Glory Court) where several single wide manufactured homes were completely destroyed. Numerous large trees were also snapped or uprooted. The tornado continued moving northeast and crossed into Chattooga county (Northwest Georgia) around 11:34 PM CDT. Additional damage occurred as it traveled another 8 miles into northern Chattooga county.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindBankhead$5,000A few trees were downed by thunderstorm winds along County roads 89 and 106, about a mile west-southwest of Mentone, Alabama.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindBankhead$1,000A tree was knocked down on CR 177 at Moon Lake Church. Time estimated by radar.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindBankhead$1,000A tree was knocked down on CR 642. Time estimated by radar.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindBankhead-Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down across CR 89, 1.5 miles south of Mentone.

Every storm recorded in DeKalb County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Riverdale1.5 miles22
Mentone2.4 miles22
Valley Head3.3 miles22
Hammondville4.2 miles22
Cordell (historical)4.7 miles22
Lake Howard4.8 miles22
Alpine4.9 miles22
Kaolin4.9 miles23

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 156021. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.