BlockRigdom, Alabama
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1936 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Town Creek-Courtland census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35672. It lies near Brooks Spring Mountain. The Survey maps it on the Courtland quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 14 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1936 USGS Courtland quadrangle1:24000
- 1951 USGS Courtland quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1963 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000
- 1974 USGS Courtland quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Tuscumbia quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
110 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 110 fires within 5 miles of Rigdom between 1994 and 2019, burning about 2,107 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 50 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/incendiarism | 50 |
| Debris and open burning | 34 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 14 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 100 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160908-7 |
| 6 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 15 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 21 September 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 30 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 21 September 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 15 September 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 6.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 11 September 1995 | Recreation and ceremony | 4.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 28 August 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 24 July 2010 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
3 since 2019Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Rigdom in 3 storm reports between 2019 and 2025: 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. The reports record 2 deaths. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2019 | Tornado (EF2) | Rigdom | 2 killed | A team consisting of National Weather Service, Lawrence County Emergency Management, and an Auburn University Structural Engineering survey team determined the damage in northern Lawrence County was attributed to a strong EF-2 tornado.||Damage was first observed along CR 101 north of CR 143. Large-limb tree damage was the primary damage indicator observed in this area, with estimated winds of 107 mph close to touchdown.||East of CR 101, the tornado intensified significantly as it approached CR 265. Approximately 1 mile south of Highway 20, major damage occurred to three structures. Structure damage indicators were a combination of single wide and double wide manufactured homes. It should be noted that one of the structures listed as a double wide was a prefabricated home with no anchor system. The traditional double wide manufactured home included an auger anchor system while the single wide home had a pan anchor system. Regardless of the anchor, each system failed due to intense lifting force, which led to the structure to roll off its plot, causing total destruction. Two fatalities and an injury were reported at the double wide home, with additional injuries at the other destroyed structures.||Thanks to preliminary footage from an Alabama Emergency Management Agency drone team, the tornado was observed to take a slight right turn and continue toward the Courtland area. Along and south of Alabama Highway 20 in Courtland, uprooted and large snapped tree branches were the main damage indicators. A small mobile home was slightly shifted off its plot, denoting mid-range EF-0 winds. The path continued east-northeast and crossed U.S. Highway 72, causing more tree damage on CR 150. Along CR 150, south of CR 400, the strongest damage indicator was a small and well-built block outbuilding. This structure was mostly destroyed, except for a back wall. The tornado continued to weaken as it approached and crossed CR 389. Large tree branches were downed and minor roof damage was observed at three residences. Minor tree damage continued toward the river in the vicinity of CR 400.||The tornado crossed the Tennessee River and laid down again on the Limestone County shore near Brigadoon Drive. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rigdom | $8,000 | Trees were reported down on CR 585. Time was estimated from radar data. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rigdom | $5,000 | A tree was blown down on a house on the 2000 block of CR 265 in Town Creek. |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrytown | 1.8 miles | 13 | |
| Courtland Downs | 2.2 miles | 14 | |
| Rocky Hill | 2.5 miles | 14 | |
| North Courtland | 2.5 miles | 14 | |
| Rocky Hill (historical) | 2.7 miles | 14 | |
| Courtland | 3.2 miles | 14 | |
| Town Creek | 3.4 miles | 15 | |
| Terry Heights | 4.1 miles | 14 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikidata item Q122598957 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 156969. 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.
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.