2011 Map of Rodentown

About this map

Rodentown and the surrounding Etowah and Marshall County borderlands are defined by a complex network of gaps and hollows at the start of the 21st century. The landscape is marked by the varied watercourses of Coal Creek, Short Creek, and Reedy Creek, which wind between topographic features like Horton Gap and Dugout Valley. This era shows a community rooted in local institutions, evidenced by the Fenton Post Office and the Smith Institute, alongside a high density of family and community burial grounds including Whitesboro and Leath Cemetery. Small, established settlements such as Sardis City, Carlisle, and Arona anchor the rural road network, while engineering features like Stephens Dam on Stephens Lake suggest the managed water resources of the region. The transition between the high ground of Liberty Hill and the low-lying Penitentiary Hollow illustrates the varied terrain that has historically shaped settlement patterns in this part of Alabama.