Smithsonia, Alabama

Smithsonia, also known as Cave Springs, is an unincorporated community in Lauderdale County, in the U.S. state of Alabama.

Smithsonia, Alabama
Unincorporated community
Smithsonia Show map of Alabama Smithsonia Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 34°47′39″N 87°52′45″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Lauderdale
Elevation	512 ft (156 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area codes	256 & 938
GNIS feature ID	157080[1]

History

Smithsonia was originally known as Cave Springs, in reference to the numerous caves in the surrounding area. It was then named Smithsonia, in honor of Columbus Smith, a landowner and merchant following the American Civil War.^[2] Smith operated a ferry, general store, grist mill, and cotton gin in Smithsonia.^[3] A post office was in operation under the name Smithsonia from 1886 to 1927.^[4]