01/20/2026
Here is some info on Chambers County, where we are located.
Fyi: the time zone
Chambers County sits right on the Georgia state line and marches to the beat of its own drum (and time zone). Its name is in honor of Henry H. Chambers, who served as a United States Senator from Alabama.
The "Time Zone" Confusion
Chambers County is one of the only places in Alabama where you have to check your watch twice.
The Split: Officially, the entire county is in the Central Time Zone (like the rest of Alabama).
The Reality: The cities in the eastern part of the county (Valley, Lanett) are so economically tied to West Point and LaGrange, Georgia, that they operate on Eastern Time.
The Daily Struggle: This means if you have a court hearing in the county seat (LaFayette), you must be there on Central Time. But if you are picking your kids up from school in Lanett, you are likely on Eastern Time.
Home of Alabama’s Largest Lake
West Point Lake (on the Chattahoochee River) dominates eastern Chambers County. It’s one of the largest lakes in Alabama, popular for fishing, boating, and camping.
Hollywood History
The classic 1988 film "Mississippi Burning", starring Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe, was not filmed in Mississippi—it was filmed largely in Alabama, and Chambers County played a starring role.
The Courtroom: The tense courtroom scenes were filmed inside the historic Chambers County Courthouse in LaFayette.
The Streets: Much of the downtown LaFayette square was dressed up to look like 1964 Mississippi for the movie.
The Birthplace of the "Brown Bomber"
Chambers County is the birthplace of Joe Louis, one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time and an American cultural icon.
The Cabin: He was born in 1914 in a humble sharecropper's cabin on Bell Chapel Road, near LaFayette.
The Monument: There is a massive, heroic bronze statue of Louis draped in a boxing robe standing outside the County Courthouse today.
The "City of Valley" Experiment
The city of Valley, Alabama, is unique because it didn't exist until 1980.
The Merger: It was formed by merging four distinct textile mill villages: Fairfax, Langdale, Shawmut, and River View.
The Architecture: Because these were "company towns" built by the West Point Manufacturing Company, the architecture is distinct. You can still drive through and see the "Mill Village" style homes, and the historic Langdale Mill site is now being preserved and redeveloped.
The Man Who Shot Billy the Kid
Pat Garrett, the famous Old West lawman who tracked down and killed the outlaw Billy the Kid, was born in Chambers County near the community of Cusseta in 1850. He lived there until his family lost their fortune in the Civil War and moved west.
The "Last" Civil War Battle
Chambers County was the site of the Battle of West Point and the defense of Fort Tyler on April 16, 1865.
The Timing: This battle is tragic because it happened seven days after Robert E. Lee had already surrendered at Appomattox. The communications lines were cut, so the soldiers fighting in the fort (mostly teenagers and recovering wounded soldiers) didn't know the war was effectively over. It is often cited as the last fort to fall in the Civil War.
Spann notes…
*Looking for some good food? Check out the Southern Smokehouse in Lanett… get the rib plate. You will thank me later.
*A tornado moved through northern Chambers County on March 20, 1905. It killed nine people.
*You can immediately tell if someone “ain’t from around here” if they botch the pronunciation of the county seat. It is spelled LaFayette (often with a capital F). While the French general was "La-fay-ette," locals pronounce the town "La-FAY-it" (rhyming with "play it").
