# Alabama timezone history # compiled by Jules Descartes September 2011 # published under Creative Commons license # http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en # Sources: # Curran and Taylor, World Daylight Saving Time # Doris Cahse Doane, Time changes in the USA (quoted as DCD) # Thomas Shanks, American Atlas, various editions (quoted as Shanks) # Newspaper archives accessible via Internet # # We propose 10 zones files, but this is only a first approximation. Newspaper # archives show in many cases that the information given by DCD and Shanks is # incomplete and often incorrect. # Further research will most likely lead to different zone extensions and the # need to have more zones to make the necessary history distinctions. # visual map posted to Wikimedia # http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alabama_countyseats_tzhistory.jpg # # Mobile is 3rd largest city after Montgomery and Birmingham, which both # have special zones. Mobile is representing the largest part (about 90%) of # Alabama's timezone history. It is located at 88w03 = -5:52:12 # # We need a rule for war time 1941 in all of Alabama except Phenix zone # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER Rule Alabama 1941 only - Jul 21 0:01 1:00 W Rule Alabama 1941 only - Oct 1 0:01 0 S # and rules for DST in Madison county 1958-1960 Rule Madison 1958 1960 - Apr lastSun 2:00 1:00 D Rule Madison 1958 only - Oct 25 2:00 0 S Rule Madison 1959 1960 - Sep lastSun 2:00 0 S # # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Mobile -5:52:12 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:07:48 -6:00 US C%sT 1920 -6:00 Alabama C%sT 1942 -6:00 US C%sT # Madison county has DST in the years 1958, 1959, 1960 # This is zone 2 in the Alabama county map. # Shanks lists five locations in Madison county not following DST in these # years, but his county assignments of Taluca, Swancott, Slaughter Landing, # Maple Hill seem wrong. Elkwood is in Madison, but we do not follow Shanks # for it unless proof comes forward. # Zone is named after it largest town and county seat Huntsville at 86w35 # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Huntsville -5:46:20 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:13:40 -6:00 US C%sT 1920 -6:00 Alabama C%sT 1942 -6:00 US C%sT 1958 -6:00 Madison C%sT 1967 -6:00 US C%sT # Northern part of Morgan county around Decatur had DST in 1958, like Madison. # Sources: DCD, Shanks, Newspaper reports # This is zone 3 in Alabama county map. # This is only a small part of the county, Shanks lists 23 towns. Two of his # towns are in Limestone county, we do not follow Shanks for those: Decatur # Junction ist not a populated place, only a railway junction in the middle of # a rive bridge, Athens-Limestone hospital is in the middle of Athens, # Limestone county seat, which did surely not have DST. # Shanks gives 0:01 as change time, we follow Madison county, not Shanks. # Short DST experiment in 1940, which was ended by public vote. # Zone is named after largest town participating, Decatur at 86w59 # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Decatur -5:47:56 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:12:04 -6:00 US C%sT 1920 -6:00 - CST 1940 May 5 02:00 -5:00 - CDT 1940 Jun 9 0 -6:00 Alabama C%sT 1942 -6:00 US C%sT 1958 -6:00 Madison C%sT 1959 -6:00 US C%sT # Montgomery (state capital) with surroundings, part of Montgomery county # and Elmore county had DST in 1935 and 1940. # This is zone 4 in Alabama county map. # Newspaper The Tuscaloosa News of 1935 May 17 reports under the title # 'Mongomery to go on daylight saving time' this: '...daylight saving time # should go into effect tomorrow midnight and remain in effect until # Sept. 14'. Midnight in common usage indicated the end of the day, which makes # the begin May 19 0:00 and the end Sept. 15 0:00, both Sunday mornings. # Curran & Talyor, DCD and Shanks have May 18 00:01 and Sept. 02 00:01; # we go with the newspaper source. # For 1940, DST was ordered by governor Dixon to begin May 5 02:00 and last # until Sept 29 03:00 (Tuscaloosa News Apr 30, 1935). Few parts # of the state followed, see zones 4 and 6 on the map. The citizens soon got # tired of DST and returned to CST at different dates, see below. 'Montgomery # returnd to CST on August 12 earlier today' according to The Florence Times # ed. Aug. 12. We assume 02:00. Shanks has Apr 28 to Sept. 29, we follow # newspaper reports. # Zone is named after largest town participating, Montgomery at 86w18 # # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Montgomery -5:45:12 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:14:48 -6:00 US C%sT 1920 -6:00 - CST 1935 Apr 19 0 -5:00 - CDT 1935 Sep 15 0 -6:00 - CST 1940 May 5 02:00 -5:00 - CDT 1940 Aug 12 02:00 -6:00 Alabama C%sT 1942 -6:00 US C%sT # Chambers and Lee county had DST in 1966. # This is zone 5 in Alabama county map. # Sources DCD and Shanks have most communities in Chambers and Lee county, the # Fort Tucker area in Dale county and a few towns in Macon county follow the # federal DST in 1966. We use Chicago rule for 1966. # Zone is named after largest town in Chambers, Auburn at 85w29 # # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Auburn -5:41:56 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:18:04 -6:00 US C%sT 1920 -6:00 Alabama C%sT 1942 -6:00 US C%sT 1966 -6:00 Chicago C%sT 1967 -6:00 US C%sT # Zone 6 on Alabama county map: # Governor Dixon tried ordering DST in 1940, but aside of the Montgomery area # (see above) only a few areas of the state followed. Shanks has a large part # of Tuscaloosa county, the area around the state's largest city Birmingham in # Jefferson and Shelby county, part of Etowah and Calhoun county, and gives # April 20 to Sep 29. As quoted above, the begin date was one week later May 5. # # According to various newspaper reports more parts of the states, those with # larger cities and towns, took part, among them Talladega (in same county), # Athens in Limestone county, Decatur and Hartselle in Morgan county, # Tuskegee in Macon county, Cullman in Cullman. # The large city of Mobile did not take part, nor did most rural # areas. About the extension of the following around the towns Tuskegee, # Athens and Talladega we have no precise data. The map marks an assumed # range. # # Newspapers report that various parts ended DST rather soon. # The governor gave up DST in August, see zone Montgomery above. Gadsen, # Birmingham, Anniston, Talladega and Birmingham are reported to have stayed # on until the originally proclaimed duration. # Towns with Early endings get extra zones: # Decatur and Hartselle Sunday June 9. # Athens June 5 ('on the ballot day June 4 before the vote count was # completed' according to Florence Times Daily of June 6). # Tuscaloosa August 10 (Tuscaloosa News of August 4). # # Zone is named after largest town in state, Birmingham at 86w48 # # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Birmingham -5:47:12 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:12:48 -6:00 US C%sT 1920 -6:00 - CST 1940 May 5 02:00 -5:00 - CDT 1940 Sep 29 03:00 -6:00 Alabama C%sT 1942 -6:00 US C%sT # Eastern part of state around Phenix adopted EST in 1941, following # nearby Columbus, GA. All of Russell county, part of Lee county, following # Shanks and DCD. # Tuscaloosa News of Sept 23 reports that Phenix went to EST 'when Georgia # changed from CST to EST some time ago'. The change in GA is complicated, # Shanks and DCD give Mar 23 for Columbus, we stay with them. # The same newspaper article says Phenix City stayed with EST when the parts # of Alabama which were on DST went back to CST on Sep 23, but that the rest # of Russell county except Phenix City went with the other parts of Alabama. # We stay with Shanks here, as this county is later certainly on EST and # we lack other information about a change date. # In 1943 Columbus GA went from EWT to CWT, and according to Shanks Phenix # followed. This seems logical, as the argument for Phenix following EST # is that many inhabitants work in Columbus. # This is zone 7 in Alabama county map. # Zone is named after largest town participating, Phenix City at 85w0 # # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Phenix -5:40:00 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:20:00 -6:00 US C%sT 1941 Mar 23 12:00 -5:00 US E%sT 1943 Feb 14 02:00 -5:00 - CWT 1945 Sep 30 02:00 -5:00 US E%sT # Zone 8 for Tuscaloosa DST in 1940 with early ending, see comment above at # zone Birmingham. Follow Shankls in the assumption that whole county went # with county seat. # # Zone is named after county seat Tuscaloosa at 87w34 # # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Tuscaloosa -5:50:16 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:09:44 -6:00 US C%sT 1920 -6:00 - CST 1940 May 5 02:00 -5:00 - CDT 1940 Aug 10 0 -6:00 Alabama C%sT 1942 -6:00 US C%sT # Zone 9 for Athens, Limstone county, DST in 1940 with early ending, # see comment above at zone Birmingham. Extent around Athens is not known, # zone drawing in county map is hypothetical border. Possibly whole county # should be added. # # Zone is named after Limestone county seat Athens at 86w58 # # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Athens -5:47:52 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:12:08 -6:00 US C%sT 1920 -6:00 - CST 1940 May 5 02:00 -5:00 - CDT 1940 Jun 5 0 -6:00 Alabama C%sT 1942 -6:00 US C%sT # Zone 10 for Hartselle, Morgan county, DST in 1940 with early ending, # see comment above at zone Birmingham. Extent around Hartselle is not known, # zone drawing in county map is hypothetical border. # Hartselle went like Decatur in 1940, but needs separate zone because it did # (according to Shanks) not have DST in 1958 like Decatur. # # Zone is named after Hartselle at 86w56 # # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Alabama/Hartselle -5:47:44 - LMT 1883 Nov 18 12:12:16 -6:00 US C%sT 1920 -6:00 - CST 1940 May 5 02:00 -5:00 - CDT 1940 Jun 9 0 -6:00 Alabama C%sT 1942 -6:00 US C%sT