An Updated History of Pitchford Hollow

Russell Lands announces new additions

In the early 1920s, before Lake Martin was filled, this part of Alabama was comprised of small towns, farmland, forest, creeks and the Tallapoosa River. In those days, the primary features on the northwest end of Lake Martin (in the area now known as “The Narrows”) were two creeks—Oakachoy and Big Kowaliga. Where these two creeks came together was the original Russell family “home place” established by Jesse Russell in the 1840s.

Just to the south of The Narrows, a creek that locals called “Sucker Creek” (for the large number of carp that fill the creek during spring) joins the Big Kowaliga. When the dam was built, these three creeks helped fill what is now Lake Martin, and the slough became known as Pitchford Hollow.

Ideal lake setting

Pitchford Hollow is a long slough that runs west to east, and its size causes some people to call it a “lake within a lake.” After the lake was filled, the quaint and humble Russell Cabins began to dot the shoreline. As time passed and technology allowed, boating became a popular pastime.

Wind and waves made skiing difficult for beginners on the big water. Many a lake lover learned to ski on the quiet waters of Pitchford Hollow. The long, gentle shoreline absorbed the wake from boats—much like the cabins and lake life absorbed workday worries.

From cabins to lake community

In the early 2000s, Willow Point development reached its natural boundaries. Given the popularity of the Willow Point neighborhood, the beauty of the land, the ease of access from Alexander City and U.S. Hwy 280, it made sense to add the adjacent Pitchford Hollow property to the Willow Point community.

The first phase on the southern side of the slough, Willow Glynn, was opened in 2008, just in time for the financial crisis and great recession. The beauty and popularity of this area overcame the recession headwinds with a sure and steady progression of home building and development.

By 2015, Russell Lands had virtually completed the sales and development activity in Willow Glynn with nearly 60 very attractive lake homes being completed. To many, this is the most attractive collection of lake homes on the lake, no doubt due, in part, to the beautiful forest surrounding the neighborhood.

Looking to the future

In 2017, we began work on the north side of Pitchford Hollow. Christened The Willows, this shoreline is destined to be a beautiful addition to the Willow Point community. We released the first collection of waterfront homesites in mid-2018, and now, just seven of the original 27 lots are unsold. One homesite is the location of this year’s Birmingham Home & Garden Inspiration Home.

Due to the obvious demand for The Willows, we have advanced release timing for additional waterfront homesites. As part of the master plan for The Willows, we included more traditional homesites and a small enclave of the popular Russell Cabins. The cabin sector will potentially be released in early October. The release for the next sector of traditional homesites has not been determined yet, but likely to be in spring of 2020.

We think that these two additions to The Willows will be highly sought after. If you want advance information related to these sectors, contact one of our Realtors^®, Rhonda Watson or Emily McDaniel. They may be reached at 256.215.7011 seven days a week.