Do you know which building is the oldest on Cogswell Avenue? Or which business has walls that are two feet thick?

The Heart of Pell City will answer those questions and more on the second annual Historic Walking Tour, which will be held in downtown Pell City every Saturday in April from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tours are free and open to the public. Tours will begin at Pell City City Hall, 1905 First Avenue North, at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m. Guests are asked to register at City Hall at least 15 minutes prior to scheduled tour times.

Visitors will learn about the origins of Pell City and of the people and events that helped form the town into what it is today on the guided tours.

“It was both fun and rewarding sharing our town’s history with so many people last year. I’m glad The Heart of Pell City has the opportunity to host this event again this year,” Frank Lee, treasurer for The Heart of Pell City, said.

Lee is also the founder of C.A.S.P.I.R Paranormal Group and conducted tours in 2016. He is scheduled to be a tour guide for the second annual event.

Lee regaled visitors with tales of Pell City history, including a fatal explosion, odd medical studies, and the use of an x-ray machine to measure children’s shoe sizes. “Many were surprised to learn that Pell City was founded 75 years before Logan Martin Lake existed or that at one time Pell City was a ghost town with goats corralled in the city’s largest commercial building of the time,” Lee explained.

Pell City was founded in 1887 by railroad investors and officially incorporated on May 6, 1891. After a serious economic depression in 1893, Pell City became virtually abandoned and the population dwindled to 40 people by 1901. At that time, Sumter Cogswell visited Pell City for the second time, and with his wife Lydia DeGaris Cogswell, bought the 400 principle acres of town for $3,000. They continued to invest time and money into Pell City, bringing a courthouse, manufacturing, and other businesses. From a population of 40, Pell City is currently the largest city in St. Clair County.

The Walking Tours are part of the Alabama Tourism Department statewide initiative to highlight historic areas in the state. More than 28 cities throughout Alabama will be participating in the walking tours this year, and the program continues to grow. This is the second year that Pell City will be taking part in this statewide program, to educate citizens and visitors about the rich history of the town.

“It was amazing to see so many people of all ages and from so many different places, several from out of state but a couple even from other countries, spend some time learning about Pell City’s history,” Lee said. “It is going to be even better this year and I look forward to seeing everyone return to take the tour again as well as seeing lot of new smiling faces there to learn about our town’s history!”

For more information on The Heart of Pell City and Historic Walking Tours, visit www.facebook.com/heartofpellcity.

For additional information on cities throughout Alabama participating in the April Walking Tours, visit www.alabama.travel/trails/april-walking-tours