ANNISTON

city, seat (1898) of Calhoun county, northeastern Alabama, U.S. It lies in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Founded in 1872 by Samuel Noble and Daniel Tyler as a private industrial community (opened to the public in 1883), it was originally named for the Woodstock Iron Company; to avoid confusion with another Woodstock in Alabama, it was renamed Anniston (Annie's Town) after the wife of Alfred Tyler, the company president. Cast-iron pipe, textiles, and chemicals are the city's major products. The Anniston Museum of Natural History has a notable collection of bird specimens. Nearby Fort McClellan (191295) was headquarters of the Women's Army Corps (194278), which later became a museum. Inc. 1879. Pop. (1993 est.) city, 27,436; Anniston MSA, 117,781.