In 1889, Dr. Jeremiah Guin gave land to the Kansas City, Missouri & Birmingham Railroad to allow completion of its Memphis to Birmingham railway, and the rails connected at his farm about ¼ mile west of the present railroad crossing, where a ceremonial golden spike was driven. A flagstop called Guin was established, and soon afterward 32 citizens petitioned the Alabama legislature to incorporate a town. Incorporated on December 30, 1889, Guin initially had about 350 citizens, 13 storehouses, four hotels, two cotton yards, and a livery stable. The depot operated until the 1960s and was the site where many local soldiers boarded trains to fight in WWI, WWII, and the Korean War. Over the following years, Guin became home to Marion County's first high school, a bank, an automobile dealership, and America's first combined Senior Center/Disaster Shelter facility with the Collins Life Center. On April 3, 1974, the Guin area was struck by an outbreak of violent tornadoes that still rank among the most severe in recorded history. The tornado that struck downtown Guin was classified as an F5 super cell tornado with speeds of up to 250 miles per hour. Twenty-Three local people lost their lives, hundreds more were injured, about 2,000 residents were left homeless, 221 homes were totally lost, and 358 more were partially damaged. Guin's business district was flattened, with 55 businesses, its hospital, City Hall, and rural electric office all sustaining damage, and the Baptist, Church of Christ, and Methodist churches were also demolished. In the months after the storm, the Alabama National Guard, U.S. Small Business, H.U.D. Administration, the American Red Cross, and thousands of volunteers from across America assisted in the rebuilding effort.