Verbena, Alabama, the only community in the U.S. so designated, took its name from the profuse wild flowers growing in the area. Settlers arrived as early as 1832, and completion of the North-South Railroad and a train depot there in 1870 allowed Montgomery residents to escape yellow fever epidemics, especially the severe outbreak of 1873. Its healthier climate drew many prominent citizens to build summer homes, and the village grew to include two hotels, doctor's offices, a bank, general stores, mineral springs, and more. Sidney Lanier, a noted Southern poet, is reputed to have written “Into the Woods” while camping on the banks of nearby Chestnut Creek, which was also known for its gold mines. By 1900, Dr. Walter Reed's Commission had succeeded in eradicating yellow fever and the population declined, but the village endured, with some beautiful homes and a church building erected in 1876 still in use, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.