Emelle, Alabama, honors Emelle Dial, whose father, Joseph Dial, gave land to the Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad on the condition that the station be named for his daughter. She is said to have been named for her two aunts, Emma and Ella, but because no aunts by those names are known, she appears instead to have been named for Emelie Spencer, a family acquaintance who attended the same church as Emma and Ella. In the 1980s, Emelie was ground zero in the controversy over the sprawling Chemical Waste Management landfill just outside the city limits. Local citizens and environmental groups, including Alabamians for a Clean Environment, united in outrage after the company chose to operate there. Although Emelle did not succeed in closing the landfill entirely, the town's efforts helped bring about higher state taxes and stronger federal regulations that severely hampered the company's operations. Emelle also has several historic churches and continues working to rebuild the strong retail base that once existed there, while taking pride in its people and its place in West Alabama as a one-of-a-kind community.