The community name derives from Annie's Town, named for Annie Scott Tyler, wife of railroad president Alfred L. Tyler. An iron furnace was established on the site of Anniston during the American Civil War, but it was destroyed by the federal troops in 1865; and in 1872 it was rebuilt on a much larger scale. Iron and steel manufacturing long have been a fixture of the city’s economy because of large deposits of iron ore and coal in the vicinity. The city was founded in 1872 as a private enterprise by the Woodstock Iron Company, organized by Samuel Noble and Gen. Daniel Tyler (1799-1882) but was not opened for general settlement until twelve years later. It was chartered as a city in 1879. Anniston was once known as a health resort. Early institutions included The Noble Institute, a school for girls established in 1886 by Samuel Noble (1834-1888), a wealthy iron-founder, and the Alabama Presbyterian College for Men, founded in 1905.