National Register of Historic Places ; Wilson Park; Architecture; Florence, AL
The National Register nomination covers three houses facing Wilson Park, the only remaining houses from what was once a prominent Florence neighborhood. The houses were built between 1890 and 1918 and represent typical upper middle class residential architecture of the time. The original plans for Florence, as surveyed and plotted by Ferdinand Sannoner, set aside a city block as a “public walk”. This allotment was adjacent to the lot designated for a school and which was subsequently developed as the Florence Synodical Female College, the “public walk” became the City Park complete with gas lighting, cedar plantings, and a bandstand. Building lots around the park became highly desirable for residential development. During the city’s economic boom from the 1880s through the 1920s, fashionable upper-middle class homes were built around the remaining three sides (north, east, and west) of the park. Over time the college was demolished and the post office and larger park footprint expanded on to the site of the Florence Synodical Female College. Commercial structures took the place of the late 19th early 20th century residential structures to the east and west leaving only three houses on the north side as a reminder of the earlier neighborhood. The house at 209 Tuscaloosa Street was constructed around 1890 and in 1894 became the home of local pharmacist, Charles Morton Southall. The Southall Drug building on Court Street is also on the National Register. The two and a half story asymmetrical frame house has Queen Anne and Shingle style features including a hipped roof, projecting front gable with Tudor revival detailing, a second story clad in wood shingles, and a one story wrap around porch supported by paired round columns on brick piers. The two story brick Georgian Revival house at 217 Tuscaloosa Street was built for James Josephus Douglass about 1910. Douglass was a prominent local businessman and farmer. The house passed to his son Hiram Kennedy Douglass, an Episcopal minister and genealogist, who left the house and the adjacent Wright – Douglas House to the city of Florence in conjunction with the Kennedy-Douglass Trust for public use as an Arts Center. The Wright-Douglas House (223 Tuscaloosa Street) was purchased by Hiram Kennedy Douglass in 1939. The one and half story frame Victorian house is currently part of the Florence Arts Center. The National Register nomination for the Wilson Park houses was written in 1978 and lacks much information that would be required of a current nomination. It is advised that this nomination be updated.
Missy Brown, University of North Alabama
Floyd, Warner W. and Sally Moore. “Wilson Park Houses – National Register of Historic Preservation Nomination,” Montgomery: Alabama Historical Commission, 1979.
Florence Wesleyan University began when LaGrange College's students and teachers sought a new location in Florence. The majority of the faculty and students left the original site of LaGrange College - across the river from Florence (4 miles south of Leighton, Alabama) in 1855. The college began holding classes at the Florence Masonic hall because construction on their building, Wesleyan Hall, had not been completed yet. The tuition was listed as $25 for a ten month semester. The college closed from 1861-1869 due to the fact that over 100 students and faculty left to fight in the Civil War. After the Civil War had ended the school reopened but closed three years later due to lack of funding. In 1872 the school was deeded to the state of Alabama and reopened as State Normal School.
Claire Eagle, University of North Alabama
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. (Bluewater Publications, 2003), 90-91. University of North Alabama, "Brief Look at University of North Alabama History." Florence, Alabama, 2005.
William Basil Wood was born on October 31, 1820. Wood was a LaGrange College graduate, and practiced law in Florence before the Civil War. Wood served as a colonel of the 16th Alabama Infantry Regiment and was recommended for promotion to brigadier general, but worked as President of the Military Court when he was assigned to General James Longstreet’s Corps. Besides being a lawyer, Wood served as circuit court judge and a Methodist minister after the war. Wood was instrumental in the movement of La Grange College from Leighton to Florence in 1855. Wood was also one of the first historians of Lauderdale County. William Basil Wood passed away on April 3, 1891. He is buried in the Florence Cemetery along with his wife, Sarah. Wood Avenue in Florence is named in his honor.
Kayla Scott, University of North Alabama
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. (Bluewater Publications, 2003), 45-46. Jill K. Garret, History of Lauderdale County, Alabama, 1964, 228. Image Courtesy of Collier Library Archives
National Register of Historic Places ; Architecture; Florence, AL
The Karsner-Kennedy House at 303 North Pine Street is located on lot 7 of the original Florence plat purchased by James Gadsden for $350. The house was built sometime before 1831 when it was purchased by Oscar Karsner. The Karsner family owned the home until it was acquired by the Carroll-Kennedy family in 1902. The property was subsequently owned by the City of Florence and was used as the Florence Housing Authority and currently by Florence Main Street program. The building is significant for its architecture and is one of the few remaining small nineteenth century Federal buildings in the Tennessee Valley. Over time the structure was altered with many additions including a front porch, shed dormers, and assorted wings but the defining fabric remained and the building was restored in 1971-1973 by the City of Florence under the direction of Karl Tyree, Jr. Executive Director of the Florence Housing Authority. The one and a half story brick cottage is laid in Flemish and English common bond and is 13 inches thick. The double front doors (replacement) are in the left (south) bay and are remarkable for their brick arch and intricate fanlight. Much of the interior woodwork is intact and mirrors this delicacy of design: staircase, doors and surrounds, and mantels. The rear wing, rear porch, and dormers were added or altered during the restoration but are based on design style or remnants found during the restoration process. In 1971 the building was one of the first in Florence and seventeenth in the state of Alabama to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also included as part of the Ferdinand Sannoner District in 1976 as a contributing structure. Information for this Omeka entry was obtained from the National Register of Historic Preservation nomination. Additional information can be found in the nomination on the Alabama Historical Association website or National Park Service database. Due to changes in condition, use, and ownership of the property as well as the limited information required of early nominations, this National Register nomination requires updating.
National Register Nomination (#70000104)
James Martin House (Martin-Bounds House)
National Register of Historic Places; Architecture; Florence, AL
The James Martin House was listed on the National Register in 1981 for its significance in architecture and its association with James Martin, an early Florence industrialist. The story and a half frame cottage was a common form in its time period (constructed around 1843) but overtime the numbers have diminished and the surviving Martin house is a notable example of the style. Other local examples include the Wood House on Wood Avenue and the Edward A. O’Neil House and the Abraham Dean House both on North Court Street. The simple cottage form originally consisted of two rooms separated by a central hall and bracketed by exterior end brick chimneys. The interior woodwork is largely intact and has Federal style detailing mixed with some Greek Revival aspects. The original hall doors are exceptional for their Carpenter and Company locks. At the time of the National Register nomination in 1980 the house had a three room rear addition (construction date not known) and a three room addition on the west elevation which included 20th century partitioning and a kitchen and bathroom. A photo made in 2015 shows the rear addition in place but the western addition removed. The front Doric porch columns on the single bay pedimented porch were also replaced during that time period and reflect the older engaged fluted columns that flank the double front doors. The roof was also replaced with modern asphalt architectural shingles. The cottage is also significant for its association with James Martin a leading businessman who first worked in the building trade and then in 1839 as a textile mill owner. Martin, in partnership with Levi Cassity, established the Globe Cotton Mill employing 150 people by 1844. The mill was located on Cypress Creek close to the Martins house. The mill burned in 1844 but was rebuilt by Martin with a new partner Samuel D. Weakley. The mill prospered and the company also operated a grist mill and sawmill. The site also included a mill village with housing, a day school, and church for the workers. In 1863 the mill site, but not the house, was burned by Federal troops. After an attempt to rebuild and the death of James Martin the mill site was sold to the Cypress Mill Company. Information for this Omeka entry was obtained from the 1981 nomination. Due to the obvious changes in the exterior of the house and the early date of the nomination, the National Register listing could benefit from an update.
Gamble, Robert. “James Martin House National Register of Historic Places nomination.” Montgomery: Alabama Historical Commission, 1981.
Florence University for Women was also known as Baptist University and Hawthorne's College. Work began on the college in 1890 by the Florence Educational, Land, and Development Company headed by J.B. Hawthorne. The building had three floors, 88 bedrooms, a chapel that could seat 750, a dining hall, sixteen classrooms, and a gym.The school was going to be a Baptist university if a $100,000 endowment could be paid within the first year. After the endowment was not paid the school was given to Rev. L.D. Bass to establish a secular school named Southern Female University. It opened in 1891 with 20 teachers and about 100 students. Although Bass advertised the school as a secular institution, the student body consisted of mostly Baptist girls. After only two years the college moved to Birmingham and the building sat vacant. In 1908 the president of Southern Female College in Lagrange, Ga, M.W. Hatto purchased the building. Hatto had the building renovated and reopened the school as Florence University for Women. Less than 3 years later the building burned, along with all of the students belongings, because of faulty electrical wiring. Only the seniors were able to finish their degrees after being sent to a school in Kentucky. The building was insured, but only for $16,000.
Text: William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. (Bluewater Publications, 2003), 92-93. “Florence University is Burned to the Ground,” The Tri-Cities Daily, March 2, 1911. Image: University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections
On the first Friday of each month from March through December, Florence residents come together at historic downtown Florence to celebrate the town’s rich culture in the arts. The scene is a festive atmosphere and the admission is free. Streets are closed for vehicle transportations while the sidewalks and street corners are occupied by pedestrian traffic, booths, and music stages. Florence citizens and local businesses and organizations set up booths in order to sell photography, paintings, ceramics, foodstuff, and other artistic matters. On this night, many downtown stores and restaurants stay open after hours for in order to provide business and browsing. Stages are set up for local bands to perform to a mixed crowd of recognizable and new faces. The city of Florence has put on this event since 2005. Numerous organizations and departments had to agree in order to establish the First Friday festival. Downtown Florence Unlimited, which comprises of retail and service businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations, collaborated with the City of Florence, Florence Main Street Program, the University of North Alabama, and the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Department for the event to take off. Two partner organizations associated with Florence First Fridays are The Kiwanis Club and the Kennedy-Douglas Center for the Arts.
Jesse Brock, University of North Alabama
Text: “First Fridays Art Event in Downtown Florence,” Explore the Shoals, 2008-2009, 140. Downtown Florence Unlimited, “Partner Organizations,” Florence First Fridays, http://www.firstfridaysflorence.org/partners.html (accessed May 1, 2015). Images: “October First Friday in Florence,” Times Daily, http://www.timesdaily.com/collection_1a88741a-2d58-11e3-9a28-001a4bcf6878.html (accessed May 1, 2014).
Locust Dell Academy operated in Florence from 1834 to 1843. The all-girls school was owned and operated by Nicholas Marcellus Hentz and his wife Caroline Lee Hentz. Subjects taught included reading, math, composition, and painting. The name Locust Dell came from the grove of locust trees the school resided in. The school continued to operate after the Hentz's left Florence in 1843. The Florence Synodical Female College absorbed Locust Dell in 1855. Unfortunately, the original building burned down in 1929. The school was located where the University of North Alabama's Willingham Hall stands today.
Text: William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. (Bluewater Publications, 2003), 80. Elizabeth Walter. “Locust Dell Turned Girls” The Picture, Florence, Alabama, January 4, 1973. Images: University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections
Also known as Mapleton, the two and a half story frame house was placed on the National Register in 1981 for its significance in terms of architecture. The Federal style house sits on one of the highest lots in Florence overlooking both the central business district to the east and the Tennessee River to the south. Though the property’s address is 420 South Pine Street the house faces Limestone Street and the Tennessee River. According to the 1981 nomination the house is an outstanding northern Alabama interpretation of the Federal style with notable examples of delicate Adamesque mantles, finely carved woodwork in the double drawing rooms, and identical semi elliptical fanlights over double doorways leading to the central hall. Inspiration for much of the detailing appears to be popular standard builder’s handbooks. The 1825-1830 house was home to many prominent Florentines. The first, George Coulter, a native of Kentucky, was a lawyer, farmer, and military officer. The house passed to Dr. Levi Todd in the 1850s at which time it was known as Todd’s Hill. During the Civil War the house was used by both Federal and Confederate commands. After the was the house was owned by Major Robert McFarland, a local attorney, and later by Dr. W.W. Slaton during which time the house was renamed Mapleton in honor of Mrs. Slaton’s childhood home. During the Slatons ownership a doctor’s office was added to the east elevation and the matching front and rear porches were changed. The 1981 nomination states that no other major changes were made. The current (2015) façade of the house is almost totally obscured by massive Magnolia trees but the house appears to have no major exterior changes since the nomination. However the nomination was written 34 years ago and updates are needed to the nomination.
Gamble, Robert. “George Coulter House National Register of Historic Places.” Montgomery: Alabama Historical Commission, 1981.
National Register of Historic Places; Lustron Houses of Alabama Multi-Property Nomination; Architecture; Florence, AL
The E.H. Darby Lustron House at 321 Beverly Avenue was built in 1949. The one story 2 bedroom house is a Westchester model and features 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, a galley kitchen with large utility space, a dining alcove and front living room with a built in bookcase. The house still has its original oval metal Lustron identification plaque with the serial number #1396. The Lustron Corporation manufactured prefabricated steel and enameled paneled homes to meet the housing demands created by returning soldiers from World War II. The Columbus, Ohio based company operated between 1946 and 1950 and built 2,495 houses in a retooled Curtis-Wright airplane parts factory. The closed system factory constructed all 3,000 components of the house from steel and packaged the parts directly on specialized truck beds designed to hold and deliver one Lustron House. Lustron Houses, like the automobile they so closely resembled, were sold by local franchised dealers. The company had no problem recruiting dealers and provided the nationwide network with a training and education center. Building crews were offered training at the Lustron Service School in Columbus. Dealers did suffer from territory disrupts, uncertain funding sources, local building code inconsistencies, and slow order delivery. In 1950 with accolades and praise from homeowners and the architectural and building community, financial problems and slow production rates forced the Lustron Corporation to close. In Alabama Lustron Houses are closely associated with the local North Alabama South Tennessee dealer, the Southern Sash Company. The Southern Sash Company’s parent company Union Aluminum of Sheffield produced the aluminum frame windows for the Lustron Corporation. Company records as of December 31, 1949 displayed shipments for 15 houses in Alabama. The 2000 multi-property nomination “Lustron Houses in Alabama” lists 9 surviving houses – 5 of which are in the Muscle Shoals area; 2 in Sheffield and 3 in Florence. All the houses in Florence are the most common plan, the two bedroom deluxe Westchester plan. This property was listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 for its significance in terms of architecture and engineering. The same year it was also listed as part of a multiple property nomination “Lustron Houses in Alabama”. Information for this Omeka entry was found in the individual and multi-property nomination.
Ford, Gene A., Susan Enzweiler and Trina Binkley. “Bowen, William House – Lustron House”. National Register of Historic Places. Montgomery: Alabama Historic Commission, 2000. Ford, Gene A., Trina Binkley. “Lustron Houses in Alabama.” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Nomination. Montgomery: Alabama Historical Commission, 2000.
Sallie Independence Foster, Civil War Florence
Sallie Independence Foster was born on October 28, 1848, in Nashville, Tennessee. She was the youngest child of George Washington Foster and Sarah Independence Watkins Foster. From the age of seven she lived in Courtview, a mansion that is now named Rogers Hall, located at the end of North Court Street in Florence. Sallie’s best friend during her childhood was Julia O’Neal, the daughter of Alabama Governor Edward A. O’Neal. Sallie Foster kept diaries throughout the Civil War and later years that offer insight into life in Florence. Her first diary begins in June of 1861 when she was twelve years old. While the 1861 diary does not mention the Civil War often or with much detail, a later diary discusses the movement of Confederate and Union troops in Florence. Other subjects covered in her diary include Florence area stores, doctors, and people, as well as church. Today, these diaries are part of UNA’s Archives and Special Collections. Sallie graduated from Florence Synodical School and married Sterling Paine McDonald on February 9, 1870. They moved to Arkansas for several years, but returned to Florence to visit her family many times. Sallie, her husband Sterling, and their six children moved to Florence and into Courtview in 1886. Sterling McDonald was sick for many years and died on April 4, 1897. Sallie Independence Foster McDonald passed away on December 2, 1897.
Robert S. Steen, History of Foster House- Courtview- Rogers Hall and Early City of Florence . Florence: University of North Alabama, No Date, 20, 49, 59-60. Sallie Independence Foster Diary, 1861. Unpublished, University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections. Images of Sallie Independence Foster and her diary are courtesy of UNA Collier Library Archives Image of Courtview/ Rogers Hall Courtesy of Kayla Scott
National Register of Historic Places; Lustron House; Architecture; Florence, AL
The William Bowen House at 1145 Wildwood Park Road was built in 1949 and nominated to the National Register for its significance to architecture. The one story two bedroom Lustron House is a metal prefabricated house clad in enameled steel in two foot by two foot panels. The side gable roof is also covered in enameled steel panels designed to look like tile. The interior wall and ceiling also covered in the enameled panels are original as are the built in bookshelves, vanity, and closets. At the time of the National Register nomination in 2000 most of the interior was unchanged. The Lustron Corporation manufactured prefabricated steel and enameled paneled homes to meet the housing demands created by returning soldiers from World War II. The Columbus, Ohio based company operated between 1946 and 1950 and built 2,495 houses in a retooled Curtis-Wright airplane parts factory. The closed system factory constructed all 3,000 components of the house from steel and packaged the parts directly on specialized truck beds designed to hold and deliver one Lustron House. Lustron Houses, like the automobile they so closely resembled, were sold by local franchised dealers. The company had no problem recruiting dealers and provided the nationwide network with a training and education center. Building crews were offered training at the Lustron Service School in Columbus. Dealers did suffer from territory disrupts, funding sources, local building code inconsistencies, and slow order delivery. In 1950 with accolades and praise from homeowners and the architectural and building community, financial problems and slow production rates forced the Lustron Corporation to close. In Alabama Lustron Houses are closely associated with the local North Alabama South Tennessee dealer, the Southern Sash Company. The Southern Sash Company’s parent company Union Aluminum of Sheffield produced the aluminum frame windows for the Lustron Corporation. Company records as of December 31, 1949 displayed shipments for 15 houses in Alabama. The 2000 multi-property nomination for Lustron Houses in Alabama lists 9 surviving houses – 5 of which are in the Muscle Shoals area; 2 in Sheffield and 3 in Florence. All the houses in Florence are the most common plan, the two bedroom deluxe Westchester plan. This property was listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 for its significance in terms of architecture and engineering. The same year Nomiit was also listed as part of a multiple property nomination “Lustron Houses in Alabama”. Information for this Omeka entry was found in the individual and multi-property nomination.
National Register of Historic Places; Tidewater Cottage: Multi-Property Nomination; Architecture; Florence, AL
The Peter Fontaine Armistead Sr. House is significant to Lauderdale County and northern Alabama as an excellent example of migration and settlement patterns in the area in terms of population, plantation economy, and architectural styles. Peter and his wife Martha Henry Winston Armistead were natives of Culpepper County, Virginia and moved to the area in the early 1820s. It was common during this period for settlers to migrate from the older states along the middle/Southern Atlantic seaboard many making their homes temporarily in middle Tennessee before settling and establishing plantations or farms in northern Alabama. Some, like Peter, continuing on to Mississippi or Texas in search of better or additional land in a progressive western migration pattern. The Armisteads developed a large slave-based cotton plantation in the fertile lands five miles northwest of Florence. Mrs. Armistead remained in the area until her death in 1870 but Peter Armistead Sr. moved to Mississippi in the late 1840s. The architectural style of the Armistead house also reflects those western migration patterns being very similar to homes of Virginia and Maryland dating back to the colonial area. There are numerous houses in the Tennessee Valley that reflect the style and configuration and are known as “tidewater cottages”. The remaining, largely intact examples of the style were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as part of a thematic nomination entitled “Tidewater Cottages in the Tennessee Valley”. The house has remarkable similarities to Mrs. Martha Armistead’s ancestral home in Virginia, Glen Ella, built in 1799. The Armistead House is unusual as the only wood frame double pile (two rooms deep and two rooms wide) example in the nomination. The house is also different from the others in that a central room is located behind the front stair hall. Tidewater Cottages are recognized by their simplicity of design, side gables with exterior end chimneys and the proportion ratio of their front elevation. The houses are twice as long as they are tall. The Armistead example has three gabled dormers. The house has lost some original material, chimney and siding, and one story wings and porches were added but the overall integrity of the house remains. Interior features are largely intact including doors, chair rail, and baseboards. Another Lauderdale County example of the Tidewater Cottage can be found in the William Kroger House on the Smithsonia - Rhodesville Road about 4 miles northeast of Smithsonia. The information above was found in the National Register nomination and additional information can be found on the National Park Service’s NR data base.
Alabama Historical Commission. National Register Nomination."Armistead, Peter F., Sr. House (Tidewater Cottages in the Tennessee Valley TR)" (#86001540) (7/9/86)
The WWI Memorial Amphitheater on the University of North Alabama's campus is a common gathering place of students. In 1919, Mrs. Susan J, Price, a professor in the department of geography, recognized the need for a formal stage and a memorial to the six students of State Normal School that did not return home from WWI. Her original design consisted of a half enclosed dome supported by six pillars to represent the six students. Although the finished amphitheater did not follow Mrs. Price's original plan, the structure still stood as a memorial to those six students lost in WWI. The amphitheater was completed in 1934.
Text: Doris Kelso, "A History of the UNA Memorial Amphitheater," Journal of Muscle Shoals History VI, (1978); 135-38. Images: University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections
National Register of Historic Places "Tidewater Cottages in the Tennessee Valley" Thematic nomination Architecture
National Register of Historic Places property - William Kroger House - south side of Smithsonia – Rhodesville Road about 4 miles northeast of Smithsonia The actual construction date of the William Kroger House is unknown but stylistic details place construction around 1830. The property is significant as an example of an early housing style in northern Alabama and for its association with early settlement patterns in the same area. The story and a half brick gable end house was built for William and Martha Kroger, both native of Virginia, with simple lines in a style that became known as a “tidewater cottage”. Martha’s family’s migration is known and entails time in Tennessee before the settlement in Alabama. This was a common settlement pattern during the early 19th century and often included Alabama as only a temporary residence before moving on to Mississippi or Texas in search of better land. The section of Lauderdale County where William and Martha Kroger settled is known as the “Colbert Reserve” or “the Bend” west of Florence in a fertile area north of the Tennessee River. The property also contains a historic board and batten outbuilding and a small overgrown plantation cemetery southwest of the house. Tidewater cottages in the Tennessee Valley of this configuration also followed migratory patterns to earlier settlement areas in Virginia and Maryland. Robert Gamble in Historic Architecture of Alabama states that the 19th century versions of the style, like those in the Tennessee Valley of North Alabama, tend to have smaller chimneys and a shallower roof pitch than the colonial examples in Virginia and Maryland. Tidewater cottages are identified by their simplicity and their height to length ratio (double cube) with the house being twice as long as it is high. The Kroger House is a brick double pile form with the depth ratio mimicking that of the front elevation. Another example of the Tidewater cottage form in Lauderdale County can be found in the Peter F. Armistead house on Waterloo Road 3 miles west of Florence. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as part of a “Tidewater Cottages in the Tennessee Valley” thematic nomination. More information about the house can be found on the website of the Alabama Historical Commission or the National Register data base of the National Park Service.
National Register nomination (#86001542)
National Register of Historic Places; Florence, AL
Southall Drug is significant to the history of Florence for its architectural style and as a leading business in the downtown area owned and operated by the same family for over 50 years. The 1900 building is a prime example of a late 19th century Italianate commercial structure as constructed in small Alabama towns. Italianate styled buildings were introduced in the northeastern United States as early as the 1840s and quickly spread to other cities across the country becoming one of the most popular styles by 1860. The trend continued more slowly into the less populated areas of the country and remained popular through the early 20th century. The Southall Drug building is sited on a dominant commercial corner in downtown Florence and exemplifies the Italianate architectural style with heavy reddish-brown brick walls laid in running bond with matching mortar and arched windows separated on the second floor by brick pilasters. Though the two original heavy metal cornices, located above and below the pilasters, are missing the building still retains the feel of an Italianate structure in part because the parapet located around the front corner of the building is reminiscent of the typical Italianate tower. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1980 and more information on the property can be obtained in the National Register nomination. All information and photos for this Omeka entry were found in the nomination.
Mertins, Ellen and Harvie Jones. National Register Nomination. "Southall Drugs" (#80000699) (8/21/80).
National Register of Historic Places; Education; Florence, AL
National Register of Historic Places - F.T. Appleby Junior High School – originally Coffee High School – 319 Hermitage Drive Florence, AL Nomination still listed with the state and on the NPS data base –building destroyed in the 1980s. Now part of UNA.
National Register of Historic Places (#82002045)
National Register of Historic Places Downtown Florence
National Register of Historic Places - Rogers Department Store 117 Court Street Florence, Alabama Rogers Department Store began on the site in 1894 as the Surprise Store founded by B.A. Rogers and his sons T.M. and B.A. Jr. The early business was known for its use of clearly marked price tags which was unusual in the area during the time period. The current building dates from 1910 and incorporates an extensive remodel in 1944-48. The building is significant to the downtown Florence commercial district as the most prominent commercial building in North Alabama for numerous years and its continuing prominence in the downtown historic district to date. It is also unique because it has been continuously owned by the same family since its conception in 1894. The current building is also significant as a rare example of the Art Deco architectural style in the Florence area. Another good example is the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library built in 1948 and located on Wood Avenue. The 1944-48 (Art Deco) remodel of the 1910 two story brick building was designed by the Memphis based architectural firm of Hulsey and Hall and represents the building trend of simple streamlined facades with minimal detailing and flexible configuration of interior spaces. Rogers Department Store was one of the first stores in northern Alabama to install elevators and central air conditioning. The building was listed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places in 1998, more information can be found in the National Register nomination on the Park Service’s data base. Stancell, Pat and Trina Binkley. National Register Nomination "Rogers Department Store" (#98001025) (8/14/98).
National Register of Historic Places (#98001025)
The water tower has served as a landmark for the city of Florence since its construction in 1889 by the Jeter and Boardman Gas and Water Association. The stone buttressed masonry tower is seventy feet high and topped by a 282,000 gallon cast iron tank that is 30 feet high and 40 feet in diameter. The tower is located on a plateau two miles north of the center of town roughly sixty feet above the average elevation of the town. The water quality of the tank was reportedly exceptionally fine with the water drawn from clear Cypress Creek as opposed to the often muddy Tennessee River. The tower replaced an earlier waster system provided by the Cypress Water Company and continued to serve the Florence area until it was phased out in 1935. The water tower was built during an industrial and population boom in the late 1880s and early 1890s resulting from the completion of the redesigned Muscle Shoals Canal System. In anticipation of further growth, the current population was 12,000 to 15,000, the tower’s capacity was designed to serve a city of 35,000 -50,000 people. However, by 1891 the boom was over and the population dwindled to 6,000. The tower is significant to the history of Florence, Lauderdale County, and the region as a surviving example of 1870-1880s city water works technology. Around the turn of the 20th century elevated tanks on exposed metal trestles gained popularity due to the superior engineering and lower costs of construction. The tower also serves as a vivid reminder of the 1889-1891 economic boom and the plans and dreams to prolong the industrial and population growth. The water tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Additional information can be found on the National Park Service’s National Register data base, or on the Florence Historical Board Historic Marker on site.
George Washington Foster was born on November 28, 1806, in Nashville, Tennessee. On January 10, 1829, he married Sarah Independence Watkins. They had seven children: Mary Ann, Virginia (Jennie), Watkins (Wat), Louisa (Lou), George Washington Jr. (Wash), Andrew J. (Jack) and Sallie. Foster was a wealthy industrialist and planter, a fact illustrated by his large and extravagant home, Courtview. Courtview, now known as the University of North Alabama’s Rogers Hall, was built for Foster in 1854. Foster had decided he wanted to build a house in the middle of Court Street, turning Florence’s main street into a dead end. An act of the state legislature and $300 granted Foster his building site. Foster also owned Woodland Plantation in the Colbert Reserve in Lauderdale County, and a plantation named Oak Grove. Foster donated $10,000 to La Grange College toward construction of Wesleyan Hall. This was a third of the total cost. He also contributed heavily to the Methodist church in Florence, of which he was member. Foster later served as President of the Board of Trustees for Wesleyan college. He made a sizable endowment to the college for mathematics. Foster did not serve in the Confederate Army during the war, but he assisted with recruiting soldiers and raising money for the cause. When William T. Sherman visited the area, he encountered bushwhackers and cited Foster as being one of them. Foster was even arrested by Union forces once, but was released within a few days. He spent most of the war on his plantations, while his wife and family stayed at Courtview. Foster died on December 4, 1878, and is buried in the Florence Cemetery.
Robert S. Steen, History of Foster House- Courtview- Rogers Hall and Early City of Florence . Florence: University of North Alabama, No Date, 18, 26-32, 31. William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. (Bluewater Publications, 2003), 45-46. Image of George Washington Foster Courtesy of UNA Collier Library Archives Image of Courtview/Rogers Hall Courtesy Kayla Scott
After leaving her job as a music teacher at a private kindergarten in Tuscumbia, Maud McKnight Lindsay started the first free kindergarten in the state of Alabama in 1898. She taught children from the cotton mill district in East Florence. The original location was a Florence store front but the school was moved to a small cottage building across from Brandon School. The Maud Lindsay Free Kindergarten is still in operation today. Lindsay was active in the settlement house movement, traveling to Boston and New York to work. She was also a prolific children's book author and poet. The building it slated to be moved when the new hospital is built. The location is still undetermined.
Text: Elizabeth Womack McDonald. History of the Florence City schools, 1820-1967, 1900. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 29, 2015). Anita Miller Garner, "Maud McKinght Lindsay," Encyclopedia of Alabama. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2376 Image: University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections
Richard Rapier was one of the first settlers as well as one of the first merchants in Florence. A pioneer in the barge industry, legend names him as the first to bring a keelboat, or barge, through the river to Florence. Rapier began his business in Nashville, but resided in Florence by 1818. His business, Rapier and Company, was situated on the northeast corner of Court and Tennessee Streets in downtown Florence. Rapier later joined John Simpson, another Florence businessman in the cotton trade. Their partnership formed the company called Rapier and Simpson. Rapier eventually owned a fleet of keelboats as well as several warehouses in Florence. Besides engaging in commerce with settlers on both sides of the river, Rapier traded with the Native Americans in the area. Rapier passed away in 1826.
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama.( Bluewater Publications, 2003), 21, 22, 28, 74. Jill K. Garret, History of Lauderdale County, Alabama, 1964, 220. William Lindsey McDonald, “Captain Richard Rapier: The Merchant Prince,” The Journal of Muscle Shoals History Volume I, 1973.
Zebulon Pike Morrison was born in Lexington, Virginia in 1818. He and his wife Bridget had nine children. He was the sixteenth Mayor of Florence, and served in that capacity from 1880-1890. Morrison was also an alderman for the city of Florence for thirty years. In addition, Morrison was an undertaker, and owned a distillery in Florence. He is probably most well-known for his building efforts. Wesleyan Hall, the Florence Synodical College, the Elks Building, and Patton Grammar School in Florence were all built by him. Morrison passed away in 1895 and is buried in Florence Cemetery. Morrison Avenue in Florence is named for him.
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. Bluewater Publications, 2003, p. 34, 89, 91, 274. Image Courtesy of UNA Collier Library Archives Jill K. Garret, History of Lauderdale County, Alabama, 1964, 213.
Statues/Monuments; Florence, AL; Native American History
This wall is known by two names: Tom Hendrix's Wall and the Wichahpi Commemorative Wall. Tom Hendrix started this wall in the 1980's after learning of his great-great grandmother's journey during the Trail of Tears. Te-lah-nay was forced to walk to Oklahoma. She never felt safe at her new home and ran away spending 5 years making her way back to the Singing River. The more than a mile long wall is made up of stones from more than 120 countries. Most of the stones come from Lauderdale County. Each stone represents one of her steps on her journey, The shape, height, and width of the wall all change to represent the trials she faced. The Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall is the largest monument to a Native American woman.
Visit Florence, "Tom's Wall,"http://www.visitflorenceal.com/things_to_do/toms-wall/ (Accessed April 28, 2015)
Ferdinand Sannoner was born in Leghorn, Italy, in 1793. He graduated from the French Polytechnic Institute at Paris. Sannoner worked as a surveyor for Napoleon in France. He came to America around 1816. In 1818, John Coffee appointed him to survey the area that was to become Florence. Sannoner completed the survey, and drew the town plan. He gave it the name “Florence” after the Florence, Italy of his homeland. His payment for surveying Florence was partially made in land. He received two lots on Tuscaloosa Street between Wood Avenue and Walnut Street. Sannoner worked for the Cypress Land Company for a number of years, as well as being a clerk for Lauderdale County. He and his brother operated a bakery and delicatessen on Tennessee Street as well. Sannoner and his wife moved to Memphis in 1857, and he died there in 1859. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis. His grave was unmarked until 1973, when a marker was donated by James Jackson, great-grandson of the James Jackson who owned Forks of Cypress and assisted in founding Florence. The Sannoner Historic District in Downtown Florence is named in his honor.
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. Bluewater Publications, 2003, p. 3, 11-12. Robert S. Steen, History of Foster House- Courtview- Rogers Hall and Early City of Florence . Florence: University of North Alabama, No Date, p. 10. Image Courtesy of UNA Collier Library Archives
John McKinley was one of seven trustees that made up the Cypress Land Company and is considered a founder of Florence, Alabama. McKinley was born on May 1, 1780, in Culpepper County, Virginia, and later moved to Kentucky. He came to Alabama around 1819 and was a resident of Florence by 1821. McKinley served in the Alabama legislature and the U.S. Senate as a representative of first Madison, and later Lauderdale County. McKinley was a founding member of the Presbyterian Church in Florence. McKinley was very influential in early education in Alabama. He was a founder of one of the first public schools in the region, and donated the land for the school that is now called Athens State University. In addition, McKinley was a member of the first board of trustees for the University of Alabama. McKinley’s most famous accomplishment came when he was appointed to be an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. He took the job in January of 1838, and was the first Alabamian to have the honor. He spent 14 years as a Supreme Court Justice, penning 22 opinions concerning the cases that went before the court. He was a strong advocate of states’ rights, a fact that is illustrated by his court decisions. McKinley passed away on July 19, 1852. His remains were interred in Louisville, Kentucky. Family members interred in the McKinley Cemetery in Florence were moved to Louisville, Kentucky several years later. McKinley’s seat on the Supreme Court was given to John Archibald Campbell, who was also from Alabama.
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. (Bluewater Publications, 2003), 2, 9. Robert Saunders, “John McKinley,” Encyclopedia of Alabama. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2052#sthash.iHyCkfy1.dpuf
From downtown Florence take Cloverdale Road (State Highway 157), go for about 2 miles, turn left about 50 yards after crossing Cox Creek. A historical marker can be seen here (about General John Coffee and the War of 1812) at the entrance to the property. Continue on Cloverdale Rd. until you pass a CVS Pharmacy. Take a left at the first red light and the cemetery will be on the left. The cemetery is enclosed by a brick wall about 4 feet high and is about 100 feet by 100 feet in area. As far as can be determined, there are 64 graves inside of the wall, 20 of these are of the marble vault type tombs, 4 are of marble slab type, 8 are marble vertical or perpendicular type, and 6 are stones with no engravings at all. Maintenance of the cemetery has increased (Florence Historical Board) and the trees have been cleared so it is now easily accessible. The cemetery is located next to recently constructed Walmart. General John Coffee lies among his family and close friends in this cemetery. The high brick wall that encloses the cemetery was constructed in 1924 to protect the site. On the marble stone above Coffee's grace are these words prepared by his friend, President Andrew Jackson: “Sacred to the Memory of General John Coffee who departed this life on the 7th day of July, 1833, age sixty-one years. As a husband, parent, and friend, he was affectionate, tender, and sincere. He was a brave, prompt, and skillful general, a disinterested and sagacious patriot, an unpretending and honest man. To complete his character, religion mingled with these virtues her serene and holy influence gave him that solid distinction among his fellow men which detraction cannot sully nor the grave conceal. Death could do no more than removed so excellent a being from the theatre he so much adorned in this world, to the bosom of the God who created him and who alone has the power to reward the immortal spirit with exhaustless bliss.” There are also over 130 slave burials outside of the walled cemetery. The Florence Historical Board has identified these with simple stone markers. A full description of the graves can be seen here: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-coffee-John.htm
Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
Hill, William Q. "Coffee Cemetery." Rootsweb. March 22, 1969. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-coffee-John.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015. McDonald, William L. "A Walk Through the Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama." Bluewater Publishing, 2003. 408.
This is the burial place of Lillian Cook Deibert. Lillian and her husband Kirk owned Rolling Acres Stock Farm. In 1991 their barn burned down, killing 27 of Lillian's beloved horses. She is buried at this spot located in Deibert Park right next to where her horses were buried after the fire.
Joy Favors, "Lillian Cook Deibert," http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=65540771 (Accessed April 29, 2015)
Statues/Monuments; Lauderdale County, AL
The City of Florence Walk of Honor is located next to the Marriott hotel in River Heritage Park. The city of Florence designed the Walk of Honor to recognize residents of Lauderdale County who had/have found success at the national or international level. Those fields include agriculture, art, athletics, business, education, government, literature, military, medicine, music, religion, science and technology, and public service. In 2007 16 people were inducted as the first honorees, but their monuments were not placed until 2008. Inductees include Gen. John Coffee, Caroline Lee Hentz, Thomas Stribbling, Dred Scott, and Billy Reid.
City of Florence, Alabama, "Walk of Honor,"http://www.florenceal.org/Administration/Walk_of_Honor/index.html (Accessed April 28, 2015)
James Jackson was born on October 25, 1782, in Ballybay County, Monaghan, Ireland. Jackson came to America in 1799 and moved to Nashville in 1801. Upon his arrival in Nashville, James Jackson quickly became acquainted with Andrew Jackson and John Coffee, who were members of the Tennessee Land Company. The Tennessee Company and the Alabama Company joined to form The Cypress Land Company. James Jackson was a member of the Tennessee group, and was one of the seven trustees of the Cypress Land Company. The company and its members were instrumental in founding Lauderdale County and Florence, Alabama. Jackson had the Forks of Cypress mansion built five miles outside of Florence, Alabama, and he and his wife Sally Moore McCulloch Jackson made the plantation their home. James Jackson became a member of the Alabama General Assembly in 1822. Jackson held office in both state legislative branches, and became the president of the Senate in 1830. While Jackson was president of the company, The Cypress Land Company donated the land for the Florence Female Synodical College, the Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian churches, and the Lauderdale County Courthouse. Jackson is probably most famous for importing, breeding, and racing horses. Even today, winning race horses can often trace their roots back to Jackson’s stables.
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. (Bluewater Publications, 2003), p. 11-13. Elizabeth Kirkman O’Neal, The Forks of Cypress: Home of James and Sally Moore Jackson. Waring Sherwood, 1966.
The Wilson Dam Replica is located on the corner of Mobile and Seminary Streets in front of Legends Steakhouse in downtown Florence, Alabama. The replica dam is engraved with each name of the quad cities: Tuscumbia, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Florence, and the year each city became incorporated.
Kilby Laboratory School was founded in 1922 as a part of Florence State Normal School. The school originally occupied what is now the University Of North Alabama Mathematics Building. Classes were conducted in this location until the fall of 1964 when they moved to a newly finished building on North Pine Street. The school currently includes students in kindergarten to sixth grade. Kilby is a public school, but UNA owns and operates it. Through this arrangement education majors are able to use the school for real world training during their UNA career. Children of UNA faculty and staff also have priority for admittance to Kilby over other students in the district.
Text: University of North Alabama, "About Our School," Kilby Laboratory School, https://www.una.edu/kilby/about.html (Accessed April 28, 2015). Wendy Reeves, "Kilby School only one of kind in state of Alabama," The Flor-Ala, September 14, 1989. Images: University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections, Collier Library
Alexander Donelson Coffee was a Confederate veteran of the Civil War and a planter and manufacturer in Florence. He was born on June 3, 1821, to General John Coffee and Mary Donelson Coffee. He attended the Lorance school in Florence, and the University of Nashville. Alexander Coffee served in the Confederate Army as a captain of Company C, 16th Alabama infantry regiment. Coffee fought in the Battle of Shiloh, but left the army soon after due to bad health. Coffee spent the rest of his life in Florence, working as a planter. He passed away on May 12, 1901. Coffee was first married to Letitia Van Dyke (Campbell) Sloss, and later to Camilla (Madding) Jones after his first wife’s death. He is buried in the Coffee Family Cemetery in Florence.
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. Bluewater Publications, 2003. William Lindsey McDonald, Civil War Tales of the Tennessee Valley. (Heart of Dixie Publishing: Killen, Alabama, 2003), 200-202. Thomas McAdory Owen, History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, Volume III, 1921, Page 368. Accessed January 16, 2014, at http://www.archives.alabama.gov.
General John Coffee was a Federal surveyor who did work in Tennessee and Alabama and is known as one of the founders of Florence, Alabama. Born on June 2, 1772, in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Coffee moved to Tennessee as a young man. As a resident of Davidson County, Tennessee, Coffee became friends with Andrew Jackson. Coffee married Mary Donelson, who was the niece of Andrew Jackson’s wife Rachel. Friendship and family ties closely linked Coffee with Jackson for the remainder of his life. Coffee served with distinction under Jackson in the War of 1812, and was instrumental in the U.S. victory of the Creek War. After the War of 1812 and the Indian campaigns, Coffee continued working as a surveyor and land speculator. In 1817 he was appointed Surveyor-General of Alabama, and moved to Huntsville. In 1819 he moved to Lauderdale County, and the district land office was moved to Florence. Coffee served as the Surveyor-General for the rest of his life. His home, Hickory Hill Plantation, was located off of present day Cloverdale Road, which was called Coffee Road at the time. John Coffee died July 7, 1833, and is buried in the Coffee Family Cemetery at Florence, Alabama along with his wife and several children. A Wal-Mart store is located in close proximity to the graveyard.
Northern Alabama: Historical and Biographical Illustrated. Smith and De Land, Birmingham. 1888. William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. Bluewater Publications, 2003. Gordon Thomas Chappell, The Life and Activities of John Coffee, A Thesis, Vanderbilt University, 1941.
To reach the Rhodesville Methodist Church Cemetery, turn right in Rhodesville onto County Road #189. Go about .5 miles to the cemetery. It is located behind the church. The cemetery has a record of 136 records. A list of graves is located in the source.
Montgomery, David L. "Rhodesvillle Cemetery." Rootsweb. November 19, 2004. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-rhdsvl-2004.htm. Accessed April 22, 2015.
Oak Grove Cemetery is located in Lauderdale County, Alabama. From Florence, Alabama, take Savannah Hwy west to Waterloo Rd. Turn west onto County Road 14, go approx. 17 miles. Turn right onto Bitter Branch Rd. Turn left onto County Road 121. The cemetery is 1.5 miles on right at top of hill. The cemetery is still in good condition today. It has a record of 31 graves. List of graves is located in the source.
Wood, Sharon L. "Oak Grove Cemetery." Rootsweb. January 13, 2001. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-oakgrove.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015.
The Jessie’s Garden cemetery is adjacent to the Wilson Cemetery on state highway 17, north of Florence, Alabama. Turn right onto County Rd. 142 just north of the Rogers Chapel United Methodist Church. Go 200 yards and the entrance is on the right. The cemetery was founded by Roy Patterson Jr. and is named after his mother. Mr. Patterson was the first person buried in the cemetery. Full list of graves is located in the source.
Montgomery, David L. "Jessie's Garden Cemetery." Cemeteries Only. May 3, 2014. http://cemeteriesonly.com/JessiesGardenCem.htm. Accessed April 13, 2015.
To reach the cemetery, turn north off Cox Creek Parkway in Florence and travel 8.3 miles. Turn left onto County Road #73 and keep right. Travel .8 mile to the cemetery on the right. The are a few graves marked with stones. Full list of graves is located in sources.
Montgomery, David L. "Canerday Cemetery." Canerday Cemetery. February 7, 2015. http://cemeteriesonly.com/CanerdayCem.html. Accessed April 22, 2015.
From Florence, Alabama, travel Alabama Hwy. 20 west for 3.3 miles. Turn left onto Waterloo Rd. and go 10.2 miles. Turn left onto County Rd. 189 and go 2.8 miles. The church and cemetery are at the corner of County Rd. 189 and County Rd. 62. The cemetery is located behind the church. The full list of graves is located in the source.
Montgomery, David L. "Canaan Methodist Church Cemetery." Cemeteries Only. February 20, 2015. http://cemeteriesonly.com/CanaanMethChCem.html. Accessed on April 4, 2015.
To reach this cemetery, travel Alabama Hwy. 20 west from Florence, Alabama for 2.1 miles. Turn left (west) off Hwy 20 onto county Road 2 (Gunwaleford Road) and go about 6.2 miles. The cemetery is on the right side of the road. The River Bend Cemetery is in western Lauderdale County, Alabama, and is owned and maintained by the River Bend Church of Christ. The grounds are in very good condition with plenty of room for expansion. The oldest person buried here was born in 1863. The first burial here was in 1949. There are a total of 59 records in this cemetery. Full list of graves is located in the sources.
Montgomery, David L. "River Bend Cemetery 2005." Rootsweb. January 5, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-riverbendcoc2005.htm. Accessed April 11, 2015.
The Macedonia Church of Christ cemetery is located in the western part of Lauderdale County. To reach the cemetery, travel Alabama Highway 20 west from Florence, AL. Immediately after crossing over the Natchez Trace Parkway, turn left onto County Rd. #5 and travel 1.4 miles, turning right onto County Rd. 158 and travel 0.4 mile. The cemetery is just past the church on the right. The marker at the cemetery reads, "The church dates its roots to the early 1800’s, the congregation met in homes with Joseph Fanning, visiting evangelist. The church was first organized as Macedonia Baptist Church. In 1834, J.W. Smith supervised a building on this site. In 1880, T.B. Larimore, a well known evangelist among Church of Christ churches in the area, was asked to preach. The congregation then changed to the present name. The church has made a powerful impact. The adjoining cemetery is the resting place for many of the county’s beloved sons & daughters." Full list of graves is located in the source.
Montgomery, David L. "Macedonia Church of Christ." Cemeteries Only. April 12, 2015. http://cemeteriesonly.com/MacedoniaCem.html. Accessed April 29, 2015.
Murphy's Chapel Cemetery is located ½ mile east of Alabama Highway 20, on Lauderdale County Road 8 at Murphy's Chapel Free Will Baptist Church northwest of Florence, Alabama. The oldest known grave is that of a Confederate soldier buried in 1861. A woman by the name of Katie K. Jones is the oldest known person buried here, having been born in 1792. Some graves are probably much older than those listed. There are war veterans from the Civil War to the Korean War. The cemetery has a record of 738 graves. A full list of graves is located in the source.
Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama.
Montgomery, David L. "Murphy's Chapel." Rootsweb. January 5, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-murphychapel-2005.htm. Accessed April 7, 2015.
Cemeteries; Civil War; Lauderdale County, AL
David L. Montgomery visited this grave an stated: "An individual who lives in the immediate area of this grave informed me about this Union soldier’s final resting place. He has hunted the surrounding woods almost all of his life and has known of its location for many years. According to this person, there was an attempt to excavate the grave by a person/persons probably looking for Civil War relics. The person/persons digging in the earth, dug down about four or five feet deep. By most grave standards, the headstone is always placed to the west of the gravesite. It appears that they didn’t know on which side of the headstone to dig. There has been no evidence or rumors of anything being found since it is believed they dug on the wrong side." The gravesite is located approximately 2 miles north northeast of Cloverdale, Alabama. It is located on private property and deep in the woods. The headstone was removed from the gravesite in the 1980’s and was gone for about two years. It was returned and placed in the exact spot with the lettering to facing the west. According to the inscription on the stone, Meadows was attached to Company “G” of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry. But he is listed in the Company “D” roster, of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry, also a Union Army unit. He enlisted at Savannah, Tennessee on January 15, 1864. He was drafted in February 1, 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee.
Montgomery, David L. "Union Soldier's Grave." Cemeteries Only. http://cemeteriesonly.com/UnionSoldiersGrave.htm. Accessed April 3, 2015.
This cemetery is located off County Road 21 north of Waterloo, Alabama. From Waterloo, travel north on County Road 14 for 1.07 miles and turn right onto County Road 90. Go 2.2 miles to County Road 21. Turn left and keep right, following County Rd. 21 2.23 miles. The cemetery is across the road. There once was a church near Mt. Hebron, the stone footings are located near the cemetery. There are at least 12 unknown graves in the cemetery.
Bob, Torbert. "Mt Hebron Cemetery." Rootsweb. June 1, 2002. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-mthebron.htm. Accessed April 11, 2015.
Whitten Cemetery is located in western Lauderdale County, Alabama area north of Waterloo. To reach the Whitten Cemetery, travel on Lauderdale County Road 14 to Waterloo. Continue to follow County Rd. 14 turning right. Continue on 1.07 miles and turn right onto County Road 90. Go 1.37 miles and the cemetery is on the hill on the left. This is a very old cemetery with many graves and few markers. It sits upon a hill accessible only by a steep path. There are few large cedar trees located in the cemetery. The earliest date on a marker is 1790 marking the grave of Alexander Higgins.
Montgomery, David L. "Whitten Cemetery." Rootsweb. November 28, 2006. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-whitten.htm. Accessed April 11, 2015.
To reach Pine Hill Cemetery, from Florence, Alabama, travel Alabama Highway 20 west approximately 19½ miles. Turn right onto County Road 8 and travel approximately .9 mile and turn left onto County Road 10. Travel approximately 1.2 miles and the cemetery is on the right of the road behind the Pine Hill Church of Christ. Pine Hill Cemetery is owned and maintained by the church. It has a record of 257 graves. Twenty of the graves are unknown. The church was established in or before 1900, but the actual date is unknown. The source contains full list of grave in the cemetery.
Montgomery, David L. "Pine Hill Cemetery." Rootsweb. January 4, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-pinehill-2005.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015.
To reach the William’s Chapel Cemetery, from Waterloo, Alabama, travel east on County Rd. # 14 for about ½ mile. Turn left (north) onto County Road. 1. Go about 7 miles and the cemetery is on the left behind the church. Williams Chapel Cemetery is well maintained and contains 199 records. Source contains a list of graves located in the cemetery.
Montgomery, David L. "Williams Chapel Cemetery 2005." Rootsweb. January 4, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-williamschpl-2005.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015.
To reach this cemetery, turn off AL 20 (Savannah Highway), onto Lauderdale 6 (Gunwaleford Road), go 9.8 miles. The cemetery is on the right side of the road. You must go through a small section of woods, and then across an open field to reach it. It is about 75 yards from the main road, and can be seen. The Smithsonia Church of Christ is on the left side of the road, about 100 yards on down the road. The cemetery has a hand cut stonewall around it, four feet in height. It is covered in vines and poorly maintained. It is located on the F. M. Perry Estate. Neal Rowell practiced medicine in early Florence for a few years before he retired to West Lauderdale County. He and his wife inherited a plantation called Alba Wood. Rowell is a native of Wood County, Virginia. Rowell married Martha Ann Cheatham, daughter of Christopher Cheatham, one of the earliest settler’s of Lauderdale County.
Irons, Olan. "Rowell Cemetery." Rootsweb. December 7, 1988. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-rowell.htm. Accessed April 20, 2015.
The Florence Indian Mound Museum is located at the foot of the Florence Indian Mound. The Florence Mound was built by early Native Americans and dates back to the Woodland period. The museum has display cases that house arrowheads, spearheads, Native American pottery, and implements made from bones, shells, and rocks. The museum does not focus on the Florence Indian Mound, but features displays from different eras, tribes, and locations that are not related to the Florence site. There are enough labels and interpretive exhibits to allow a visitor to understand the meaning of the objects on display, even without a detailed tour. A video that is less than 10 minutes long is available for visitors to watch. It briefly covers Native American History, but really does not mention the Florence Indian Mound with any significance. The first exhibit in the museum is entitled “The New Americans Migrated from the Old World” and explains how this is thought to have been done. The second is entitled “Paleo Indian Nomadic Hunters: More than 10,000 Years Ago.” Continuing down the line you find the “Transition of Paleo-Archaic Hunters to Gatherers: 7,000 to 10,000 years ago,” “Woodland People The First Farmers: 1,100 to 4,000 years ago,” “Mississippian People: Temple Mound Builders 500-1,000 years ago,” “Historic Indians,” and “Trail of Tears.” After walking back to the other side of the room, a visitor is able to learn about the “Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter: One of the World’s Archaeology Greats.” This side of the room offers a look at Native American tools, Spanish trade goods, pottery, and the use of effigies in Native American culture. Industrialization has encroached on the mound site a great deal. Almost touching the drive that circles around the mound is a Co-Op store and related buildings. The railroad runs near the opposite side of the mound, where the Port of Florence is in close proximity. The above article was written in 2015, and tells the story of the first museum that was located at the Florence Indian Mound. Shortly after this article was completed, the old museum building was demolished. A new museum was completed in early 2017.
A Visit to the Florence Indian Mound Museum
To reach the Walston Cemetery from Florence, Alabama, travel west on Alabama Highway 20 for 3.3 miles. Turn left (west) onto County Rd. 14 (Waterloo Rd.) and travel 5.4 miles to the community of Oakland, Alabama. Turn left onto County Rd. 15 and go about 1.1 mile to the cemetery on the right about 100 yards off the road. Walston cemetery is an old cemetery with the oldest known burial being Elizabeth Walston in 1830. The name of the cemetery is taken from the Walston family. Thirty to thirty-five unidentified graves surround the white section. The black section has multiple sunken areas that are graves with no markers. Some slaves might have been buried in this area. The cemetery combined has a record of 435 records.
Montgomery, David L. "Walston Cemetery." Cemeteries Only. November 1, 2014. http://cemeteriesonly.com/WalstonCem.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015.