Confederate General John Bell Hood; Civil War; General Hatch; Lieutenant Colonel Stephen W. Presstman; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Tennessee River
After Union General Williams T. Sherman captured Atlanta in September of 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood devised a plan to aide General Lee in Virginia by going through Ohio. The plan necessitated a crossing of the Tennessee River. Hood’s forces were blocked by strong union positions at Guntersville and Decatur. This left Florence as the only viable option for a large force to cross the river. Florence was occupied at the time by a force of Union cavalry numbering about four thousand under the command of General Hatch. The Confederate army arrived at Bainbridge, Tuscumbia, Leighton, and South Port on October 27th. The Union forces placed a strong picket at the destroyed railroad bridge. Hood ordered a nighttime boat crossing of the flooded river at two points, South Port and two and half miles upriver for October 29. The crossing at South Port under General Clayton went smoothly with covering fire from artillery batteries stationed on the south bank. Colonel Gibson’s brigade landed and drove the Union forces from banks of the Tennessee. Meanwhile, the landing force upriver under General Johnson found the shoals to be treacherous. After some delay, Johnson took one brigade and moved inland to attempt to cut off the union retreat. Johnson’s forces engaged part of the retreating Union cavalry. Although the Union cavalry lost forty men they were able to slip by Johnson’s brigade and make it across Shoal Creek. With the north bank secured, Hood’s chief engineer, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen W. Presstman, was placed in charge of the crossing. Because the river was flooded, Presstman decided to make use of the piers from the destroyed railroad bridge across the Tennessee. The pontoons were anchored to the piers for superior stability. The pontoon bridge was completed early the next evening. Johnson and Clayton’s divisions were the first across the pontoon bridge in order to reunite their respective commands. As Hood’s crossing continued General Hatch reformed his men and retreated north to Waynesborough Tennessee. After several delays caused by weather, Hood’s force of 32,000 were finally reconstituted in Lauderdale County on November 20.
Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Edgar D. Byler, III. n.d. "GENERAL JOHN BELL HOOD'S INVASION OF TENNESSEE." tngenweb.org. Accessed April 11, 2015. http://www.tngenweb.org/wayne/Hood.htm. Eric. 2014. "HOOD’S BATTERED ARMY RECROSSES THE TENNESSEE." Civil War Daily Gazette. December 26. Accessed April 11, 2015. http://civilwardailygazette.com/2014/12/26/hoods-battered-army-recrosses-the-tennessee/. Wallace, Harry E. n.d. "Lauderdale County, Alabama History." algw.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm.
Photo from following websites: http://civilwardailygazette.com/2014/10/30/hoods-confederates-finally-cross-the-tennessee/ Photo from following websites: http://bshc-granbury.org/wp/the-stories/the-civil-war-era/john-bell-hood
Confederate Brigadier General Sterling Wood from Florence
Brigadier General Sterling Wood; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Civil War; Confederacy
Sterling Wood was a Brigadier General for the Confederate Army from Lauderdale County. Wood passed the bar to become a practicing lawyer in 1845 and joined his brother’s practice in Florence, Alabama. Wood was elected to represent Lauderdale County in the Alabama House of Representatives in 1857. He was chosen to serve as district solicitor in that session. After Alabama succeeded in 1861, Wood joined the Confederate Army as a captain in the 7th Alabama and was elected its Colonel. Wood was promoted to Brigadier General on January 7, 1862. General Wood was engaged in many of the pivotal battles in the Western Theater of the Civil War. His brigade fought under General Johnston at Shiloh as part of Hardee’s corps. His command participated in the Kentucky campaign of General Bragg. In that campaign he was recognized for valor at Perryville, where he was severely wounded. His command was again active in the Murfreesboro campaign. The last battle for Wood was Chickamauga after which he resigned his commission. After the war he resumed practice as a lawyer in Tuscaloosa.
Derry, Joseph Tyrone. 1895. Story of the Confederate States; or, History of the war for southern independence embracing a brief but comprehensive sketch of the early settlement of the country, trouble with the Indians, the French, revolutionary and Mexican wars. n.p.: Richmond, Va. : B.F. Johnson publishing company, 1895., 1895. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed May 1, 2015). Evans, Clement A. 1962. Confederate military history; a library of Confederate States history, in twelve volumes. n.p.: New York : Thomas Yoseloff, [1962], 1962. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
Photo from following websites: http://www.google.com/search?q=Brigadier+General+Sterling+Wood+from+Florence&safe=active&rlz=1C1EODB_enUS572US572&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=u5hHVYHvB4SXgwTKoYGYCw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1150&bih=666&dpr=0.9&surl=1#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=Florence+alabama+wesleyan+hall&imgrc=GK5UMAdfhCjO6M%253A%3BmnyYYoTTC2SMqM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcdn.stateuniversity.com%252Fassets%252Flogos%252Fimages%252F581%252Flarge_Wesleyan_hall.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.stateuniversity.com%252Funiversities%252FAL%252FUniversity_of_North_Alabama.html%3B500%3B375 Photo from following websites: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11114
Center Star; Civil War; Confederate Colonel Williams Johnson; 9th Ohio Cavalry; Lauderdale County, AL
Confederate Colonel William Johnson’s 4th Alabama Cavalry crossed the Tennessee River and attacked the 7th Illinois infantry encamped near Center Star on May 7, 1864. A six hour battle ensued. The Confederate raid caused 35 casualties and drove the Union into retreat back toward Rogersville. There the 7th Illinois joined up with the 9th Ohio Cavalry under the command of Colonel Rowett. On May13, the combined Union force attacked Johnson’s camp at Center Star. As a result of the second engagement, the confederate forces were driven back across the river.
Hannings, Bud. 2013. Every day of the Civil War : a chronological encyclopedia. n.p.: Boston, Massachusetts : Credo Reference, 2013., 2013. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). n.d. "Illinois Adjutant General's Report." old-new-orleans.co. Accessed April 18, 2015. http://www.old-new-orleans.com/ILLINOIS_CW_reghist.pdf.
Photo from following websites: http://www.oocities.org/bourbonstreet/Delta/3843/johnson.htm Photo from following websites: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=40292381
Cow Pen Factory; Civil War; Green Hill; Colonel Florence M. Cornyn; Lauderdale County, AL
The Cow Pen Factory was a water powered mill on Cow Pen Creek near Green Hill, Alabama. The factory had been founded in 1850. In 1860, the factory employed sixty-eight men and sixteen women and produced 117,600 yards of cloth. In the early years of the civil war, it produced uniforms for the Confederate Army. During Colonel Florence M. Cornyn’s raid on Lauderdale County in the spring of 1863, Union troops burned the factory along with several other industrial sites in the county. The factory was rebuilt after the war and operated until 1880.
McDonald, William Lindsey. A walk through the past : people and places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Pub., 2003., 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. "Alabama Trails Business & Manfacturies." genealogytrails.com. Accessed April 10, 2015. http://genealogytrails.com/ala/lauderdale/businesspast.html.
Photo from following websites: http://civilwartalk.com/threads/corinth-ms-court-martial-and-murder-of-colonel-francis-cornyn-10th-missouri-cavalry.108468/
Courtview Headquarters of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest
Courtview; Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest; Greek Revival Architecture; Sarah Independence McDonald; University of North Alabama; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
The Greek revival mansion built in 1855 by George Washington Foster required an act of the Alabama legislature to close Court Street. Foster’s daughter Sarah Independence McDonald and her family lived there until 1900, when it was purchased by Emmet O’Neal. Therefore, it had a commanding view of the town and river below. Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest chose this vantage for his headquarters while the Army of the Tennessee prepared for its ill-fated invasion of Tennessee. In 1922, Thomas M. Rogers bought the house and in 1948 the University of North Alabama acquired it.
Hannings, Bud. 2013. Every day of the Civil War : a chronological encyclopedia. n.p.: Boston, Massachusetts : Credo Reference, 2013., 2013. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
Photo from following websites: http://battleofselma.com/?page_id=1208 Photo from following websites: https://www.una.edu/history/Historic%20UNA/rogers-hall.html
Mapleton; Civil War; Levi Todd; Robert McFarland; Colonel John Harlan; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
The residence of Mapleton was built in the Federalist style under the direction of a South American architect. During the Civil War it was known as Todd’s Hill because it was the home of local physician Levi Todd. When the Union occupied Florence in 1862, Colonel John Harlan of the 10th Kentucky headquarter there. Colonel Harlan, who was famous in the area for arresting a local Presbyterian minister for praying for the Confederacy, would later become an associate justice of the US Supreme Court. After the war, Confederate Major Robert McFarland purchased the house. Robert McFarland was born in Londonderry County, Ireland, on August 6, 1836. He had been educated and prepared for a life in the British army. When he failed to get in the Crimean War, he left Britain for the United States in 1854. After graduating from Washington College, he studied law under John W. Brokenborough in Lexington, Virginia. He attained a Bachelor of Law in 1860 and moved to Florence in April of that year. In Florence he partnered with James B. Irvine. When the Civil War broke out McFarland volunteered in the Confederate Army and was made a captain in the 4th Alabama Infantry. He fought in the first battle of Manassas. After his first twelve month enlistment was up, he was tasked with recruiting a cavalry regiment. His new regiment joined General John H. Morgan and participated in the Ohio raid. When General Morgan was captured, McFarland’s regiment was transferred to General Cleburne’s command. He led a charge at Dug Gap for which his gallantry was cited by General Cleburne. At Villa Rica, Georgia, he was wounded severely when his horse was shot out from under him. McFarland was on station in Huntsville from December 1864 until Union forces drove him out of the city in January 1865. After the war, he returned to Florence and practicing law.
Hannings, Bud. 2013. Every day of the Civil War : a chronological encyclopedia. n.p.: Boston, Massachusetts : Credo Reference, 2013., 2013. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). T. A. DeLand, A. Davis Smith. n.d. "genealogytrails.com." Alabama Trails Biographies. Accessed April 17, 2015. http://genealogytrails.com/ala/lauderdale/biomcfarland.html. Scott, Jaqueline E. 1990. "Major McFarland makes Florence his home." Times Daily, July 9: 4d.
Photo from following websites: http://genealogytrails.com/ala/lauderdale/biomcfarland.html Photo from following websites: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/116389971590120539/ Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, ALA,39-FLO,6-3
Wilson Dam; Tennessee River; TVA; National Defense Act of 1916; Henry Ford; Franklin Roosevelt; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Colbert County, AL
Wilson Dam is a gravity dam spanning the Tennessee River between Lauderdale and Colbert counties in the quad cities area. The dam was originally constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1918 and 1924. The project was envisioned as a part of the National Defense Act of 1916 during the run up to World War I to provide power for two nitrate plants intended to produce explosives for the war effort. The massive federal program cost $130 million dollars, however the first electrical generation from the plant was not until 1925 long after the end of the war. Although the properties attracted the attention of notable industrialist Henry Ford, who offered $5 million for them and promised to make the shoals the “Detroit of the South,” they languished in governmental limbo until the New Deal programs of Franklin Roosevelt. Impressed by the potential of the properties, Roosevelt’s team made the dam’s operational model the theme for the TVA’s economic invigoration of the entire Tennessee River region. The model was to incorporate a threefold purpose for each dam; flood control, navigational locks, and hydroelectric power generation. The dam has underwent few significant change in structure since its completion. An expansion of the locking system was completed in 1959 making it the largest single-chamber system in the world at that time. There has also been an additional nine spillways have been added. However, the neoclassical style incorporating elements of ancient Greece and Rome has remained a distinguishing feature for Wilson Dam as the only dam in the TVA system with that architectural style.
Ezzell, Patricia Bernard. 2012. Wilson Dam and Reservoir. June 14. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3268. History, Alabama. Dept. of Archives and. 2007. Lienhard, John H. 2014. No. 2261: Muscle Shoals. January 23. http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2261.htm. TVA. n.d. Wilson Resivor. http://www.tva.gov/sites/wilson.htm.
Photo from following websites: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-3314 Photo from following websites: http://www.tva.gov/sites/wilson.htm.
President Elect Franklin Roosevelt Visits Florence
Franklin Roosevelt; Florence, AL; Tennessee Valley Authority; Wilson Dam; Lauderdale County, AL
President elect Franklin Roosevelt visited Florence on January 21 and 22, 1933. The President was in the area touring Wilson Dam as a model for his proposal of a Tennessee Valley Authority. The design of the program, drafted by Senator George Norris of Nebraska, was to bring power and economic development to the region. The visiting dignitaries included three senators, George Norris, Kenneth McKellar, Clarence Dill; Tennessee governor Hill McAlister; Alabama Governor Benjamin Miller; and President Roosevelt’s daughter Mrs. Curtis Dell. The city was packed for the President’s arrival with Court and Tennessee Streets packed as the presidential limousine passed that way. The president attended Sunday services at the First United Methodist Church at the suggestion of Dr. Henry Willingham, President of the State Normal College in Florence.
McDonald, William Lindsey. A walk through the past : people and places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Pub., 2003., 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). 1933. "Encyclopedia of Alabama." Roosevelt Visits Wilson Dam. January. Accessed April 20, 2015. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-3314.
Photo from following websites: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-3314
Robin Lightfoot; Lynching; Bushwhackers; Civil War; African American History; Lauderdale County, AL
Robin Lightfoot, a mixed blood slave, help to organize the first church of African Americans at Florence, Church Spring, in 1837. Reverend Lightfoot preached on the hope for eventual emancipation for his people. While Union General Don Carlos Buell occupied Florence in 1862, Reverend Lightfoot’s sermons were relayed to local Bushwhackers, pro-confederate guerillas. The Bushwhackers captured Reverend Lightfoot at the current location of Wood Avenue Church of Christ. They hauled him to Stewart Spring and lynched him in an oak tree.
Debra Glass, Maed and Military Historian, Heath Mathews. n.d. "Civil War's Western Theater." armyoftennessee.wordpress.com. Accessed April 19, 2015. https://armyoftennessee.wordpress.com/two-martyrs-robin-lightfoot-and-w-h-mitchell/.
Bridget Blessing Morrison Hiding Friends and Enemies
Bridget Blessing Morrison; Zebulon Pike Morrison; Civil War; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
Bridget Blessing Morrison lived on the southeast corner of Wood Avenue and Mobile Street. She was born in Montreal, Canada. Her father brought his family to Florence during the early 1830s to work as an engineer on the first Muscle Shoals Canal. She married Zebulon Pike Morrison, an undertaker and contractor. During the Civil War, Zebulon Morrison built a secret compartment for hiding valuables and eventually food from plundering troops. During the first Union occupation of Florence, Union troops were quartered with the Morrisons. When the Confederate forces moved back into the area, one of the officers who had been wounded in a nearby skirmish could not be evacuated with the retreating Union forces. Mrs. Morrison hid the wounded soldier in the secret compartment and nursed him back to health. Later when the Union forces had again taken Florence, Mrs. Morrison’s nephew who was a Confederate courier was on the run from Union forces. She hid him in the same secret compartment. When the Union forces arrived she recognized their commander as the same man she had hid earlier. The commander made a show of searching the house and left the hiding place alone. Reportedly he departed saying half of a bible verse, “My lady, cast thy bread upon the waters.” The second half from Ecclesiastes finishes “… for thou shalt find it after many days.”
McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
Photo from following websites: http://www.trva-tcwc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Muscle-Shoals-Canal-Map2.jpg
Union Gunboat Raid on the Florence Docks
Civil War; Union Gunboat Raid; Florence Docks; USS Conestoga; USS Tyler; USS Lexington; Captain Fowler; Commander Andrew H. Foote; CSS Sam Kirkman; CSS Julius Smith; CSS Time; CSS Dunbar; Lieutenant Phelps; Lauderdale County, AL
The Union Gunboat raid on Florence, by vessels under the command of Commander Andrew H. Foote began on February 7, 1862. The USS Conestoga, Tyler, and Lexington had steamed up the river on February 6, in pursuit of Confederate steamers. The CSS Dunbar arrived at the Florence docks around 8:00 the night of February 7. Captain Fowler of the Dunbar warned the local commander of the approaching Union gunboats and organized the offloading of his vessels cargo for transport by rail to Tuscumbia. Later that night the CSS Sam Kirkman, Julius Smith, and Time arrived in Florence. At 8:30 on the morning of February 8, a message arrived in Florence from Confederate General Albert Sydney Johnston. General Johnston ordered that the rail bridge across the Tennessee River at Florence be taken down in order to allow the fleeing steamers to pass the shoals. The citizens of Florence protested the orders to local commanders and would not allow the bridge to be destroyed. Having finished unloading, the Dunbar steamed out of the Florence port and into Cypress Creek to hide until the Union boats withdrew. About 2:00 on the afternoon of February 8, the crews of the confederate steamers set their vessels ablaze after the Union gunboats had been spotted on the river. When Lexington and Conestoga under command of Lieutenant Phelps came into view of the docks, riflemen on the bank opened fire on them. Meanwhile, the crew of the Smith set her adrift full throttle toward the Union gunboats. The Conestoga opened fire on the riflemen on the bank, forcing them to abandon the field, but the Lexington had to maneuver out of the way of the drifting Smith. The Conestoga docked, and Lieutenant Phelps ordered a boarding party to save the burning boats. Although the boats were already unsalvageable, the boarding parties were able to confiscate Confederate government items valued at $100,000. Lieutenant Phelps then sent men to inspect the local warehouses where they discovered iron bars and plating that was on its way to outfit the nearly complete Confederate gunboat Eastport, which Commander Foote’s forces had captured early that week. While exploiting the warehouses, a contingent of citizens from the town met with Phelps to express concerns for the safety of the citizenry, bridge, and property. The lieutenant assured the group that the people, bridge, and property of the town would not be damaged. Phelps was good as his word and left the town and bridge untouched, only taking or destroying the Confederate supplies at the docks. The bridge would survive for another month, when Confederate forces would burn it to cover their retreat.
Tucker, Spencer C. 2009. "Myron J. Smith, Jr. The Timberclads in the Civil War: The Lexington, Conestoga and Tyler on the Western Waters. Jefferson, NC: McFarland." North & South: The Official Magazine Of The Civil War Society 11, no. 4: 79. America: History and Life with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
Photo from following websites: http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/naval_officers.htm Photo from following websites: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Conestoga_h55321.jpg#/media/File:USS_Conestoga_h55321.jpg
Confederate Steam Boats Captured in Waterloo
Confederate Steamboats; Waterloo, AL; Civil War; Lauderdale County, AL; Tennessee River; Commander Andrew H. Foote; Fort Henry
After the fall of Fort Henry at the mouth of the Tennessee River, the USS Contestoga, Tyler, and Lexington steamed up the river on February 6, in pursuit of Confederate steamers. The Union forces under the command of Commander Andrew H. Foote captured to confederate supply steamers at Waterloo Landing. The cargo steamers Sallie Wood and Muscle were taken as prize vessels. The Muscle was carrying a load of iron in route to the Tredgar Iron Works in Richmond.
Photo from following websites: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Conestoga_h55321.jpg#/media/File:USS_Conestoga_h55321.jpg
Mountain Tom Clark; Tories; Outlaws; Civil War; Bugger; Lauderdale County, AL
One of the most notorious outlaws in the Tennessee Valley moved to Lauderdale County in late 1862 or early 1863. He was known as Mountain Tom Clark because he was known to have been from the “mountain counties.” This moniker helped to distinguish him from another man also named Tom Clark living in the same Blackburn area that he moved into. Reportedly, Mountain Tom had left his home with his wife and small child to avoid the being conscripted into the Confederate army. This evasion was to no avail as the conscript officers found him in his new home and took him into the Confederate army. He soon deserted the Confederate army and enlisted in the Union army. Later, after running afoul of army discipline, he deserted that army as well. It was then that he took whole heartedly to his life of crime. He joined in with a group of men who had likewise deserted both armies and were then engaged in robbing, raping, and murdering in and around Lauderdale County. Mountain Tom was credited with many crimes in the surrounding area, some of which he may have committed. Some of the crimes which formed the legal case against Clark were the Wilson plantation murder, the torture and robbing of several Florence citizens, and the murder of Mr. Howell. Clark was eventually arrested in Jackson County and extradited to Florence. In October of 1872, a mob of outraged citizens in Florence stormed the jail and drug Clark along with to others out to be lynched. One person among the mob remembered that he had once boasted that “nobody will ever run over Tom Clark.” According to legend, the mob decided it would be fitting to bury Mountain Tom Clark under the street so that he would forever be run over by the town he had terrorized during and after the Civil War.
McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Fedore, T. S. 1893. "Outlaw Tom Clark." Florence Times, March 4: 1.
Photo from following websites: http://thecemeterydetective.com/florence-cemetery-florence-alabama/mountain_tom_clark/
Civil War; Happy Hollow; Brigadier General Edward Hatch; Baugh’s Ford; General Hood; Shoal Creek; Jackson’s Military Road; Lauderdale County, AL
The most contested ground in the Lauderdale County during the Civil War was most probably the area known as Happy Hollow. This engagement occurred in and around the area that Jackson’s Military Road crossed Shoal Creek in the area then known as Baugh’s Ford. Union General Croxton’s brigade on the west side of the creek was reinforced on November 6, by Brigadier General Edward Hatch and his 5th Division. From November 6 until just before General Hood’s Confederate army moved out of Florence on November 21, there were skirmishes on an almost daily basis at the ford. Both armies sent out probing and scouting missions over the creek. The Union forces made three attempts to capture the flour and gristmills on Shoal Creek before finally capturing them on November 9. The skirmishing continued until November 19th, when the 9th Illinois ran into a Confederate wagon train on Cloverdale Road. Despite losing thirty men, the Union forces captured several wagons and prisoners. The raid also turned up documents that detailed Hood’s plans for his campaign into Tennessee. The Union forces withdrew ceding the ford to Hood’s army. The Army of the Tennessee moved out of Florence on November 21.
McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. A walk through the past : people and places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Pub., 2003., 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Edgar D. Byler, III. n.d. "GENERAL JOHN BELL HOOD'S INVASION OF TENNESSEE." tngenweb.org. Accessed April 11, 2015. http://www.tngenweb.org/wayne/Hood.htm. Eric. 2014. "HOOD’S BATTERED ARMY RECROSSES THE TENNESSEE." Civil War Daily Gazette. December 26. Accessed April 11, 2015. http://civilwardailygazette.com/2014/12/26/hoods-battered-army-recrosses-the-tennessee/. Wallace, Harry E. n.d. "Lauderdale County, Alabama History." algw.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm.
Photo from following websites: http://bridgehunter.com/al/lauderdale/528/
Wright and Rice Foundry; Civil War; Colonel Florence M. Cornyn; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
The Wright and Rice Foundry was located where the Mars Hill Church of Christ is located on Cox Creek. The foundry was built in 1835 by Williams Johnson but was sold to James Wright and William Rice. The foundry produced steam engines, mill saws, cotton gins, farming implements, and industrial machinery. At the outbreak of the Civil War, the foundry was converted for the manufacture of shells and munitions for weapons, ranging from large cannons to musket balls. This made the foundry a primary target for the Union force commanded by Colonel Florence M. Cornyn. The force of 1,380 men left Corinth, Mississippi, on May 26, 1863, on a mission to destroy the industrial capacity of Lauderdale County. Cornyn’s forces destroyed the foundry, along with many other industrial sites in the County, and then withdrew back to Mississippi.
McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. "Alabama Trails Business & Manfacturies." genealogytrails.com. Accessed April 10, 2015. http://genealogytrails.com/ala/lauderdale/businesspast.html. Wallace, Harry E. n.d. "Lauderdale County, Alabama History." algw.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm.
Photo from following website: https://flplarchive.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/picture5.jpg
Preacher Arrested in Florence for Praying
Union Occupation; Florence, AL; Civil War; Dr. W.H. Mitchell; Union Colonel John Marshall Harlan
After the Union forces captured Florence in 1862, the Union military officials issued an edict that forbade praying for the Confederacy. The pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Florence was arrested for violating this decree on Sunday, July 27, 1862. The pastor’s name was Dr. W.H. Mitchell, who had received a doctorate in divinity from Princeton. He came to Florence in 1847 after serving as pastor in Prattville, Wetumpka, and Montgomery. On the morning of July 27, Dr. Mitchell surveyed his congregation from the pulpit. He noticed that several Union soldiers were seated in the pews. Knowing that the edict had been issued and incensed at the affront to religious liberty, he prayed for President Jefferson Davis and the success of the Confederate Armies. As soon as the amen was called, Union Colonel John Marshall Harlan, Provost Marshal of the 10th Kentucky and future Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, marched up the aisle and arrested Dr. Mitchell, informing the congregation that the service was over. Mitchell was placed under guard, marched across the Tennessee River, and placed on a train bound for Federal prison in Alton, Illinois. Mitchell remained in prison for three months. A group of relatives and friends were able to secure his release in early October. He returned to the pulpit on October 12, 1862. He remained the pastor of First Presbyterian until he retired in 1871. The congregation jokingly called him the “prison pastor” and placed a memorial window in the sanctuary after his death in 1872.
McDonald, William Lindsey. A walk through the past : people and places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Pub., 2003., 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Debra Glass, MAed and Military Historian, Heath Mathews. n.d. "Civil War's Western Theater." armyoftennessee.wordpress.com. Accessed April 19, 2015. https://armyoftennessee.wordpress.com/two-martyrs-robin-lightfoot-and-w-h-mitchell/.
Photo from following websites: http://kynghistory.ky.gov/history/2qtr/addinfo/john+marshall+harlan+bio.htm
A golden eagle purchased for 10 dollars in 1930, this was Auburn's first ever live eagle
This is a picture of Toomer's Corner and the surrounding area. Toomer's is located to the right of the tree at center frame.
A War Eagle Special taking Auburn fans to Atlanta for the 1939 Georgia Tech football game.
1938: Post-Orange Bowl celebration at Toomer's Corner
This is a photo of a student gathering at Toomer's Corner. They are celebrating the wi
Pictured is a 1985 celebration, probably after Auburn's 17-14 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Photograph that shows the landscape of Auburn in the late 19th century
A picture of Toomer's Corner at the turn of the 20th century.
1967: Auburn water tank being taken down
A picture of Toomer's Drugs. The water tower behind the drug stor is being taken down.
National Register of Historic Places; Florence, AL
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.
Missy Brown, University of North Alabama
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)
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)
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 "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; 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)
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.
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.
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.
National Register of Historic Places; Architecture; Florence, AL
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.
James Martin House (Martin-Bounds House)
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.
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)
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.
Floyd, Warner W. and Sally Moore. “Wilson Park Houses – National Register of Historic Preservation Nomination,” Montgomery: Alabama Historical Commission, 1979.
National Register of Historic Places; Education; Church of Christ
Theophilus Brown Larimore constructed the two story frame house in 1870 to serve as a home and school. The house is significant for its association with religion, education, and social history. Larimore served as headmaster and Church of Christ minister until 1887. Larimore then closed the school and focused on his ministry in the area. The house passed to his son Virgil Larimore until it was acquired in 1946 and returned to its use as a religious school. Originally called Lauderdale County Bible School the name was changed to Mars Hill Bible School under which name the school has continued to flourish. The house/school is a simple frame two story hipped roof structure sited on a full brick raised basement. A one story porch extends the full width of the house and serves as a veranda from the second floor accessed by a central door leading from the upstairs hall. Of note are the simple wooden sash interpretation of Gothic Revival styling on the first floor windows. The current porch configuration differs from the description and photos taken for the 1974 National Register nomination. Due to the exterior changes and age of the National Register nomination it is suggested that the nomination be updated. All information for this Omeka entry was obtained from the nomination and an exterior survey of the property.
Floyd, W. Warner. National Register Nomination. “Larimore House (Mars Hill Bible School)”. ((#74000416) (11/21/74).
National Register of Historic Places; Gothic Revival; Architecture; Education; Civil War
Nashville architect Adolphus Heiman designed the Gothic Revival building and Zebulon Pike Morrison, a native of Virginia, who migrated to Lauderdale County constructed the building. Wesleyan Hall was reportedly his finest work. The three story masonry building was built in 1855 as the new home of Methodist church affiliated LaGrange College. When the school, under the leadership of Dr. R.H. Rivers, moved to Florence the name was changed to Wesleyan University. The college operated under the Methodist Conferences of Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi until the Civil War. Mass enlistment forced the school to close and the grounds were periodically used by troops. After the war the Methodists found they did not have enough funds to reopen. The building was offered to the state and the building became the State Normal School in 1872. The Alabama State Normal School was the first state supported teachers school in the south and a legislative Act in 1873 included the education of women, another first for the region. The building is now part of the University of North Alabama. The 1974 NR nomination lists the significance of Wesleyan Hall in terms of architecture, as one of the few surviving Gothic Revival buildings in the area, and in terms of education for its role in the education of Alabama’s teachers. All information and pictures for this Omeka entry were found in the National Register nomination.
Floyd, W. Warner. National Register Nomination. “Wesleyan Hall” (#74000417) (6/20/74).
National Register of Historic Places; University of North Alabama; Governor Emmett O'Neil; Civil War; Architecture
Courtview was built as the two story brick townhouse of successful planter and businessman George Washington Foster. The 1854-55 Greek Revival house faces the Tennessee River (southwest) down the length of Court Street in Florence. According to the NR nomination Foster had to get a special act of the Alabama State Legislature to block the street. The NR nomination lists multiple areas of significance for this prominent house. It is significant for architecture, of particular note and in keeping with the buildings Greek Revival style are the 4 full height fluted Ionic columns, the broad entablature and low hipped roof along with the symmetry of both the house and the landscape. The house is also significant for its ties to political and military history. The grounds were used by both Federal and Confederate troops during the Civil War and the house itself briefly served as headquarters for General Sherman’s officers. After the war and the death of owner George Washington Foster the house was inherited by his daughter Sarah Independence Foster and her husband Capt. Sterling Payne McDonald. In 1900 the house was sold to Emmett O’Neil who was elected governor in 1910. Thomas Rogers obtained the house in 1922 and extensively restored the property. The Rogers family sold the house in 1948 to Florence State Teachers College which later became the University of North Alabama. The house continues to be an important part of the University. The property was documented by the Works Progress Administration in 1935 and is part of the Historic American Building Survey that can be found in the Library of Congress. The property was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The nomination could use additional research.
Floyd, W. Warner. National Register Nomination. “Courtview : Rogers Hall”(#74000415) (6/13/74).
National Register of Historic Places Usonian Architecture Jewish History Museum
National Register property – Rosenbaum House The Rosenbaum house was built for Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum in 1940 from a late 1930s Usonian design by Frank Lloyd Wright, the only house designed by Wright in the state of Alabama. Usonian houses were designed as an affordable home for the everyday man. The design for the Usonian house was much smaller than most of Wright’s residential plans and were able to be altered for different settings. In keeping with Wright’s ideals the house is strongly horizontal with deliberate blank walls facing the street and large open windows towards the private family spaces to the rear of the house. Frank Lloyd Wright designed a large addition for the growing Rosenbaum family in 1948. This was the only addition Wright designed for a Usonian house. The house was restored by the Talisen Foundation in 1966. The house remained in the Rosenbaum family until 1999 when it became a city of Florence museum. This property is well known and well documented and is a significant part of Florence’s architectural heritage. The 1978 NR nomination is quite brief and could benefit from additional documentation and research. All information and photographs for this Omeka entry are from the National Register nomination. Rosembaum, Stanley ; Mildred Rosenbaum; and Ellen Mertins. National Register Nomination, “Rosenbaum House” (#78000492) (12/18/78).
National Register Nomination (#78000492)
National Register of Historic Places; Native American History; Early Settlement; Transportation; National Parkway
The 1976 NR nomination documents a 400 foot unpaved section of the original Natchez Trace not covered by the Natchez Trace Parkway. The original Natchez Trace was a network of trails established by Native Americans that stretched roughly from what is now Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. The trails whenever possible avoided creek and swamp crossings and followed watershed divides. The trails shifted with weather conditions and as population centers changed. The trails appeared on French and British maps in the 1730s and 1770s and were labeled with names such as the Chickasaw Trace and the “Path to the Choctaw Nation”. White trade was documented along the trace as early as 1785. When the Mississippi Territory was formed in 1798 settlers called for improvements to the trace which was authorized by President Jefferson in 1801. Between 1800 and 1830 the Trace was used as a post road and numerous inns and stops were established along the route. Andrew Jackson and his troops traveled the Trace in 1812 to protect New Orleans from a threatened British invasion. In 1938 the National Park Service established the Natchez Trace Parkway extending 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez bypassing this small section of one of the original trails. The Park Service interprets the Trace for its significance to Native American history, European settlement, transportation, commerce, military history and local flora and fauna. The National Register nomination for this small section of the Trace, less than one acre, was written in 1976 and like most nominations from that time period could be improved by additional research. All information and photos for this Omeka entry were taken from the nomination.
Cox, William E. National Register Nomination. “Old Natchez Trace (no. 310-2A)” (#76000156) (11/7/76).
National Register of Historic Places Social History Architecture
National Register property – Forks of Cypress Forks of Cypress plantation house is now a ruin. A fire resulting from lightning destroyed the home in 1966. However, the 23 remaining standing brick columns are still significant for what they can tell us about architecture and more importantly about the social history of the affluent planter lifestyle, in particular that of the owner, planter, and politician James Jackson. The basic core of the house was a two story frame double pile plan much like others of its time period except for the central hall. The central hall at Forks of Cypress was divided into an entrance hall and a rear stair hall. The porch, however, is a different story and is now is all that remains to tell that story. The peristyle porch with 24 two story columns stretched completely around the house. This is the first documented house in Alabama to be so constructed before the war and one of the earliest nationwide outside the lower Mississippi valley. In the lower Mississippi valley peristyle porches were designed as living spaces with the columns supporting second story galleries that ringed the house and provided access to the rooms that opened on to the galleries. The peristyle porch at Forks of Cypress was designed to impress. Though the porch did provide sheltered gathering space and shade from the Alabama sun, the monumental nature of the brick columns with Ionic capitals that matched those on the new State Capitol building were a statement to the wealth and status of the inhabitants of the house. The architect of the house is reported to be William Nichols, State Architect of Alabama and designer of the new Capitol. James Jackson, native of Ireland, was an early investor in the Cypress Creek Land Company that founded Florence. He along with others including John Coffee made up a local elite in the Lauderdale County area. Jackson was a member of the Alabama House of Representatives and the Senate during the 1820s and 30s. He was also a successful businessman and plantation owner raising thoroughbred race horses. He was rumored to be the richest man in the county upon his death. The 1997 NR nomination for Forks of Cypress is extensive and provides a wealth of information about the house, James Jackson, and the history of Lauderdale County. The nomination also includes drawings from the 1935 WPA Historic American Building Survey inventory of the house (#AL-375). Farris, Johnathan A. National Register Nomination, “Forks of Cypress” (#97001166) (10/10/97).
National Register nomination (#97001166)
Sweetwater Plantation (Governor Robert M. Patton House)
National Register of Historic Places ; Political History; Architecture
The 1976 National Register nomination of the Robert M. Patton house states that the property is significant in terms of architecture as a classic example of a North Alabama Georgian plantation house, and for political history as the home of the first elected governor of Alabama after the Civil War. The house also known as Sweetwater Plantation originally sat on 4,000 acres with elaborate landscaped grounds surrounding the house. The two story brick house is the common double pile plan, four rooms divided by a wide central hall on each floor. Small room alterations have been made including a kitchen, side entrance, and second floor bathrooms. The exterior massing is a symmetrical rectangle with simple Georgian detailing seen most clearly in the low hipped roof, one story porch detailing, and ornamental delicate sidelights and transom surrounding the double front doors. The owner Robert M. Patton inherited the partially built house from his father-in-law and completed the house in 1835. Patton served in the Alabama legislature almost continuously from 1837 until the Civil War. He represented Lauderdale County at the State Conference and the Charleston Convention in 1860, which passed the secession ordinance that started the war. In 1865 he served in the State Constitutional Convention and became governor in 1866 until he was replaced by the Reconstruction government in 1867. Patton was then involved with the railroads and various colleges and universities throughout the South. The house remained in the family at the time of the NR nomination in 1976. The nomination needs to be updated. All information and photos for this Omeka entry are from the NA nomination.
Floyd, W. Warner, National Register Nomination. “Sweetwater Plantation (Governor Robert Patton House)”, (#76000335) (6/17/76).
National Register of Historic Places; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Industry
The 1889 Florence Wagon Works was the largest wooden wagon manufacturer in the United States producing 15,000 wagons a year. The most popular, the Florence Light Running Wagon helped settle the West, especially Texas, and was important in France during World War I. The company manufactured and sold other models as well as parts. The company directly employed 175 employees, both white and African American. The Works was said to pay its employees over $100,000 a year and indirectly affected the local economy by as much as $300, 000 a year. Demand for wagons dropped dramatically with the mass production of cars and trucks and the business closed in 1941 leaving the building to slowly deteriorate. Currently only ruins exist where once a thriving industry prospered. Only stonewalls, foundations, and a railroad trestle remain but due to a progression of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps the original configuration of factories, mills and warehouses is known. The site is significant for what the archeological remains may tell us about Florence’s industrial past. The site was placed on the National Register in 1996 and the nomination includes relevant area Sanborn maps. The site is currently owned by TVA.
Ford, Gene A. National Register Nomination “Florence Wagon Works Site” (#96000596) (6/13/96).
2010: Montgomery, Union Station Train Shed
Montgomery, AL; Union Station; Railroad Stations; Montgomery County, AL
Looking west towards the old Union Station train shed in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, AL; Riverfront; Union Station
2005: Heber Valley Railroad, Heber Creeper
Heber City (UT); Wasatch Mountain Railway; Steam Locomotive;
Heber City Utah's Heber Creeper, No. 618 Steam Locomotive
Heber City; Utah; Wasatch Mountain Railroad
Chicago (Ill.); Local transit, Illinois, Chicago, Loop
Oral interviewed recorded by Christy Anderson, Montgomery County Historical Society at Pintlala Baptist Church on Saturday, April 29. You can listen to the entire interview here.
Viking Longship Sea Stallion Arrives in Dublin
Viking ships were marine vessels of particular designs used and built by the Vikings during the Viking Age. The boat-types were quite varied, depending on what the ship was intended for, but they were generally characterized as being slender and flexible boats, with symmetrical ends with true keel. They were clinker built, which is the overlapping of planks riveted together. Some might have had a dragon's head or other circular object protruding from the bow and stern, for design, although this is only inferred from historical sources. They ranged in the Baltic Sea and far from the Scandinavian homelands, to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Newfoundland, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and Africa. For more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_ships
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Viking Ship