Key Caves; Archaeology; Nature; Native Americans; Lauderdale County, AL
Several caves, located 1.5 miles apart, via Gunwaleford Road were included in archaeological digs in the late 1980s. It was believed that the artifacts of indigenous people had been stored in the area. At one time William Key owned the property, which included a slave cemetery, that has now been designated as Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge. The caves are closed to the public to protect their integrity.
Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
Historic Marker. Gunwaleford Road, Lauderdale County, Alabama
Document courtesy of Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama
Florence Owned Businesses; Wilson Dam; Advertising; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
Douglas and Virginia Lambert, owners of Lambert Transfer (which was founded in 1953), chose Wilson Dam as the backdrop for their advertising
Postcard courtesy of Duel and Imogene James
Movies; Florence Downtown Businesses; Louis Rosenbaum; Stanley Rosenbaum; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
Louis Rosenbaum, who moved to Florence from Douglas, Wyoming (in 1918) during the building of Wilson Dam and the TVA government plants, opened the Princess Theatre on September 1, 1919. He lived and worked in Florence for over forty three years. At one time, he and his son Stanley owned and operated nine movie houses in North Alabama: the Princess, Majestic, and Shoals in Florence; the Colbert and Ritz in Sheffield; the Strand and the Tuscumbian in Tuscumbia; and the Ritz and the Plaza in Athens. Jonathan Rosenbaum, who was a movie critic for the Chicago Reader, wrote about growing up in and around movie houses owned by his grandfather in Moving Places (1980). The Shoals Theatre, 123 N. Seminary Street, continues to be used for community events.
Coleman, Edwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1996-2006. Privately Printed. 2006.
Photographs courtesy of the Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
Judaism; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
A significant Jewish community has existed in the Shoals area since the 1840s. One of the earliest references to the Jewish community in Florence, Alabama was in September 1882 (Rosh Hashanah) in the Florence Gazette reminding readers that “our citizens of that belief generally observed by closing their places of business.” Various rabbis from Birmingham and Huntsville performed wedding ceremonies and funerals until the congregation decided the time had come to build a temple and to hire a Rabbi. The Florence-Standard Journal reported that Rosh Hashanah services had been conducted in the Masonic Hall on Court Street (which, in addition to the homes of various members, would appear to have been the usual meeting place for the group that became Temple B’Nai Israel. Many of the male congregants were Masons.) The Florence Herald reported in March of 1899 that “there were about twenty-five children who needed instruction in their faith.” In June of 1900, the Times reported that plans were being made to build a Temple in Florence. Mark Reisman and M. (believed to stand for Mose) Coplan led the building project. The Times reported, “some of our best citizens are Hebrews and they form quite a considerable portion of our community, they are law abiding and prosperous and always found on the right side of every question leading to the upbuilding and prosperity of the city’s growth.” In July of 1900, The Times reported that $800 had been raised toward the building of a Temple and that, a board of trustees had been elected at a meeting in the home of Morris Coplan: President, Mark Reisman; Vice President, A. E. Bresler; Secretary, H. Weinbaum (of Sheffield); Treasurer, H. Miller. Philip Olim, H. Goldman, A. Kreisman, and Joe P. May were elected as Trustees. On January 22, 1906, the Congregation incorporated in Colbert County under the name of Congregation B’nai Israel of the Tri-Cities. The first permanent meeting place of Temple B’nai Israel was in Sheffield, Alabama, (from 1906 until 1953) where the congregants were active religiously and socially. In January 1953, at the annual (business) meeting of the group, Louis Rosenbaum (then president) announced that the purpose of the meeting was to make a final decision on the new building. An architect had estimated that it would cost $3,500 to repair the old building, and an attorney opined that the old building could be sold. The group discussed a sketch of the new building and voted that lots on Hawthorne Street in Florence be purchased. It was agreed that the auditorium and the portion of the building that would house religious school rooms be built immediately with the auditorium serving as the sanctuary until that time. The sum of $10,000 was taken from the surplus Federation funds to place into a building fund. The Lt. Alvin Rosenbaum Foundation conveyed almost all of lots 1, 2, and 3 in Block 427 of the City of Florence to the Congregation B’nai Israel of the Tri-Cities. The Temple still stands at 201 Hawthorne Street. The cornerstone of the Temple was laid in 1953. An addition to the building, which added three classrooms and enclosing the arcade, were added in 1958. The building, in essence, remains the same today. Rabbi Joseph Gallinger of Birmingham, came to the Temple in 1957 and stayed for nineteen years, instituting many of the traditions that are still followed by the congregants. A twelve tribes memorial plaque, an etched glass memorial, and tree of life doors have been added to the interior of the building. The Temple B’nai Israel hosted a centennial celebration in 2006.
Coleman, Edwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006. Private Printing. Florence, Alabama. 2006.
Downtown Florence Businesses; Jewish Community in Florence, Alabama; Klibanoff Family; Lauderdale County, AL
The Bootery, which was located on 111 North Court Street, was a locally owned business and landmark for eight decades in Florence. (The last incarnation of the store was Kaye's Shoes in Regency Square Mall.) Owned by Morris Klibanoff and Melburn Zeff, the store specialized in "shoes, accessories, sportswear, and lingerie." Hymen Klibanoff (October 20, 1886 - June 10, 1947), who was married to Lillie A. Klibanoff (August 1, 1890 - February 13, 1969) founded The Bootery in 1918. Born in Russia, he came to the United States as a young man. Morris (January 29, 1917 - December 13, 1996) and Rosalyn Klibanoff (August 8, 1919 - December 6, 2003), worked together and were married for over fifty-six years. Morris Klibanoff, a native of Jackson, Tennessee, graduated from Coffee High School, attended Vanderbilt, and graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with a degree in Business Administration and Commerce. Rosalyn Bookholtz attended Hunter College and moved to Florence, Alabama (the home of her sister Mildred Rosenbaum) in 1940 to marry Morris Kilbanoff. They were the parents of five children: Judy Klibanoff Engle, Ruth Klibanoff Berg, Henry ("Hank") Klibanoff, Deborah Klibanoff, and Danie Klibanoff. The couple was active in the community and Temple B'nai Israel. Mrs. Klibanoff was instrumental in founding two local theatre groups - in 1949, she was a founding member of The Little Theatre, and she worked toward founding the Zodiac Theatre (which was, at that time, located on Hermitage Drive).
From the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library Archives, vertical files. Temple B'nai Israel Cemetery Obituaries, Compiled by Scott Dawsey, 2005.
Collier Library Archives, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
Jean Schulman, artist and art teacher, has been working in clay and batik since the 1970s. Originally from Russellville, Alabama, she lives in Florence, and retired from teaching at Muscle Shoals. Her most recent exhibit was with Robin Wade.
Alexander Falk; Jewish Community of Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
Alexander Falk was born in Prussia on October 14, 1811. He moved to England at the age of fourteen, where he learned the jewelry business. After a brief trip to his homeland in 1841, he left for America. He arrived in New Orleans and lived in Vicksburg (where he married) before moving to Florence in 1843 where he became a well-respected businessmen. At his death (on or around July 21, 1871), the Board of Mayor and Alderman issued a tribute of respect. He is buried in the Florence Cemetery.
Coleman, Erwin M., "A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration: 1906 - 2006, p. 4-6.
John D. Chisholm; Lauderdale County, AL; Chief Doublehead
John D. Chisholm (1737 -1742?, d. 1818), who was Chief Doublehead's legal counsel and liaison, arrived in North America around 1777. He was involved in multiple land scams before and after his partnership with Chief Doublehead. After Doublehead's death, he and his Cherokee wife followed the Cherokee tribe to Arkansas.
University Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama.
Writers; Journalists; Civil Rights Movement; Jewish Community of Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
Hank Klibanoff, the former managing editor of the Atlanta-Constitution and the James M. Cox Jr. Professor of Journalism, was born in Florence, Alabama. Klibanoff, who co-wrote The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation, with former New York Times managing editor. The book - which won a Pulitzer in 2007 - covers specifically Alabama events, including: the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the threats against the first black student at the University of Alabama, the freedom riders, the Selma to Montgomery marches, the Birmingham church bombing, and George Wallace's "stand in the schoolhouse door."
Carvalho, John. "Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hank Kilbanoff to Neil O. and Henrietta Davis Lecturer April 15." Auburn HomePage: The Newsroom. April 4, 2015.
Writers and Critics; Jewish Community of Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
Jonathan Rosenbaum, who was the head film critic of the Chicago Reader from 1987 to 2008, has had a lifelong interest in movies and the arts. Born in Florence, Alabama on February 27, 1943, his grandfather and father ran a small chain of movie houses, an experience he chronicles in Moving Places (1980). His parents, Stanley and Mildred, commissioned the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Alabama which he associates with the sense "that a horizontal line is both dynamic and restful." A graduate of the Putney School of Vermont and Bard, he intended to be a writer. Moving to New York, where one of his first jobs was editing a collection of essays on film, led to his career as a film critic, essayist, and memoirist. Jean-Luc Godard, says of Jonathan Rosenbaum, "I think there is a very good film critic in the United States today, as a successor of James Agee, and that is Jonathan Rosenbaum. He's one of the best."
Smirnoff, Marc. "Film Critic of the Month: Interview with Jonathan Rosenbaum," Oxford American. June 5, 2009. Website
Writers; Architecture; Jewish Families in Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
Alvin Rosenbaum, who was born on January 14, 1945, has worked as a research scholar, conducted tourism and opportunity studies and workshops, and is the author of several books, including: A White House Christmas, The Complete Home Office:Planning for Maximum Efficiency, and A White House Christmas.
Cemeteries; Toonersville, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
The Harvey Cemetery, located in Toonersville, Alabama (which is near the Whitehead Community and the town of Rogersville) is located off of the Bettie Anne Highway (aka Highway 51). Go north on Highway 51 for approximately three miles; at the crossroads of Road 92 (approximately three miles: there are abandoned white buildings on the right and left), turn left. At approximately one half mile, turn right on Road 53. The cemetery is approximately three quarters of a mile at the end of the road.
Colbert County, Alabama; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; WLAY-Radio; Muscle Shoals Sound
WLAY-AM (1450 -AM) was one of the first broadcast radio stations in the Shoals. Licensed in 1933 (as WNRA), the station stopped broadcasting in 2014. The station's original broadcast was a variety format featuring gospel, country, and "race music" by African American artists. Sam Phillips worked as a disc jockey at WLAY in the 1950s. As the "Muscle Shoals Sound" developed in the 1960s, WLAY debuted many of the local recordings, many of which are now known worldwide. Paul Kelly built the studio which is now housed at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. The Alabama Historical Society named the station a Historic Landmark in 2007. The station was located on Second Street in Muscle Shoals during its heyday.
Photographs courtesy of Kevin Self. The photograph of the sign is from the 1950s. The photographs of the buildings are from the 1990s. The reproduction of the logo is circa 1970, courtesy of Kevin Self.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Oakwood Cemetery, Sheffield, Alabama; Temple B'nai Israel; Jewish Culture; Cemeteries
The highest point in Oakwood Cemetery in Sheffield was given to the members of the Jewish Synagogue in appreciation for their contributions to the communities of Sheffield and Florence, Alabama. Families who are interred there include: the Rosenbaums, the Klibanoffs, the Abroms, the Zeffs, the Israels, the Muhlendorfs, and the Kreismans.
Coleman, Erwin R., A History of Temple B'nai Iarael, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006.
Lauderdale County, Alabama; Florence, Alabama; Mars Hill Bible School; Church of Christ; Private Schools
Mars Hill Bible School is a private preparatory day school for boys and girls in Florence, Alabama. The school begins at pre-kindergarten goes through the twelfth grade. Mars Hill Academy was opened by Thomas Brown Larimore in 1871. The academy, which was later called Mars Hill College, operated as a boy's school for sixteen years. The college was closed in 1888. Mars Hill Bible School is located at 698 Cox Creek Parkway in Florence, Alabama. In 1947 several local churches of Christ reopened the school. Mars Hill Bible School is affiliated with the Church of Christ and is completely autonomous.
Lauderdale County, Alabama; Florence, Alabama; Heritage Christian University; Church of Christ
Heritage Christian University, located at 3625 Helton Drive, in Florence, Alabama, is a private Bible college affiliated with the Church of Christ. Founded in 1971 as International Bible College. the school is co-educational, has approximately ninety students, and is overseen by a Board of Directors (all of whom must be active in the Church of Christ).
Colbert County, Alabama; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Paul Kelly; Muscle Shoals Sound
Paul Elisha Kelly (born on November 10th, 1924; died on May 25th, 1997) was a broadcast engineer, who built and maintained many of the studios and radio stations (notably WLAY and WQLT, which was owned by Sam Phillips) responsible for the Muscle Shoals Sound. Kelly was also affiliated with Chips Moman at American Sound Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.
Jones, Roben. The Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios. University of Mississippi Press, Oxford, Mississippi. 2011. .
Photographs and notes courtesy of Jeffrey Z. Vaughn, Sr.
Hale County, Alabama; Marengo County, Alabama; Perry County, Alabama; Newbern, Alabama; Andrew Freear; Rural Arts Studio
Andrew Freear, the Wiatt Professor of Architecture at Auburn University, became the Director of the Rural Arts Studio in Newbern, West Alabama in 2002. Freear, who is from Yorkshire, England, was educated at the Polytechnic of Central London and the Polytechnic of Central London, England. He has practiced in London and Chicago, and he taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago and as a Unit Master at the Architectural Association. He moved to Alabama over a decade ago to direct the Rural Studio, a hands-on architectural pedagogy that teaches students to design and build homes for the rural poor and community projects in addition to improving the living conditions in West Alabama.
Auburn University College of Architecture and Design www.ruralstudio.org
Photograph courtesy of the archives at the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
Hale County, Alabama; Marengo County, Alabama; Perry County, Alabama; Samuel Mockbee; Rural Arts Studio
Samuel Mockbee - who was born on December 23, 1944 in Meridian, Mississippi and who died on December 30, 2001 - was an architect and the co-founder of Auburn University Rural Studio. A 1974 graduate of the School of Architecture at Auburn, Mockbee came to feel very connected to rural places and held a great respect for and understanding of the disadvantages faced by the rural poor. Mockbee and D. K. Ruth founded the Rural Studio program at Auburn University, a program acclaimed for introducing students to the social responsibilities of the profession. Mockbee was widely recognized for his work - including being given a MacArthur Foundation (known colloquially as the "Genius Grant" in 1998.
Dean, Andrea Oppenheimer and Hursley, Timothy, "Rural Studio:Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency." Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton Architectural Press, 2002.
Photograph courtesy of the Archives at the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
Lexington Alabama; Lauderdale County Alabama; Post Offices
The old Lexington Post Office (circa 1940) had fallen into dis-repair and disuse after the new post office was built. Several businesses attempted to make the space usable without major updates. When Dr. Paul Corfman, who grew up in North Alabama, wanted to make an investment in his community, he and his wife, Nicole, renovated the building turning it into usable space.They incorporated the details of the post office - most notably the high ceilings - to turn the building into a comfortable and welcoming space for patients. Located on Highway 101 the building is now a model for a small, rural community hoping to attract new businesses.
Old Lexington Alabama Post Office; Corfman Chiropractic
Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County; Alabama Chanin; Alabama fashion
Natalie Chanin, a native of Florence, Alabama, is the founder and creative director of Alabama Chanin. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Time, The New York Times, Town & Country, Bon Appetit, and Gun and Garden. She has been interviewed by National Public Radio and CBS News. Rosanne Cash credits Chanin with having given her the line that became one of the thematic hooks on Cash's most recent album, "The River and The Thread." Alabama Chanin was founded in 2000. The company which started as a hand-sewn T-shirt company and clothing brand has grown into a lifestyle company. Community and sustainability have become the cornerstones of her work. Natalie Chanin's business has grown to include an in-store studio, a restaurant named The Factory (which specializes in local, organic food), a Do It Yourself educational center named the School of Making, and continues to expand. Part of Alabama Chanin's mission statement is, "... we preserve traditions of community, design, producing, and living arts by examining work and life through the act of storytelling, photography, education, and making. The Factory, located on 462 Lane Drive in the industrial Park of Florence, which was once the home to textile producers Tee Jay's Manufacturing. The building, which was built in 1982, was called Building 14; Chanin has paid homage to the spirit of the former business by naming the machine-made designs and manufacturing "Building 14."
alabamachanin.com "Reviving A Southern Industry, From Cotton Field to Clothing Rack," National Public Radio Archives, October 10, 2014.
Limestone County, Alabama; Athens, Alabama; Athens Presbyterian Church; Historic Churches
Athens First Presbyterian Church was organized in 1829. After meeting an interdenominational building, the church was built on Washington Street. The building was badly damaged during the Civil War and the Presbyterians met at the First Baptist Church while trying to organize and raise funds to replace the church. The current building - located on the square in Athens - was completed in 1895 and has added several wings,while maintaining the architectural integrity of the original building, in the last 100 years.
The Harris-Pryor House was built around 1858 by Schulyer Harris on land that had been owned by Henry Augustine Washington (who had been related to the President). Harris gave the house to his daughter, Ida Marie, and her husband, William Richard Pryor (who was the son of Senator Luke Pryor and Isabella Virginia {Harris} Pryor). Through the purchase of land, marriages, and inheritances, the plantation that was known as "Flower Hill Farm" grew to over 3,000 acres. After the abolition of slavery, over sixty tenant farmers lived on the land. The historic farm and land, which is not open to the public, is owned and held in private trust.
Limestone County, Alabama; Tanner, Alabama; Harris-Pryor House; Antebellum Trail;
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Ritz Theatre; Louis Rosenbaum; Jewish Owned Businesses; The Arts
The Ritz Theatre, which was built as a playhouse opened on July 9. 1928, with the production of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Louis Rosenbaum, a prominent Jewish business owner who lived in Florence and who owned a chain of movie theaters in North Alabama, was the district manager of the theatre and C. J. Ross was the first manager of the Ritz. The theatre had a seating capacity of 408 downstairs, 173 in the white section, and 110 in the "colored" section upstairs for a total of 682 seats. In 1933 the Wurlitzer organ was refitted to accommodate talkies and the theatre was updated to an Art Deco style. On Saturday, January 23, 1933, the theatre had a second "Grand Opening" when President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Florence, Alabama. The Muscle Shoals Theatres became a subsidiary of the Nashville based Crescent Amusement Company in 1941. The theatre went out of business on June 9th, 1951. The Tennessee Valley Arts Association purchased the theatre in 1985 and restored the building, reopening it to use for local play productions, student recitals, and concerts.
cinematreasures.org Tennessee Valley Art Center
Photographs courtesy of Kaitlyn Corfman.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Sheffield Land, Iron, and Coal Company; Alfred Hugler Moses; Jewish Culture
Alfred Hugler Moses, who was appointed the first mayor of Sheffield, Alabama by the governor of the state, moved to Sheffield in order to build the Sheffield Land, Iron, and Coal Company. Moses, who had been a captain during the Civil War and a land developer after the war, wanted to create an industrial site on the banks of the Tennessee River. He believed the area would be more advantageous than Birmingham because of the coal and iron deposits in Franklin, Winston, and Walker counties and the proximity of a major waterway. He and his brother, Mordecai, formed the Sheffield, Iron and Coal Company. with financing from a New York bank to build a railroad from Franklin County. The brothers started selling lots on May 8th, 1884. Alfred, who was forty three at the time, moved from Montgomery to Sheffield to supervise the construction of streets and sidewalks, the building of a bank and school, and the first iron furnace in the area creating a land boom. Over-speculation, competition, and a decline in the cost of pig iron caused the business financial difficulties. The brothers were able to pay their debts but the company was closed. Alfred Moses died in St. Louis in 1918 and is buried in Montgomery, Alabama.
Coleman, Erwin M., A History of B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, 1906 - 2006.
Illustration courtesy of the Sheffield Public Library.
St. John's Episcopal Church of Decatur, Alabama
Morgan County, Alabama; Decatur, Alabama; St. John's Episcopal Church of Decatur ; Historic Churchs
St. John's Episcopal Church, in Decatur, was built in 1890. The original structure was constructed for approximately $2,000. Through the years the building and the congregation have grown. Descendants of the first parishioners still worship at St. John's. The oldest part of the building is included in the Hallelujah Trail. St. John's is located at 202 Gordon Street SE.
Colbert County, Alabama; Tuscumbia, Alabama; Trenholm High School; African-American History
Trenholm High School, which is located on Trenholm Memorial Drive, was the last African-American High School in Tuscumbia, Alabama before desegregation. The school, which opened in 1870 and closed in 1969, was subsequently torn down. A movement by the Trenholm Alumni Association and the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation led to the placement of a historical marker on the last location of the school which was a center of culture in the African-American Community. The inscriptions on the brick walkway leading to the historical marker include memorials, descriptions of student activities, and commemorate the accomplishments of members of the student body after graduation. The Trenholm Reunion is held every Labor Day Weekend.
Limestone County, Alabama; Athens, Alabama; Trinity School; African-American Education
The Trinity School Cistern, which is located on Market Street near the railroad track in Athens, Alabama, is the last remnant of the Trinity School. Trinity School, which was in operation from 1865 to 1997, was a school for the children of slaves. Miss Mary Frances Wells who served as the school's principal and advocate was largely responsible for establishing the school on the old Richardson family property.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield, Alabama; Veteran's Memorials; Bird Sanctuaries
The residents of Montgomery Avenue and the citizens of Sheffield, Alabama have preserved several spaces for public use on the historic street. The Veteran's Park, which is maintained by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, is the home to several monuments to local residents who have died while serving their country. The park is also home to a bird sanctuary.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Wilson Dam; Nitrate Plants
Village One, located in Sheffield, Alabama, is a subdivision of stucco homes built around 1918. The village was designed in the shape of a handbell. At completion, the village had 112 houses, two schools, and one large apartment building. (Maud Lindsey was hired as the first kindergarten teacher at the school.) The houses were intended to serve as homes for the people who moved to the area to work on Wilson Dam and in the nitrate plants. Harold Caparn, who was from New York and who helped expand the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, was chosen as the architect for the project. Most of the houses are either craftsman or Mission style. When World War I ended and there was less need for the nitrate plants, the houses were unoccupied. Henry Ford wanted to purchase the village as part of his plan to develop the area. Some of the houses were occupied by Alabama Power Company employees and Tennessee Valley Authority employees in subsequent years. In 1949, the streets, playgrounds, and school were deeded to the city of Sheffield by the TVA and the houses were auctioned to the public.
Tennessee Valley Historical Society, newsletter, fall 2011.
Limestone County, Alabama; Athens, Alabama; Libraries
The Athens-Limestone Public Library solved two problems very creatively with their 2014 move to the old Kroger building at 603 South Jefferson Street. The old library (located near Julia Newman School) was approximately 10,000 square feet and the new building has almost 40,000 square feet.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Temple B'Nai Israel; Jewish Culture; Friendship Community Church
Friendship Community Church, an Evangelical Church, is located at 800 North Atlanta Avenue in Sheffield, Alabama. Friendship Community Church is housed in what was once the first Jewish Temple in the Shoals area. Sheffield was the home of what became Temple B'nai Israel from 1906 until 1953. The original building had no indoor plumbing and the toilet facilities were outhouses. The temple was remodeled and updated in the 1940s when the choir loft and indoor toilets were added.
Coleman, Edwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006.
Colbert County, Alabama; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Henry Ford
Henry Ford, in 1921, wanted to buy the unfinished Wilson Dam and two nitrate plants in Muscle Shoals. The United States government was willing to sell both to a private company with the intention of producing nitrate fertilizer. Ford's dream was to develop North Alabama in the same way that he had developed Detroit, Michigan. The dream died but two streets in Muscle Shoals -- Ford and Edison -- are a reminder of Ford's desire to build a seventy mile city in North Alabama.
Swigger, Jessie. History is Bunk: Assembling the Past at Henry Ford's Greenfield Village. University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, Massachusetts, 2014.
Photo courtesy of the Huntsville Times archives.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield, Alabama; Water Tower; Tennessee River
Montgomery Avenue, in Sheffield, Alabama, has maintained several spots along the street for the citizens of the area to enjoy the natural beauty of North Alabama. A water tower marks the end of the street and a small park with an overlook allows residents and visitors an unobstructed view of the Tennessee River and the city of Florence.
Sheffield, Alabama; Tennessee River; public spaces
Limestone County, Alabama; Athens, Alabama; Tom Arlin Dean House; Architecture
Tom Arlin Dean, an engineer who admired the Rosenbaum House in Florence very much, followed many of Frank Lloyd Wright's ideals in creating the house located at 509 Clinton Street in Athens, Alabama. The house, which is a neighbor to two of the registered historic places -- the Robert Donnell House at 601 Houston Street and the Walker-Kuykendal House at 309 Clinton Street -- was showcased in the Limestone Journal on May 23, 1989. The house features steel beams, solid brick masonry, and California heart of redwood construction. The total finished space is 2,555 square feet and the house features two levels.
Volin, Cynthia (interview), September 18th, 2015.
Colbert County, Alabama; Tuscumbia, Alabama; Harvey Robbins
Harvey Robbins who founded National Floor Products in Florence with his father, Stanley Robbins, in 1957, is credited with restoring downtown Tuscumbia, Alabama. Born in Dayton, Ohio, he and his family moved to the Shoals while he was still relatively young. He graduated from Deshler High School and attended the University of Florida and the University of North Alabama. In the late 1990s, after selling the family business, he focused his attention on development and projects for the city of Tuscumbia. Three of his favorite projects were giving Spring Park a makeover, renovating and reopening the Palace Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop (where he had "courted" his wife Joyce Ann McKinley when the building, located at Fifth and Main, still housed a drug store), and building Coldwater Books (101 West 6th Street, Tuscumbia) which features an indoor waterfall. His efforts to boost the city brought him national acclaim including an article in the New York Times and a spot on NBC's "Today Show."
Delinski, Bernie. Times Daily, Florence, Alabama, January 30, 2013, page one.
Calhoun County, Alabama; Piedmont, Alabama; Rick Bragg; Alabama Authors
Rick Bragg, who was born on July 26, 1959, in Piedmont, Calhoun County to Charles and Margaret Bundrum Bragg, is a noted journalist, teacher, and writer who won the Pulitzer Prize for his work with the New York Times. His most lasting contribution to Alabama letters and Southern literature, is his trilogy of family stories, He believed that they would only be of interest to himself and his family. The books have been bestsellers among people who see themselves and their families in his stories. Bragg graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1977, went to Jacksonville State University for six months, and was awarded Harvard University's Nieman Fellowship in 1992. He has worked for the Anniston Star, the Birmingham News, and the New York Times. The trilogy of books about his family are: All Over But the Shoutin' (1997), Ava's Man (2001), and The Prince of Frogtown (2008). . He worked with Jessica Lynch (2003) and Jerry Lee Lewis (2014) on their life stories; his journalism was collected into the anthology Somebody Told Me (2000); and his features have been collected into anthology My Southern Journey (2015).. Rick Bragg teaches courses in literary journalism and feature writing at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Kingsbury, Pam. Inner Voices, Inner Views: Conversations With Southern Writers, The Enolam Group, Norwalk, Connecticut, 2005, p. 1-5.
Montgomery County, Alabama; Montgomery, Alabama; Southern Poverty Law Center; Civil Rights
The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded by Morris Dees, Joe Levin, and Julian Bond in Montgomery, Alabama in 1971. A non-profit, public interest law firm the a Southern Poverty Law Center specializes in civil rights cases that include hate groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center also has several education programs, most notably Teaching Tolerance. Southern Poverty Law Center is located at 400 Washington Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama. A fountain designed by Maya Lin commemorates the death of Civil Rights workers.
Hale County, Alabama; Perry County, Alabama; Marengo County, Alabama; Newbern, Alabama; Rural Arts Studio; Architecture
The Rural Arts Studio, based in Newbern, Alabama, is a design-build architecture studio run by Auburn University. The studio was founded in 1993 by architects Samuel Mockbee and D. K. Ruth, and Andrew Freear is the current director. The Rural Studio has built more than eighty houses or community projects in Hale, Perry and Marengo counties in Alabama's impoverished "Black Belt." Each year three thesis projects by groups of three to five students are built by the students. One of the goals of the project is to build decent and affordable housing for the individuals in Hale County who live in poverty. The Rural Arts Studio has been featured on National Public Radio, "Sixty Minutes," and other international and national publications.
Photograph courtesy of the Archives at the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University.
Lauderdale County, Alabama; Greenhill, Alabama; Jason Isbell; Alabama Musicians
(Michael) Jason Isbell, who was born on February 1st, 1979, in Greenhill, Alabama (two miles from the Alabama-Tennessee state line) is an Alabama musician and songwriter whose work very much embodies a distinctive sense of place. He grew up in rural Alabama, attended Rogers (a school that serves kindergarten through grade twelve), and the University of Memphis. Family members taught him to play musical instruments and he was playing professionally at the age of fourteen. Many local musicians, including David Hood, served as mentors to Isbell and he got a publishing deal with FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals when he was twenty-one years old. He joined the Drive-by Truckers at the age of twenty-two and worked on their next three albums -- "Decoration Day" (2003), "The Dirty South," (2004), and "Blessing and Curse" (2006). Isbell was fired by the Drive-by Truckers in 2007. (The band members have remained friendly.) Isbell formed a band, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. made up of musicians (for the most part) from the Muscle Shoals area in 2009. They recorded and released two albums -- "Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit" (2009) and "Here We Rest" (2011). "Southeastern," a solo album, was released in 2013 and was a critical success. Isbell won the 2014 Americana Music Awards for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and the song, "Cover Me," from the album was named song of the year. "Something More Than Free," released on July 17, 2015 debuted at number one on Billboard Magazine's rock, folk, and country record charts.
Doyle, Patrick, "Jason Isbell's New Morning," Rolling Stone, August 7, 2015. "Jason Isbell on Success after Excess," CBS "Sunday Morning," August 9th, 2015.
Limestone County, Alabama; Athens, Alabama; Dub's Burgers; Food
Dub's Burgers was opened in 1961 by Dub Greenhaw and has been in the family for three generations. The current owner, Lanier Greenhaw, is the great-nephew of the founder. Located at 204 South Jefferson Street, the restaurant is low-keyed and unpretentious. It is not uncommon to be waited on by an employee who has worked at Dub's for over twenty years. Like Kreme Delite, which is around the corner and was once owned by the Lanier family, Dub's Burgers is an Athens landmark.
Newspapers; Captain Arthur H. Keller; Jewish settlement
The North Alabamian and Times, now the Standard and Times and the Colbert County Reporter, was published by Captain Arthur H. Keller (who may now be better known as Helen Keller's father). Local Jewish merchants routinely advertised with Captain Keller and he published wedding announcements, social events, and promoted lecturers and speakers on the Talmud and Jewish history who were sponsored by the Jewish Community. Several memoirs by members of the Jewish Congregation mention meeting Helen Keller and several descendants of the founding Jewish families have had children included in the local production of "The Miracle Worker" at Ivy Green.
Coleman, Erwin M., A History of Temple B'Nai Israel, Florence, Alabama: Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006.
Collier Special Collections -- University of North Alabama
Libraries; resources: Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County; Collier Library; University of North Alabama; Rosenbaum Family Papers
The Special Collections and Archives at Collier Library at the University of North Alabama include many locally published manuscripts about the establishment of the cities of Florence, Tuscumbia, Sheffield, and Muscle Shoals. The Rosenbaum Family papers are housed in the archives and offer insights into the ways in which local Jewish business leaders guided the area toward calmer race relations. The archives also house the William Lindsey McDonald Collection of papers which offer additional context for local history. The Sadie Schrader collection of photographs is housed at the archives. She was a member of Temple B'Nai Israel.
History of Sheffield. Alabama Historic Marker
Sheffield, Alabama; Colbert County; Jewish Settlement
A historic marker, located on North Montgomery Avenue ad 3rd Street in Sheffield, offers a brief overview of Sheffield's history. Alfred Huger Moses, who was from Charleston, South Carolina and who had served in the Confederate Army, is credited with establishing the city.
Letter to the Editor, Florence Newspaper, Undated
Jewish Settlement: Florence, Alabama; Northwest Alabama
A letter to the editor found in the files of the history of Temple B'Nai Israel at the Florence- Lauderdale Public Library suggests that Jewish immigrants to the area were encouraged and welcomed.
Special Collections, Local History Room, Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, Temple of B'nai Israel, 2-3.
Alfred Huger Moses; Sheffield, Alabama; Colbert County; Jewish settlement
Alfred Huger Moses was responsible for the establishment of Sheffield, Alabama. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, he moved to Alabama after serving in the Confederate Army where he achieved the rank of Captain. HIs wife, Katherine, five children, and brother moved to the area with him. He hoped to create an industrial mecca much as Sheffield, England had. He was briefly part of a land and iron boom in the area but was left almost penniless during the 1890s when pig iron prices were falling and banks were failing. He was the first mayor of Sheffield, Alabama.
A History of Sheffield, privately printed by the Sheffield Public Library.
Jacob Spielberger, who was born in Hungary in January of 1856, came to Alabama around 1888. He opened a dry goods store and clothing store, Spielberger and Sons, at 217 and 219 Mongomery Avenue in Sheffield. His three sons, Jacob, Harry, and Ben worked with him as young men. The Spielbergers figure prominently in the development of retail in Sheffield, in the building of Temple B'nai Israel, and in fraternal organizations.
Coleman, Erwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama; Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006. A History Of Sheffield, Sheffield Public Library, privately printed.
The family was active in business in Sheffield from 1888 to the mid-1970s.
The first location of Temple B'nai Israel. which was built in 1909, is located on 8th Street and Atlanta. The cornerstone was laid (with what the local paper called 'appropriate ceremony") in accordance with Jewish ritual. It contained: a history of the organization of the congregation, lists of the members of the congregation who served on various committees that spearheaded the organization and erection of the Temple, various Mason items, and one dollar among other items.
Coleman, Erwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama: Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006. Privately Printed.
Historic Homes, Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County; Jewish Settlers in North Alabama
The Reisman-Coffee-Looft House, located at 618 N. Wood Avenue, was the home to Mark Reisman and his family. Mr. Reisman was one of the first Jewish merchants in the Florence area. His business was located the corner of Tennessee and Court Streets. He was a well-respected businessman in the area and news of his death (from a gun accident in his home) shocked the community. The house, which is Queen Anne style, was built between 1888 and 1900.
History of Temple B'nai Israel, file 2-3, Local History Room, Florence- Lauderdale Public Library.
Montgomery Avenue; Sheffield, Alabama; Colbert County; Jewish Owned Businesses
Most of the earliest merchants in Sheffield, Alabama were of Jewish descent and came to the area in the mid 1880's. The earliest Jewish families were the Spielbergers who owned a dry goods and clothing store, Speilbergers and Sons at 217-219 Montgomery Avenue. Other Jewish owned businesses included: Philip Olin who sold boots, shoes, and clothing, H. Goodman and A. E. Goodman who sold furniture and general merchandise, and Cohen Mercantile, which was located at the intersection of Montgomery and Cohen.
Special Collection, Sadie Schrader Collection, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.