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Florence-Lauderdale Public Library
The Florence-Lauderdale Public Library is located across from Wilson Park, one block north of its old location. The library features many educational programs and classes including genealogy classes and computer technology classes. The library has a…
W.C. Handy
WC Handy was born in Florence in 1873. Handy became internationally known as the "Father of the Blues" and his songs include "Memphis Blues", "Beale Street Blues", and "St. Louis Blues". The log cabin in which Handy was born has been moved to 620…
Burrell-Slater School
When founded, Burrell Normal School was a high school for African-American students and included a year of teacher training for those who wanted to become teachers. In 1937, the school moved into the building that housed Slater Elementary School, and…
Wendell Wilkie Gunn
Wendell Wilkie Gunn was the first African-American student to enroll at the University of North Alabama. He was also the first African-American student to earn a degree from UNA. Gunn went on to work in banking and became the vice president for Chase…
2005.36.111: (E.T. Sabal?) to P.M.B. Young, 1859 May 14
A letter to P.M.B. Young from a friend who is sick and unable to leave home.
2005.36.118: (Fannie?) to Louisa Young Jones, 1859 September 14
The unknown writer is telling Tom about his/her baby daughter and hopes that she will be able to visit her soon. 2 handwritten pages. *The second page is written in a different hand.
2005.36.311: (Henry Thompson Jones?) to Thomas F. Jones, Jr., 1860 July 12
Letter written by Henry asking Tom if he could borrow “either a horse or mule” for an upcoming trip. 1 handwritten page.
2005.36.86: (T.J. Jones?) to Brother, 1856 July 20
(T.J. Jones?) writes to his brother incurring about job prospects and the possibility of him coming to work for him. 2 handwritten pages.
2011: Bob the street cat on a bus
According to the photographer: "A somewhat unusual passenger on the 73 bus; he sat in his seat, washing himself matter-of-factly, as if it were a perfectly normal place for a cat to be." Bob the ginger cat is the companion of James Bowen, who is a…
Caroline Lee Hentz Marker
This marker is located on South Cox Creek Parkway (Alabama Route 133), Florence, Alabama.
The text on the marker reads: "Educator and author Caroline Hentz was among the first female novelists in America. Her 13 volumes were some of the most…
The text on the marker reads: "Educator and author Caroline Hentz was among the first female novelists in America. Her 13 volumes were some of the most…
Wilson Park
Wilson Park was designated as a public walk by Ferdinand Sannoner in his original plan for Florence in 1818. It is a one square block with an area of 2.5 acres. On February 20, 1924, the Board of City Commissioners officially changed its name from…
Thimbleton
The Thimbelton home is located on 221 West Tuscaloosa Street in Florence, Alabama. Originally built as a two-story frame home in 1830, Thimbleton was modified to a Second Empire style home in the late 1800s. The home now has a false mansard roof…
Collier Library
Collier Library was built by the Works Project Administration and opened to students in 1930. It was built in the Gothic Revival architectural style, like many of the WPA buildings on the University of North Alabama campus. In 1963, an expansion…
Rogersville Public Library
The Rogersville Public Library is located just off Highway 72. It offers genealogy services, test proctoring, and Wi-Fi access. The library is open 9am-7pm Tuesday-Thursday, 9-5 on Fridays, and 9-3 on Saturdays.
John Coffee Slave Cemetery
John Coffee was born in 1772 and served under Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812. John Coffee was one of the founding fathers of Florence and had a plantation northeast of Florence. Two acres were deeded separately to contain the family cemetery, as…
Sweetwater Mansion
Sweetwater plantation was built between 1828 and 1835 and it was inherited by Patton family. As working plantation, Sweetwater had many slaves; however, Sweetwater hold a place in African-American history, not just for its leave history, but also for…
St. Marks Missionary Baptist Church
The site of St. Mark's missionary Baptist Church has been in continuous use by the African-American community of Florence since 1859. Originally, the church body met under a brush arbor. The current church building was built in 1901.
Percy Casey
Percy Casey was born in Florence in 1872 to Willis and Mary Casey. Percy worked two jobs--one as a boss repairman for the Florence Cycle Company and second as a pressman for the Florence Herald until his death in 1902. Percy was also a member of the…
Dred Scott
Dred Scott was born as a slave in Virginia. In 1820, he came to Florence with the Peter Blow family. Seven years later, the Blow's Inn was established and Scott served as a stable hand. In 1830, the Blow family relocated to St. Louis, Missouri and…
Reuben Patterson
A former slave, Ruben Patterson was taken to war by Colonel Josiah Patterson as part of the fifth Alabama Calvary. After the war Ruben owned a shoe shine stand and was known to the community as "Uncle" Reuben. He and his wife are buried In the…
Richard Henry Alphine
Richard Alphine was born a slave on the Alphine plantation in Mississippi in 1853. Richard was 12 years old at the end of the Civil War and often told stories about his memories of the war. In 1918, Richard moved to Florence for work and lived with…
2005.36.193: Assistant Adjutant General Roy to Pierce M.B. Young, 1865 February 7
Order from Confederate Army headquarters, Dept. of SC, GA & FL assigning Major General Young to the command of Iverson's Division to assume his commission. By command of Lieutenant General Hardee. Original document consists of one handwritten page.
Nunn-Winston Home, 1850-1934
This image is a watercolor painting of the Nunn-Winston Home, also known as the Neva-Winston House, in Auburn, Alabama done by W.C. Baker, Jr. in 1934. The house was built in 1850. The painting shows the front exterior of the home with its double…
2007: Sailboat in Storm
Sailboat right before a storm hits in the North Sea, showing the potential danger of relying on this kind of transportation
Pollard Mansion, 1853-1938
This image is a watercolor painting of the Pollard Mansion (also known as the Colonel Charles Teed Pollard House) in Montgomery, Alabama done by D. Benton in 1938. The mansion was built in 1853. The painting shows the front exterior of the house with…
Northeast Alabama Community College
Northeast Alabama Community College (NACC) is a comprehensive, public two-year college within the Alabama Community College System; it is one of 12 junior colleges created by the Alabama State Legislature during the administration of Gov. George C.…
Stevenson Railroad Depot and Hotel
Stevenson's importance as the junction of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad and the Memphis and Charleston Railroad predates the Civil War. The town and its railroad junction were of strategic importance during the war for both sides. …
Bridgeport Railroad Depot
Constructed in 1918, the Bridgeport Train Depot operated through the late 1960s and today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It houses the Bridgeport Area Historical Association Museum. (Encyclopedia of Alabama)
Fort Harker
Constructed by the Union Army in the summer of 1862 and expanded in 1864, using soldiers and freed slaves, Ft. Harker was built on a broad hill a quarter-mile east of town. It overlooked Crow Creek and was well within firing range of Stevenson’s…
Skyline School
Skyline Farms was an effort to build a “new world” in rural America. It would be a world in which tenant farmers, hit hard by the Depression, would become self-sufficient landowners and live in an idyllic village. The program was started by the…
Brown-Proctor House
The Brown-Proctor House is primarily significant for its associations with John F. Proctor, a local politician who purchased the house in 1907 and gave it its current appearance. Proctor was a prominent attorney who served in the Alabama House of…