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Shady Dell
Dr. A.W. Davis and his wife had a home built called Shady Dell in 1920. The home is located across from where his former office stood. Dr. Davis was the first black physician in northwest Alabama. He arrived in Tuscumbia in 1903. He practiced…
Mt. Carmel Baptist Church
Mount Carmel Baptist Church was conceived of and organized in 1929. The original incarnation of the church consisted of a group of men meeting in the home of Mingo White, Sr. The group eventually planned to rent a store for use as a church. The…
Ricks Cemetery
The Ricks family cemetery is an African American cemetery located near the Church of Christ established by George Parson Ricks and the Oaks Plantation. The grave of George Parson Ricks, a former slave on the Oaks, can be found in this cemetery along…
Tuscumbia Landing
During Indian Removal, Tuscumbia’s Landing served as the point of disembarkation for the water route used to move Native Americans west of the Mississippi. The train to Tuscumbia brought the Cherokee Nation to Spring Park, where they were held…
P.B Swoopes Dry Cleaners
P.B. Swoopes Dry Cleaners was a business run by P.B. Swoopes in Sheffield Alabama. Swoopes was a graduate of Sheffield school. He would go on to open his dry cleaning business in downtown Sheffield. Swoopes started his dry cleaning business in 1927.…
1887: Bicycling
Woman, on tricycle followed by men on high-wheelers.
Interview with Shanna Brodbeck
An oral history with Shanna Brodbeck, an alumnus and employee of Auburn University, concerning her participation in the satellite Women's March on Washington that occurred on January 21, 2017, in Birmingham, Alabama. In this interview, Shanna…
Home of G. C. Thompson, 1840-1931
This image is a watercolor painting of the G.C. Thompson House (also known as the Tate-Thompson House) in Tuskegee, Alabama done by James D. Shenesey in 1931. The house was built in 1840. The painting shows the front exterior of the house with its…
1939: Indian Court Federal Building Golden Gate International Exposition
This poster was created for the Indian Court exhibit at the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, CA. It depicts an antelope hunt and its style is similar to that used in Navajo art works. This poster was created as part of the…
2005.36.129: Sister to Brother, 1859 November 1
A letter from Sister to Brother, detailing family events and the conditions of Sally, Carrie, and others. The author mentions the Summer plans of the family, as they plan to reside in Virginia Springs for the season. Additionally, a visit with Dr.…
2005.36.173: Stephens Hammond & Co. to R.M. Young, 1857 March 28
This handwritten one-page receipt, with envelope, from Stephens Hammond & Co. describes the purchase of ___________ and window glass by R.M. Young in February 1836.
2005.36.320: T. Farrow to Dr. Thomas Foster Jones, 1860 September 5
From T. Farrow to Dr. Thomas Foster Jones in response to an invitation to Foster's upcoming wedding. Farrow informs Dr. Foster that he will be unable to make the wedding, but sends his best. 2 handwritten pages
Old (Mobile) Fire House, 1823
This image is a watercolor painting of an old fire house in Mobile, Alabama done by Darcy Tatum, Jr. sometime between 1917 and 1942. The fire house was built in 1823. The painting shows the front exterior of the firehouse with its doors, windows,…
Auburn University
Established by charter in 1856 as East Alabama Male College, the academic institution that would come to be known as Auburn University was founded ten years before Lee County’s inception. Local residents, such as John Bowles Glenn, the pastor of…
William J. Samford Hall
Erected in 1888 on the foundation of Old Main Hall (which burned down in 1887), William J. Samford Hall is one of Auburn University’s most easily recognizable buildings. Bruce and Morgan Architectural Firm fashioned the four-story Italianate-style…
Mary Martin Hall
The institution that would come to be known as Auburn University’s first library operated out of three rooms on the second floor of William J. Samford Hall. These rooms quickly became overcrowded with an excessive amount of volumes. In 1908, Andrew…
Ralph Brown Draughon Library
By the late 1950s, Alabama Polytechnic Institute’s Carnegie Library exceeded its storage capacity. The Board of Trustees recognized the immediate need for a larger facility, and in the early 1960s the university planned the construction of a major…
Haley Center
The largest building on Auburn University’s campus, the Haley Center is capable of accommodating 8,000 students at any given moment. The labyrinthine, 357,000-square-foot structure includes four quadrants centered around a central ten-story tower,…
Alumni Gymnasium
Irritated by the state’s flat refusal to fund a gymnasium for Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College, Tom Bragg, the president of the Auburn Alumni Association, solicited funds from Auburn graduates all over the country. In February 1916,…
Graves Center
Alabama Polytechnic Institute built the Graves Center – actually a complex of thirty cottages, an amphitheatre, a large dining hall, and a brass bust of New Deal era governor Bibb Graves – piecemeal throughout the 1930s. The complex of 30 Greek…
The Deck Houses
As World War II neared culmination, Congress passed the G.I. Bill of Rights, ensuring a paid college education for American military personnel. America’s universities saw a massive influx of veteran students, and Alabama Polytechnic Institute’s…
Southern Union State Community College
Southern Union State Community College began its institutional life as Bethlehem College on June 2, 1922. John M. Hodge, a Wadley banker, donated forty acres to the Southern Christian Convention of Congregational Christian Churches as a site for the…
Auburn Methodist and Baptist Schools
Judge John Harper led a party of Methodists to the future site of Auburn, Alabama in late 1836. The next year, members the new community collaborated to erect a log Methodist church, located on the corner of modern-day East Magnolia Street and South…
Slaton's Academy
In 1857, this institution opened on the corner of what is now Tichenor Avenue and North Gay Street. Slaton’s Academy functioned as a preparatory school for young men pursuing admission to East Alabama Male College. William F. Slaton, a local…
Auburn Masonic Female College
In the early 1850s, Colonel Nathaniel Scott petitioned Auburn’s local Masonic lodge (Auburn Lodge #76) to sponsor a female educational center in town. In 1853, Auburn Masonic Female College became the town’s first women’s educational…
Auburn Female Institute
Auburn’s first post-Civil War public school, possibly founded as early as 1870, was actually a women’s school. Auburn Female Institute was located on Tichenor Avenue. Under Principal George W. Duncan, Auburn Female Institute offered instruction…
Auburn Public School
In 1899, Auburn Mayor Charles Little and the town council appropriated bonds of $6,000 to build a large public schoolhouse. The 74x58 ½ foot building included a 40x70 foot auditorium on the top floor. Amenities included wood and coal pot-bellied…
Lee County High School
In 1914, the city of Auburn successfully petitioned the Lee County Board of Education to strip Opelika’s high school of the title “Lee County High School” and bequeath that distinction to a new high school in Auburn. Auburn provided seven acres…
Beulah High School
Under the management of Professor Franklin Little, Beulah Academy opened its doors in November 1894. In 1928, the Lee County Board of Education passed a motion to erect a consolidated first through twelfth grade school in Beulah. Beulah Academy, Pine…
Wittel Dormitory
Located at 205 South Gay Street, Wittel Dormitory represents an example of the colonial revival architectural style. Built in the early 1900s as the private residence of Samuel S. Wittel, the building first served as a boarding facility for…