Browse Items (963 total)

University of North Alabama was established in 1830 and for much of its history was an all-white institution. However, the University, then Florence State College, officially desegregated when Wendell Wilkie Gunn attended classes in 1963. The…

The University of North Alabama’s Archives and Special Collections is located on the second floor of Collier Library on UNA’s campus. The archives’ primary goal is the collection and preservation of records regarding the University of North…

The President’s Home is located on the University of North Alabama campus. Ground was broken for this building in August 1939 when the university was under the name Florence State Teachers College. The Works Progress Administration completed the…

Stanley Rosenbaum, who was a Florence, Alabama businessman, philanthropist, Civil Rights advocate, member of the University of North Alabama's English Department, and original owner of the Stanley Rosenbaum Frank Lloyd Wright House, was interested in…

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…

This historic marker is located behind the Florence/Lauderdale Veterans Memorial on veterans Park Dr, Florence, AL.

The text on the marker reads: "The following men from Lauderdale County made the supreme sacrifice for our Nation during the War…

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…

In 1951, Florence city schools named an elementary school after its native son WC Handy. The school was considered very modern, was built during the administration of JW Powell, and had a faculty of twenty-six.

The W. C. Handy Home and Museum located in Florence is dedicated to telling the story of “Father of the Blues” William Christopher Handy’s life and musical career. The museum’s main building is the cabin Handy was born in. The home was in a…

William Christopher Handy, born in Florence, Alabama, on November 16, 1873 and is considered to be the “Father of the Blues.” His musical legacy is a prime part of the music culture in the Shoals region, especially in his home town of Florence.…

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…

The W.C. Handy Statue is located in Wilson Park near downtown Florence. The statue depicts Florence native and "Father of the Blues," W.C. Handy playing his trumpet with sheet music of some of his most famous songs at his feet.

Another lumber company located in the downtown Florence area, W.E. Temple Company and Planning Mills was a fixture in Florence at the beginning of the twentieth century. W.E. Temple was well known for his architectural ability because he constructed…

To reach Wallace Cemetery from Florence, head east on US 72 through Rogersville and turn north on County Road 165. The cemetery is located one mile down the road on the right. The cemetery is divided into two sections: Section A and Section B.

A…

This historic marker is located on North Walnut Street near East Tuscaloosa Street, Florence, Alabama.

The text on the marker reads: "Walnut Street began as a residential area in the national economic boom of the 1880s and 1890s and continued its…

To reach the Walston Cemetery from Florence, Alabama, travel west on Alabama Highway 20 for 3.3 miles. Turn left (west) onto County Rd. 14 (Waterloo Rd.) and travel 5.4 miles to the community of Oakland, Alabama. Turn left onto County Rd. 15 and go…

To reach Warmack Cemetery from Rogersville, travel east on US 72 and turn on County Road 77. Continue for 1/2 mile on County Road 70. Warmack Cemetery is located on the right in a pasture. Judy Mason and Faye Page first surveyed this cemetery in…

Warrior Mountains Trading Co. serves as the visitor center for Bankhead National Forest. Visitors can gain information on the surrounding area and rent canoes daily. Inside the company is a small Southeastern Native American Museum that contains…

The Washington Church was established in 1883; however, the present church building was not built until 1916. The building itself is a one room church, common in the rural south. The church is one of the few remaining that were built in the 19th…

This historic marker is located at the entrance of Waterloo on Hwy 14, Waterloo, Alabama.

The text on the marker reads: "One of Alabama's oldest incorporated towns. Waterloo was an important Tennessee river ports during the steamboat ear. In low~…

Early Baptists settlers in Waterloo, Alabama, met in a two-story log meeting house. This building was erected in 1845. The structure was 40 x 60 feet. During the week, children in the Waterloo community attended school in the church’s main floor,…

The city of Waterloo was shelled by Union gunboats in July 1862. Near the end of July 1862, older men from the town of Waterloo fired on the USS Cottage a transport vessel. The escorting gunboats returned fire, shelling the town. Union soldiers…

From Florence, take the Waterloo road and go to Waterloo. Then take the Pea Ridge Road for about seven miles, turn left at the first paved cross roads. Go for about three miles until the road comes to a "T", turn left and go almost
to the edge of…

Located in Beauregard along County Road 38.

Coordinates: 32.4640287, -85.3524443

Located in Waverly along Patrick Street.

Coordinates: 32.7345746, -85.5730079

To reach Weaver Cemetery from Florence, head east on US 72 until half a mile beyond the Rogersville traffic light. Turn left onto Ezell Street and Weaver Cemetery will be on the right. The Weaver Cemetery is surrounded by the Civitan Cemetery.

A…

This historic marker is located at the intersection of N. Broadway Street and Mahogany Ave, Florence, Alabama.

The text on the marker reads: "This Twentieth century business and residential area was developed by John D. Weeden Jr. during the…

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…

This historic marker is located in front of Wesleyan Bell next to Wesleyan Hall on the UNA campus, Florence, Alabama.

The text on the marker reads: "The Wesleyan Bell was manufactured by the C.S. Bell Company in Hillsboro, Ohio, it is made of…

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…

This historic marker is located on Cramer Way, Florence, Alabama.

The text on the marker reads: "Chartered 1856 as Florence Wesleyan University, R.H. Rivers, President. Regarded as North Alabama's most eminent landmark, this Gothic Revival…

West Fraser operates a sawmill near Opelika located at 2100 Industrial Blvd., Opelika, AL.

Located in Auburn on Westview Drive.

Coordinates: 32.620134, -85.4952274

This refuge is located on the banks of the Tennessee River near Decatur. It provides a habitat for wintering birds and migrating ducks. The area is popular for birdwatching, wildlife observation, fishing, and hunting.

Wheeler National Wildlife…

Wheeler Plantation, or Ponds Spring, was the residence of General Joseph Wheeler from 1866 to 1906. Wheeler was a West Point graduate, a leader of the Confederate Calvary, a U.S. Congressman, and a Spanish-American War hero. Among the historic…

Whitten Cemetery is located in western Lauderdale County, Alabama area north of Waterloo. To reach the Whitten Cemetery, travel on Lauderdale County Road 14 to Waterloo. Continue to follow County Rd. 14 turning right. Continue on 1.07 miles and turn…

This wall is known by two names: Tom Hendrix's Wall and the Wichahpi Commemorative Wall. Tom Hendrix started this wall in the 1980's after learning of his great-great grandmother's journey during the Trail of Tears. Te-lah-nay was forced to walk to…

William B. Bankhead National Forest is located in Lawrence and Winston Counties. The forest offers 180,000 acres of land for people to hike, horseback ride, and kayak.

Visitor information can be obtained at the Warrior Mountain Trading Co. in…

In the early 1830s, William Barnard, a mixed-race Creek Indian, built a log cabin on 640 acres of land in what is now western Lee County. Barnard was an influential leader of the Creeks in western Georgia and served under U.S. militia general John…

William Basil Wood was born on October 31, 1820. Wood was a LaGrange College graduate, and practiced law in Florence before the Civil War. Wood served as a colonel of the 16th Alabama Infantry Regiment and was recommended for promotion to brigadier…

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…

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…

William L. Dawson (September 26, 1899-May 4, 1990)

William Levi Dawson was an African American composer, performer, and music educator from Anniston, Alabama.

Dawson graduated from the Tuskegee Institute with highest honors in 1921. He earned a…

William Lee Golden

Golden was raised in a farming family in Brewton, Alabama. At age seven he began singing and performing regularly on his grandfather’s weekly radio show, along with his sister. From this experience, Golden grew to love…

Florence, Alabama’s first official City Historian was William Lindsey McDonald, a man who did much to research, preserve, and promote local history. Born in 1927, Mr. McDonald served in the U.S. Army for thirty-eight years before retiring with the…

Tuscumbia merchant Clark T. Barton began building what would become the William Winston House around 1835. Several years later, in 1840, planter Winston purchased the still-unfinished house and oversaw its completion. The house remained in the…

To reach the William’s Chapel Cemetery, from Waterloo, Alabama, travel east on County Rd. # 14 for about ½ mile. Turn left (north) onto County Road. 1. Go about 7 miles and the cemetery is on the left behind the church. Williams Chapel Cemetery…

The site of Willingham Hall, which is located on the University of North Alabama’s campus in Florence, Alabama, and Willingham Hall (One Harrison Plaza) itself have many stories to tell. Willingham Hall is located on the site of what was once…

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…

Wilson Dam Lake was created from the damming of the Tennessee River by the construction of the Wilson Dam. The lake's normal elevation is 505 feet. The average depth is 97 feet. The distance of the backwater upstream is 17 miles and the area of the…