Browse Items (963 total)

The Dred Scott Historic District was proposed as a national historic district. The historic district consisted of one square block between Court St., Tennessee Street, Seminary Street, and College Street. It was nominated on the basis of historical,…

Jackson Cemetery is located about four miles northwest of Florence. The cemetery is due east of the ruins of the Forks of Cypress, located on the Old Jackson Road, which stretches from North Florence to the Savannah Highway. Separating the ruins…

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 congregation of Eastside Church of Christ was formed in Florence Alabama in the 1920's and was the first African-American Church of Christ congregation in the area. The church purchased its current building in 2004.

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…

Born in 1837, Sam grew up with William "Billy" Patton, his young master. Because Sam's mother was the cook for the Patton family, he lived in the kitchen behind the big house. When Alabama seceded from the Union, Billy took Sam with him to war. In…

During the Civil War, Sherman's men raided the Sweetwater Plantation. One slave, named Edmund managed to warn the family of the raid. When the soldiers attempted to make their way upstairs to the rooms of the Patton's daughters, Edmund blocked their…

Chief George Colbert owned a ferry across the Tennessee River, connecting Colbert and Lauderdale Counties. Colbert owned many African-American slaves. One such slave was named Lem Colbert, who operated Colbert's ferry at Waterloo, Alabama.

John H. Rapier was a freed African-American in Florence, Alabama. Born as a slave in 1808, Rapier was emancipated in 1829 by the last will and testament of Richard Rapier. Upon receiving his freedom, John became a barber and earned an income of…

The first African-Americans who lived in the Shoals were slaves of the Chickasaw tribe. When the Chickasaws from Alabama and Mississippi were removed from their homes in the 1830s, the census included 1156 slaves. Tom Melton, an Irishman who lived…

Established in 1818, Florence Cemetery was the first city cemetery. The marker reads, "When the city was surveyed, this land described as 'outside city limits' was designated as the burying grounds for the new town. It contains the graves of early…

The Tri-Cities Cemetery was established in 1954. The cemetery is located off Highway 72 close to Deibert Park. The cemetery contains over 8,000 burials. It has a combination of ground burials, mausoleums, and a columbarium.

For a full description…

To reach the Piney Grove Cemetery, travel highway 17 north from Cox Creek Parkway to .3 mile north of Wilson High School. Turn right onto County Rd. 224 and go 1.12 miles. Turn right onto a dirt and gravel drive between a residence and a barn and go…

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…

Belle Mina Plantation is a Late Georgian-style home located in the community of Belle Mina, Alabama. The home was constructed in 1826 by Alabama's second governor, Thomas Bibb. Thomas Bibb purchased 2,500 acres of land in Northern Alabama and decided…

Old Town Cemetery is the earliest know cemetery in Athens. Records indicate that the first burials date from the 1820s and continue through the mid-1800s, with some burials past 1900. Many markers in the cemetery are sunken below ground, while others…

The Blackburn House is a perfect example of a story-and-a-half "Saltbox" style home with a proportioned Italianate portico. The home was constructed around 1873 by Edward Alexander Blackburn (1840-1899). The house served as the center for the…

Union Grove Cemetery is located in Opelika south of Creekstone Drive and west of South Uniroyal Road.

Coordinates: 32.6287456, -85.3374448

Courtland Historic District is located in the center of Courtland, Alabama, in Lawrence County. The town was founded in 1818 and was established the following year. The citizens chose the site due to the close proximity to the Tennessee River to…

The Goode-Hall House is located in Town Creek Alabama. After several tours of Lawrence County, the home is constructed in 1824 by Reverend Turner Saunders. Saunders had been a Methodist minister and planter from Brunswick County, Virginia. Saunders…

Samuel Gideon Flanagan opened a sawmill in the community of Pleasant Hill in 1904. The sawmill operated as S.G. Flanagan Lumber until 1940, when it became more of a retail lumberyard. In 1960, the company was eventually incorporated as Flanagan…

The Limestone County Archives was created in 1980 as a depository for the official records of Limestone County. Records preserved at the archives include those of the Circuit Court, Probate Court, Board of Registrars, Tax Assessor, County Commission,…

Samuel M. Bowen owned several businesses around Athens, Alabama. He operated Yarbrough Brothers and Bowen 5, 10, and 25 Cent Store in 1909. In 1913 he operated Lerman and Bowen, located on the north side of the square where Cluxton's Jewelry is now.…

The city of Athens was founded in 1818 by Robert Beaty and associates, and shortly afterward these same founders persuaded Judge John McKinley to give the land for a female academy. They then recruited Daniel Perrin Bestor of Connecticut to preside…

Ripley Cemetery is located on Friend Road west of Poplar Creek. The date burials begin at this site is unknown. The oldest grave marker is of John N. Biard, January 15, 1780-January 6, 1839. Until the 1950s, no one was responsible for the maintenance…

Bartee Cemetery is located near the intersection of Highway 231 and Highway 36 in Morgan County. There are a total of 66 recorded graves in the cemetery. The oldest grave belongs to Nancy Rice who was born in 1831.

Constructed in 1833, the Old State Bank in Decatur, Alabama, served as the Decatur Branch of the State Bank of Alabama. The Alabama General Assembly passed legislation to create the State Bank of Alabama in 1830. Formed in Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa…

Barker Cemetery is located near Pleasant Grove Church of Christ. The cemetery has 22 recorded graves that are marked with field stones. It is well maintained and located about 200 yards off the road.

Bride's Hill is a plantation located in Wheeler, Alabama. It is one of the earliest examples of a Tidewater-type cottage. Constructed in 1830 by the Dandridge family, the house was developed with a double-square formula that was used by colonial…

Cedar Creek Furnace is a blast furnace located on a site near Russellville, Alabama. Joseph Heslip, a native of Pennsylvania, acquired the property around 1811 and used slave labor to construct the furnace. In 1820, a cholera outbreak killed Heslip…

Overton Farm is one of the earliest remaining pioneer sites in Northwest Alabama. The farm is located four miles northwest of Hodges. Abner Overton, who was a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, visited Alabama in 1815. During his visit to Alabama, he…

The Albany Heritage Neighborhood Historic District is located in the northwest section of Decatur. The residential district has retained its strong neighborhood feeling from the years when Albany was a separate city from Decatur. It was not until…

The Bank Street-Old Decatur Historic District is a historic district located in Decatur, Alabama. The district is made up of the original commercial and residential area of Decatur along the Tennessee River. The district contains 340 structures…

Located at 115 Johnston Street in historic downtown Decatur, the Cotaco Opera House was the first opera house in the state of Alabama. In 1889 there was no facility in the city for a theater or public meeting hall. On September 16, 1889, the Cotaco…

From I-65 take Highway 55 west to Highway 31 North. Highway 55 turns right, follow Highway 31 for .25 miles. Highway 55 then turns left. Follow for 2.5 miles and turn left on Huckaby Bridge Road. Turn left and follow the road .5 miles. The road then…

Bibb Cemetery is located on the old Bibb plantation in Belle Mina. It is now located 500 yards west of Mooresville Belle Mina Road on Bibb Garrett Road. A chain link fence surrounds it and there are many trees in the cemetery.

Adams Cemetery is located 200 yards east of Shoals Creek Road. The cemetery is laid out in an oval shape with one large tree in the center and a couple of cedar trees on the end. There are eight records in this cemetery.

Anderson Cemetery is 0.3 miles west of the intersection of Huntsville Brown's Ferry Road and Bower's Road. The cemetery sits about 300 yards south in a field. There are only four records in this cemetery.

In 1908 J. R. Keyes and A. L. Clem opened the Athens Grocery and Bakery company one door down from the First National Bank. In 1921 the paper refers the business as Keyes Kandy Kitchen. In 1918 Keyes Jewelry Store was first advertised. In 1919 the…

After Solomon Ostromolgilsky decided to leave Russia and live in America, he shortened his name to Sol Mogil. He opened a general merchandise store in 1919 called The Leader. It was located on the east side of the square where Kennemer & McCully…

Craig Building Supply began on February 1, 1978. James T. Craig was the owner. Craig had worked at a local lumber company in Limestone County for 19 years. He purchased Boyd & Boyd Building Materials from Carlos Boyd. Craig Building Supply began with…

Dismal Canyons, once known as Dismal Gardens, is a sandstone gorge located near Phil Campbell. The area was registered as a National Landmark by the National Park Service in May 1974. Dismal Canyons contains a variety of species and trees. Kitchen…

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…

The south wing of Athens Elementary School was constructed in the 1930s. In 1954, the east and west wings were added on to the school. The school was originally constructed for Athens Junior High School and was later used for elementary students.…

The Athens Post of July 1880 noted that the Donnell place had become the property of the city and was used as a Male College. By October, sixty elementary and high school students had enrolled for classes. The different courses offered were math,…

In 1818 Robert Beaty and John Carroll purchased several acres of land surrounding a large spring. They divided the land into lots and donated someof the land for public buildings and a cemetery. Beaty built his home on a section of the land in 1826.…

Based on the findings of a committee appointed in 1995, a recommendation was made to build a new intermediate school for the fifth and sixth grades. In August 2002 a transition was made for all fifth and sixth graders to begin their classes in the…

After Athens High School moved into their new building on Highway 31 North, the old campus became home to Athens Middle School and serves the seventh and eight grade students. The mission of the school is to provide a high quality education to all…

In 1909, Elizabeth Duncan and Miss Mary Nance Fair opened a private school for girls through the fifth grade and boys though the age of ten. The school was first located in the old Masonic Building. By September 1912 the school had relocated to…

Cowart Elementary School was named as a show of respect for J. L. Cowart, a former Athens High School and principal of the school. Between 2010-2011 there were approximately 287 students attending the school. Their mission is Live to Learn and Love…