Located in Beauregard along Gullatt Road. Coordinates: 32.4843058, -853391108
National Register of Historic Places; Lustron Houses of Alabama Multi-Property Nomination; Architecture; Florence, AL
The E.H. Darby Lustron House at 321 Beverly Avenue was built in 1949. The one story 2 bedroom house is a Westchester model and features 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, a galley kitchen with large utility space, a dining alcove and front living room with a built in bookcase. The house still has its original oval metal Lustron identification plaque with the serial number #1396. The Lustron Corporation manufactured prefabricated steel and enameled paneled homes to meet the housing demands created by returning soldiers from World War II. The Columbus, Ohio based company operated between 1946 and 1950 and built 2,495 houses in a retooled Curtis-Wright airplane parts factory. The closed system factory constructed all 3,000 components of the house from steel and packaged the parts directly on specialized truck beds designed to hold and deliver one Lustron House. Lustron Houses, like the automobile they so closely resembled, were sold by local franchised dealers. The company had no problem recruiting dealers and provided the nationwide network with a training and education center. Building crews were offered training at the Lustron Service School in Columbus. Dealers did suffer from territory disrupts, uncertain funding sources, local building code inconsistencies, and slow order delivery. In 1950 with accolades and praise from homeowners and the architectural and building community, financial problems and slow production rates forced the Lustron Corporation to close. In Alabama Lustron Houses are closely associated with the local North Alabama South Tennessee dealer, the Southern Sash Company. The Southern Sash Company’s parent company Union Aluminum of Sheffield produced the aluminum frame windows for the Lustron Corporation. Company records as of December 31, 1949 displayed shipments for 15 houses in Alabama. The 2000 multi-property nomination “Lustron Houses in Alabama” lists 9 surviving houses – 5 of which are in the Muscle Shoals area; 2 in Sheffield and 3 in Florence. All the houses in Florence are the most common plan, the two bedroom deluxe Westchester plan. This property was listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 for its significance in terms of architecture and engineering. The same year it was also listed as part of a multiple property nomination “Lustron Houses in Alabama”. Information for this Omeka entry was found in the individual and multi-property nomination.
Missy Brown, University of North Alabama
Ford, Gene A., Susan Enzweiler and Trina Binkley. “Bowen, William House – Lustron House”. National Register of Historic Places. Montgomery: Alabama Historic Commission, 2000. Ford, Gene A., Trina Binkley. “Lustron Houses in Alabama.” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Nomination. Montgomery: Alabama Historical Commission, 2000.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; E.L. Newman Lustron House; Lustron Corporation; Architecture; National Register of Historic Places
The E.L. Newman Lustron House is a prefabricated one-story home in Sheffield built in 1949 by the Lustron Corporation. The house is one of eleven surviving Lustron homes in the state of Alabama, and one of five in the Shoals area, for which it once served as the "model" Lustron home. Its most distinctive exterior feature is its enamelized metal siding, comprised of two-foot square porcelain panels, which to this day show no signs of rusting or other deterioration. Lustron houses were popularized in the immediate aftermath of World War II, when a housing shortage in the United States had created a considerable market for prefabricated dwellings. The Newman house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, at which time it was still occupied by the original residents.
Brian Corrigan, University of North Alabama
National Register of Historic Places, E.L. Newman Lustron House, Sheffield, Colbert County, Alabama, National Register #00000134.
Identified as Dallas County posseman by FBI report.
Viola Jackson Dudley recalls being picked up and carried across Edmund Pettus Bridge by Earl Butler.
Earliest Methodist Congregation in Lauderdale County, Alabama Marker
Historic Markers; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
This text on this historic marker reads: "Organized June 1818 near mouth of Blue Water Creek by Circuit Riders and became part of Richland Circuit of Giles County, Tenn. Church later moved to Center Star (Originally known as Masonville) and named Driskel's Chapel until circa 1893, then relocated one mile east and renamed Center Star Methodist. Six locations have been used by congregation since organized."
Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
“Earliest Methodist Congregation in Lauderdale County, Alabama Marker”. Accessed 10/07/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
This historic marker is located on Huntsville Road near S Royal Avenue and Georgia Avenue, Florence, Alabama. The text on marker reads: "The East Florence business area began in the industrial boom of the 1880s and 1890s and continued its development through the 1920s. Originally known as "Sweetwater", the small locally owned firms were established to serve the growing population employed in the industries of the area. The district contains twelve buildings of historical and architectural significance, including a home, drug store, grocery, bank, cafe, fire station, and railroad."
“East Florence Historic District Marker”. Accessed 10/07/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Education; Lee County, AL; East Street High School; African American Schools; Carver Elementary School; J.W. Darden High School; Opelika Colored School; Opelika, AL
Between 1910 and 1912, the city of Opelika erected the Opelika Colored School, the town’s first black public school. The school was located on East Street and housed ten classrooms. The school catered to students from the first to the tenth grade, and was soon renamed East Street High School due to its location. In 1951, J.W. Darden High School opened and took on East Street’s ninth and tenth grade enrollment. In the aftermath of this realignment, East Street High School became Carver Elementary School.
Image Source: http://ohsclassof52.bizland.com/id195.html Text Source: The Heritage of Lee County Book Committee, The Heritage of Lee County, Alabama (Clanton, AL: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2000), 79.
African American History; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
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.
Ashley Pentecost, University of North Alabama
Dr. Carolyn Barske, Images of America: Florence
Auburn, AL; Lee County, AL; African-American History; Religion; Segregation; National Register of Historic Places
Ebenezer Baptist Church was the second African-American church in the city of Auburn. The congregation was formed in 1868 and construction completed on the building in 1870. Ebenezer served as the primary member of the Auburn District Association, a collection of 27 African-American Baptist churches in Lee, Macon, and Tallapoosa counties. The association provided monetary support to the Baptist Colored University in Selma and for the creation of African-American schools in Opelika. After the departure of the Ebenezer congregation in 1969, the building was renovated by the Auburn Heritage Association. It currently serves as the home of the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Image: Auburn University, http://www.auburn.edu/academic/classes/hist/3970/m2a.jpg Text: W. Warner Floyd, NHRP Nomination Form, http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/nrhp/text/75000317.pdf
Lee County, Auburn, Religion, Baptist, African American, Baptist Hill Cemetery
Ebenezer Baptist Church was the first black church formed in Auburn after the civil war. Erected in 1870, the church was located on land donated by a white man, Lonnie Payne. The impressive church gave the local area the name “Baptist Hill”. The church also has claims to the nearby cemetery, Baptist Hill Cemetery, which was the first separate black community cemetery in Auburn. Members of the church were the first buried in the cemetery; however, currently members of other churches have been interred there.
Lee County, AL; Civil War; Religion; African American History; Payne, Lonnie; Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church
After the end of the Civil War, newly freed African-American men and women constructed Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church on what is today known as Baptist Hill, skirting East Thach Avenue. Lonnie Payne, a white land owner, deeded the property to a member of the congregation in 1865 and it was constructed by logs from the Frazer plantation northeast of Auburn. It was the first African-American church built in the area.
Architectural drawings; Watercolors; Houses; Dwellings; Doors & doorways; Windows; Shutters; Balconies; Hand railings; Porches; Columns; Roofs; Chimneys; Stairways; Woodwork; Men; Women; Horses; Carriages & coaches; Trees; Landscapes (Representations)
This image is a watercolor painting of the Echols-Newton House in Auburn, Alabama by Robert K. Williams done in 1933. The house was built in 1855. The painting shows the front exterior of the house with its doors, windows, shutters, balcony, railings, columned porch, steps, peaked roof, and two chimneys flanked by trees and landscaping. There is a horse and carriage and people in period costume in front of it. The house is placed within framing art showing its architectural features including the floor plan, various scales, a wooden staircase and its overhead view, and a corner of the roof. In the lower right corner, there is an Alabama Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture stamp with the handwritten inscription "2nd Medal" and the artist's information block which reads: "A measured drawing, the Echols House, Auburn, Ala., Ala. Poly. Inst., Robert K. Williams." The painting is in excellent condition and is encapsulated.
Auburn University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives Dept. Architecture, School of -- Architectural Renderings Student Projects
This image is the property of the Auburn University Libraries and is intended for non-commercial use. Users of the image are asked to acknowledge the Auburn University Libraries. For information about obtaining high-resolution copies of this and other images in this collection, please contact the Auburn University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Department at archive@auburn.edu or (334) 844-1732.
Montgomery, Montgomery County, Stax Records, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Jerry Wexler, Blues music, R&B music, Soul music,
Eddie Floyd (June 27, 1937 - ) The “Memphis sound” that mixed Southern soul with R&B, jazz, with a little country and gospel thrown in, was an important and influential sound in the 1960s. Led by such singers as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Wilson Pickett, none was more influential to the sound coming out of the Stax recording studios than singer-songwriter Eddie Floyd. Edward Lee Floyd was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on June 25, 1937. Six weeks later, his family moved to Detroit, Michigan. As a youth, Eddie often migrated between Michigan and Alabama. His exposure to both Southern soul and blues, and to the burgeoning R&B sound that would grow into the Motown sound of the 1960s, no doubt influenced both his singing and songwriting. In 1955, Eddie co-founded The Falcons, an R&B group considered to be the musical godfather to such later Motown groups asThe Temptations and The Four Tops. The group had a top twenty hit with “You’re So Fine” in 1959. A year later, Wilson Pickett joined the group and, with him, they recorded “I Found a Love” in 1960, backed by the singing group the Primettes, who would later change their name to the Supremes. In 1963, Pickett left the group and The Falcons disbanded. In 1965, Eddie moved to Memphis to work at Stax Records as a songwriter and producer. While at Stax, Eddie wrote “Comfort Me” for Carla Thomas, the title song of her album which peaked at #11 on the R&B chart in 1965. In 1966, Eddie co-wrote “Knock On Wood” with guitarist Steve Cropper, a member of Stax’s house band, Booker T. and the M.G.’s, and was originally intended to be recorded by Otis Redding. However, record executive Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, the distributor for Stax, convinced the president of Stax to release Eddie’s demo version instead. Wexler’s instincts proved to be correct, as “Knock On Wood” sold over a million singles and reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as spending a week at #1 on the Soul Singles chart. His recording career reborn, Eddie became Stax’s most dependable hitmaker, releasing “I’ve Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do),” which Eddie also co-wrote with Booker T. Jones and Alvertis Isabell (Al Bell), reached #2 on Billboard’s R&B chart in 1968, and “Raise Your Hand,” another Eddie Floyd co-composition, reached #11 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart in 1967. Both songs, along with “Knock On Wood” have been covered by various artists over the years. Eddie’s singing career, however, didn’t diminish his songwriting career. Frequently teaming up with Cropper, Booker T., or both, to pen such hits as Sam & Dave’s “You Don’t Know What You Mean To Me” (#20 R&B – 1968), Otis Redding’s “I Love You More Than Words Can Say” (#30 R&B – 1967), and Floyd and Cropper’s biggest hit, Wilson Pickett’s “634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)” (#1 Black Singles – 1966), a song that has been covered by Otis Redding, Trace Adkins, and Bruce Springsteen, among other. Eddie and Wilson also performed the song in the 1998 movie, “Blues Brothers 2000.” When Stax closed its doors due to financial difficulties in 1975, Eddie’s career faltered for the remainder of the decade. The 1980s and 1990s saw a revival of Eddie’s career, as he toured with former Stax labelmates Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn as the Blue Brothers Band, as well sitting in with Bill Wyman’s (of The Rolling Stones) group Rhythm Kings on several tour dates. In 2008, Eddie rejoined the revived Stax Records label, releasing “Eddie Loves You So” in 2008, “At Christmas Time” in 2012, and “Down By the Sea” in 2013. In 2003, Eddie was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Watch and Listen: "Knock on Wood - Eddie Floyd" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kceiks__PsE "I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do) - Eddie Floyd" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJYRH7JhHW0 "California Girl - Eddie Floyd" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfAj2UU1ej4 "634-5789 - Wilson Pickett" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2apquxKKQ&list=PLvC2ishH1j7R11CyBdFTDFw8dGelCM5vF "634-5789 - Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett, Blues Brothers 2000" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY-t_lJ6GHE
John Griffin, University of North Alabama
Eddie Floyd: Alabama Music Hall of Fame http://alamhof.org/inductees/timeline/2003/eddie-floyd/ Accessed November 29, 2016 Eddie Floyd Official Website http://eddiefloyd.com/ Accessed November 29, 2016 Eddie Floyd bio allmusic.com http://www.allmusic.com/artist/eddie-floyd-mn0000168958/ Accessed November 29, 2016 Soulsville, USA: The Story of STAX Records https://books.google.com/books?id=XLdsRwpZ9oYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=soulsville&sig=ACfU3U0srTq7YeEyniP8y-FMSFpArxeB8w#v=onepage&q=soulsville&f=false/ Accessed December 5, 2016 Eddie Floyd historyofrock.com http://www.history-of-rock.com/eddie_floyd.htm/ Accessed December 5, 2016 All images courtesy of Mr. George Lair and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, unless otherwise noted.
The Edith Newman Culver Museum features Native American items, Civil War artifacts, and items used by previous owners of the house. The museum also discusses history associated with the town of Waterloo. The house museum is located near the Trail of Tears, and was in the middle of Civil War related events such as the burning of the town. The Edith Newman Culver Museum was dedicated on October 14, 1995.
Kayla Scott, University of North Alabama
http://www.visitflorenceal.com/things_to_do/edith-newman-culver-memorial-museum/ http://waterloo.alabama.com/attraction_details.html?detailsListingId=ATTRACTIONS_3c4f68f11454ce067fcf44a2a2da0ef2 Image courtesy of UNA Collier Library Archives
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 path. After the Civil War, the Patton's gave Edmund--nicknamed "Uncle Champ"--acreage and a farm house. He was also buried in the family cemetery.
William McDonald, Civil War Tales from the Tennessee Valley. University of North Alabama archives.
Wilcox County resident who participated in Bloody Sunday march.
Mary Gitin, This Bright Light of Ours: Stories from the Voting Rights Fight
Edward A. O’Neal was born on September 20, 1818, in Madison County, Alabama. His parents were Edward and Rebecca Wheat O’Neal. O’Neal graduated from La Grange College and worked as a lawyer in Florence. He served as a solicitor of the Fourth Judicial District. He was married to Olivia Moore O’Neal. They made their home in Florence, Alabama. They had several children. A son, Emmet O’Neal, would become Governor of Alabama in 1911. O’Neal supported secession and raised a company from Lauderdale County: the 9th Alabama Regiment. O’Neal joined the Confederate army at the beginning of the Civil War with the rank of Captain. He was steadily promoted from captain to colonel. He served in the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee as a colonel in the 26th Alabama. Later he served under General Joseph Johnston and General John Bell Hood. Before the war’s end, O’Neal had obtained the rank of brigadier general. He and his men were engaged in battle at Yorktown, the Battle of Seven Pines, the Seven Days’ Battle, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Franklin, and Nashville, among others. After the war, O’Neal continued to practice law. He was elected to the Constitutional Convention in 1875. While at the convention he helped to pass Section 9, Article 13, a measure that sanctioned the reform of the state education system. O’Neal was elected the twenty-seventh governor of Alabama in 1882 and again in 1884. He passed away on November 7, 1890. His remains are interred in the Florence Cemetery.
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. (Bluewater Publications, 2003), 50-52. Robert S. Steen, History of Foster House- Courtview- Rogers Hall and Early City of Florence . Florence: University of North Alabama, No Date, 66-67. Image of Edward A. O'Neal courtesy of UNA Collier Library Archives Images of Edward A. O'Neal Home and Historic Sign, Kayla Scott
Edwin L.D. Moss was "one of Selma's most prominent black businessmen." Not only that, but he was an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement. He helped start demonstrations in Selma, and also was part of a Supreme Court case against Dallas County that challenged their districting plans. He also was involved in local politics, as he ran for office in the State Democrat Committee, District 85.
Pregnant at the time of the march The Selma Campaign 1963-1965 Wally G. Vaughn Mother of Johnny James & Carrie Lee
Referred to by Alice Moore Lives in Savannah
Huntsville, Madison County, Country music, Grand Ole Opry, Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Radio, Redstone Arsenal
Ernie Ashworth (December 15, 1928 - March 2, 2009) Even though he had written songs for some of country music’s biggest stars, and that he himself had scored two top 10 hits, it wasn’t until after he had scored his one and only number-one single that Ernie Ashworth finally left his job working in the guided missile program at Redstone Arsenal in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. His life before, and after, was just as varied as his day and night jobs in 1963. Born December 15, 1928, Ernest Bert Ashworth began his career in music singing and playing guitar on local radio station WBHP-AM, from 1948 to 1949, when he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to continue his career in radio. It was there that he was signed by Wesley Rose of Acuff-Rose Music as a songwriter, writing songs recorded by such artists as Jimmy Dickens, Johnny Horton, and Carl Smith. However, after not making his mark as a singer, Ernie left Nashville in 1957 and returned to Huntsville, where he landed a job working at the Army’s Redstone Arsenal. It wasn’t until 1960 that Wesley Rose, who hadn’t given up on Ernie, arranged a recording contract for Ernie with Decca Records. Scoring three top-20 hits in two years, Ernie moved on to Hickory Records, a subsidiary owned by Acuff-Rose Music, which is where he found his greatest success as a performer. After a Top Five hit with “Everybody But Me” and a Top Ten hit with, “I Take The Chance” in 1962, Ernie found his success in 1963 with “Talk Back Trembling Lips,” his lone number-one song, which stayed on the country charts for 42 weeks. This success led to Ernie being invited to join the Grand Ole Opry as a member in 1964. While he continued to score more records that charted, none came close to the success of his signature song, although he continued to tour and perform on the Opry stage. It was then that Ernie’s career came full circle, as he once again found himself in the radio business, this time as an owner, with stations in Flomaton, Alabama, Ardmore, Tennessee, and Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1999, Ernie, who was always a popular figure overseas, scored a number-one hit on the UK Independent Chart with “Lonely Only Bar.” Ernie was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Ernie Ashworth died on March 2, 2009, in Hartsville, Tennessee following heart surgery, leaving behind a life in music few can match. Watch and Listen: "Talk Back Trembling Lips" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtCB6fftSwA "Ernie Ashworth Talks 'Talk Back Trembling Lips'" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddgmQBMu4x0 "The D.J. Cried" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpdt4Hrp2Lg "Everybody But Me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDlz0hKdB_M
Ernie Ashworth official website http://www.ernieashworth.com/ Accessed November 1, 2016 Ernie Ashworth: Alabama Music Hall of Fame http://alamhof.org/inductees/timeline/2008/ernie-ashworth/ Accessed November 1, 2016 All images courtesy of Mr. George Lair and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, unless otherwise noted.
Erosion; Colbert County; Alabama; farmers; TVA
The main goal of the TVA was to produce fertilizer to help the Tennessee Valley residents improve their soil. The fertilizer was made in Nitrate Plant No. 2 in Colbert County. By having a steady source of fertilizer the TVA was able to start experimenting on how to help improve the impoverished, eroded farms. With agriculture being the main source of income and livelihood for many people, the land became stripped of essential nutrients after planting of the same crop over and over. Top soil started to wash away with every rain making it harder and harder to produce crops, mainly cotton. The TVA was needed to improve these awful conditions. It is estimated up to 85% of the farm-able land was eroded by 1930. The scientists at the TVA came up with efficient ways to add fertilizer, full of nitrates, to impoverished farmland. Before the TVA, few farmers had the means to add fertilizer to their lands, as this required growing less produce and limiting their already meager income. Many of the restored farmlands became grazing fields for livestock, rather than to continue planting crops.
Carrie Keener, University of North Alabama
McCarthy, Dennis M. 1983. The First Fifty Years: Changed Land, Changed Lives: State Of The Environment Of The Tennessee Valley. Knoxville: Tennessee Valley Authority.
Birmningham, Jefferson County, Big Band music, trumpet, Alabama State Teachers College,Fess Whatley, Ensley, Tuxedo Junction, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Alabama Music Hall of Fame Watch and Listen: "After Hours" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CYQ6YZHMEE "Tuxedo Junction" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFeFaZoj2QY "Tippin' In" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWc0ObIJydc
Erskine Hawkins (July 26, 1914 - November 11, 1993) When philanthropists donate money to various organizations, schools and charities, most often the result is either a building named in in their honor, or a scholarship, or even a seat on a board of directors. Alabama industrialist Erskine Ramsay took this one step further, by opening savings accounts for families who would name their newborn sons after him. And while most of children did not achieve any amount of celebrity, one did, as a bandleader and trumpeter whose contemporaries included Louis Armstrong. Erskine Ramsay Hawkins was born on July 26, 1914, in Birmingham, Alabama. Erskine early on demonstrated musical proficiency. As a student at the Tuggle Institute, a private African-American boys school in Birmingham, Erskine learned to play the drums, trombone and saxophone. But it was the trumpet that would eventually elevate Hawkins to the heights he eventually reached. Under the tutelage of famed director J.T. “Fess” Whatley, Erskine not only learned how to master the trumpet, but how to read music, as well. After graduating from Tuggle, Hawkins attended the Alabama State Teachers College in Montgomery, Alabama, on an athletic scholarship. Soon, Erskine was spending more time on the stage than on the ballfield. Leading first, the ‘Bama State Revelers, then the ‘Bama State Collegians, Erskine started to show the ability to reach notes on the trumpet thought too high to reach. This ability later led his being called “The Twentieth Century Gabriel.” As the band became more and more popular, causing the group, all students at the college, to miss more classes than they attended, they all soon left school to pursue their musical careers full-time. Leaving Alabama, “Erskine Hawkins and his ‘Bama State Collegians” soon found themselves as one of the house bands at the famed Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Famed as the place where the “Lindy Hop” was developed, the Savoy was one of the premier venues for music during and after the Harlem Renaissance. It was here that Erskine and the band, now simply called “Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra” signed with RCA Victor and began cutting records on their Bluebird label. It was also here that Erskine co-wrote what would become his signature song, “Tuxedo Junction.” The title of the songs refers to an area in the Ensley neighborhood of Erskine’s hometown of Birmingham. Tuxedo Park was an area where the lines of the Wylam and Pratt City streetcars crossed, and where a jazz and dance club was located, hence, “Tuxedo Junction.” While Hawkins’ version reached #7 on the National Hit Parade in 1939, it is Glenn Miller’s #1 1940 rendition that most are familiar with. While Erskine penned other songs, like “Don’t Cry Baby” (#11 – Pop, 1943) “After Hours” (#3 R&B – 1946) and “Tippin’ In” (#1 R&B -1945) which were hits, “Tuxedo Junction” is his most famous. Often, when playing the Savoy, the band would sign off with that song to keep the crowds dancing as the next band came to the stage. By the 1950s, the Savoy had closed and Erskine, due to rising costs, had downsized his orchestra, although he would reunite the orchestra on special occasions. During the 1960s, he was a frequent player at the Embers Club in New York City, and, from 1967 to 1993, was the bandleader in the nightclub in The Concord Resort Hotel in Kiamesha Lake, New York, located in the Catskills of New York, about two hours upstate from New York City. Among the many honors that Erskine Hawkins received during his lifetime is an honorary doctorate in music from Alabama State Teachers College in 1947, was one of the first inductees into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1978, and a Lifework Award and induction into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1989. Also, the park that inspired the name of Tuxedo Junction was renamed Erskine Hawkins Park in his honor. On November 11, 1993, Erskine Hawkins passed away in Willingboro, New Jersey.
Alabama Music Hall of Fame: Erskine Hawkins http://www.alamhof.org/inductees/timeline/1989/erskine-hawkins/ Accessed December 4, 2016 Erskine Hawkins http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1365/ Accessed December 4, 2016 Erskine Hawkins http://www.allmusic.com/artist/erskine-hawkins-his-orchestra-mn0000206380/biography/ Accessed December 4, 2016 Erskine Hawkins http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/erskine-hawkins/ Accessed December 4, 2016 Obituary: Erskine Hawkins http://articles.latimes.com/1993-11-14/news/mn-56807_1_tuxedo-junction/ Accessed December 4, 2016 All images courtesy of Mr. George Lair and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, unless otherwise noted.
Architectural drawings; Watercolors; Houses; Dwellings; Doors & doorways; Windows; Shutters; Porches; Columns; Hand railings; Roofs; Chimneys; Moldings; Fountains; Gates; Ironwork; Flowers; Shrubs; Men; Women; Trees; Landscapes (Representations)
This image is a watercolor painting of Eslava House in Spring Hill, Alabama done by C.W. Thompson in 1939. The house was built in 1840. The painting shows the front exterior of the house with its doors, windows, shutters, columned porches, two sets of steps, sloped roofs, and two chimneys surrounded by trees and landscaping. There is a fountain in front of the house. There is a woman on the side porch and a couple coming up the walk, all in period dress. The house is placed within framing art showing its architectural features including the molding under the roof, side and top views of the columns, the side steps, a side view of the house, a floor plan, a scale, the fountain, an iron gate, and flowering bushes. In the lower right corner, there is an Alabama Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture stamp with a handwritten inscription "1st Medal/HC" and the artist's information block which reads: "Measured drawing, The Eslava House, Spring Hill, Ala., Major IV, Architectural Design 476, March 4, 1939, C.W. Thompson." The painting is in excellent condition and is encapsulated.
Thompson, C. W. (rendering) ; Unknown (house)
Library of Congress (Historic American Buildings Survey): http://www.loc.gov/item/al0839/
Spring Hill -- Mobile County -- Alabama ; 152 Tuthill Lane, Spring Hill, Mobile County, AL (and Old Shell Road)
Keith High School. Football player. US Coast Guard veteran.
Located on Talladega Street. Coordinated: 32.6331897, -85.3955022
Cemeteries; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
To reach Evergreen Cemetery, travel Highway 20 to County Road 2, take a left, and continue for 3 miles. The cemetery will be located on the left side of the road and on the west side of the church. A full list of records can be viewed in the source.
"Evergreen Cemetery." http://www.interment.net/data/us/al/lauderdale/cody/index.htm. Accessed September 2, 2015.
F.H. Foster Manufacturing served a multitude of roles in manufacturing in the Florence area. The F.H. Foster complex was built in between Sweetwater Creek and the Tennessee River along the Louisville and Nashville railroad tracks that ran through the heart of Sweetwater. The various structures located at the F.H. Foster Manufacturing Company included a building for the iron foundry, a building for a brass foundry, a building for wood tumbling, a Japan room, a working area, and an area for packing and machine works.
Matthew C. Fesmire, University of North Alabama
Text Sources: McDonald, William Lindsey. "A Walk Through the Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama." Killen, Ala., Bluewater Publications, 2003. Picture Source: UNA Archives & Special Collection. William L. McDonald Collection. “F.H. Foster Manufacturing Company.” Florence, Alabama. Box 12: Florence Industry, 12-31.
Falkville, Alabama; Morgan County, Alabama; Jewish Settlement in Alabama
Louis M. Faulk, who was born in 1839 in Prussia, who died in 1871, and who is buried in Cincinnati, Ohio, established a store and named the town for himself. Falk's brother, Alexander, is the only Jewish individual buried in the Florence, Alabama Cemetery.
Erwin M. Coleman, A History of Temple B'Nai Israel, Florence, Alabama: Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006. Privately Published.
Music; Culture; Florence, AL; Muscle Shoals, AL
During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s (years generally known as the “recording years”), the success of FAME Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, brought national attention to the region. Musicians such as the Swampers, Joe Tex, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, The Osmonds, Duane Allman have cut hits at the legendary studio ran by Rick Hall. However, the studio did not originate in Muscle Shoals. Instead, the recording studio was founded in downtown Florence, Alabama, at the intersection of Tennessee St. and Seminary Street. Influenced by the success of the hit song “A Fallen Star” recorded by the Florence recording studio known as Tune Records in 1957, Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, and Tom Stafford decided to collaborated together and establish the Florence Alabama Music Enterprises, or FAME. The location of the original FAME recording studio was in the second floor suit above the Florence City Drugstore. To make the rooms have the vibe as a recording studio, egg cartons were placed on the walls for soundproofing. During the early years, the recording studio brought in talented local musicians such as Dan Penn. However, Hall believed that he, Sherrill, and Stafford needed to put more hours into recording and producing songs. His intense approach to the music industry did not settle well with his partners. As a result, in 1960 the partnership between the three ended. Hall was given the rights to the FAME name and FAME publishing company and would go on to establish the nationally acknowledged FAME Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals. Stafford continued to operate the studio above the City Drug Store, which became Spar Music Studio. At Spar Music, local musicians such as Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, and Roger Hawkins joined together on daily basis to play music. However, Spar Music Studio did not produce a hit record and closed its doors during the early 1960s. A historical marker is the only symbol left for the birthplace of FAME because the building ceases to exist.
Jesse Brock, University of North Alabama
Text: Greg Carmalier, Muscle Shoals: The Incredible True Story of a Small Town with a Big Sound, DVD, Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2014. Christopher S. Fuqua, Music Fell on Alabama (Huntsville: Honeysuckle Imprint, 1991), 14-19.
Marion, Alabama resident during Bloody Sunday
Located in Loachapoka along East Farmville Road. Coordinates: 32.665104, -85.4896719
Colbert County, Alabama; Tuscumbia, Alabama; Felix Grundy Norman House; Felix Grundy Norman; Architecture; Native American History; Barton Hall; Tuscumbia Historic District; National Register of Historic Places
Situated on the corner of North Main Street and Second Street in Tuscumbia, the Felix Grundy Norman House is one of the few single-story Greek-revival-style cottages remaining in a city where such structures were once commonplace. The house was constructed in 1851 as a home for Felix Grundy Norman, a prominent Tuscumbia attorney who became the city's mayor after serving in the state legislature during the 1840s. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
National Register of Historic Places, Felix Grundy Norman House, Tuscumbia, Colbert County, Alabama, National Register #84000749. Carolyn Murray Greer, "One of Our Best, Most Respected Citizens," Remembering the Shoals, https://rememberingtheshoals.wordpress.com/2011/02/27/one-of-our-best-most-respected-citizens (accessed December 6, 2015). "Felix Grundy Norman House," Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Grundy_Norman_House (accessed November 9, 2015).
Ferdinand Sannoner was born in Leghorn, Italy, in 1793. He graduated from the French Polytechnic Institute at Paris. Sannoner worked as a surveyor for Napoleon in France. He came to America around 1816. In 1818, John Coffee appointed him to survey the area that was to become Florence. Sannoner completed the survey, and drew the town plan. He gave it the name “Florence” after the Florence, Italy of his homeland. His payment for surveying Florence was partially made in land. He received two lots on Tuscaloosa Street between Wood Avenue and Walnut Street. Sannoner worked for the Cypress Land Company for a number of years, as well as being a clerk for Lauderdale County. He and his brother operated a bakery and delicatessen on Tennessee Street as well. Sannoner and his wife moved to Memphis in 1857, and he died there in 1859. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis. His grave was unmarked until 1973, when a marker was donated by James Jackson, great-grandson of the James Jackson who owned Forks of Cypress and assisted in founding Florence. The Sannoner Historic District in Downtown Florence is named in his honor.
William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. Bluewater Publications, 2003, p. 3, 11-12. Robert S. Steen, History of Foster House- Courtview- Rogers Hall and Early City of Florence . Florence: University of North Alabama, No Date, p. 10. Image Courtesy of UNA Collier Library Archives
Tuscaloosa County, Birmingham, Erskine Hawkins, Cleve Eaton, Sun Ra, Big Band, Jazz, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Alabama State University
J.T. "Fess" Whatley (c. 1895 - January 12, 1972) If Alabama's musical heritage were to have a conductor, a teacher, that person would have to be J.T. “Fess” Whatley. In his tutelage of musicians, first at The Tuggle Institute in Birmingham, of which he was also a graduate, then Industrial High School in Birmingham, Whatley was influential in the careers of many who went on to play with various bands and orchestras, including those of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong. Born John Lewis Whatley sometime around 1895 in rural Tuscaloosa County, Alabama (his exact date of birth is unknown), Whatley’s father moved the family to Birmingham in 1906 so that John and his brother might be able to attend the Tuggle Institute. Originally conceived to give orphaned African-Americans a place to live and learn, the school was eventually opened to all, as racial segregation closed off many public schools to blacks. John’s time at the school greatly influenced him, not only as a student, but as an educator and musician, so much so that he changed his middle name from Lewis to Tuggle. After graduating from the school in 1913, John became its band director in 1913, a position he held until he left in 1917 to teach at Industrial High School. It was here that John picked up the nickname of “Fess,” which was short for “Professor.” Strict in his discipline, he demanded that his music students learn to read music, believing that music was one of the few avenues of success that was open to African-Americans at the time. A former student of his, jazz drummer and Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame inductee Wilson Driver, said that he demanded this of his students, otherwise they couldn’t play in his band. However, as demanding as this seemed, it was also beneficial to the musicians, as Driver said that “When guys would get to New York, they’d say, ‘You from Birmingham? You one of them Fess Whatley men? Yeah? Okay, you can read.’” Whatley’s influence reached beyond the high school at which he taught, helping to establish the ‘Bama State Collegians band at Alabama State Teachers College (now Alabama State University) in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1929, which is still an active jazz orchestra at ASU. Whatley also was an outspoken opponent to segregation and Jim Crow laws, organizing a local chapter of the American Federation of Musicians union in Birmingham in 1939 because blacks were not allowed to join the union because of segregation. In 1969, Whatley witnessed the integration of the chapter he founded with the white chapter already in existence. Whatley’s belief that music was a path to success has been proven correct over the decades since he began his career in music. Former students of Whatley's include trumpeter and band leader Erskine Hawkins, jazz drummer Wilson Driver, jazz pianist Henry Blount, better known as Sun Ra, Cleveland Eaton, bassist for the Ramsey Lewis Trio and the Count Basie Orchestra, and trumpeter Sammy Lowe, just to name a few. All the aforementioned are members of various jazz, blues, and music halls of fame nationwide. Whatley himself was a charter inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1978, and was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1991, joining his former student Erskine Hawkins (1989) as a member, and later joined by former students Cleveland Eaton (2008) and Sun Ra (2014). J.T. “Fess” Whatley died on January 12, 1972, in Birmingham, Alabama.
J.T. “Fess” Whatley: Alabama Music Hall of Fame http://alamhof.org/inductees/timeline/1991/j-t-fes-whatley/ Accessed December 5, 2016 Alabama Music Office: Whatley bio http://www.alabamamusicoffice.com/artists-a-z/w/1967-whatley-john-t-fess/ Accessed December 5, 2016 Encyclopedia of Alabama: Whatley bio http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3240/ Accessed December 5, 2016 Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame: Carrie Tuggle http://www.awhf.org/tuggle.html/ Accessed December 5, 2016 Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame website http://www.jazzhall.com/index.htm/ Accessed December 5, 2016 "Fess Whatley's Saxo Society Orchestra" photo http://www.chipstern.com/chip_tribal_wilson.htm/ Accessed December 9, 2016. All images courtesy of Mr. George Lair and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, unless otherwise noted.
Colbert County, Alabama; Tuscumbia, Alabama; Churches; African American Church; African American History
The First Baptist Church of Tuscumbia was originally formed by a small group of African American worshipers. The church was established in 1866 shortly after the Civil War under the guidance of Elder W.E. Northcross. The church members did not have an official church building to meet at so they were forced to constantly relocate their meetings. The members of the church were able to eventually buy property on Eleventh and High Streets. The building the congregation built would also serve as the site of a school for African American youth. The building, which was made of brick, was completed in 1892. Membership in the church grew so rapidly that the First Baptist Church in Tuscumbia became the largest congregation of African Americans in Colbert County.
Colbert County Heritage Book Committee (Colbert County, Ala.). 1999. The Heritage of Colbert County, Alabama. Clanton, AL: Heritage Pub. Consultants. 35-37
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield Alabama; African American Church; Church; African American History
First Baptist Missionary Church was originally founded in 1886. The first church consisted of two wooden buildings. These buildings would later be destroyed in a fire. The congregation was then forced to use the Masonic Hall as their new meeting place. Eventually, the City of Sheffield donated two lots for the use of the congregation. A new building for the congregation was planned. Taking note of the earlier fire, the congregation decided that the new building would be made of brick. The church building would last until 1965 when a new building was constructed for the congregation. The ground was officially broken two years later in 1967. The church can be found on 1103 Sterling Blvd, Sheffield, AL 35660
Colbert County Heritage Book Committee (Colbert County, Ala.). 1999. The Heritage of Colbert County, Alabama. Clanton, AL: Heritage Pub. Consultants. 70
On the first Friday of each month from March through December, Florence residents come together at historic downtown Florence to celebrate the town’s rich culture in the arts. The scene is a festive atmosphere and the admission is free. Streets are closed for vehicle transportations while the sidewalks and street corners are occupied by pedestrian traffic, booths, and music stages. Florence citizens and local businesses and organizations set up booths in order to sell photography, paintings, ceramics, foodstuff, and other artistic matters. On this night, many downtown stores and restaurants stay open after hours for in order to provide business and browsing. Stages are set up for local bands to perform to a mixed crowd of recognizable and new faces. The city of Florence has put on this event since 2005. Numerous organizations and departments had to agree in order to establish the First Friday festival. Downtown Florence Unlimited, which comprises of retail and service businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations, collaborated with the City of Florence, Florence Main Street Program, the University of North Alabama, and the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Department for the event to take off. Two partner organizations associated with Florence First Fridays are The Kiwanis Club and the Kennedy-Douglas Center for the Arts.
Text: “First Fridays Art Event in Downtown Florence,” Explore the Shoals, 2008-2009, 140. Downtown Florence Unlimited, “Partner Organizations,” Florence First Fridays, http://www.firstfridaysflorence.org/partners.html (accessed May 1, 2015). Images: “October First Friday in Florence,” Times Daily, http://www.timesdaily.com/collection_1a88741a-2d58-11e3-9a28-001a4bcf6878.html (accessed May 1, 2014).
The First National Bank in downtown Florence had connections to one of the more powerful Northern transplants to the Florence area in founder, Nial C. Elting. Elting, one of the founding partners of the Cherry Cotton Mill in Sweetwater, was a financial power broker in the industrial boom in Florence. Elting spent many years in Florence, eventually becoming the president of twenty-four businesses. Elting was an ambitious entrepreneur investing in a multitude of businesses in Florence while accumulating a massive amount of wealth. He and his wife, Annie Van Sickler, did not have any children, thus they left almost all of their estate to the First Presbyterian Church of Florence where the two were devout members of the congregation. When the First National Bank was founded in 1889, Elting partnered with Colonel Robert L. Bliss, who already owned a dry goods business, to form the First National Bank. Colonel Bliss was the first President of the bank; whereas, Nial C. Elting was the first cashier of the bank in 1889. When founded by Elting and Bliss, they had a capital stock of one hundred thousand dollars. Elting was an intelligent banker and did not make poor investments with the money he loaned out from the bank, because of his ability to judge proper character in loaning money from the bank, he was able to survive the economic depression of the 1890s in Florence. The original home of the First National Bank was in the Bliss Building in downtown Florence on the corner of Court and Tennessee Street. Then, in 1919, First National Bank moved from the Bliss Building to the corner of Mobile and Court street after building a new bank site. The First National Bank remained at the 1919 location before branching out into the community with new satellite branches in the 1950s. By 1983, The First National Bank was renamed The First National Bank of Florence. In 1985, The First National Bank of Florence moved to the multi-story building located at 201 South Court Street. In 1995, The First National Bank of Florence was renamed SunTrust Bank, Alabama, and became an independent bank associated with the SunTrust Bank organization out of Atlanta, Georgia. By 2000, SunTrust bought the independent branch of SunTrust Bank, Alabama, and merged it into its national organization of banks, therefore ending the First National Bank as an independent entity in downtown Florence.
M.C. Fesmire, University of North Alabama
Text Sources: McDonald, William Lindsey. "Remembering Sweetwater: The Mansions, The Mills, The People." photos by L.D. Staggs, Jr. Killen, Ala., Bluewater Publications, 2002. “First National Bank Was Organized 1889.” The Florence Herald, 1968, 20, sesquicentennial edition. “Florence As She Is.” The Florence Times, 1903. “Florence Main Branch.” last updated January, 2000. National Information Center. http://www.ffiec.gov/nicpubweb/nicweb/InstitutionHistory.aspx?parID_RSSD=623137&parDT_END=99991231. Picture Source: UNA Archives & Special Collection. William L. McDonald Collection. “First National Bank.” Florence, Alabama, Box 12: Downtown Business, 12-53.
Late Nineteenth Century-Early Twenty-First Century
The First Presbyterian Church of Florence is the oldest continually operating congregation in Florence, Alabama. Early Presbyterian settlers of Florence bought land lot 84 from the Cypress Land Company in 1818 for a total of $1,600 and built a wooden structure that acted as the church. During the early years of existence, prominent members of the Florence community claimed to be members of the church. For instance, Ferdinand Sannoner (the town’s land surveyor) and John Coffee (War of 1812 Veteran and a founder of Florence) both financed the construction and were members of the church. In 1824 the congregation replaced the wooden structure with a brick building. This new building consisted of a gallery for slaves and designated pews for children. Also during the early years in Florence, the First Presbyterian Church housed other denominational worships due to the structure being the only church building in town. William Mitchell served as the church’s pastor from 1851 to 1872. One of the most interesting stories of Florence history derives from Mitchell’s actions in First Presbyterian Church during the Civil War. Union troops occupied Florence on numerous occasion during the war, which was the case on July 27, 1862. On this summer day, Rev. Mitchell entered the pulpit and faced a congregation filled with Florence citizens and Union troops. Before his sermon Mitchell prayed for the well-being of the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, and the success of the Confederate army. After Mitchell’s prayer Col. John Harlan arrested Mitchell and sent the reverend to the Union prison camp in Alton, Illinois, for six months. Mitchell later returned to Florence and continued preaching at First Presbyterian Church. Despite the Civil War and Reconstruction, the First Presbyterian Church never moved from its original location. However, since the 1890s there have been numerous renovations and expansions. The most recent being in 1971 when a three story classroom, an office, and a fellowship hall were added to the church. Today, in addition to proving worship services, the church houses wedding venues and many Florence community organizations use the building as a meeting place.
Text: Carolyn Barske. Images of America: Florence (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2014), 96. Jill Knight Garrett, A History of Lauderdale County, Alabama, 145. Bill McDonald, “Mitchell Best Known for Prayer,” Times Daily, January 4, 2001, in folder “McDonald Collection: Church Iformation Collection-Vol. 8: Other Denominations-Presbyterian, Churches 8.4,” Bill McDonald Collection, Archives/Special Collections, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama. First Presbyterian Church, “Our History,” http://www.fpcflorence.org/our-history.html (accessed May 1, 2015).