Louis Rosenbaum
subject: Louis Rosenbaum; Jewish Leaders of Alabama; Florence, Alabama Business Owners; Philanthropy; Civil Rights Movement; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Louis Rosenbaum was born in Lublin, Poland on May 12, 1887. He, and his brother had "to flee" eastern Poland in 1893. He married Anna Block in 1910, and their only child, Stanley, was born later that year. The family lived in Caspar, Wyoming, Little Rock, Arkansas, Denver, Colorado, and Douglas, Wyoming before moving to Florence in 1918 during the building of the Wilson Dam. He opened the Princess Theatre on September 1, 1919. His business would grow to include movie houses in Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and Athens. Louis Rosenbaum was a leader of Temple B'Nai Israel, a Civil Rights advocate, and a generous donor to the community and the arts. He served as the Temple's president during the fundraising and construction of Temple B'Nai on Hawthorne Street. He and his wife supported creating a State of Israel and they hosted Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his wife. His philanthropic works included donating $25,000 to help fund the building of the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library and giving land on West Alabama Street to create a park near E.C.M. Hospital. He had lived in Florence for over forty-three years upon his death on September 8, 1962.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Vertical Files, Rosenbaum Family. Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, Florence, Alabama. Temple B'nai Israel Cemetery, Obits Compiled by Scott Dawsky, 2005. Vertical files, Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, Florence, Alabama.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1887 - 1962
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: From the Rosenbaum Papers, University Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama
format: Photograph; text
type: Still Image and Text

Mildred Rosenbaum
subject: Mildred Rosenbaum; Rosenbaum House and Museum; Historic Preservation; Frank Lloyd Wright; Architecture; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Mildred (“Mimi”) Bookholz Rosenbaum was born in New York City on June 30, 1917, the daughter of Isador and Gussie Bookholz. She attended the New York public schools, Hunter College, and Columbia Teachers College where she pursued degrees in music and art. She worked as a fashion model for the John Powers Agency where she was featured in Vogue magazine. Mildred married Stanley Rosenbaum, a Harvard graduate, who had returned to his hometown of Florence, Alabama to work in the family’s movie theatre business. Louis and Anna Rosenbaum gave the couple funds and upon which to build a house as a wedding gift. The couple “who didn’t want anything with a colonial connotation” because “neither of us could identify with it,” consulted their friend Aaron Green who suggested that they consider contacting Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home for them. The couple moved into the house in September 1940. The couple had four son– David Hillel (born 1941; died 1981), Jonathan Daniel (1943), Alvin Robert (born 1945), and Michael Joseph (1947). Mr. and Mrs. Rosenbaum enjoyed entertaining and the arts. They were also committed to the ideals of civil rights for everyone. Their home became a gathering place for artists who were visiting the South. Their visitors included: Beverly Sills, Mercedes McCambridge, Norman Cousins, Issac Stern, and John Mason Brown. After the death of Mrs. Rosenbaum’s husband in 1982, she became a “live in curator/tour guide” for the future stewardship of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and the preservation of the Rosenbaum house as a public space. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy recognized her work in pioneering strategies for protecting historic residential properties with the first Wright Spirit Award. In 1990, Mildred Rosenbaum hosted an open house for the general public – which was organized by Heritage Preservation, Incorporated of Florence , to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the completion of her home. Over 1,000 guest visited in a single day.…
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: From the Mary Lancaster Collection at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, Florence, Alabama. Fuqua. C.S. "Alabama's Only Frank Lloyd Wright House," Alabama Magazine, June 1990, p. 28. Gorham, Melinda. "Rosenbaum House," The Flor-Ala. Volume 47, Number 13, p 1. Times Daily Archives; "Mildred Rosenbaum," http://www.timesdaily.com/archives/mildred-rosenbaum/article
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1997 - 2006
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
relation: Photo courtesy of the Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama.
type: Still Image and Text

The Rosenbaum House and Museum
subject: Rosenbaum House and Museum; Frank Lloyd Wright; Usonian Architecture; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: 601 Riverview, Florence, Alabama The Rosenbaum House is the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed house in Alabama. Louis and Anna Rosenbaum's wedding gift to their son, Stanley, and his wife, Mildred (known as "Mimi") was a two acre lot with a view of the Tennessee River and $7,500 to build a house. The Rosenbaums, who did not see themselves living in a "Colonial style" house, had read about Frank Lloyd Wright. After discussing their vision for a home with Aaron Green, they commissioned a Usonian style house (one of twenty-six pre World War II Usonian style houses designed by Wright). The house was built in an L-shape, using natural materials, cypress wood, brick and glass. It features low-rising steel cantilevered roofs on the house and carport. The original plan called for the house to be 1540 square feet. By the time the house was completed, with overruns, the house cost approximately $14,000. After the births of four sons in six years, the Rosenbaums approached Wright about adding an extension to the house. He agreed, designing a dorm space for the children. a larger kitchen for the family, a guest room, and a second carport, adding 1048 (a second L shape) to the house. The costs for the additions exceeded $40,000. The house was added to the National Historic Register of Houses in 1978. After Stanley's death in 1978, Mildred devoted her energies to giving tours of the house and preserving Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. Mildred lived in the house until 1999 (longer than any other Wright clients) when she sold the house to the city of Florence with the intention that it would be turned into a museum. After extensive restoration and renovation, the house was opened to the public as a museum in 2003. John Sargeant describes the house as "the purest example of Usonian style."
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Broach, Barbara Kimberlin, Frank Lloyd Wright's Rosenbaum House: The Birth and Rebirth of an American Treasure. San Francisco; Pomegranate, 2006. Rosenbaum, Alvin, Usonia: Frank Lloyd Wright's Design for America. Washington, D.C.: Preservation Press, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1993.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1939 to the present
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photograph Courtesy of Archives at Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Stanley Rosenbaum
subject: Stanley Rosenbaum; Business; Philanthropy; Civil Rights Movement; Education; Frank Lloyd Wright; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Stanley Rosenbaum was born on October 1, 1910 in Denver, Colorado. His parents, Louis and Anna, moved to Florence, Alabama while Wilson Dam was under construction to open the Princess Movie Theatre. He enrolled in Harvard at the age of sixteen and graduated with honors in 1931. He earned his M.A. in English at the University of Denver in 1932. Upon graduation Stanley returned to Florence to work with his father in the movie theatre business. Stanley married Mildred (Bookholtz) on November 27, 1938 at the Netherlands Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio. After a honeymoon trip to Cuba and Denver, the couple returned to Florence. Stanley's parents gave the couple a lot and the financing to build a house as a wedding gift. Their friend Aaron Green suggested that they commission Frank Lloyd Wright to design their home. They moved into the house in September 1940. The couple's four children - David, Jonathan, Alvin, and Michael - were born over a six year period (from 1941 - 1947). Stanley and his father Louis participated in the formation of a local chapter of the Alabama Council on Human Relations, a bi-racial group that worked to solve discrimination issues without fanfare. The Rosenbaums were instrumental in consolidating the African-Amercan and white public libraries in Florence. Mr. Rosenbaum's employment at the Florence State College - now the University of North Alabama - was featured in the Times Daily on November 20, 1960. His specialties were British Literature and Linguistics. He retired from UNA in 1980. Stanley Rosenbaum died on December 1, 1988.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Erwin M., A History of Temple B'Nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006, Private Printing, Florence, Alabama 2006
publisher: Alabama Resource Center Survey
date: 1910 - 1988
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photograph Courtesy of Collier Library Archives, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Trail of Tears
subject: Trail of Tears; Waterloo, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
description: During the forced removal of the indigenous people from the eastern United States to Oklahoma, Waterloo was a stop for the Cherokees who came by boat, from Tuscumbia, after having walked from the homelands in the Appalachians in the winter of 1838/39. Approximately 17,000 people were removed. Though a few managed to escape, there were over 4,000 deaths.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Trail of Tears Marker, Waterloo, Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: July 10, 1838
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photograph of Waterloo, Alabama, c. 1900, courtesy of the Archives at Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
format: Photograph; text
type: Still Image

Kreisman's
subject: Downtown Florence; Jewish Owned Businesses; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Kreisman's Women's Apparel, which was located at 103 N. Court Street, promoted itself as having "Nationally advertised Women's Clothing and Accessories." Kreisman's Menswear, located at 101 North Court Street, was owned by Mrs. H.K. Levin and Mrs. F. K. Brostoff. Their wares included "men's furnishings."
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Diorama, 1965, (Florence State University, now the University of North Alabama yearbook), Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
publisher: Alabama Resource Center Survey
date: c. 1930 to c. 1976
contributor: Pam Kingsbury . University of North Alabama
type: Still Image

The John McKinley Federal Building and the United States Post Office
subject: Federal Buildings; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The John McKinley Federal Building, which was built on the former site of the Florence Synodical Female College (which closed in 1893), occupies a city block. The main entrance to the building is on 210 North Seminary Street, a second, smaller, public entrance is on East Tombigbee Street, and entrances for employees and deliveries are the sides facing East Mobile Street and North Wood Avenue. The main post office for the city of Florence is located on the first floor and the United States District Court uses the remainder of the building (court rooms are on the second floor and offices are on the third floor). At one time, the building’s basement was designated as a civil defense fallout shelter with a capacity for approximately 1235 people. The United States Post Office and Courthouse was built and completed in 1913. The Times Daily, the local afternoon newspaper (at that time), praised the supervising architect James K. Taylor, for his use of Neo-Classical architecture, Georgia marble tiles, the oak that was used for the trim (inside and out), and the massive doors. The building was described as “the finest in the South.” In 1999, the 105th Congress of the United States renamed the post office to honor andcommemorate John McKinley’s contributions to the city of Florence. McKinley, who was born in Virginia and lived in Florence from 1821 – 1842, was Alabama’s first United States Supreme Court Justice. As befits a Supreme Court Justice, the sign in front of the post office was erected by the Alabama State Bar Association. Judge McKinley was part of the Cypress Land Company and one of the seven founding fathers of Florence, Alabama. His contributions to the area include; building one of the first schools in the state (Athens State University), building the First Presbyterian Church in Florence, and he is credited with being “the spiritual father of the Tennessee Valley Authority” for his work on behalf of the first Florence Canal. He became the 23rd Associate Justice…
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Historic Marker, 210 North Seminary Street, Florence, Alabama.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1913 to the present.
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Trowbridge's
subject: Locally Owned Businesses; Foodways; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Trowbridge’s Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop (nee Bar), located at 316 North Court Street, is a truly a Florence, Alabama landmark. Opened in 1918, Trowbridge’s is the oldest business still operating in its original location in Florence. Still owned by the Trowbridge family (third generation, Paul’s grandson, Don), the shop seats fifty, and the menu features sandwiches, chili, ice cream, milkshakes, and Wednesdays are bean day. An unassuming building and restaurant with large windows that face Court Street, the eight stools at the food counter allow customers to watch their sandwiches being assembled or their ice cream being dipped. Booths line the wall on the left and various artworks (photographs, newspaper clippings, and a few original pieces by local artists) are hung around the restaurant giving the customer an impromptu history of place; both Florence’s and Trowbridge’s. Locals of a certain age will recognize the waitresses of yesteryear in the oil painting on the back wall. Several small tables are scattered between the booths and the counter. The green vinyl padding on the stools and the chairs, alongside the 1950s style formica tables, give the place a completely unassuming retro feel. According to the Official Travel Site of Alabama, in 1917 Paul Trowbridge, who was on his way to a dairy convention in North Carolina, stopped in Florence and liked the area so much that he returned to Texas, packed his family and moved to Florence. A year later, he opened the Trowbridge Creamery where he developed the recipe for orange pineapple ice cream. He added hot dogs and chili to the menu in the 1940s. Trowbridge’s has long ceased making all ice cream by hand but the recipe for orange pineapple ice cream has become a Southern classic. It was named by Travel and Leisure magazine as one of “50 Reasons to Love the U.S.A. Now,” is included in the cookbook Alabama’s Historic Restaurants and Their Recipes (by Gay N. Martin, 2004), and is discussed and reviewed on websites as pr…
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Resource Center Survey
date: 1918 to the Present
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
format: Photograph
type: Still Image and Text

Willingham Hall
subject: University of North Alabama; Willingham Hall; Historic Buildings; Preservation; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: 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 private property with a private home, and later, the site of Locust Dell Academy for Girls. The land on which the building is located was first developed in the early 1800s (pre dating Alabama’s statehood, 1819) by an anonymous Florentine. The house was purchased in 1830s by Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Marcelius Hentz, an educated couple who moved to Florence from the Chapel Hill, North Carolina area where he had been a Professor of Modern Languages at the University. Mrs. (Caroline Lee) Hentz was a writer. The couple opened the Locust Dell Academy for Girls, which was named for the locust trees on the property, in 1834. The Academy was closed “with the coming of the War for Southern Independence.” The Hentzs sold the house which was used as a private home by various owners until 1871. Major Henry Wood, for whom Wood Avenue is named and one of the first mayors of Florence, purchased the house in 1871. He owned the house for several years prior to the purchase of the home by the University of North Alabama (which was, at the time, the first state supported teachers college and first co-educational college south of the Ohio River). Shortly after the University acquired the house, (around the 1900s), it burned to the ground. Willingham Hall, which was located on Morrison Avenue, was built in 1939, with renovations in 1977, and 2007/08. The building was originally used as a dormitory for men and named for Dr. Henry J. Willingham, who was President of the University from 1913 through 1958, when the dorm housed women. The building, which houses the offices of the English, History and Political Science and Criminal Departments, is a three story, masonry, and steel structure.The building contains 20,464 square feet, 10,827 net assignable. Wi…
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Historic Marker, Willingham Hall, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1939 to the present
contributor: Pam Kingsbury
rights: Photograph, circa 1981, is courtesy of the Archives at the Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
format: Photograph
type: Still image; text

The Doublehead Company
subject: Chief Doublehead; John Chisholm; Lauderdale County, AL; Bluewater Creek
description: The Doublehead Company was a development agency that leased thousands of acres of land in the area between Elk River and Cypress Creek to more than fifty white settlers. The Company was founded by Chief Doublehead, his fellow Cherokee named Checkout, and John D. Chisholm who served as the company’s agent, legal counselor, and had Doublehead’s power of attorney. The area was not officially open for settlement and the sale or transfer of the land was not sanctioned by the Cherokee Nation. The lease holders started having problems with their claims after Doublehead’s death in 1807, and, by 1809, a petition to drive out the white settlers was circulating. The Cherokee Agent Meigs started evicting the intruders in 1811. According to documents in the W. S. Hooie Special Collections at the University of Alabama Library, the families were still attempting to recover their land or their investment as late at 1827.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey, "The Lore of Chief Doublehead and His Home at Muscle Shoals." William Lindsey McDonald papers. Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama. Florence, Alabama.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: c. 1806 - c. 1827
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image

Anna Rosenbaum
subject: Rosenbaum Family; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Anna Block Rosenbaum, a native of Lithuania, was born on April 8, 1889, and was brought to the United States at the age of six months. She married Louis Rosenbaum in 1910 and they had one son, Stanley. After living in Denver, Colorado, Casper, Wyoming, and Little Rock, Arkansas, the family moved to Florence, Alabama during the Wilson Dam Boom. Louis opened The Princess Theatre in 1919. Mrs. Rosenbaum, along with her husband, were active in Temple B'nai Israel. They were part of a drive to support the new State of Israel through the purchase of bonds. The couple accompanied Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his wife when they came to tour TVA. She, along with the Sisterhood of the Temple sent clothing and food packages to its citizens. The Sisterhood also involved in helping the victims of Nazi persecution through the adoption of war orphans. Anna Rosenbaum died on August 9th, 1975.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Erwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906-2006, Private Printing. Florence, Alabama. 2006
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: 1889 - 1975
rights: Photograph courtesy of the Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
type: Still Image and Text

Sweetwater Creek
subject: Sweetwater Creek; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Sweetwater Creek, located between Huntsville Road and Florence Boulevard, was given its name by the indigenous people for the pure, clear water of the creek. The Sweetwater Mansion takes its name from the creek as did Sweetwater Mills. The area was also a popular swimming hole for the young men of East Florence.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Historic Marker, Sweetwater Avenue
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photographs courtesy of the Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

The Florence Shoe Company
subject: Downtown Florence Businesses; Florence, AL; Jewish Owned Businesses; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Florence Shoe Company, located at 122 North Court Street in Florence, was owned by Milburn Zeff (November 10, 1913 to April 2, 1989) and Morris Klibanoff (January 29, 1917 - December 13, 1996). Milburn was married to Bertha ("Betty") Klibanoff Zeff (1913 - 1965). He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana; lived in Cincinnati, Ohio; and moved to the Forence area after World War II. He was a former partner in the Bootery and Kaye's. The Zeffs and the Klibanoffs were active in Temple B'nai Israel and involved in community organizations.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Edwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006. Private Printing. Florence, Alabama. 2006
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photograph courtesy of the Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama.
type: Still Image and Text

Downtown Jewish Businesses 1960s
subject: Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Jewish Owned Businesses
description: During the 1960s many of the individually owned businesses in downtown Florence were owned by Jewish merchants. Most were incorporated with family members as officers of the corporations. The opening of Regency Square Mall (in 1978) was a reason for some businesses to relocate or close. Best Jewelry Company, located at 100 East Tennessee Street, was owned by Melvin L. Korman and Dorothy Korman. The store specialized in "Keepsake diamonds, China, Crystal, and Silver." Brother and Sister Shop, located at 108 East Tennessee Street, was owned by Erwin M. Coleman and Mrs. Rebecca W. Sebulsky. They advertised "Quality Clothing for Children - Infants Through Teens," and "Smart in Style." They also owned Junior Deb which was located next door. The Gift Box, located at 224 N. Court Street, was owned by John J. Jacobson, Fred J. Jacobson, and Gertrude S. Jacobson. S.S. L., located at 114 and 116 Court Street, was owned by the Levinsons. D. Max Levinson, Helen O. Levinson, and the Olim Levinson Company built and managed the First Federal Savings and Loan on Court Street. Davis (owned by Coleman Brodsky) and Shirley's (owned by Irving Bertell) were located from Mobile and Court, going south, on the east side of Court Street. City Drug Store, which was owned by Dr. Samuel Lischkoff, was located at the northeast corner of Tennessee and Seminary streets on 127 N. Seminary Street. The Shoals Theatre, owned by Louis and Stanley Rosenbaum, was located at 123 N. Seminary Street. Shipper and Company, Inc., Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds, owned by Stanley Shipper, was located on 212 E. Alabama Street.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Edwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006. Private Printing, Florence, Alabama, 2006 Shoals Directory, 1967. The R. K. Polk Company, Detroit, Michigan.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1960s
contributor: Pam Kingsbury
rights: Photograph courtesy of the Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama
relation: Polk City Directory, 1965. R. L. Polk and Company, Detroit, Michigan.
format: Still Image and Text
type: Still Image

Key Caves, Florence, Alabama
subject: Key Caves; Archaeology; Nature; Native Americans; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Several caves, located 1.5 miles apart, via Gunwaleford Road were included in archaeological digs in the late 1980s. It was believed that the artifacts of indigenous people had been stored in the area. At one time William Key owned the property, which included a slave cemetery, that has now been designated as Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge. The caves are closed to the public to protect their integrity.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Historic Marker. Gunwaleford Road, Lauderdale County, Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Document courtesy of Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama
format: Reproduction of document.
type: Text
identifier: Still image

Lambert Transfer
subject: Florence Owned Businesses; Wilson Dam; Advertising; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Douglas and Virginia Lambert, owners of Lambert Transfer (which was founded in 1953), chose Wilson Dam as the backdrop for their advertising
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: c. 1953/55
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Postcard courtesy of Duel and Imogene James
format: Still Image
type: Still Image

Muscle Shoals Theatres
subject: Movies; Florence Downtown Businesses; Louis Rosenbaum; Stanley Rosenbaum; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Louis Rosenbaum, who moved to Florence from Douglas, Wyoming (in 1918) during the building of Wilson Dam and the TVA government plants, opened the Princess Theatre on September 1, 1919. He lived and worked in Florence for over forty three years. At one time, he and his son Stanley owned and operated nine movie houses in North Alabama: the Princess, Majestic, and Shoals in Florence; the Colbert and Ritz in Sheffield; the Strand and the Tuscumbian in Tuscumbia; and the Ritz and the Plaza in Athens. Jonathan Rosenbaum, who was a movie critic for the Chicago Reader, wrote about growing up in and around movie houses owned by his grandfather in Moving Places (1980). The Shoals Theatre, 123 N. Seminary Street, continues to be used for community events.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Edwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1996-2006. Privately Printed. 2006.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1919 to c. 1968
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photographs courtesy of the Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
type: Still Image

Temple B’Nai Israel
subject: Judaism; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: A significant Jewish community has existed in the Shoals area since the 1840s. One of the earliest references to the Jewish community in Florence, Alabama was in September 1882 (Rosh Hashanah) in the Florence Gazette reminding readers that “our citizens of that belief generally observed by closing their places of business.” Various rabbis from Birmingham and Huntsville performed wedding ceremonies and funerals until the congregation decided the time had come to build a temple and to hire a Rabbi. The Florence-Standard Journal reported that Rosh Hashanah services had been conducted in the Masonic Hall on Court Street (which, in addition to the homes of various members, would appear to have been the usual meeting place for the group that became Temple B’Nai Israel. Many of the male congregants were Masons.) The Florence Herald reported in March of 1899 that “there were about twenty-five children who needed instruction in their faith.” In June of 1900, the Times reported that plans were being made to build a Temple in Florence. Mark Reisman and M. (believed to stand for Mose) Coplan led the building project. The Times reported, “some of our best citizens are Hebrews and they form quite a considerable portion of our community, they are law abiding and prosperous and always found on the right side of every question leading to the upbuilding and prosperity of the city’s growth.” In July of 1900, The Times reported that $800 had been raised toward the building of a Temple and that, a board of trustees had been elected at a meeting in the home of Morris Coplan: President, Mark Reisman; Vice President, A. E. Bresler; Secretary, H. Weinbaum (of Sheffield); Treasurer, H. Miller. Philip Olim, H. Goldman, A. Kreisman, and Joe P. May were elected as Trustees. On January 22, 1906, the Congregation incorporated in Colbert County under the name of Congregation B’nai Israel of the Tri-Cities. The first permanent meeting place of Temple B’nai Israel was in Sheffield, Alabama, (from 19…
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Edwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006. Private Printing. Florence, Alabama. 2006.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1953 to the present
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image

The Bootery
subject: Downtown Florence Businesses; Jewish Community in Florence, Alabama; Klibanoff Family; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Bootery, which was located on 111 North Court Street, was a locally owned business and landmark for eight decades in Florence. (The last incarnation of the store was Kaye's Shoes in Regency Square Mall.) Owned by Morris Klibanoff and Melburn Zeff, the store specialized in "shoes, accessories, sportswear, and lingerie." Hymen Klibanoff (October 20, 1886 - June 10, 1947), who was married to Lillie A. Klibanoff (August 1, 1890 - February 13, 1969) founded The Bootery in 1918. Born in Russia, he came to the United States as a young man. Morris (January 29, 1917 - December 13, 1996) and Rosalyn Klibanoff (August 8, 1919 - December 6, 2003), worked together and were married for over fifty-six years. Morris Klibanoff, a native of Jackson, Tennessee, graduated from Coffee High School, attended Vanderbilt, and graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with a degree in Business Administration and Commerce. Rosalyn Bookholtz attended Hunter College and moved to Florence, Alabama (the home of her sister Mildred Rosenbaum) in 1940 to marry Morris Kilbanoff. They were the parents of five children: Judy Klibanoff Engle, Ruth Klibanoff Berg, Henry ("Hank") Klibanoff, Deborah Klibanoff, and Danie Klibanoff. The couple was active in the community and Temple B'nai Israel. Mrs. Klibanoff was instrumental in founding two local theatre groups - in 1949, she was a founding member of The Little Theatre, and she worked toward founding the Zodiac Theatre (which was, at that time, located on Hermitage Drive).
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: From the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library Archives, vertical files. Temple B'nai Israel Cemetery Obituaries, Compiled by Scott Dawsey, 2005.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1918 to c. 2003.
rights: Collier Library Archives, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
type: Still Image

Jean Schulman
subject: Artists; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Jean Schulman, artist and art teacher, has been working in clay and batik since the 1970s. Originally from Russellville, Alabama, she lives in Florence, and retired from teaching at Muscle Shoals. Her most recent exhibit was with Robin Wade.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: c. 1928 to the Present
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still image

Alexander Falk
subject: Alexander Falk; Jewish Community of Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Alexander Falk was born in Prussia on October 14, 1811. He moved to England at the age of fourteen, where he learned the jewelry business. After a brief trip to his homeland in 1841, he left for America. He arrived in New Orleans and lived in Vicksburg (where he married) before moving to Florence in 1843 where he became a well-respected businessmen. At his death (on or around July 21, 1871), the Board of Mayor and Alderman issued a tribute of respect. He is buried in the Florence Cemetery.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Erwin M., "A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration: 1906 - 2006, p. 4-6.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1811 - 1871
type: Still image

John D. Chisholm
subject: John D. Chisholm; Lauderdale County, AL; Chief Doublehead
description: John D. Chisholm (1737 -1742?, d. 1818), who was Chief Doublehead's legal counsel and liaison, arrived in North America around 1777. He was involved in multiple land scams before and after his partnership with Chief Doublehead. After Doublehead's death, he and his Cherokee wife followed the Cherokee tribe to Arkansas.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1742 - 1818.
rights: University Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama.
type: Text

Hank Klibanoff
subject: Writers; Journalists; Civil Rights Movement; Jewish Community of Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Hank Klibanoff, the former managing editor of the Atlanta-Constitution and the James M. Cox Jr. Professor of Journalism, was born in Florence, Alabama. Klibanoff, who co-wrote The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation, with former New York Times managing editor. The book - which won a Pulitzer in 2007 - covers specifically Alabama events, including: the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the threats against the first black student at the University of Alabama, the freedom riders, the Selma to Montgomery marches, the Birmingham church bombing, and George Wallace's "stand in the schoolhouse door."
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Carvalho, John. "Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hank Kilbanoff to Neil O. and Henrietta Davis Lecturer April 15." Auburn HomePage: The Newsroom. April 4, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 2007 - 2015
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Text

Jonathan Rosenbaum
subject: Writers and Critics; Jewish Community of Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Jonathan Rosenbaum, who was the head film critic of the Chicago Reader from 1987 to 2008, has had a lifelong interest in movies and the arts. Born in Florence, Alabama on February 27, 1943, his grandfather and father ran a small chain of movie houses, an experience he chronicles in Moving Places (1980). His parents, Stanley and Mildred, commissioned the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Alabama which he associates with the sense "that a horizontal line is both dynamic and restful." A graduate of the Putney School of Vermont and Bard, he intended to be a writer. Moving to New York, where one of his first jobs was editing a collection of essays on film, led to his career as a film critic, essayist, and memoirist. Jean-Luc Godard, says of Jonathan Rosenbaum, "I think there is a very good film critic in the United States today, as a successor of James Agee, and that is Jonathan Rosenbaum. He's one of the best."
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Smirnoff, Marc. "Film Critic of the Month: Interview with Jonathan Rosenbaum," Oxford American. June 5, 2009. Website
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: February 27th, 1943 to the present.
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Alvin Rosenbaum
subject: Writers; Architecture; Jewish Families in Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Alvin Rosenbaum, who was born on January 14, 1945, has worked as a research scholar, conducted tourism and opportunity studies and workshops, and is the author of several books, including: A White House Christmas, The Complete Home Office:Planning for Maximum Efficiency, and A White House Christmas.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Website
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1945 to the Present.
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Harvey Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Toonersville, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: 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 crossroads of Road 92 (approximately three miles: there are abandoned white buildings on the right and left), turn left. At approximately one half mile, turn right on Road 53. The cemetery is approximately three quarters of a mile at the end of the road.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-harvey.htm
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1850s to the Present
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

WLAY-AM
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; WLAY-Radio; Muscle Shoals Sound
description: WLAY-AM (1450 -AM) was one of the first broadcast radio stations in the Shoals. Licensed in 1933 (as WNRA), the station stopped broadcasting in 2014. The station's original broadcast was a variety format featuring gospel, country, and "race music" by African American artists. Sam Phillips worked as a disc jockey at WLAY in the 1950s. As the "Muscle Shoals Sound" developed in the 1960s, WLAY debuted many of the local recordings, many of which are now known worldwide. Paul Kelly built the studio which is now housed at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. The Alabama Historical Society named the station a Historic Landmark in 2007. The station was located on Second Street in Muscle Shoals during its heyday.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photographs courtesy of Kevin Self. The photograph of the sign is from the 1950s. The photographs of the buildings are from the 1990s. The reproduction of the logo is circa 1970, courtesy of Kevin Self.
type: Still Image and Text

Temple B'nai Israel at Oakwood Cemetery
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Oakwood Cemetery, Sheffield, Alabama; Temple B'nai Israel; Jewish Culture; Cemeteries
description: The highest point in Oakwood Cemetery in Sheffield was given to the members of the Jewish Synagogue in appreciation for their contributions to the communities of Sheffield and Florence, Alabama. Families who are interred there include: the Rosenbaums, the Klibanoffs, the Abroms, the Zeffs, the Israels, the Muhlendorfs, and the Kreismans.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Erwin R., A History of Temple B'nai Iarael, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Mars Hill Bible School
subject: Lauderdale County, Alabama; Florence, Alabama; Mars Hill Bible School; Church of Christ; Private Schools
description: Mars Hill Bible School is a private preparatory day school for boys and girls in Florence, Alabama. The school begins at pre-kindergarten goes through the twelfth grade. Mars Hill Academy was opened by Thomas Brown Larimore in 1871. The academy, which was later called Mars Hill College, operated as a boy's school for sixteen years. The college was closed in 1888. Mars Hill Bible School is located at 698 Cox Creek Parkway in Florence, Alabama. In 1947 several local churches of Christ reopened the school. Mars Hill Bible School is affiliated with the Church of Christ and is completely autonomous.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Heritage Christian University
subject: Lauderdale County, Alabama; Florence, Alabama; Heritage Christian University; Church of Christ
description: Heritage Christian University, located at 3625 Helton Drive, in Florence, Alabama, is a private Bible college affiliated with the Church of Christ. Founded in 1971 as International Bible College. the school is co-educational, has approximately ninety students, and is overseen by a Board of Directors (all of whom must be active in the Church of Christ).
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: www.hcu.edu
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Paul Kelly
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Paul Kelly; Muscle Shoals Sound
description: Paul Elisha Kelly (born on November 10th, 1924; died on May 25th, 1997) was a broadcast engineer, who built and maintained many of the studios and radio stations (notably WLAY and WQLT, which was owned by Sam Phillips) responsible for the Muscle Shoals Sound. Kelly was also affiliated with Chips Moman at American Sound Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Jones, Roben. The Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios. University of Mississippi Press, Oxford, Mississippi. 2011. .
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1924 - 1997.
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photographs and notes courtesy of Jeffrey Z. Vaughn, Sr.
type: Still Image and Text

Andrew Freear
subject: Hale County, Alabama; Marengo County, Alabama; Perry County, Alabama; Newbern, Alabama; Andrew Freear; Rural Arts Studio
description: Andrew Freear, the Wiatt Professor of Architecture at Auburn University, became the Director of the Rural Arts Studio in Newbern, West Alabama in 2002. Freear, who is from Yorkshire, England, was educated at the Polytechnic of Central London and the Polytechnic of Central London, England. He has practiced in London and Chicago, and he taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago and as a Unit Master at the Architectural Association. He moved to Alabama over a decade ago to direct the Rural Studio, a hands-on architectural pedagogy that teaches students to design and build homes for the rural poor and community projects in addition to improving the living conditions in West Alabama.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Auburn University College of Architecture and Design www.ruralstudio.org
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photograph courtesy of the archives at the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
type: Still Image and Text

Samuel Mockbee
subject: Hale County, Alabama; Marengo County, Alabama; Perry County, Alabama; Samuel Mockbee; Rural Arts Studio
description: Samuel Mockbee - who was born on December 23, 1944 in Meridian, Mississippi and who died on December 30, 2001 - was an architect and the co-founder of Auburn University Rural Studio. A 1974 graduate of the School of Architecture at Auburn, Mockbee came to feel very connected to rural places and held a great respect for and understanding of the disadvantages faced by the rural poor. Mockbee and D. K. Ruth founded the Rural Studio program at Auburn University, a program acclaimed for introducing students to the social responsibilities of the profession. Mockbee was widely recognized for his work - including being given a MacArthur Foundation (known colloquially as the "Genius Grant" in 1998.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Dean, Andrea Oppenheimer and Hursley, Timothy, "Rural Studio:Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency." Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton Architectural Press, 2002.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1944-2001.
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photograph courtesy of the Archives at the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
type: Still Image and Text

Old Lexington Post Office
subject: Lexington Alabama; Lauderdale County Alabama; Post Offices
description: The old Lexington Post Office (circa 1940) had fallen into dis-repair and disuse after the new post office was built. Several businesses attempted to make the space usable without major updates. When Dr. Paul Corfman, who grew up in North Alabama, wanted to make an investment in his community, he and his wife, Nicole, renovated the building turning it into usable space.They incorporated the details of the post office - most notably the high ceilings - to turn the building into a comfortable and welcoming space for patients. Located on Highway 101 the building is now a model for a small, rural community hoping to attract new businesses.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photographs courtesy of Nicole Corfman
type: Still Image and Text
identifier: Old Lexington Alabama Post Office; Corfman Chiropractic

Alabama Chanin
subject: Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County; Alabama Chanin; Alabama fashion
description: Natalie Chanin, a native of Florence, Alabama, is the founder and creative director of Alabama Chanin. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Time, The New York Times, Town & Country, Bon Appetit, and Gun and Garden. She has been interviewed by National Public Radio and CBS News. Rosanne Cash credits Chanin with having given her the line that became one of the thematic hooks on Cash's most recent album, "The River and The Thread." Alabama Chanin was founded in 2000. The company which started as a hand-sewn T-shirt company and clothing brand has grown into a lifestyle company. Community and sustainability have become the cornerstones of her work. Natalie Chanin's business has grown to include an in-store studio, a restaurant named The Factory (which specializes in local, organic food), a Do It Yourself educational center named the School of Making, and continues to expand. Part of Alabama Chanin's mission statement is, "... we preserve traditions of community, design, producing, and living arts by examining work and life through the act of storytelling, photography, education, and making. The Factory, located on 462 Lane Drive in the industrial Park of Florence, which was once the home to textile producers Tee Jay's Manufacturing. The building, which was built in 1982, was called Building 14; Chanin has paid homage to the spirit of the former business by naming the machine-made designs and manufacturing "Building 14."
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: alabamachanin.com "Reviving A Southern Industry, From Cotton Field to Clothing Rack," National Public Radio Archives, October 10, 2014.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Athens Presbyterian Church
subject: Limestone County, Alabama; Athens, Alabama; Athens Presbyterian Church; Historic Churches
description: Athens First Presbyterian Church was organized in 1829. After meeting an interdenominational building, the church was built on Washington Street. The building was badly damaged during the Civil War and the Presbyterians met at the First Baptist Church while trying to organize and raise funds to replace the church. The current building - located on the square in Athens - was completed in 1895 and has added several wings,while maintaining the architectural integrity of the original building, in the last 100 years.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: www:fpcathens.org
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1829 to the present.
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Harris-Pryor House
subject: The Harris-Pryor House was built around 1858 by Schulyer Harris on land that had been owned by Henry Augustine Washington (who had been related to the President). Harris gave the house to his daughter, Ida Marie, and her husband, William Richard Pryor (who was the son of Senator Luke Pryor and Isabella Virginia {Harris} Pryor). Through the purchase of land, marriages, and inheritances, the plantation that was known as "Flower Hill Farm" grew to over 3,000 acres. After the abolition of slavery, over sixty tenant farmers lived on the land. The historic farm and land, which is not open to the public, is owned and held in private trust.
description: Limestone County, Alabama; Tanner, Alabama; Harris-Pryor House; Antebellum Trail;
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Historic Marker.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1858 to the present.
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Ritz Theatre
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Ritz Theatre; Louis Rosenbaum; Jewish Owned Businesses; The Arts
description: The Ritz Theatre, which was built as a playhouse opened on July 9. 1928, with the production of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Louis Rosenbaum, a prominent Jewish business owner who lived in Florence and who owned a chain of movie theaters in North Alabama, was the district manager of the theatre and C. J. Ross was the first manager of the Ritz. The theatre had a seating capacity of 408 downstairs, 173 in the white section, and 110 in the "colored" section upstairs for a total of 682 seats. In 1933 the Wurlitzer organ was refitted to accommodate talkies and the theatre was updated to an Art Deco style. On Saturday, January 23, 1933, the theatre had a second "Grand Opening" when President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Florence, Alabama. The Muscle Shoals Theatres became a subsidiary of the Nashville based Crescent Amusement Company in 1941. The theatre went out of business on June 9th, 1951. The Tennessee Valley Arts Association purchased the theatre in 1985 and restored the building, reopening it to use for local play productions, student recitals, and concerts.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: cinematreasures.org Tennessee Valley Art Center
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1928 to the present.
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photographs courtesy of Kaitlyn Corfman.
type: Still Image and Text

Sheffield Land, Iron and Coal Company
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Sheffield Land, Iron, and Coal Company; Alfred Hugler Moses; Jewish Culture
description: Alfred Hugler Moses, who was appointed the first mayor of Sheffield, Alabama by the governor of the state, moved to Sheffield in order to build the Sheffield Land, Iron, and Coal Company. Moses, who had been a captain during the Civil War and a land developer after the war, wanted to create an industrial site on the banks of the Tennessee River. He believed the area would be more advantageous than Birmingham because of the coal and iron deposits in Franklin, Winston, and Walker counties and the proximity of a major waterway. He and his brother, Mordecai, formed the Sheffield, Iron and Coal Company. with financing from a New York bank to build a railroad from Franklin County. The brothers started selling lots on May 8th, 1884. Alfred, who was forty three at the time, moved from Montgomery to Sheffield to supervise the construction of streets and sidewalks, the building of a bank and school, and the first iron furnace in the area creating a land boom. Over-speculation, competition, and a decline in the cost of pig iron caused the business financial difficulties. The brothers were able to pay their debts but the company was closed. Alfred Moses died in St. Louis in 1918 and is buried in Montgomery, Alabama.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Erwin M., A History of B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, 1906 - 2006.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Illustration courtesy of the Sheffield Public Library.
type: Still Image and Text

St. John's Episcopal Church of Decatur, Alabama
subject: Morgan County, Alabama; Decatur, Alabama; St. John's Episcopal Church of Decatur ; Historic Churchs
description: St. John's Episcopal Church, in Decatur, was built in 1890. The original structure was constructed for approximately $2,000. Through the years the building and the congregation have grown. Descendants of the first parishioners still worship at St. John's. The oldest part of the building is included in the Hallelujah Trail. St. John's is located at 202 Gordon Street SE.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: stjohnsdecatur.dioala.org
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Trenholm High School
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Tuscumbia, Alabama; Trenholm High School; African-American History
description: Trenholm High School, which is located on Trenholm Memorial Drive, was the last African-American High School in Tuscumbia, Alabama before desegregation. The school, which opened in 1870 and closed in 1969, was subsequently torn down. A movement by the Trenholm Alumni Association and the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation led to the placement of a historical marker on the last location of the school which was a center of culture in the African-American Community. The inscriptions on the brick walkway leading to the historical marker include memorials, descriptions of student activities, and commemorate the accomplishments of members of the student body after graduation. The Trenholm Reunion is held every Labor Day Weekend.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Trinity School, Athens
subject: Limestone County, Alabama; Athens, Alabama; Trinity School; African-American Education
description: The Trinity School Cistern, which is located on Market Street near the railroad track in Athens, Alabama, is the last remnant of the Trinity School. Trinity School, which was in operation from 1865 to 1997, was a school for the children of slaves. Miss Mary Frances Wells who served as the school's principal and advocate was largely responsible for establishing the school on the old Richardson family property.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Veteran's Memorial Sheffield
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield, Alabama; Veteran's Memorials; Bird Sanctuaries
description: 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 to local residents who have died while serving their country. The park is also home to a bird sanctuary.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photographs by Pam Kingsbury
type: Still Image and Text
identifier: Veteran's Memorial, Sheffield, Alabama

Village One
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Wilson Dam; Nitrate Plants
description: 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 Lindsey was hired as the first kindergarten teacher at the school.) The houses were intended to serve as homes for the people who moved to the area to work on Wilson Dam and in the nitrate plants. Harold Caparn, who was from New York and who helped expand the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, was chosen as the architect for the project. Most of the houses are either craftsman or Mission style. When World War I ended and there was less need for the nitrate plants, the houses were unoccupied. Henry Ford wanted to purchase the village as part of his plan to develop the area. Some of the houses were occupied by Alabama Power Company employees and Tennessee Valley Authority employees in subsequent years. In 1949, the streets, playgrounds, and school were deeded to the city of Sheffield by the TVA and the houses were auctioned to the public.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Tennessee Valley Historical Society, newsletter, fall 2011.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: December 4, 2015
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Athens-Limestone Public Library
subject: Limestone County, Alabama; Athens, Alabama; Libraries
description: The Athens-Limestone Public Library solved two problems very creatively with their 2014 move to the old Kroger building at 603 South Jefferson Street. The old library (located near Julia Newman School) was approximately 10,000 square feet and the new building has almost 40,000 square feet.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: www.alcpl.com
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Friendship Community Church
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Temple B'Nai Israel; Jewish Culture; Friendship Community Church
description: Friendship Community Church, an Evangelical Church, is located at 800 North Atlanta Avenue in Sheffield, Alabama. Friendship Community Church is housed in what was once the first Jewish Temple in the Shoals area. Sheffield was the home of what became Temple B'nai Israel from 1906 until 1953. The original building had no indoor plumbing and the toilet facilities were outhouses. The temple was remodeled and updated in the 1940s when the choir loft and indoor toilets were added.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Edwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Henry Ford's Vision for Muscle Shoals
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Henry Ford
description: Henry Ford, in 1921, wanted to buy the unfinished Wilson Dam and two nitrate plants in Muscle Shoals. The United States government was willing to sell both to a private company with the intention of producing nitrate fertilizer. Ford's dream was to develop North Alabama in the same way that he had developed Detroit, Michigan. The dream died but two streets in Muscle Shoals -- Ford and Edison -- are a reminder of Ford's desire to build a seventy mile city in North Alabama.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Swigger, Jessie. History is Bunk: Assembling the Past at Henry Ford's Greenfield Village. University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, Massachusetts, 2014.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photo courtesy of the Huntsville Times archives.
type: Still Image and Text

Sheffield Water Tower
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield, Alabama; Water Tower; Tennessee River
description: Montgomery Avenue, in Sheffield, Alabama, has maintained several spots along the street for the citizens of the area to enjoy the natural beauty of North Alabama. A water tower marks the end of the street and a small park with an overlook allows residents and visitors an unobstructed view of the Tennessee River and the city of Florence.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photograph by Pam Kingsbury
type: Still Image and Text
identifier: Sheffield, Alabama; Tennessee River; public spaces

Tom Arlin Dean House
subject: Limestone County, Alabama; Athens, Alabama; Tom Arlin Dean House; Architecture
description: Tom Arlin Dean, an engineer who admired the Rosenbaum House in Florence very much, followed many of Frank Lloyd Wright's ideals in creating the house located at 509 Clinton Street in Athens, Alabama. The house, which is a neighbor to two of the registered historic places -- the Robert Donnell House at 601 Houston Street and the Walker-Kuykendal House at 309 Clinton Street -- was showcased in the Limestone Journal on May 23, 1989. The house features steel beams, solid brick masonry, and California heart of redwood construction. The total finished space is 2,555 square feet and the house features two levels.
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Volin, Cynthia (interview), September 18th, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text

Harvey Robbins and Tuscumbia
subject: Colbert County, Alabama; Tuscumbia, Alabama; Harvey Robbins
description: Harvey Robbins who founded National Floor Products in Florence with his father, Stanley Robbins, in 1957, is credited with restoring downtown Tuscumbia, Alabama. Born in Dayton, Ohio, he and his family moved to the Shoals while he was still relatively young. He graduated from Deshler High School and attended the University of Florida and the University of North Alabama. In the late 1990s, after selling the family business, he focused his attention on development and projects for the city of Tuscumbia. Three of his favorite projects were giving Spring Park a makeover, renovating and reopening the Palace Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop (where he had "courted" his wife Joyce Ann McKinley when the building, located at Fifth and Main, still housed a drug store), and building Coldwater Books (101 West 6th Street, Tuscumbia) which features an indoor waterfall. His efforts to boost the city brought him national acclaim including an article in the New York Times and a spot on NBC's "Today Show."
creator: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
source: Delinski, Bernie. Times Daily, Florence, Alabama, January 30, 2013, page one.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
type: Still Image and Text