Coffee Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries, Lauderdale County
description: From downtown Florence take Cloverdale Road (State Highway 157), go for about 2 miles, turn left about 50 yards after crossing Cox Creek. A historical marker can be seen here (about General John Coffee and the War of 1812) at the entrance to the property. Continue on Cloverdale Rd. until you pass a CVS Pharmacy. Take a left at the first red light and the cemetery will be on the left. The cemetery is enclosed by a brick wall about 4 feet high and is about 100 feet by 100 feet in area. As far as can be determined, there are 64 graves inside of the wall, 20 of these are of the marble vault type tombs, 4 are of marble slab type, 8 are marble vertical or perpendicular type, and 6 are stones with no engravings at all. Maintenance of the cemetery has increased (Florence Historical Board) and the trees have been cleared so it is now easily accessible. The cemetery is located next to recently constructed Walmart. General John Coffee lies among his family and close friends in this cemetery. The high brick wall that encloses the cemetery was constructed in 1924 to protect the site. On the marble stone above Coffee's grace are these words prepared by his friend, President Andrew Jackson: “Sacred to the Memory of General John Coffee who departed this life on the 7th day of July, 1833, age sixty-one years. As a husband, parent, and friend, he was affectionate, tender, and sincere. He was a brave, prompt, and skillful general, a disinterested and sagacious patriot, an unpretending and honest man. To complete his character, religion mingled with these virtues her serene and holy influence gave him that solid distinction among his fellow men which detraction cannot sully nor the grave conceal. Death could do no more than removed so excellent a being from the theatre he so much adorned in this world, to the bosom of the God who created him and who alone has the power to reward the immortal spirit with exhaustless bliss.” There are also over 130 slave burials outside of the walled cem…
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Hill, William Q. "Coffee Cemetery." Rootsweb. March 22, 1969. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-coffee-John.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015. McDonald, William L. "A Walk Through the Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama." Bluewater Publishing, 2003. 408.
date: Mid 1800s.
type: Text.

Deibert Monument
subject: Statues/Monuments; Florence, AL
description: This is the burial place of Lillian Cook Deibert. Lillian and her husband Kirk owned Rolling Acres Stock Farm. In 1991 their barn burned down, killing 27 of Lillian's beloved horses. She is buried at this spot located in Deibert Park right next to where her horses were buried after the fire.
creator: Claire Eagle, University of North Alabama
source: Joy Favors, "Lillian Cook Deibert," http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=65540771 (Accessed April 29, 2015)
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 2011
format: Text

City of Florence Walk of Honor
subject: Statues/Monuments; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The City of Florence Walk of Honor is located next to the Marriott hotel in River Heritage Park. The city of Florence designed the Walk of Honor to recognize residents of Lauderdale County who had/have found success at the national or international level. Those fields include agriculture, art, athletics, business, education, government, literature, military, medicine, music, religion, science and technology, and public service. In 2007 16 people were inducted as the first honorees, but their monuments were not placed until 2008. Inductees include Gen. John Coffee, Caroline Lee Hentz, Thomas Stribbling, Dred Scott, and Billy Reid.
creator: Claire Eagle, University of North Alabama
source: City of Florence, Alabama, "Walk of Honor,"http://www.florenceal.org/Administration/Walk_of_Honor/index.html (Accessed April 28, 2015)
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
format: Text

James Jackson
subject: James Jackson
description: James Jackson was born on October 25, 1782, in Ballybay County, Monaghan, Ireland. Jackson came to America in 1799 and moved to Nashville in 1801. Upon his arrival in Nashville, James Jackson quickly became acquainted with Andrew Jackson and John Coffee, who were members of the Tennessee Land Company. The Tennessee Company and the Alabama Company joined to form The Cypress Land Company. James Jackson was a member of the Tennessee group, and was one of the seven trustees of the Cypress Land Company. The company and its members were instrumental in founding Lauderdale County and Florence, Alabama. Jackson had the Forks of Cypress mansion built five miles outside of Florence, Alabama, and he and his wife Sally Moore McCulloch Jackson made the plantation their home. James Jackson became a member of the Alabama General Assembly in 1822. Jackson held office in both state legislative branches, and became the president of the Senate in 1830. While Jackson was president of the company, The Cypress Land Company donated the land for the Florence Female Synodical College, the Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian churches, and the Lauderdale County Courthouse. Jackson is probably most famous for importing, breeding, and racing horses. Even today, winning race horses can often trace their roots back to Jackson’s stables.
creator: Kayla Scott, University of North Alabama
source: William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. (Bluewater Publications, 2003), p. 11-13. Elizabeth Kirkman O’Neal, The Forks of Cypress: Home of James and Sally Moore Jackson. Waring Sherwood, 1966.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1782-1840

Wilson Dam Replica
subject: Statues/Monuments; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Wilson Dam Replica is located on the corner of Mobile and Seminary Streets in front of Legends Steakhouse in downtown Florence, Alabama. The replica dam is engraved with each name of the quad cities: Tuscumbia, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Florence, and the year each city became incorporated.
creator: Claire Eagle, University of North Alabama
source: Personal visit to statue/monument
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
format: Image

Kilby Laboratory School
subject: Education; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Kilby Laboratory School was founded in 1922 as a part of Florence State Normal School. The school originally occupied what is now the University Of North Alabama Mathematics Building. Classes were conducted in this location until the fall of 1964 when they moved to a newly finished building on North Pine Street. The school currently includes students in kindergarten to sixth grade. Kilby is a public school, but UNA owns and operates it. Through this arrangement education majors are able to use the school for real world training during their UNA career. Children of UNA faculty and staff also have priority for admittance to Kilby over other students in the district.
creator: Claire Eagle, University of North Alabama
source: Text: University of North Alabama, "About Our School," Kilby Laboratory School, https://www.una.edu/kilby/about.html (Accessed April 28, 2015). Wendy Reeves, "Kilby School only one of kind in state of Alabama," The Flor-Ala, September 14, 1989. Images: University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections, Collier Library
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1922-Present
format: Text

Alexander Donelson Coffee
subject: Alexander Donelson Coffee
description: Alexander Donelson Coffee was a Confederate veteran of the Civil War and a planter and manufacturer in Florence. He was born on June 3, 1821, to General John Coffee and Mary Donelson Coffee. He attended the Lorance school in Florence, and the University of Nashville. Alexander Coffee served in the Confederate Army as a captain of Company C, 16th Alabama infantry regiment. Coffee fought in the Battle of Shiloh, but left the army soon after due to bad health. Coffee spent the rest of his life in Florence, working as a planter. He passed away on May 12, 1901. Coffee was first married to Letitia Van Dyke (Campbell) Sloss, and later to Camilla (Madding) Jones after his first wife’s death. He is buried in the Coffee Family Cemetery in Florence.
creator: Kayla Scott, University of North Alabama
source: William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. Bluewater Publications, 2003. William Lindsey McDonald, Civil War Tales of the Tennessee Valley. (Heart of Dixie Publishing: Killen, Alabama, 2003), 200-202. Thomas McAdory Owen, History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, Volume III, 1921, Page 368. Accessed January 16, 2014, at http://www.archives.alabama.gov.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1821-1901

John Coffee
subject: John Coffee
description: General John Coffee was a Federal surveyor who did work in Tennessee and Alabama and is known as one of the founders of Florence, Alabama. Born on June 2, 1772, in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Coffee moved to Tennessee as a young man. As a resident of Davidson County, Tennessee, Coffee became friends with Andrew Jackson. Coffee married Mary Donelson, who was the niece of Andrew Jackson’s wife Rachel. Friendship and family ties closely linked Coffee with Jackson for the remainder of his life. Coffee served with distinction under Jackson in the War of 1812, and was instrumental in the U.S. victory of the Creek War. After the War of 1812 and the Indian campaigns, Coffee continued working as a surveyor and land speculator. In 1817 he was appointed Surveyor-General of Alabama, and moved to Huntsville. In 1819 he moved to Lauderdale County, and the district land office was moved to Florence. Coffee served as the Surveyor-General for the rest of his life. His home, Hickory Hill Plantation, was located off of present day Cloverdale Road, which was called Coffee Road at the time. John Coffee died July 7, 1833, and is buried in the Coffee Family Cemetery at Florence, Alabama along with his wife and several children. A Wal-Mart store is located in close proximity to the graveyard.
creator: Kayla Scott, University of North Alabama
source: Northern Alabama: Historical and Biographical Illustrated. Smith and De Land, Birmingham. 1888. William Lindsey McDonald, A Walk Through The Past: People and Places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. Bluewater Publications, 2003. Gordon Thomas Chappell, The Life and Activities of John Coffee, A Thesis, Vanderbilt University, 1941.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1772-1833

Rhodesville Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries: Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach the Rhodesville Methodist Church Cemetery, turn right in Rhodesville onto County Road #189. Go about .5 miles to the cemetery. It is located behind the church. The cemetery has a record of 136 records. A list of graves is located in the source.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Rhodesvillle Cemetery." Rootsweb. November 19, 2004. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-rhdsvl-2004.htm. Accessed April 22, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Late 1800s.
format: Document.

Oak Grove Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Oak Grove Cemetery is located in Lauderdale County, Alabama. From Florence, Alabama, take Savannah Hwy west to Waterloo Rd. Turn west onto County Road 14, go approx. 17 miles. Turn right onto Bitter Branch Rd. Turn left onto County Road 121. The cemetery is 1.5 miles on right at top of hill. The cemetery is still in good condition today. It has a record of 31 graves. List of graves is located in the source.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Wood, Sharon L. "Oak Grove Cemetery." Rootsweb. January 13, 2001. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-oakgrove.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Late 1800s.
format: document.

Jessie's Garden Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Jessie’s Garden cemetery is adjacent to the Wilson Cemetery on state highway 17, north of Florence, Alabama. Turn right onto County Rd. 142 just north of the Rogers Chapel United Methodist Church. Go 200 yards and the entrance is on the right. The cemetery was founded by Roy Patterson Jr. and is named after his mother. Mr. Patterson was the first person buried in the cemetery. Full list of graves is located in the source.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Jessie's Garden Cemetery." Cemeteries Only. May 3, 2014. http://cemeteriesonly.com/JessiesGardenCem.htm. Accessed April 13, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Early 1900s
format: Document

Canerday Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach the cemetery, turn north off Cox Creek Parkway in Florence and travel 8.3 miles. Turn left onto County Road #73 and keep right. Travel .8 mile to the cemetery on the right. The are a few graves marked with stones. Full list of graves is located in sources.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Canerday Cemetery." Canerday Cemetery. February 7, 2015. http://cemeteriesonly.com/CanerdayCem.html. Accessed April 22, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Late 1800s.
format: Document.

Canaan Methodist Church Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: From Florence, Alabama, travel Alabama Hwy. 20 west for 3.3 miles. Turn left onto Waterloo Rd. and go 10.2 miles. Turn left onto County Rd. 189 and go 2.8 miles. The church and cemetery are at the corner of County Rd. 189 and County Rd. 62. The cemetery is located behind the church. The full list of graves is located in the source.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Canaan Methodist Church Cemetery." Cemeteries Only. February 20, 2015. http://cemeteriesonly.com/CanaanMethChCem.html. Accessed on April 4, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Late 1800s.
format: Document

River Bend Church of Christ Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach this cemetery, travel Alabama Hwy. 20 west from Florence, Alabama for 2.1 miles. Turn left (west) off Hwy 20 onto county Road 2 (Gunwaleford Road) and go about 6.2 miles. The cemetery is on the right side of the road. The River Bend Cemetery is in western Lauderdale County, Alabama, and is owned and maintained by the River Bend Church of Christ. The grounds are in very good condition with plenty of room for expansion. The oldest person buried here was born in 1863. The first burial here was in 1949. There are a total of 59 records in this cemetery. Full list of graves is located in the sources.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "River Bend Cemetery 2005." Rootsweb. January 5, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-riverbendcoc2005.htm. Accessed April 11, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
format: Document

Macedonia Church of Christ Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Macedonia Church of Christ cemetery is located in the western part of Lauderdale County. To reach the cemetery, travel Alabama Highway 20 west from Florence, AL. Immediately after crossing over the Natchez Trace Parkway, turn left onto County Rd. #5 and travel 1.4 miles, turning right onto County Rd. 158 and travel 0.4 mile. The cemetery is just past the church on the right. The marker at the cemetery reads, "The church dates its roots to the early 1800’s, the congregation met in homes with Joseph Fanning, visiting evangelist. The church was first organized as Macedonia Baptist Church. In 1834, J.W. Smith supervised a building on this site. In 1880, T.B. Larimore, a well known evangelist among Church of Christ churches in the area, was asked to preach. The congregation then changed to the present name. The church has made a powerful impact. The adjoining cemetery is the resting place for many of the county’s beloved sons & daughters." Full list of graves is located in the source.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Macedonia Church of Christ." Cemeteries Only. April 12, 2015. http://cemeteriesonly.com/MacedoniaCem.html. Accessed April 29, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1800s
format: Website.

Murphy's Chapel Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Murphy's Chapel Cemetery is located ½ mile east of Alabama Highway 20, on Lauderdale County Road 8 at Murphy's Chapel Free Will Baptist Church northwest of Florence, Alabama. The oldest known grave is that of a Confederate soldier buried in 1861. A woman by the name of Katie K. Jones is the oldest known person buried here, having been born in 1792. Some graves are probably much older than those listed. There are war veterans from the Civil War to the Korean War. The cemetery has a record of 738 graves. A full list of graves is located in the source.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama.
source: Montgomery, David L. "Murphy's Chapel." Rootsweb. January 5, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-murphychapel-2005.htm. Accessed April 7, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Early 1800s.
format: Website.

Union Soldier's Grave
subject: Cemeteries; Civil War; Lauderdale County, AL
description: David L. Montgomery visited this grave an stated: "An individual who lives in the immediate area of this grave informed me about this Union soldier’s final resting place. He has hunted the surrounding woods almost all of his life and has known of its location for many years. According to this person, there was an attempt to excavate the grave by a person/persons probably looking for Civil War relics. The person/persons digging in the earth, dug down about four or five feet deep. By most grave standards, the headstone is always placed to the west of the gravesite. It appears that they didn’t know on which side of the headstone to dig. There has been no evidence or rumors of anything being found since it is believed they dug on the wrong side." The gravesite is located approximately 2 miles north northeast of Cloverdale, Alabama. It is located on private property and deep in the woods. The headstone was removed from the gravesite in the 1980’s and was gone for about two years. It was returned and placed in the exact spot with the lettering to facing the west. According to the inscription on the stone, Meadows was attached to Company “G” of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry. But he is listed in the Company “D” roster, of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry, also a Union Army unit. He enlisted at Savannah, Tennessee on January 15, 1864. He was drafted in February 1, 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Union Soldier's Grave." Cemeteries Only. http://cemeteriesonly.com/UnionSoldiersGrave.htm. Accessed April 3, 2015.
date: Late 1800s.
format: Website.

Mt. Hebron Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: This cemetery is located off County Road 21 north of Waterloo, Alabama. From Waterloo, travel north on County Road 14 for 1.07 miles and turn right onto County Road 90. Go 2.2 miles to County Road 21. Turn left and keep right, following County Rd. 21 2.23 miles. The cemetery is across the road. There once was a church near Mt. Hebron, the stone footings are located near the cemetery. There are at least 12 unknown graves in the cemetery.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Bob, Torbert. "Mt Hebron Cemetery." Rootsweb. June 1, 2002. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-mthebron.htm. Accessed April 11, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Late 1900s.
format: website.

Whitten Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Whitten Cemetery is located in western Lauderdale County, Alabama area north of Waterloo. To reach the Whitten Cemetery, travel on Lauderdale County Road 14 to Waterloo. Continue to follow County Rd. 14 turning right. Continue on 1.07 miles and turn right onto County Road 90. Go 1.37 miles and the cemetery is on the hill on the left. This is a very old cemetery with many graves and few markers. It sits upon a hill accessible only by a steep path. There are few large cedar trees located in the cemetery. The earliest date on a marker is 1790 marking the grave of Alexander Higgins.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Whitten Cemetery." Rootsweb. November 28, 2006. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-whitten.htm. Accessed April 11, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Early 1800s
format: Website

Pine Hill Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach Pine Hill Cemetery, from Florence, Alabama, travel Alabama Highway 20 west approximately 19½ miles. Turn right onto County Road 8 and travel approximately .9 mile and turn left onto County Road 10. Travel approximately 1.2 miles and the cemetery is on the right of the road behind the Pine Hill Church of Christ. Pine Hill Cemetery is owned and maintained by the church. It has a record of 257 graves. Twenty of the graves are unknown. The church was established in or before 1900, but the actual date is unknown. The source contains full list of grave in the cemetery.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Pine Hill Cemetery." Rootsweb. January 4, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-pinehill-2005.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Late 1800s.
format: website

Williams Chapel Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach the William’s Chapel Cemetery, from Waterloo, Alabama, travel east on County Rd. # 14 for about ½ mile. Turn left (north) onto County Road. 1. Go about 7 miles and the cemetery is on the left behind the church. Williams Chapel Cemetery is well maintained and contains 199 records. Source contains a list of graves located in the cemetery.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Williams Chapel Cemetery 2005." Rootsweb. January 4, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-williamschpl-2005.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Late 1800s
type: Document

Rowell Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries, Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach this cemetery, turn off AL 20 (Savannah Highway), onto Lauderdale 6 (Gunwaleford Road), go 9.8 miles. The cemetery is on the right side of the road. You must go through a small section of woods, and then across an open field to reach it. It is about 75 yards from the main road, and can be seen. The Smithsonia Church of Christ is on the left side of the road, about 100 yards on down the road. The cemetery has a hand cut stonewall around it, four feet in height. It is covered in vines and poorly maintained. It is located on the F. M. Perry Estate. Neal Rowell practiced medicine in early Florence for a few years before he retired to West Lauderdale County. He and his wife inherited a plantation called Alba Wood. Rowell is a native of Wood County, Virginia. Rowell married Martha Ann Cheatham, daughter of Christopher Cheatham, one of the earliest settler’s of Lauderdale County.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Irons, Olan. "Rowell Cemetery." Rootsweb. December 7, 1988. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-rowell.htm. Accessed April 20, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Mid-1800s
format: Document

Florence Indian Mound Museum
subject: Native American Museum
description: The Florence Indian Mound Museum is located at the foot of the Florence Indian Mound. The Florence Mound was built by early Native Americans and dates back to the Woodland period. The museum has display cases that house arrowheads, spearheads, Native American pottery, and implements made from bones, shells, and rocks. The museum does not focus on the Florence Indian Mound, but features displays from different eras, tribes, and locations that are not related to the Florence site. There are enough labels and interpretive exhibits to allow a visitor to understand the meaning of the objects on display, even without a detailed tour. A video that is less than 10 minutes long is available for visitors to watch. It briefly covers Native American History, but really does not mention the Florence Indian Mound with any significance. The first exhibit in the museum is entitled “The New Americans Migrated from the Old World” and explains how this is thought to have been done. The second is entitled “Paleo Indian Nomadic Hunters: More than 10,000 Years Ago.” Continuing down the line you find the “Transition of Paleo-Archaic Hunters to Gatherers: 7,000 to 10,000 years ago,” “Woodland People The First Farmers: 1,100 to 4,000 years ago,” “Mississippian People: Temple Mound Builders 500-1,000 years ago,” “Historic Indians,” and “Trail of Tears.” After walking back to the other side of the room, a visitor is able to learn about the “Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter: One of the World’s Archaeology Greats.” This side of the room offers a look at Native American tools, Spanish trade goods, pottery, and the use of effigies in Native American culture. Industrialization has encroached on the mound site a great deal. Almost touching the drive that circles around the mound is a Co-Op store and related buildings. The railroad runs near the opposite side of the mound, where the Port of Florence is in close proximity. The above article was written in 2015, and tells the story of the first museum t…
creator: Kayla Scott, University of North Alabama
source: A Visit to the Florence Indian Mound Museum
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey

Walston Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach the Walston Cemetery from Florence, Alabama, travel west on Alabama Highway 20 for 3.3 miles. Turn left (west) onto County Rd. 14 (Waterloo Rd.) and travel 5.4 miles to the community of Oakland, Alabama. Turn left onto County Rd. 15 and go about 1.1 mile to the cemetery on the right about 100 yards off the road. Walston cemetery is an old cemetery with the oldest known burial being Elizabeth Walston in 1830. The name of the cemetery is taken from the Walston family. Thirty to thirty-five unidentified graves surround the white section. The black section has multiple sunken areas that are graves with no markers. Some slaves might have been buried in this area. The cemetery combined has a record of 435 records.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Walston Cemetery." Cemeteries Only. November 1, 2014. http://cemeteriesonly.com/WalstonCem.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1830s.
format: Document

Mt. Olive Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Waterloo, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Mt. Olive Cemetery is located in the far western area of Lauderdale Co., Alabama. To reach the cemetery, from Waterloo, AL, travel County Road #45 for 4.1 miles. Turn left onto Union Hollow Rd. Keep continuing left as Union Hollow Rd. begins to curve. The largest part of the cemetery is on the left and a smaller portion on the right side. Mt. Olive Church was established around 1881. The graves in the cemetery predate the establishment of the church. List of graves are located in sources.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Mt. Olive Cemetery." Cemeteries Only. April 24, 2015. http://cemeteriesonly.com/MtOliveCem.html. Accessed April 29, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Early 1800s.
format: Website.

Richardson Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Waterloo, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach the Richardson Cemetery, from Florence, Alabama travel Alabama Highway 20 west for 3.3 miles. Turn left onto County Road 14 and travel to Waterloo, Alabama. Turn left at the 4-way stop and go through the town of Waterloo to the turn-around at the river. Turn up the hill to the right and the cemetery is on the left of the road. A smaller section is also on the right side of the paved road after topping the hill. There are a total of 604 records in this cemetery as of 2004. List of graves are located in sources.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Richardson Cemetery - Waterloo." Rootsweb. June 4, 2004. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-richardson-waterloo-a.htm. Accessed April 12, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Late 1800s.
type: Document

Wates-Shaw Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Waterloo, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: From Florence, take the Waterloo road and go to Waterloo. Then take the Pea Ridge Road for about seven miles, turn left at the first paved cross roads. Go for about three miles until the road comes to a "T", turn left and go almost to the edge of the water. There are a few small creeks that cross the dirt road. An off-road vehicle may be recommended to travel to this cemetery. The cemetery is on the left side of the road. There may be more unmarked graves than there are marked graves in this cemetery.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama.
source: Curtis, Janet. "Wates-Shaw Cemetery." Rootsweb. January 1, 1970. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-wateshaw.htm. Accessed April 14, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Early 1800s
type: Document

Ford's Mill Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach the Ford Mill’s Cemetery from Florence, Alabama, travel west on Alabama Highway 20. Turn left onto County Road 14 and travel approximately 22 miles. Turn right onto County Road 1 just before crossing the bridge into Waterloo. Travel north on Co. Rd. 1 for 3.4 miles. Turn left onto County Road 90 and go .4 mile. The cemetery is on the right side of the road at the intersection of County Road 90 & Man Bone Rd. It lies diagonally across from the Ford’s Mill Free Will Baptist Church. There is a small child’s grave that is unknown. Ford Mill’s cemetery was established in 1932. The cemetery is well maintained and contains 18 records. List of graves are located in sources.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Ford's Mill Cemetery." Rootsweb. January 5, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-fordsmill.htm. Accessed April 3, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1932

Bumpus Creek Cemtery
subject: Cemeteries; Waterloo, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: To reach Bumpus Creek Cemetery from Florence, Alabama, travel Alabama Hwy 20 west and turn left onto Waterloo Rd. and travel to Waterloo, Alabama. County Road # 14 turns north in Waterloo. Turn right and follow Bumpus Creek Road 4.5 miles to the Bumpus Creek Free Will Baptist Church. There are 84 graves in Bumpus Creek Cemetery. (The list of people buried in this cemetery is located in the source.)
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Bumpass Creek Cemetery." Rootsweb. January 4, 2005. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-bumpusck2005.htm. Accesed April 12, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Early 1900s
format: Document

Gravelly Springs Cemetery
subject: Cemeteries; Lauderdale County, AL
description: From Florence, turn off AL 20 (Savannah Highway) onto Waterloo Road. Go 12.5 miles and bear right on a gravel road. Go 0.1 mile to the cemetery. The cemetery is located behind Gravelly springs Missionary Baptist Church. Gravelly Springs Cemetery is very old and contains the grave of a veteran of the War of 1812. Located in the cemetery are 25 unknown graves marked with field stones. Source contains full list of people buried in this cemetery.
creator: Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
source: Montgomery, David L. "Gravelly Springs Cemetery." Cemeteries Only. April 15, 2015. http://cemeteriesonly.com/GravSprsCem.html. Accessed April 22, 2015.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Early 1800s.
format: Document

Preacher Arrested in Florence for Praying
subject: Union Occupation; Florence, AL; Civil War; Dr. W.H. Mitchell; Union Colonel John Marshall Harlan
description: After the Union forces captured Florence in 1862, the Union military officials issued an edict that forbade praying for the Confederacy. The pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Florence was arrested for violating this decree on Sunday, July 27, 1862. The pastor’s name was Dr. W.H. Mitchell, who had received a doctorate in divinity from Princeton. He came to Florence in 1847 after serving as pastor in Prattville, Wetumpka, and Montgomery. On the morning of July 27, Dr. Mitchell surveyed his congregation from the pulpit. He noticed that several Union soldiers were seated in the pews. Knowing that the edict had been issued and incensed at the affront to religious liberty, he prayed for President Jefferson Davis and the success of the Confederate Armies. As soon as the amen was called, Union Colonel John Marshall Harlan, Provost Marshal of the 10th Kentucky and future Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, marched up the aisle and arrested Dr. Mitchell, informing the congregation that the service was over. Mitchell was placed under guard, marched across the Tennessee River, and placed on a train bound for Federal prison in Alton, Illinois. Mitchell remained in prison for three months. A group of relatives and friends were able to secure his release in early October. He returned to the pulpit on October 12, 1862. He remained the pastor of First Presbyterian until he retired in 1871. The congregation jokingly called him the “prison pastor” and placed a memorial window in the sanctuary after his death in 1872.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. A walk through the past : people and places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Pub., 2003., 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Debra Glass, MAed and Military Historian, Heath Mathews. n.d. "Civil War's Western Theater." armyoftennessee.wordpress.com. Accessed April 19, 2015. https://armyoftennessee.wordpress.com/two-martyrs-robin-lightfoot-and-w-h-mitchell/.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: July 27, 1862
rights: Photo from following websites: http://kynghistory.ky.gov/history/2qtr/addinfo/john+marshall+harlan+bio.htm

Wright and Rice Foundry Destroyed
subject: Wright and Rice Foundry; Civil War; Colonel Florence M. Cornyn; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Wright and Rice Foundry was located where the Mars Hill Church of Christ is located on Cox Creek. The foundry was built in 1835 by Williams Johnson but was sold to James Wright and William Rice. The foundry produced steam engines, mill saws, cotton gins, farming implements, and industrial machinery. At the outbreak of the Civil War, the foundry was converted for the manufacture of shells and munitions for weapons, ranging from large cannons to musket balls. This made the foundry a primary target for the Union force commanded by Colonel Florence M. Cornyn. The force of 1,380 men left Corinth, Mississippi, on May 26, 1863, on a mission to destroy the industrial capacity of Lauderdale County. Cornyn’s forces destroyed the foundry, along with many other industrial sites in the County, and then withdrew back to Mississippi.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. "Alabama Trails Business & Manfacturies." genealogytrails.com. Accessed April 10, 2015. http://genealogytrails.com/ala/lauderdale/businesspast.html. Wallace, Harry E. n.d. "Lauderdale County, Alabama History." algw.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: May 1863
rights: Photo from following website: https://flplarchive.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/picture5.jpg

Happy Hollow Engagements
subject: Civil War; Happy Hollow; Brigadier General Edward Hatch; Baugh’s Ford; General Hood; Shoal Creek; Jackson’s Military Road; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The most contested ground in the Lauderdale County during the Civil War was most probably the area known as Happy Hollow. This engagement occurred in and around the area that Jackson’s Military Road crossed Shoal Creek in the area then known as Baugh’s Ford. Union General Croxton’s brigade on the west side of the creek was reinforced on November 6, by Brigadier General Edward Hatch and his 5th Division. From November 6 until just before General Hood’s Confederate army moved out of Florence on November 21, there were skirmishes on an almost daily basis at the ford. Both armies sent out probing and scouting missions over the creek. The Union forces made three attempts to capture the flour and gristmills on Shoal Creek before finally capturing them on November 9. The skirmishing continued until November 19th, when the 9th Illinois ran into a Confederate wagon train on Cloverdale Road. Despite losing thirty men, the Union forces captured several wagons and prisoners. The raid also turned up documents that detailed Hood’s plans for his campaign into Tennessee. The Union forces withdrew ceding the ford to Hood’s army. The Army of the Tennessee moved out of Florence on November 21.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. A walk through the past : people and places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Pub., 2003., 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Edgar D. Byler, III. n.d. "GENERAL JOHN BELL HOOD'S INVASION OF TENNESSEE." tngenweb.org. Accessed April 11, 2015. http://www.tngenweb.org/wayne/Hood.htm. Eric. 2014. "HOOD’S BATTERED ARMY RECROSSES THE TENNESSEE." Civil War Daily Gazette. December 26. Accessed April 11, 2015. http://civilwardailygazette.com/2014/12/26/hoods-battered-army-recrosses-the-tennessee/. Wallace, Harry E. n.d. "Lauderdale County, Alabama History." algw.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: November 6-21, 1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://bridgehunter.com/al/lauderdale/528/

Mountain Tom Clark
subject: Mountain Tom Clark; Tories; Outlaws; Civil War; Bugger; Lauderdale County, AL
description: One of the most notorious outlaws in the Tennessee Valley moved to Lauderdale County in late 1862 or early 1863. He was known as Mountain Tom Clark because he was known to have been from the “mountain counties.” This moniker helped to distinguish him from another man also named Tom Clark living in the same Blackburn area that he moved into. Reportedly, Mountain Tom had left his home with his wife and small child to avoid the being conscripted into the Confederate army. This evasion was to no avail as the conscript officers found him in his new home and took him into the Confederate army. He soon deserted the Confederate army and enlisted in the Union army. Later, after running afoul of army discipline, he deserted that army as well. It was then that he took whole heartedly to his life of crime. He joined in with a group of men who had likewise deserted both armies and were then engaged in robbing, raping, and murdering in and around Lauderdale County. Mountain Tom was credited with many crimes in the surrounding area, some of which he may have committed. Some of the crimes which formed the legal case against Clark were the Wilson plantation murder, the torture and robbing of several Florence citizens, and the murder of Mr. Howell. Clark was eventually arrested in Jackson County and extradited to Florence. In October of 1872, a mob of outraged citizens in Florence stormed the jail and drug Clark along with to others out to be lynched. One person among the mob remembered that he had once boasted that “nobody will ever run over Tom Clark.” According to legend, the mob decided it would be fitting to bury Mountain Tom Clark under the street so that he would forever be run over by the town he had terrorized during and after the Civil War.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Fedore, T. S. 1893. "Outlaw Tom Clark." Florence Times, March 4: 1.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1862-1872
rights: Photo from following websites: http://thecemeterydetective.com/florence-cemetery-florence-alabama/mountain_tom_clark/

Confederate Steam Boats Captured in Waterloo
subject: Confederate Steamboats; Waterloo, AL; Civil War; Lauderdale County, AL; Tennessee River; Commander Andrew H. Foote; Fort Henry
description: After the fall of Fort Henry at the mouth of the Tennessee River, the USS Contestoga, Tyler, and Lexington steamed up the river on February 6, in pursuit of Confederate steamers. The Union forces under the command of Commander Andrew H. Foote captured to confederate supply steamers at Waterloo Landing. The cargo steamers Sallie Wood and Muscle were taken as prize vessels. The Muscle was carrying a load of iron in route to the Tredgar Iron Works in Richmond.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: Tucker, Spencer C. 2009. "Myron J. Smith, Jr. The Timberclads in the Civil War: The Lexington, Conestoga and Tyler on the Western Waters. Jefferson, NC: McFarland." North & South: The Official Magazine Of The Civil War Society 11, no. 4: 79. America: History and Life with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: February 6, 1862
rights: Photo from following websites: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Conestoga_h55321.jpg#/media/File:USS_Conestoga_h55321.jpg

Union Gunboat Raid on the Florence Docks
subject: Civil War; Union Gunboat Raid; Florence Docks; USS Conestoga; USS Tyler; USS Lexington; Captain Fowler; Commander Andrew H. Foote; CSS Sam Kirkman; CSS Julius Smith; CSS Time; CSS Dunbar; Lieutenant Phelps; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Union Gunboat raid on Florence, by vessels under the command of Commander Andrew H. Foote began on February 7, 1862. The USS Conestoga, Tyler, and Lexington had steamed up the river on February 6, in pursuit of Confederate steamers. The CSS Dunbar arrived at the Florence docks around 8:00 the night of February 7. Captain Fowler of the Dunbar warned the local commander of the approaching Union gunboats and organized the offloading of his vessels cargo for transport by rail to Tuscumbia. Later that night the CSS Sam Kirkman, Julius Smith, and Time arrived in Florence. At 8:30 on the morning of February 8, a message arrived in Florence from Confederate General Albert Sydney Johnston. General Johnston ordered that the rail bridge across the Tennessee River at Florence be taken down in order to allow the fleeing steamers to pass the shoals. The citizens of Florence protested the orders to local commanders and would not allow the bridge to be destroyed. Having finished unloading, the Dunbar steamed out of the Florence port and into Cypress Creek to hide until the Union boats withdrew. About 2:00 on the afternoon of February 8, the crews of the confederate steamers set their vessels ablaze after the Union gunboats had been spotted on the river. When Lexington and Conestoga under command of Lieutenant Phelps came into view of the docks, riflemen on the bank opened fire on them. Meanwhile, the crew of the Smith set her adrift full throttle toward the Union gunboats. The Conestoga opened fire on the riflemen on the bank, forcing them to abandon the field, but the Lexington had to maneuver out of the way of the drifting Smith. The Conestoga docked, and Lieutenant Phelps ordered a boarding party to save the burning boats. Although the boats were already unsalvageable, the boarding parties were able to confiscate Confederate government items valued at $100,000. Lieutenant Phelps then sent men to inspect the local warehouses where they discovered iron bars and plating that wa…
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: Tucker, Spencer C. 2009. "Myron J. Smith, Jr. The Timberclads in the Civil War: The Lexington, Conestoga and Tyler on the Western Waters. Jefferson, NC: McFarland." North & South: The Official Magazine Of The Civil War Society 11, no. 4: 79. America: History and Life with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: February 6-8, 1862
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/naval_officers.htm Photo from following websites: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Conestoga_h55321.jpg#/media/File:USS_Conestoga_h55321.jpg

Bridget Blessing Morrison Hiding Friends and Enemies
subject: Bridget Blessing Morrison; Zebulon Pike Morrison; Civil War; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Bridget Blessing Morrison lived on the southeast corner of Wood Avenue and Mobile Street. She was born in Montreal, Canada. Her father brought his family to Florence during the early 1830s to work as an engineer on the first Muscle Shoals Canal. She married Zebulon Pike Morrison, an undertaker and contractor. During the Civil War, Zebulon Morrison built a secret compartment for hiding valuables and eventually food from plundering troops. During the first Union occupation of Florence, Union troops were quartered with the Morrisons. When the Confederate forces moved back into the area, one of the officers who had been wounded in a nearby skirmish could not be evacuated with the retreating Union forces. Mrs. Morrison hid the wounded soldier in the secret compartment and nursed him back to health. Later when the Union forces had again taken Florence, Mrs. Morrison’s nephew who was a Confederate courier was on the run from Union forces. She hid him in the same secret compartment. When the Union forces arrived she recognized their commander as the same man she had hid earlier. The commander made a show of searching the house and left the hiding place alone. Reportedly he departed saying half of a bible verse, “My lady, cast thy bread upon the waters.” The second half from Ecclesiastes finishes “… for thou shalt find it after many days.”
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1862-1865
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.trva-tcwc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Muscle-Shoals-Canal-Map2.jpg

Lynching of Reverend Lightfoot
subject: Robin Lightfoot; Lynching; Bushwhackers; Civil War; African American History; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Robin Lightfoot, a mixed blood slave, help to organize the first church of African Americans at Florence, Church Spring, in 1837. Reverend Lightfoot preached on the hope for eventual emancipation for his people. While Union General Don Carlos Buell occupied Florence in 1862, Reverend Lightfoot’s sermons were relayed to local Bushwhackers, pro-confederate guerillas. The Bushwhackers captured Reverend Lightfoot at the current location of Wood Avenue Church of Christ. They hauled him to Stewart Spring and lynched him in an oak tree.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: Debra Glass, Maed and Military Historian, Heath Mathews. n.d. "Civil War's Western Theater." armyoftennessee.wordpress.com. Accessed April 19, 2015. https://armyoftennessee.wordpress.com/two-martyrs-robin-lightfoot-and-w-h-mitchell/.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1862

President Elect Franklin Roosevelt Visits Florence
subject: Franklin Roosevelt; Florence, AL; Tennessee Valley Authority; Wilson Dam; Lauderdale County, AL
description: President elect Franklin Roosevelt visited Florence on January 21 and 22, 1933. The President was in the area touring Wilson Dam as a model for his proposal of a Tennessee Valley Authority. The design of the program, drafted by Senator George Norris of Nebraska, was to bring power and economic development to the region. The visiting dignitaries included three senators, George Norris, Kenneth McKellar, Clarence Dill; Tennessee governor Hill McAlister; Alabama Governor Benjamin Miller; and President Roosevelt’s daughter Mrs. Curtis Dell. The city was packed for the President’s arrival with Court and Tennessee Streets packed as the presidential limousine passed that way. The president attended Sunday services at the First United Methodist Church at the suggestion of Dr. Henry Willingham, President of the State Normal College in Florence.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. A walk through the past : people and places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Pub., 2003., 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). 1933. "Encyclopedia of Alabama." Roosevelt Visits Wilson Dam. January. Accessed April 20, 2015. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-3314.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: January21-22, 1933
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-3314

Wilson Dam
subject: Wilson Dam; Tennessee River; TVA; National Defense Act of 1916; Henry Ford; Franklin Roosevelt; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Colbert County, AL
description: Wilson Dam is a gravity dam spanning the Tennessee River between Lauderdale and Colbert counties in the quad cities area. The dam was originally constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1918 and 1924. The project was envisioned as a part of the National Defense Act of 1916 during the run up to World War I to provide power for two nitrate plants intended to produce explosives for the war effort. The massive federal program cost $130 million dollars, however the first electrical generation from the plant was not until 1925 long after the end of the war. Although the properties attracted the attention of notable industrialist Henry Ford, who offered $5 million for them and promised to make the shoals the “Detroit of the South,” they languished in governmental limbo until the New Deal programs of Franklin Roosevelt. Impressed by the potential of the properties, Roosevelt’s team made the dam’s operational model the theme for the TVA’s economic invigoration of the entire Tennessee River region. The model was to incorporate a threefold purpose for each dam; flood control, navigational locks, and hydroelectric power generation. The dam has underwent few significant change in structure since its completion. An expansion of the locking system was completed in 1959 making it the largest single-chamber system in the world at that time. There has also been an additional nine spillways have been added. However, the neoclassical style incorporating elements of ancient Greece and Rome has remained a distinguishing feature for Wilson Dam as the only dam in the TVA system with that architectural style.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: Ezzell, Patricia Bernard. 2012. Wilson Dam and Reservoir. June 14. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3268. History, Alabama. Dept. of Archives and. 2007. Lienhard, John H. 2014. No. 2261: Muscle Shoals. January 23. http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2261.htm. TVA. n.d. Wilson Resivor. http://www.tva.gov/sites/wilson.htm.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1916-1959
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-3314 Photo from following websites: http://www.tva.gov/sites/wilson.htm.

Major McFarland Makes Florence His Home
subject: Mapleton; Civil War; Levi Todd; Robert McFarland; Colonel John Harlan; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The residence of Mapleton was built in the Federalist style under the direction of a South American architect. During the Civil War it was known as Todd’s Hill because it was the home of local physician Levi Todd. When the Union occupied Florence in 1862, Colonel John Harlan of the 10th Kentucky headquarter there. Colonel Harlan, who was famous in the area for arresting a local Presbyterian minister for praying for the Confederacy, would later become an associate justice of the US Supreme Court. After the war, Confederate Major Robert McFarland purchased the house. Robert McFarland was born in Londonderry County, Ireland, on August 6, 1836. He had been educated and prepared for a life in the British army. When he failed to get in the Crimean War, he left Britain for the United States in 1854. After graduating from Washington College, he studied law under John W. Brokenborough in Lexington, Virginia. He attained a Bachelor of Law in 1860 and moved to Florence in April of that year. In Florence he partnered with James B. Irvine. When the Civil War broke out McFarland volunteered in the Confederate Army and was made a captain in the 4th Alabama Infantry. He fought in the first battle of Manassas. After his first twelve month enlistment was up, he was tasked with recruiting a cavalry regiment. His new regiment joined General John H. Morgan and participated in the Ohio raid. When General Morgan was captured, McFarland’s regiment was transferred to General Cleburne’s command. He led a charge at Dug Gap for which his gallantry was cited by General Cleburne. At Villa Rica, Georgia, he was wounded severely when his horse was shot out from under him. McFarland was on station in Huntsville from December 1864 until Union forces drove him out of the city in January 1865. After the war, he returned to Florence and practicing law.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: Hannings, Bud. 2013. Every day of the Civil War : a chronological encyclopedia. n.p.: Boston, Massachusetts : Credo Reference, 2013., 2013. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). T. A. DeLand, A. Davis Smith. n.d. "genealogytrails.com." Alabama Trails Biographies. Accessed April 17, 2015. http://genealogytrails.com/ala/lauderdale/biomcfarland.html. Scott, Jaqueline E. 1990. "Major McFarland makes Florence his home." Times Daily, July 9: 4d.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1860-1865
rights: Photo from following websites: http://genealogytrails.com/ala/lauderdale/biomcfarland.html Photo from following websites: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/116389971590120539/ Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, ALA,39-FLO,6-3

Courtview Headquarters of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest
subject: Courtview; Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest; Greek Revival Architecture; Sarah Independence McDonald; University of North Alabama; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Greek revival mansion built in 1855 by George Washington Foster required an act of the Alabama legislature to close Court Street. Foster’s daughter Sarah Independence McDonald and her family lived there until 1900, when it was purchased by Emmet O’Neal. Therefore, it had a commanding view of the town and river below. Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest chose this vantage for his headquarters while the Army of the Tennessee prepared for its ill-fated invasion of Tennessee. In 1922, Thomas M. Rogers bought the house and in 1948 the University of North Alabama acquired it.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: Hannings, Bud. 2013. Every day of the Civil War : a chronological encyclopedia. n.p.: Boston, Massachusetts : Credo Reference, 2013., 2013. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1855-1948
rights: Photo from following websites: http://battleofselma.com/?page_id=1208 Photo from following websites: https://www.una.edu/history/Historic%20UNA/rogers-hall.html

General and Governor Edward Asbury O’Neal from Florence
subject: Edward Asbury O’Neal; Florence, AL; 9th Alabama Infantry Regiment; Sannoner Historic District; Army of Northern Virginia; Secession; Andersonville Prison; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Home of Governor and Confederate Brigadier General Edward Asbury O’Neal was in downtown Florence Alabama. After graduating from LaGrange College he studied law in Huntsville and married Olivia Moore. He passed the bar in 1840 and began a law practice in Florence, Alabama, that same year. When the couple rode through the town of Florence, Olivia spotted a home under construction that she liked and persuaded her husband to buy it. The house was on North Court Street in the Sannoner Historic District. O’Neal had been a strong proponent of the secession movement. After the firing on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, he raised a company form the local area for the 9th Alabama Infantry Regiment. O’Neal received a commission as colonel for the 26th Alabama Infantry Regiment, in March 1862. The 26th Alabama was assigned to General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The unit and O’Neal fought in many of the major battles of the Eastern Theater of the Civil War. This included Seven Pines, Seven Days, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. O’Neal was wounded twice in battle and placed in command of the guards at Andersonville prison in Americus, Georgia for a short stent when it was first opened. O’Neal and the 26th Alabama participated in the unsuccessful defense of Atlanta from General Sherman. O’Neal and a group of survivors from Alabama regiments surrendered in 1865 at Greensboro North Carolina. When he surrendered his official rank was Colonel. The Confederate government had agreed to a promotion to Brigadier General; however, the designation had not arrived before his surrender. The state of Alabama would later give him a commission as a brigadier general. After the war O’Neal returned to Florence and the practice of law. He entered back into Alabama politics in 1875 and was elected the 26th Governor of Alabama in 1882.
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. A walk through the past : people and places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Pub., 2003., 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDaniel, Mary Jane. 2008. "Edward A. O'Neal." encyclopediaofalabama.org. February 13. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1459.
publisher: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
date: 1840-1902
contributor: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1459 Photo from following websites: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11041 Photo from following websites: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1459

Cow Pen Factory Destroyed
subject: Cow Pen Factory; Civil War; Green Hill; Colonel Florence M. Cornyn; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Cow Pen Factory was a water powered mill on Cow Pen Creek near Green Hill, Alabama. The factory had been founded in 1850. In 1860, the factory employed sixty-eight men and sixteen women and produced 117,600 yards of cloth. In the early years of the civil war, it produced uniforms for the Confederate Army. During Colonel Florence M. Cornyn’s raid on Lauderdale County in the spring of 1863, Union troops burned the factory along with several other industrial sites in the county. The factory was rebuilt after the war and operated until 1880.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. A walk through the past : people and places of Florence and Lauderdale County, Alabama. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Pub., 2003., 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. "Alabama Trails Business & Manfacturies." genealogytrails.com. Accessed April 10, 2015. http://genealogytrails.com/ala/lauderdale/businesspast.html.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Spring 1863
rights: Photo from following websites: http://civilwartalk.com/threads/corinth-ms-court-martial-and-murder-of-colonel-francis-cornyn-10th-missouri-cavalry.108468/

Center Star Skirmish
subject: Center Star; Civil War; Confederate Colonel Williams Johnson; 9th Ohio Cavalry; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Confederate Colonel William Johnson’s 4th Alabama Cavalry crossed the Tennessee River and attacked the 7th Illinois infantry encamped near Center Star on May 7, 1864. A six hour battle ensued. The Confederate raid caused 35 casualties and drove the Union into retreat back toward Rogersville. There the 7th Illinois joined up with the 9th Ohio Cavalry under the command of Colonel Rowett. On May13, the combined Union force attacked Johnson’s camp at Center Star. As a result of the second engagement, the confederate forces were driven back across the river.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: Hannings, Bud. 2013. Every day of the Civil War : a chronological encyclopedia. n.p.: Boston, Massachusetts : Credo Reference, 2013., 2013. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). n.d. "Illinois Adjutant General's Report." old-new-orleans.co. Accessed April 18, 2015. http://www.old-new-orleans.com/ILLINOIS_CW_reghist.pdf.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: May 7-13, 1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.oocities.org/bourbonstreet/Delta/3843/johnson.htm Photo from following websites: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=40292381

Confederate Brigadier General Sterling Wood from Florence
subject: Brigadier General Sterling Wood; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Civil War; Confederacy
description: Sterling Wood was a Brigadier General for the Confederate Army from Lauderdale County. Wood passed the bar to become a practicing lawyer in 1845 and joined his brother’s practice in Florence, Alabama. Wood was elected to represent Lauderdale County in the Alabama House of Representatives in 1857. He was chosen to serve as district solicitor in that session. After Alabama succeeded in 1861, Wood joined the Confederate Army as a captain in the 7th Alabama and was elected its Colonel. Wood was promoted to Brigadier General on January 7, 1862. General Wood was engaged in many of the pivotal battles in the Western Theater of the Civil War. His brigade fought under General Johnston at Shiloh as part of Hardee’s corps. His command participated in the Kentucky campaign of General Bragg. In that campaign he was recognized for valor at Perryville, where he was severely wounded. His command was again active in the Murfreesboro campaign. The last battle for Wood was Chickamauga after which he resigned his commission. After the war he resumed practice as a lawyer in Tuscaloosa.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: Derry, Joseph Tyrone. 1895. Story of the Confederate States; or, History of the war for southern independence embracing a brief but comprehensive sketch of the early settlement of the country, trouble with the Indians, the French, revolutionary and Mexican wars. n.p.: Richmond, Va. : B.F. Johnson publishing company, 1895., 1895. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed May 1, 2015). Evans, Clement A. 1962. Confederate military history; a library of Confederate States history, in twelve volumes. n.p.: New York : Thomas Yoseloff, [1962], 1962. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1861-1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.google.com/search?q=Brigadier+General+Sterling+Wood+from+Florence&safe=active&rlz=1C1EODB_enUS572US572&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=u5hHVYHvB4SXgwTKoYGYCw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1150&bih=666&dpr=0.9&surl=1#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=Florence+alabama+wesleyan+hall&imgrc=GK5UMAdfhCjO6M%253A%3BmnyYYoTTC2SMqM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcdn.stateuniversity.com%252Fassets%252Flogos%252Fimages%252F581%252Flarge_Wesleyan_hall.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.stateuniversity.com%252Funiversities%252FAL%252FUniversity_of_North_Alabama.html%3B500%3B375 Photo from following websites: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11114

General Hood Liberates of Florence
subject: Confederate General John Bell Hood; Civil War; General Hatch; Lieutenant Colonel Stephen W. Presstman; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Tennessee River
description: After Union General Williams T. Sherman captured Atlanta in September of 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood devised a plan to aide General Lee in Virginia by going through Ohio. The plan necessitated a crossing of the Tennessee River. Hood’s forces were blocked by strong union positions at Guntersville and Decatur. This left Florence as the only viable option for a large force to cross the river. Florence was occupied at the time by a force of Union cavalry numbering about four thousand under the command of General Hatch. The Confederate army arrived at Bainbridge, Tuscumbia, Leighton, and South Port on October 27th. The Union forces placed a strong picket at the destroyed railroad bridge. Hood ordered a nighttime boat crossing of the flooded river at two points, South Port and two and half miles upriver for October 29. The crossing at South Port under General Clayton went smoothly with covering fire from artillery batteries stationed on the south bank. Colonel Gibson’s brigade landed and drove the Union forces from banks of the Tennessee. Meanwhile, the landing force upriver under General Johnson found the shoals to be treacherous. After some delay, Johnson took one brigade and moved inland to attempt to cut off the union retreat. Johnson’s forces engaged part of the retreating Union cavalry. Although the Union cavalry lost forty men they were able to slip by Johnson’s brigade and make it across Shoal Creek. With the north bank secured, Hood’s chief engineer, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen W. Presstman, was placed in charge of the crossing. Because the river was flooded, Presstman decided to make use of the piers from the destroyed railroad bridge across the Tennessee. The pontoons were anchored to the piers for superior stability. The pontoon bridge was completed early the next evening. Johnson and Clayton’s divisions were the first across the pontoon bridge in order to reunite their respective commands. As Hood’s crossing continued General Hatch reformed his me…
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Edgar D. Byler, III. n.d. "GENERAL JOHN BELL HOOD'S INVASION OF TENNESSEE." tngenweb.org. Accessed April 11, 2015. http://www.tngenweb.org/wayne/Hood.htm. Eric. 2014. "HOOD’S BATTERED ARMY RECROSSES THE TENNESSEE." Civil War Daily Gazette. December 26. Accessed April 11, 2015. http://civilwardailygazette.com/2014/12/26/hoods-battered-army-recrosses-the-tennessee/. Wallace, Harry E. n.d. "Lauderdale County, Alabama History." algw.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Fall 1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://civilwardailygazette.com/2014/10/30/hoods-confederates-finally-cross-the-tennessee/ Photo from following websites: http://bshc-granbury.org/wp/the-stories/the-civil-war-era/john-bell-hood

Four Mile Branch Skirmish
subject: Civil War; General Philip Roddey; Union General Granville Dodge; Confederate Colonel William A. Johnson; 9th Illinois Cavalry; 4th Alabama Cavalry; Lamb’s Ferry; Rogersville, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The first skirmish at four mile branch in Lauderdale County during 1864. January 25, Confederate Colonel William A. Johnson’s 4th Alabama Cavalry was dispatched to forage in Lauderdale County by General Philip Roddey from his headquarters at Bainbridge. A Union spy in Florence sent word of Colonel Johnson’s mission to Union General Granville Dodge’s headquarters at Pulaski Tennessee. General Dodge sent Colonel A. O. Miller’s 2nd Cavalry from Pulaski and Lieutenant Colonel Jesse J. Phillips with the 9th Illinois Cavalry from Athens to join the 18th Missouri. The combined Union forces were tasked with intercepting Johnson’s expedition. Johnson’s Confederates avoided Phillips’ Union cavalry but encountered Miller’s forces at the crossroads of Huntsville and Byler Roads. The ensuing skirmish lasted for a couple of hours until dark. Miller withdrew to the east bank of Shoal Creek and Johnson’s forces held the field for the night. The following day Johnson went on the offensive and caught Miller’s forces at Lamb’s Ferry in Rogersville. Miller’s 2nd Cavalry suffered two casualties in that engagement. Meanwhile, General Roddey took advantage of Phillips’ forces leaving Athens and attacked the garrison there. In the raid, Roddey’s forces captured prisoners and supplies. Miller’s forces suffered fifteen killed and twenty-five wounded in the two days of skirmishing. The Confederate forces under Johnson suffered seven deaths.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: January 1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7217181 Photo from following websites: http://www.oocities.org/bourbonstreet/Delta/3843/johnson.htm

General Forrest Hides on Seven Mile Island
subject: Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest; Civil War; Colonel W.H. Morgan; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest hid his men on Seven Mile Island in Florence October 5-6, 1864. General Forrest’s cavalry crossed into Lauderdale County at Colbert Shoal and rode down the Huntsville Road toward Athens. After raiding Athens and then disrupting the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, Forrest’s cavalry were chased back into Alabama by Union cavalry under Colonel W.H. Morgan. With the river flooded, Forrest’s hopes to use the Bainbridge Ferry were dashed, and he had to improvise. Forrest’s troops located and used a barge to ferry the men across while the horses swam. Lieutenant Colonel Windes regiment of the 4th Alabama Cavalry was left to provide cover as Colonel Morgan’s forces bore down on the Confederates. Forrest then camped on Seven Mile Island with no fires in the chill of the fall nights until the covering regiment was able to reunite with his command.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Pitts, Alan. 2005. "The Alabama in the Civil War Message Board - Archive." History-sites.com. August 8. Accessed April 17, 2015. http://www.history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs62x/alcwmb/arch_config.pl?md=read;id=19361. Wallace, Harry E. n.d. "Lauderdale County, Alabama History." algw.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: October 5-6, 1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://battleofselma.com/?page_id=1208

Battle at the Peters’ Plantation
subject: Jack Peters; Plantations; Civil War; 9th Ohio Cavalry; Colonel James Jackson, Jr.; Captain Joseph N. Hetzler; Colonel Samuel Ives; Confederate Army of the Tennessee; 27th Alabama; 35th Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The battle at the Peters’ Plantation took place just before daylight on April 12, 1864. The 9th Ohio Cavalry known to the local in North Alabama as “The White Horse Company” had been foraging the local area from their base camp at the plantation of Jack Peters. The 27th and 35th Alabama regiments of the Confederate Army of the Tennessee were in nearby Lawrence County recruiting. There, they received news from family members in Lauderdale County of the Union cavalry unit. The two commanders of the regiments on hand decided to lead a raid on the Union camp. Colonel James Jackson Jr. of the 27th Alabama was a neighbor of Jack Peters, and Colonel Samuel Ives of the 35th Alabama was a native of Center Star. The commanders chose to lead the attack jointly and picked 150 of the best soldiers from the two regiments. The small Confederate force crossed the Tennessee at Seven Mile Island during the night of the 11th. The Confederate commanders achieved a tactical surprise in the early morning hours of the 12th. According to the 9th Ohio’s records, two privates were killed and thirty-five others were captured including the company’s commanding officer Captain Joseph N. Hetzler. The remainder of 147 members of the 9th Ohio escaped to Florence under the leadership of three lieutenants raising the alarm that “General Forrest” was attacking. In response to the late night attack the Union forces evacuated Florence. Meanwhile, Jackson and Ives returned to Franklin County with the prisoners in tow. The Confederate force also captured food and livestock which had been taken from the local population by the 9th Ohio. All those captured except for Captain Hetzler were sent to the prison camp in Andersonville, Georgia. Twenty-one of the thirty-five died as a result of their imprisonment.
creator: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
source: McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). Wallace, Harry E. n.d. "Lauderdale County, Alabama History." algw.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: April 12, 1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm