Business; Athens, AL; Limestone County, AL
Samuel M. Bowen owned several businesses around Athens, Alabama. He operated Yarbrough Brothers and Bowen 5, 10, and 25 Cent Store in 1909. In 1913 he operated Lerman and Bowen, located on the north side of the square where Cluxton's Jewelry is now. In 1914 he operated Lerman and Bowen Grocery. In 1919 he operated Bowen and Johnson Shoes, Grocery, and Hardware, eventually partnering with John Caine. He later expanded his business to include appliances and then furniture. The last store, Sam M. Bowen Company was located on the West side of the Square where the Rogers Center is located. He operated the business with his son-in-law, Jim Burke King.
Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
County, Ala. The Heritage of Limestone County, Alabama. Limited 1st ed. Clanton, AL: Heritage Pub. Consultants, 1998.
Born in 1837, Sam grew up with William "Billy" Patton, his young master. Because Sam's mother was the cook for the Patton family, he lived in the kitchen behind the big house. When Alabama seceded from the Union, Billy took Sam with him to war. In 1862, Billy and Sam fought with Company C of the 16th Alabama Infantry at Shiloh. On April 6, Billy fell, mortally wounded in a charge south of Shiloh Church. As the Confederates retreated, Sam refused to leave Billy's body on the battlefield. When darkness fell, Sam recovered Billy's body and returned him to his family at Sweetwater.
Ashley Pentecost, University of North Alabama
William McDonald, Civil War Tales of the Tennessee Valley. University of North Alabama archives
Florence, Lauderdale County, Music, Alabama Music Hall of Fame
Sam Phillips (1923-2003) Samuel Cornelius Phillips was born January 5, 1923 in Florence, Alabama. He was the youngest of eight children born to Charles Tucker Phillips and Madge Ella Phillips. He was born into a middle-class farming family, but the family lost the farm during the Great Depression. His love of music was evident early on; he was active in his high school band, playing several different instruments, and eventually becoming the conductor. Sam dropped out of school just before graduation to support his mother and deaf aunt after his father died. He married Rebecca Burns in 1942; the couple had two sons, Knox and Jerry. He took an extension course in audio engineering from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (present-day Auburn University), but his passion for music remained his focus. From 1942 to 1949, Sam worked as radio engineer and host for several different stations including the following: WMSG in Decatur, Alabama; WLAY in Nashville, Tennessee where he became known as host of “Afternoon Tea Dance;” and WREC in Memphis, Tennessee. This work allowed Sam to acquire up many skills including transferring recordings from vinyl to acetate tapes and prerecording shows for radio hosts. In 1950 Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service on Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee in order to meet the need of local musicians who had to travel to either Nashville, New Orleans, or Chicago to record. Early on, Phillips raised most of his business by offering anyone who walked in the chance to “cut” a record for a few dollars. He also recorded private events such as weddings. Eventually, Phillips started his own record label, Phillips Records. His first record, “Boogie in the Park,” by Joe Hill Louis, attracted the attention of B.B. King, Chester Arthur Burnett (Howlin’ Wolf), and Ike Turner, each of which went on to record his first record with Phillips Records. Phillips’s first hit record, “Rocket 88,” by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats reached the top of the rhythm and blues charts in 1951. In 1952, Philips renamed the label Sun Records. Sun Record’s first single was Johnny London’s “Drivin’ Show” released in March 1952. A year later, Elvis Presley recorded two songs at Sun Records as a gift to his mother. In 1954, Elvis returned and made a record of ten songs, including “That’s Alright (Mama).” Phillips signed Presley to a contract and booked him to play shows across the country. In need of money, Phillips sold the contract to RCA for $35,000, a decision he later regretted. However, the money allowed him to expand Sun Records and offer recording deals to Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Roy Orbison. Around this time, Phillips separated from his wife and began a relationship with Sally Wilbourn which lasted until his death. The studio did well, expanded, and included more diverse material. Phillips bought radio stations and real estate and invested in the Holiday Inn chain of hotels. He sold Sun Records in 1969 but stayed active in the radio business. He died of respiratory failure August 1, 2003. Phillips has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986), the Alabama Music Hall of Fame (1987), the Country Music Hall of Fame (2001), and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. The original site of Sun Records is a National Historic Landmark, and each January a Sam Phillips Music Celebration is hosted in Florence, Alabama.
Joy Caitlin Monroe, University of North Alabama
Bolton, Jonathan W. “Sam Phillips.” Encyclopedia of Alabama (August 2013). http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2989
Professional Wrestling Knoxville, Tennessee Promoter
Detailed description of 1935 wrestling match in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Historic Markers; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
This historic marker is located at Florence's Walk of Honor in River Heritage Park. The text on the marker reads: "Known as the "Father of Rock and Roll," Sam Phillips established Sun Records in 1952, helping Elvis Presley and other well-known artist launch their careers. He received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in music."
“Samuel Cornelius Phillips Marker”. Accessed 11/06/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Samuel J. Israel, Unpublished Autobiography
Samuel J. Israel; Sheffield, Alabama; Jewish Community; Philanthropy
Samuel J. Israel, who moved to Sheffield, Alabama in 1909 from Lithuania, wrote his memoirs at his daughter's (Beatrice Muhlendorf) request. The manuscript -- which is over thirty pages long -- is titled "From Northern Lithuania to Northern Alabama."
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, local history room, file 3-2.
Hale County, Alabama; Marengo County, Alabama; Perry County, Alabama; Samuel Mockbee; Rural Arts Studio
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.
Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
Dean, Andrea Oppenheimer and Hursley, Timothy, "Rural Studio:Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency." Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton Architectural Press, 2002.
Photograph courtesy of the Archives at the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
This historic marker is located on North Court Street, Florence AL. The text on the marker reads: "Named for Ferdinand Sannoner, who surveyed the town of Florence for the Cypress Land Company in 1818, the district contains twenty-five structures on North Court and North Pine Streets. Wealth planters, lawyers and merchants occupied the six fine antebellum homes: Courtview (1855) Gov. Edward Asbury O'Neal (1840's), Irvine Place (1843), Conner Place (1854), Wakefield (1820's) and Hickory Place (James Irvine's House 1832.) Other structures date from the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries."
“Sannoner Historic District”. Accessed 11/06/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Sannoner Historic District Medical Building
This historic marker is located on North Main Street north of East Tuscaloosa Street, Florence, Alabama. The text on the marker reads: "Built in 1826 in the Spanish Revival architectural style, this is the first structure in Florence erected with a steel skeleton supporting the floors, walls and roof. The framework is strong enough to support two more stories than were actually built. This building was individually listed in The National Register of Historic Places in 1976."
“Sannoner Histroric District Medical Building”. Accessed 11/09/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Bullock County, Cahauba, Religion, Christianity, Baptist, Church, Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
The Sardis Baptist Church is one of the oldest Baptist church building still standing in Alabama. The church was constructed after Greek Revival architecture. Because of the buildings condition, the church is currently inactive. The church was organized in 1837. The church building is believed to have been constructed in 1841. In 1860 an additional two acres were acquired for the church cemetery. The original families who settled in the Sardis community and established the church were from Edgefield, South Carolina and were crucial to the county’s growth and development. Sardis Baptist Church was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1991.
Sauta Village and Sequoyah's Cherokee Syllabary
Sauta, Jackson County, Native Americans, language, Sequoyah, George Guess, George Gist
Sauta was a small Cherokee village established about 1784 on the north side of the Tennessee River near its confluence with North Sauty Creek. The August 13, 1828, issue of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper includes a letter from an acquaintance of Sequoyah relating the story of Sequoyah's creation of the Cherokee syllabary. According to the story, several young men at Sauta were discussing their awe of white men's ability to pass language across vast distances via written words on paper. Sequoyah is said to have told the men that he could easily create a written language and his response was met with ridicule. Inspired by this event, Sequoyah completed the Cherokee syllabary. A similar story is recounted by Samuel Lorenzo Knapp from his 1828 interview of Sequoyah in Washington D.C. Many myths surround the life of Sequoyah and the creation of the Cherokee syllabary, but the timing and nature of these sources lend credence to this story.
Abram, Susan M. "Sequoyah." Encyclopedia of Alabama. May 21, 2009; http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2159 [accessed August 11, 2016] Chambless, Ann B. "Early Cherokee Village of Sauta." Jackson County Chronicles 20, no. 1 (January 2008): 6. Chambless, Ann B. "Sequoyah." Jackson County Chronicles 25, no. 4 (October 2013): 3-6. G.C. "Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet." Cherokee Phoenix 1, no. 24 (August 13, 1828): 2, col. 1a-2a. Foreman, Grant. Sequoyah. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2012. Street, O.D. "Cherokee Towns and Villages." Publications of the Alabama Historical Society, Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 1. Montgomery, AL, 1901.
Northeast Alabama Community College Archives and Special Collections
Print by McKenney and Hall from Birmingham Public Library Tutwiler Collection of Southern History and Literature
Located in Opelika along County Road 162 near Cusseta Road. Coordinates: 32.7070764, -85.3588347
Scottsboro, Jackson County, Transportation, Railroad, Civil War, National Register of Historic Places
Scripture Relief Books and Learning Marker
This historic marker is located in front of Florence Public Library between E. Tuscalossa and E. Tombigbee Sts., Florence, Alabama. The text on the marker reads: "This sculpture relief was created by James W. Stoves and placed above the entrance to Gilbert Elementary School in 1921. In 1980, following the demolition of Gilbert school, it was moved to Hibbet Middle School. Because of its theme which relates to the teaching of children. it is now a part of the Florence/Lauderdale Public Library. Stoves left the Birmingham, Alabama coal mines to become a stoneworker and sculptor. He moved to Florence in 1913 and purchased the Florence Marble Works. Many of the monuments in the Florence Cemetery was sculptured by Stokes."
“Sculpture Relief Books and Learning Marker”. Accessed 11/09/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Seminary-O' Neal Historic District Marker
This historic marker is located on N Seminary St., Florence, Alabama. The text on the marker reads: "Named for the O’Neal family which produced two Alabama governors and for seminary the street on which Synodical Female College was located, the Seminary-O’Neal Historic District was added to the Nation Register of Historic Places in 1995. Built between 1908 and 1943, the houses in the district reflect the variety of architectural styles of those years. Two Sears~Roebuck houses called “American Four-Squares”, add interest and distinction. The district opens onto the impressive campus of the University of North Alabama."
“Seminary-O' Neal Historic District". Accessed 11/09/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Auburn, AL; Lee County, AL; Industry; Manufacturing; Automotive
This Korean-owned company that manufactures front axles and rear carrier assemblies for automobiles and currently employs around 300 people. The business opened in 2007, and still operates today. It is located at 246 Teague Ct., Auburn, AL.
Image: http://www.aecci.com/completedprojects/industrial/seohan/seohan.htm
This Korean-owned company that produces injection molded parts for automotive heaters and blowers and employs around 400 people. The business opened in 2004, and still operates today. It is located at 764 W Veterans Blvd., Auburn, AL.
Image: http://www.theplainsman.com/view/full_story/15522721/article-Expansion-increases-job-options
Colbert County Alabama; Tuscumbia Alabama; African American history; African American home
Dr. A.W. Davis and his wife had a home built called Shady Dell in 1920. The home is located across from where his former office stood. Dr. Davis was the first black physician in northwest Alabama. He arrived in Tuscumbia in 1903. He practiced medicine from 1914 until 1942. While his office is gone there is a sign where it once stood. The house is located on 606 East 8th Street in Tuscumbia. The house is a two story building in the style of a Dutch Colonial Revivalist Craftsman home.
Application for the historic rehabilitation tax credit program
Located in Beulah along Highway 29 (West Point Parkway). Coordinates: 32.6940216, -85.2916104
The shape-note notation was an American pedagogical tool designed to increase the music education of the average citizen who did not have the financial resources or time to learn the traditional round note notation. New Englanders William Smith and William Little patented the shape-note notation in 1796 and published The Easy Instructor, the first shape-note tunebook, in 1801. Smith and Little used four geometrical shapes to symbolize individual music notes on the staff instead of the traditional round note heads. Smith and Little’s use of syllables to designate and sing pitches is called solmization. The four-syllable solmization system in The Easy Instructor allotted a right sided triangle to indicate the note fa, an oval symbolized sol, a square was assigned for la, and a diamond represented mi. Smith and Little initially created the system as a response to the widespread musical illiteracy among America’s common folk. The effects of this music illiteracy were most evident in Protestant church services during the eighteenth century, when congregations practiced a singing technique called “lining out.” Lining out, also known as “call and response,” involved a minister singing the words of a song as he saw fit, and the congregation repeating the words and melody. While lining out enabled them to sing, it did not require participants to be literate in music and many believed that it produced poor quality music. For instance, in 1721, music reformer Thomas Walter characterized call and response music as “hideous and disorderly … beyond expression bad … miserably tortured, and twisted, and quavered … a horrid Medley of confused and disorderly Noise.” Not long after The Easy Instructor was published in 1801, other music composers acknowledged the shape-note notation’s pedagogical effectiveness in teaching music literacy. Many composers adopted the rudimental introduction and the system to notate songs. Over thirty-eight four shape-note tunebooks were composed between the years 1801 and 1855, many due to the Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening spawned hundreds of new hymnals. Since camp revivals relied upon communal singing, shape-note tunebooks provided a means for the congregations to participate in hymn singing. Some religious denominations, such as the Primitive Baptists and the Churches of Christ, realized the effectiveness of shape-notes, and, as a result, adopted shape-note notation in worship hymnals for years following the Second Great Awakening. From 1801 to the 1830s, the shape-note system was taught in singing schools established in urban and rural communities in both the North and South. These singing schools, taught by individuals considered to be vocal masters taught the schools, usually lasted from one to two weeks and relied on shape-note tunebooks to teach attendees the fundamentals of music. After the completion of singing school, many pupils went on to establish communal monthly shape-note singing events, normally lasting a few hours during the afternoon. In addition to these monthly meetings, shape-note singers started to organize state wide conventions that met anywhere from two to three days and targeted a wider geographical area than monthly local singings. Overall, these singing schools, communal singings, and conventions during the nineteenth century spread knowledge of shape-notes in American culture. With the popularity of tunebooks and singing schools came new developments. Some shape-note composers believed that Smith and Little’s four-note system could be improved. One Pennsylvania composer, Jesse B. Aikin, believed all seven notes in the music scale should be taught with shape-notes. In 1846, Aikin’s tunebook The Christian Minstrel, continued to use Smith’s and Little’s geometrical shapes for the notes fa, sol, la, and mi; but he implemented new shapes for the notes do, re, and ti. Aikin “used an equiangular triangle for Doe, a wine glass for Ray, and a fan for See.” Three elements played a factor in why the South far more than the North, enthusiastically embraced, shape-notes during the nineteenth century. First, they were linked with the democracy of music itself. Second, during the Second Great Awakening the singing of hymns unified Southern people in revivals. Last, with the demand for tunebooks during the Awakening, tens of thousands of shape-note tunebooks in the South during the nineteenth century. From the end of the Civil War until the turn of the century, Southerners strove to redevelop their culture and identity. Shape-notes were vital elements in both religious and secular settings during this time period in the South. By the late nineteenth century, many Primitive Baptists, Free Will Baptists, and Churches of Christ in the South adopted shape-notes in worship hymnals. Few musical genres in America have escaped the influence of shape-notes, especially in the South. Many southern gospel, country, and bluegrass musicians learned how to read music and gained the ability to harmonize their voice after studying shape-note tunebooks and attending singing schools. The spread of shape-notes as a result of the southern gospel movement greatly influenced both country and bluegrass music. As children, members of the Carter Family, the Delmore Brothers, and the Louvin Brothers, all three considered key innovators of country music during the twentieth century, attended singing school where they sang music from shape-note singing schools. Also at singing schools, the families learned how vocally harmonize with one another, which helped their music become hit records. Also, Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music, developed his high pitched singing voice that is considered to be a distinctively bluegrass sound, while attending singing schools as a child in Kentucky. A twenty-first century country duo from the Shoals, the Secret Sisters, personally acknowledged that their vocal harmonies were deeply rooted in the Church of Christ worshiping services from shape-note hymnals. In all, the notation entered into American culture during the nineteenth century and continues to affect both religious and secular music. The shape-note notation is the root of American music and is the first American music innovation to influence Europe’s music culture.
Jesse Brock, University of North Alabama
Text: David Taddle. “Solmization, Scale, and Key in Nineteenth-Century Four-Shape Tunebooks: Theory and Practice.” American Music 1 (Spring, 1996). Joyce Irwin,.“The Theology of ‘Regular Singing.” The New England Quarterly 51, no. 2 (June, 1978). Irving Lowens and Allen P. Britton. “’The Easy Instructor’ (1798-1831): A History and Bibliography of the First Shape Note Tune Book.” Journal of Research in Music Education 1, no. 1 (Spring, 1953). The University of Mississippi Music Department, “The Old Way of Singing,” The University of Mississippi, http://home.olemiss.edu/~mudws/oldway.html (accessed on September 9, 2014). Richard Dalzell, “American Shape Notes: Background, Development, Practice and Present Status,” Ph.D. diss., University of Kansas, 1978. The Center for Church Music: Songs and Hymns, “Lowell Mason,” http://www.songsandhymns.org/people/detail/lowell-mason (accessed on November 22, 2014). Marian J. Hatchett. A Companion to the New Harp of Columbia. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2003. Nathan Hatch.The Democratization of American Christianity. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. Neil V. Rosenberg. Bluegrass: A History. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1985. The Secret Sisters, interviewed by Skip Matheny, Nashville, TN, 2012, http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/09/drinks-with-the-secret-sisters/ (accessed February 3, 2015). George Pullen Jackson, White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands: The Story of the Fasola Folk, Their Songs, Singings, and ‘Buckwheat Notes’. Hatboro, Pennsylvania: Folklore Association, Inc., 1964 Images: George Pullen Jackson, White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands: The Story of the Fasola Folk, Their Songs, Singings, and ‘Buckwheat Notes’ (Hatboro, Pennsylvania: Folklore Association, Inc., 1964): 15. Douglas Harrison, Then Sings My Soul: The Culture of Southern Music (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2012), 5.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Sheffield City Cemetery; Cemeteries
To reach Sheffield City Cemetery from Florence, follow US-72 across O'Neal Bridge into Sheffield. Go straight through the first traffic light and veer slightly right onto North Jackson Highway. After half of a mile, look for the cemetery on your right. See the RootsWeb source below for a complete list of burials.
Brian Corrigan, University of North Alabama
"Oakwood-Sheffield," RootsWeb, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~alcolber/cem-oakwood-sheffield.htm (accessed November 21, 2015).
Historic Businesses; Sheffield; Colbert County; Alabama, Hardware; Historic Buildings
Sheffield Hardware is located directly across from the Sheffield Library at 309 North Montgomery Avenue. The building was built in 1896 and became the original Sheffield Hardware in 1898. In the 1930's, the building became McClellan's Five and Dime Store until the 70's. It was largely unoccupied except for storage until the owners of the new Sheffield Hardware renovated the building in 2014. The historic building opened once again for business in 2015.
Jacob Grandstaff, University of North Alabama
Conversation with store manager, December 5, 2015
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Sheffield Land, Iron, and Coal Company; Alfred Hugler Moses; Jewish Culture
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.
Coleman, Erwin M., A History of B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, 1906 - 2006.
Illustration courtesy of the Sheffield Public Library.
Public Libraries; Sheffield; Colbert County; Alabama
The Sheffield Public Library is one of five public libraries in Colbert County. It is located at 316 N. Montgomery Ave. From Hwy 72 in Muscle Shoals, take E 2nd St. until N Montgomery Ave, then go north. The library is on the corner of N Montgomery Ave. and 4th St. It is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. In 1890, a group of women came together and lended books out of their own personal collections. In 1919, the library found a home in the Red Cross building on the corner of 5th St. and Montgomery Ave. In 1948, the city of Sheffield let the library use the municipal building. That same year, the Friends of the Sheffield Library formed in 1948 as a non-profit corporation with the purpose of providing the library with its own building and to encourage the use of the library by the public. This organization purchased a building on the corner of 5th St. and Nashville Ave. and donated it to the city of Sheffield as a public library in 1963. In 1974, the library moved to a larger building. The Friends purchased the building next to the library in 1983. This building has since been turned into a conference room and local history room.
“Sheffield Public Library,” Accessed November 16, 2015, http://www1.youseemore.com/sheffieldpl/default.asp.
Sheffield Public Library -- Alfred Huger Moses Room
Sheffield,. Alabama; Colbert County; Afred Hugler Moses; Jewish Settlement
The Alfred Huger Moses Room, which is located in the annex of the Sheffield Public Library (on Montgomery Avenue ), was made possible, in part, by funding from the descendants of Alfred Huger Moses (founder and first mayor of Sheffield). The room was dedicated 104 years after the founding of Sheffield. Adeline Moses, one of Alfred's daughters, married Carl Loeb, founder of Loeb Rhodes in New York City. Her children and grandchildren were in attendance at the dedication of the room.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Sheffield Residential Historic District; Architecture; National Register of Historic Places
Covering 160 acres and encompassing 678 properties, the Sheffield Residential Historic District reflects development in the city of Sheffield from its establishment in 1883 through the mid-20th-century. Like the Colbert County Courthouse Square District in neighboring Tuscumbia, significant properties in the Sheffield historic district include both commercial and residential buildings, as well as a number of churches. Alfred Moses, a banker from Montgomery and founder of the Sheffield Land, Iron and Coal Company, designed the city's original street plan. This, along with the construction of docks and landings along the Tennessee River, opened the door for the entry of other businesses and industries into the area. After the Panic of 1893 devastated the Shoals economy, the Southern Railway Company established its headquarters in Sheffield, initiating a second wave of economic development. Following the construction of Wilson Dam and a pair of nitrate manufacturing plants in 1916, a number of apartment complexes sprung up in Sheffield, along with several Bungalow and Colonial-Revival-style houses. The Sheffield Residential Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
National Register of Historic Places, Sheffield Residential Historic District, Sheffield, Colbert County, Alabama, National Register #02000481.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield, Alabama; Water Tower; Tennessee River
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.
Sheffield, Alabama; Tennessee River; public spaces
Sheffield, Alabama; Colbert County; Jewish Settlement in Alabama; Alfred Moses
Alfred Huger Moses and his brother, Mordecai, were largely responsible for the founding of Sheffield, Alabama. They named the city after Sheffield, England hoping for similar success in industrialization. The sales of 500 lots for the establishment of Sheffield, Alabama was a three day event starting on May 8th, 1884. The sale realized sales of $350,000.
Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama.
Shelby County; Museum; Archives; Courthouse; Shelby County Historical Society Inc.; Genealogy; Maps; Deeds; Marriage Records;
Our extensive and growing collection of research materials includes books, periodicals, microfilm, microfiche, family folders and much more. We have the index and records from 1957 through 1994 of the Bolton Funeral Home located in Columbiana, Alabama. We maintain the original old Shelby County Alabama courthouse records, including such records as (1) Probate Estate Files through 1915, (2) Probate Minute Books and Will Books, (3) Marriage Records through 1982, (4) Divorce Case Files through 1950, (5) Chancery Court Records, (6) Circuit Court Records, and much more! We have all up-to-date published counties of the Heritage of Alabama Book Series. For easy research, we have on microfilm and/or CD such items as (1) Shelby County Newspapers dating back to 1866, (2) Shelby County Deed Books through 1899, (3) 1908 through 1959 Alabama Death Certificate Index, (4) 1950-1979 Alabama Obituary Clippings, (5) 1907-1908 Alabama Confederate Soldiers Census, (6) Alabama Confederate Pension Applications, (7) Shelby County Alabama World War I Draft Registrations, (8) Shelby County Alabama World War I Service Records, (9) 1936 through 1969 Alabama Marriage Record Index, (10) 1950 through 1959 Alabama Divorce Record Index, and (8) 1820 through 1940 Shelby County Alabama Census Records, with index for each. We have equipment for you to view and copy these microfilm/microfiche and CD items. For your convenience, we also have on microfilm Alabama County Marriage Certificates for (1) Bibb, 1818-1929, (2) Chilton, 1870-1935, (3) Clarke, 1890-1930, (4) Coosa, 1834-1925, (5) Madison, 1809-1820, (6) Perry, 1820-1929, (7) St. Clair, 1819-1933, (8) Talladega, 1833-1929, (9) Tallapoosa, 1830-1911, and the Jefferson County 1818-1940 Marriage Index, including the Bessemer Annex. In addition, we have Death Index for the following states (1) Arkansas, 1914-1950, (2) Mississippi, 1912-1943, (3) Tennessee, 1908-1954, (4) Texas, 1903-1963, and Pre 1900 Georgia Death Certificates. Our library also offers additional researching FREE through "Ancestry.com", "Fold3.com" and "GenealogyBank.com". The Alabama Historical Commission Oral History Project in 1978, and through a grant received in 2011 from Alabama Historical Records Advisory Board and matching public contributions to digitalize this collection, are now available for your private listening pleasure. To see the index Click Here. The Shelby County Historical Society, Inc. accepts and collects materials which provide information on the history of Shelby County Alabama. It is possible that some of these same materials are also available at the Alabama Department of Archives & History and/or public libraries throughout the state. These materials are acquired for researchers' convenience and not with the expectation that they will be kept forever. We also acquire duplicate copies of many items which tend to be heavily used by researchers. The archive's collection consists of books, dissertations, theses, journals, and newsletters, and also contains materials in a variety of formats, such as microfilm, microfiche, and vertical files of unpublished materials. Because the history of Shelby County is closely tied to the history of Alabama, we also collect some Alabama history reference materials. If you would like to offer reference material to the Shelby County Historical Society, Inc. please contact Bobby Joe Seales. We are located in the Old Shelby County Courthouse, built in 1854 in Columbiana, Alabama. This building has been designated a historic landmark by the National Register of Historic Places and is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage. The Museum displays many old Shelby County photographs and artifacts from the Indian era through WWII; including such items as the bell from the Alabama, a well-known railroad engine during its time, Creek Indian artifacts, the 1906 Shelby County Courthouse cornerstone contents removed 24th June 2006, and three chestnut wood cars and several feet of wood track that were found on the 4th May 1974 in the forgotten Confederate Gurnee Coal Mine in West Shelby County. They proudly display a serving for 12 of the (1) Alabama College Wedgwood 50th Anniversary Reynolds Hall dinner plates, 1896-1946, and (2) serving for 12 tea cups and saucers, introduced in 1949, with the Library (Wills Hall). Effective August 1, 2015 (until further notice) the hours of operation of our Museum and Archives are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. We are temporarily closed, until further notice, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and Holidays. Please come and visit us. Information above from Shelby County Museum & Archives Website 2013 AL.com article about updates to 1854 Shelby County Courthouse which houses Museum and Archive. Historical Marker Database record of 1854 Shelby County Courthouse.
Liz Clayton, Shelby County Historical Society
Shelby County Musuem & Archives Website
What remains of the Shelby Hotel, adjacent to Shelby Iron Works, is closed to public and on private property. It is believed to be the first in Alabama to have running water and electric lights. Originally built in 1863, it was totally destroyed by fire in 1898, and rebuilt in 1900. Shelby Hotel by Bobby Joe Seales on Rootsweb Article about Shelby Hotel by Strange Alabama (Beverly Crider) on AL.com
Shelby County; Civil War; Iron Industry; Iron; Ware, Horace; blast furnace; Historic Shelby Association; industialization
Shelby Iron Works began when Horace Ware purchased land south of Columbiana, Alabama from Green B and Sarah Seale on December 29, 1842. Ware acquired other properties in the area with available timberland and hematite ore. The Shelby Iron Works Company was started with the building of a cold blast iron furnace. The lone furnace stack was built out of brick and stone and only stood 30 feet high. During The American War between the States the iron works was useful in outfitting the CSS Tennessee, CSS Huntsville and the CSS Tuscaloosa. A detachment of Union General Emory Upton's division of Wilson's Raiders attempted to destroy the ironworks on March 31, 1865. The ironworks was rebuilt and continued to operate until 1923 when production stopped. The majority of the Ironworks was dismantled for scrap in 1929. Shelby Ironworks Website
Shelby Springs Hotel & Confederate Cemetery
Shelby Springs; Mineral Springs; Hotel; Resort; Hospital; Cemetery; Civil War
Shelby Springs Resort Hotel is believed to have been built sometime around 1839 providing accomodations to tourists coming to avail themselves of the mineral waters. In about 1856 Mr. Jasper J. Norris of Selma leased the property consisting of 2,700 acres of wooded land, including the springs, hotel and cottages. During the Civil War, the facilities were used as a training center for the young Confederate soldiers. In 1862 Shelby Springs was known as Camp Winn. Several students in the University of Alabama Cadet Corps were sent there to drill troops for the Army. In 1863, the Confederate Army as a hospital and a soldier's home used the hotel and cottages. Father Leray and the Sisters of Mercy staffed the hospital after fleeing Civil War destruction in Vicksburg, Mississippi. They brought with them by train many wounded and sick Confederate soldiers. The Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery became an extension of an existing cemetery located on a ridge overlooking the springs. Copied from the Shelby County Historical Society Quarterly magazine, dated March 2002: Shelby County Reporter, Thursday, June 10, 1976 Letter to the Editor: With very much interest I read the letter in the "Reporter" about the old cemetery located near, at that time, the old Summer Resort at Shelby Springs. Fifty years ago the Nelson Realty Co. purchased the Shelby Springs and their plans were to build a big Hotel and Club House to be named the "Yamakita Club" but somehow it never materialized. Then a man named Irby procured it and from that the present owner acquired the property, Howard Hall. Since the last two owners acquired it, there were no more good times, such as picnics et cetera at Shelby Springs. People for miles around would come there especially on the 4th of July ball games et cetera, plenty of water of which there were five kinds, three artesian springs of sulphur water. It was meeting place for all the neighbors. Gone is all that now, an iron fence surrounds the old springs "lot" as it was called, but let us get back to the cemetery, it was known as the Old Soldiers Grave Yard. I personally knew of two old civil war veterans buried there, I.C. Miller and his brother William "Bill" then their sisters Miss Nancy Miller and Mrs. Marian [Mary Ann, second wife of Felix James] Seale ... John Roche Gould, 3329 Oakhill Drive, Birmingham, Alabama 35216. More about Shelby Springs Hotel More about Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery Findagrave.com listings for Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery
Appears in Eyes on the Prize. Wrote a book about Selma civil rights movement.
Cullman County, Hanceville, Religion, Catholicism, Monastery, Mother Angelica
Construction began on the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama in 1996. The Our Lady of the Angels monastery was consecrated in 1996. Mother Angelica, who also founded the Eternal World Television Network, established the shrine and the monastery. According to its website, the shrine is modeled after the great Italian churches of the 13th century. Visitors walk across the piazza before entering the church in order to reflect upon the separation between faith and secularism. The church doors are adorned with Seven Joys and Sorrows of the Virgin Mary.
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-3425 http://olamshrine.org/about/
Education; University of North Alabama; Historic Marker; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
Coby Hall is located on North Court Street in Florence, Alabama. Funds for its purchase in 1990 were provided by Mr. David Brubaker. Brubaker purchased what was then Irvine place for $375,000. At a ceremony on December 7, 1990 Brubaker donated the house to the University of North Alabama under the new name, Coby Hall, in honor of his late wife, Coby Stockard Brubaker. After many years of heavy use and lack of maintenance funding, Coby Hall had fallen into disrepair. Dissatisfied with the condition of the house, Brubaker donated a sum of money for repairs which sparked a “Campaign for Coby” which set out to raise money for more repairs. At the end of the campaign enough money had been raised for a total rehabilitation. Many repairs took place at this time but the most significant were the addition of a full copper roof, gutters, charger, and downspouts. The same was done for the carriage house. The result was a fully restored Coby Hall, which now houses the University of North Alabama Office of Admissions. There is a historic marker is located on Court, Florence, Alabama. The text on the marker reads: "Built by John Simpson in 1843, on the site of his earlier home, this residence was occupied at various times by both armies during the Civil War. Purchased in 1867 by George W. Foster, builder of Courtview, for his daughter, Virginia, and her husband, James B. Irvine. Their daughter, Virginia, left the home to her great-niece Harriett Rogers King in 1939. Mrs. King and her husband, Madding restored Irvine Place in 1948. Acquired in 1990 by David Brubaker, and donated to the University of North Alabama in memory of his wife, Coby Stockard Brubaker. Listed: National Register of Historical Places." David Brubaker, in presenting his gift to the University of North Alabama, stated: "Coby Stockard Brubaker was a giver, a lady who lived her life the same way she faced her death- with humor, honesty, courage, and the devout conviction that her experience was part of God’s plan. I wanted an omnipresent reminder to her family and the community of the love I have for Coby. The building will be a living memorial where our son, Jay, can always come and experience the warmth of the community, which his mother loved so much. I want him to remember that a big part of his heart is in Florence, Alabama.” (Howard 50-60).
Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama Brian Peden, University of North Alabama
“Simpson House-Irvine Place-Colby Hall Marker”. Accessed 11/06/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/ Prelude, History of Simpson House-Irvine House-Coby Hall On the Campus of the University of North Alabama, Archieves/Special Collection, Collier Library,University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama Section Four, Coby Hall- 1990-2005, History of Simpson House-Irvine House-Coby Hall On the Campus of the University of North Alabama, Archieves/Special Collection, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama
Between the 1950s and 1980s the success of Shoals recording studios, such as FAME Recording Studio and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, earned the Shoals region’s music industry national attention. Artists such as Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Aretha Franklin recorded top charting hits at Shoals studios. During the twentieth-first century the Shoals music industry has continued to thrive. One reason for this is due to the success of Single Lock Records in Florence, whose name derives from the Wilson Dam, which at time of construction was the largest single lock dam in the world. Established in 2013 by John Paul White (The Civil Wars), Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes and The Bear), and Will Trapp (a Shoals native and financial advisor), Single Lock Records is an indie label that focuses on local talent. Bands and musicians that have signed with Single Lock Records are The Bear, Belle Adair, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Dylan LeBlanc, and Donnie Fritts. The record label uses Sun Drop Studios in Florence and hosts concerts at their small venue located at 116 East Mobile Street, Florence, Alabama.
Text: Greg Carmalier, Muscle Shoals: The Incredible True Story of a Small Town with a Big Sound, DVD, Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2014. Single Lock Records,” Alabama Chanin Journal, May 28, 2013, http://alabamachanin.com/journal/2013/05/single-lock-records/ (accessed May 1, 2015). Single Lock Records, “About Us,” Single Lock Records, http://www.singlelock.com/ (accessed May 1, 2015).
Jefferson County, Birmingham, Religion, Baptist, Civil Rights Movement, African American, National historic landmark, Ku Klux Klan
The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, located in Birmingham, became a national symbol during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. Having been built in 1873, the church was the first Colored Baptist Church. In the early twentieth century, the church would become a fixture in the African American community and would host many notable figures including W. E. B. Dubois, Mary Mcleod Bethune, Paul Robeson, and Ralph Bunche. As the church moved on in to the twentieth century, it became a center for African American activism. Rallies and demonstrations were held frequently at the church to support integration and equal rights; however these rallies would also be responsible for increasing racial tension dramatically in the neighborhood. On September 5, 1963, the tension culminated in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church right before the 11 a.m. service. The blast killed four young girls and injured twenty-three other churchgoers. This incident would shock the nation and help propel landmark legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The FBI would investigate and find four men affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan responsible for the bombing; however, charges would not be filed until 1977 against one man, 1997 for the second, and 2002 for the third. The fourth would die in custody before charges could be filed. In 2006, the church became a national historical landmark. In 2013, the four girls who died were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States highest civilian honor.
Civil War, Rogersville, Lambs Ferry, skirmish
Lamb’s Ferry was one of the oldest ferries crossing the Tennessee River in Lauderdale County. The ferry was built by John Lamb from Giles County Tennessee in 1809 four miles south of where the town of Rogersville is now located. The traffic involved in cross river trade on the road to Lamb’s Ferry was instrumental in the founding of Rogersville in 1827. The Ferry was the site of a skirmish between Union and Confederate forces on May 10 and 14 1862. On May 9 1862, the brigade of Confederate Colonel John Adams crossed the Tennessee River at Lamb’s Ferry to harass the Union forces. On May 11, Colonel Adams took a force of 850 men on an attempted raid of wagon trains traveling the road from Pulaski to Elkton in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Union forces under Colonel Lytle crossed Elk River from Athens and met with forces under the command of General Negley, moving down form Pulaski. The two forces converged on Rogersville with Colonel Lytle moving on Lamb’s Ferry south of the town. The main body of Confederate forces retreated across the river. Colonel Lytle’s cavalry opened fire on a ferry load of Confederates, killing several men and horses. Confederate forces on the opposite bank returned fire, wounding one man and killing 2 horses. The Confederate forces were driven off the opposite bank by the arrival of artillery under the command of Lieutenant Sypher. One ferryboat was destroyed by artillery, one was burned by Union forces and the third was commandeered and turned into a gunboat for the Union.
Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
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). Crane, Gregory R. n.d. "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Chapter XXII: Operations in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Mississippi, North Alabama, and Southwest Virginia. March 4-June 10, 1862. ." Perseus Digital Library. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2001.05.0057%3Achapter%3D45. Government, Lauderdale County Alabama. 2011. "The History of Lauderdale County." Lauderdale County Online. Accessed April 19, 2015. http://lauderdalecountyonline.com/New_Website/About_LauderdaleCounty/index.html. Wallace, Harry E. n.d. "Lauderdale County, Alabama History." algw.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.algw.org/lauderdale/historyshoals4.htm.
Photo from following websites: http://www.civilwararchive.com/RESEARCH1/1863/Chickamaugausa4.htm Photo from following websites: http://www.rdonmcleod.org/brigadeer-general-john-adams.html
Jackson County, Skyline, New Deal, National Register of Historic Places
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-15461934- http://focus.nps.gov/nrhp/AssetDetail?assetID=f45c8e40-c386-48d2-af26-286d5bce5ef9 http://library.mtsu.edu/tps/lessonplans&ideas/Lesson_Plan--Skyline_Alabama.pdf
Skyline Farms was an effort to build a “new world” in rural America. It would be a world in which tenant farmers, hit hard by the Depression, would become self-sufficient landowners and live in an idyllic village. The program was started by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1934 and operated later by the Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administration. Skyline Farms, carved out of the mountain wilderness, was one of some forty “farm communities” established during the Franklin Roosevelt Presidency. The federal government acquired some 18,000 acres of land for Skyline Farms, initially called “Cumberland Mountain Farms”. The program was intended for out-of-work tenant farmers and participants were carefully screened in regard to character and work records. Families were to have a new start in life by acquiring a home and eventually their own 40-acre farm. The program also provided work for the unemployed in the area through construction of roads and buildings. Additionally, the government built a small factory at Skyline, and then leased the facility to a private company. As with other farm community programs, Skyline Farms was controversial. Detractors labeled such programs as socialistic and compared them to communes, even though the government was trying to transform the participants into independent entrepreneurs. The programs were charged with waste and mismanagement and despite the good intentions of the project; few of the selected families were able to acquire their units. Most families could never make the one-fourth down payment and finally, under pressure from Congress, the Farm Security Administration ended its farm community programs and units at Skyline were sold to private buyers. Sadly, Skyline Farms families who could not make their down payment were forced to leave their homes. Skyline Farms did have its benefits. It carried many families through the worst part of the Depression and people received adequate health care, food, clothing, and housing during very hard times. Many participants learned skills at Skyline Farms that permitted them to find work as painters, stonemasons, or carpenters after they left the project. And the children of the project obtained educations that would last a lifetime. (from the Alabama Historical Association historical marker, compiled from research by Dr. David Campbell)
Education; Lee County, AL; Slaton's Academy; Antebellum Era; Auburn, AL; Oak Bowery Academy; Slaton, William F.; East Alabama Male College; Methodist Church; Religion
In 1857, this institution opened on the corner of what is now Tichenor Avenue and North Gay Street. Slaton’s Academy functioned as a preparatory school for young men pursuing admission to East Alabama Male College. William F. Slaton, a local Methodist, founded the school and served as its headmaster. Slaton was previously the headmaster of Oak Bowery Academy in Chambers County, but was persuaded by Auburn’s residents to relocate after plans for the men’s college were announced.
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Lissoy/sandbox2 Text Source: Ralph Draughon, Jr., Delos Hughes, and Ann Pearson, Lost Auburn: A Village Remembered in Period Photographs (Montgomery: NewSouth Books, 2012), 48.
Education; Lee County, AL; Smith's Station, AL; Antebellum Era; Smith's Station School; Smith's Station Elementary School; School Consolidation; Mott's School; Oak Grove School; Prince School; Lee Bullard School; Salem Senior High School
This academic institute, one of the county’s oldest, started out as a log cabin in 1826, near where Smith’s Station Elementary School currently stands. This school never had more than thirty students. Much like the consolidations in the Beulah and Beauregard areas, the one-room schools in the Smith’s Station area began to amalgamate in the late 1910s. The merged schools included Smith’s Station School, Mott’s School, Oak Grove School, Prince School, Lee Bullard, and Salem Senior High.
Text Source: The Heritage of Lee County Book Committee, The Heritage of Lee County, Alabama (Clanton, AL: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2000), 69-70.
Events; Red Bay, AL; Franklin County, AL
A popular sport among the children of Red Bay was "snipe hunting." The hunts would always take place at night on a new moon. The "hunter" is armed with a tow-sack. This weapon is used to catch the "snipe" once it escapes the safety of its domicile. Groups always invited someone who had never been snipe hunting and the victim was left out in the woods looking for the elusive (and imaginary) snipe!
Boswell, Lurlie Wren. "Do You Recall." Outlaw Press, 1986.
Historic Marker; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County
This historical marker is located on South Magnolia Street, Florence, Alabama. The text on the marker reads: "This area is the military cemetery for Confederate Soldiers. After an 1862 skirmish in the streets of Florence, it was used to bury casualties until the end of the Civil War. Many unknown Confederates and a few unknown Union soldiers rest here. After the war it was reserved for Confederate veterans and their families. In 1977, the historic plot was deeded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to insure its preservation and perpetual care."
“Soldier's Rest - 1862 Marker”. Accessed 11/09/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Festivals; Decatur, AL; Morgan County, AL
SoulStock is an annual outdoor Christian music and worship event that happens at Point Mallard. The event is free for the general public. SoulStock is sponsored by churches, businesses, and individuals mostly in the surrounding area. The festival usually occurs the second week in May annually.
“SoulStock.” Accessed July 16, 2015. http://www.northalabama.org/
National Register of Historic Places; Florence, AL
Southall Drug is significant to the history of Florence for its architectural style and as a leading business in the downtown area owned and operated by the same family for over 50 years. The 1900 building is a prime example of a late 19th century Italianate commercial structure as constructed in small Alabama towns. Italianate styled buildings were introduced in the northeastern United States as early as the 1840s and quickly spread to other cities across the country becoming one of the most popular styles by 1860. The trend continued more slowly into the less populated areas of the country and remained popular through the early 20th century. The Southall Drug building is sited on a dominant commercial corner in downtown Florence and exemplifies the Italianate architectural style with heavy reddish-brown brick walls laid in running bond with matching mortar and arched windows separated on the second floor by brick pilasters. Though the two original heavy metal cornices, located above and below the pilasters, are missing the building still retains the feel of an Italianate structure in part because the parapet located around the front corner of the building is reminiscent of the typical Italianate tower. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1980 and more information on the property can be obtained in the National Register nomination. All information and photos for this Omeka entry were found in the nomination.
Missy Brown, University of North Alabama
Mertins, Ellen and Harvie Jones. National Register Nomination. "Southall Drugs" (#80000699) (8/21/80).