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John Coffee
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…
Alexander Donelson Coffee
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…
James Jackson
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…
John McKinley
John McKinley was one of seven trustees that made up the Cypress Land Company and is considered a founder of Florence, Alabama. McKinley was born on May 1, 1780, in Culpepper County, Virginia, and later moved to Kentucky. He came to Alabama around…
Ferdinand Sannoner
Ferdinand Sannoner was born in Leghorn, Italy, in 1793. He graduated from the French Polytechnic Institute at Paris. Sannoner worked as a surveyor for Napoleon in France. He came to America around 1816. In 1818, John Coffee appointed him to…
Zebulon Pike Morrison
Zebulon Pike Morrison was born in Lexington, Virginia in 1818. He and his wife Bridget had nine children. He was the sixteenth Mayor of Florence, and served in that capacity from 1880-1890. Morrison was also an alderman for the city of Florence…
George Washington Foster
George Washington Foster was born on November 28, 1806, in Nashville, Tennessee. On January 10, 1829, he married Sarah Independence Watkins. They had seven children: Mary Ann, Virginia (Jennie), Watkins (Wat), Louisa (Lou), George Washington Jr.…
Sallie Independence Foster
Sallie Independence Foster was born on October 28, 1848, in Nashville, Tennessee. She was the youngest child of George Washington Foster and Sarah Independence Watkins Foster. From the age of seven she lived in Courtview, a mansion that is now…
William Basil Wood
William Basil Wood was born on October 31, 1820. Wood was a LaGrange College graduate, and practiced law in Florence before the Civil War. Wood served as a colonel of the 16th Alabama Infantry Regiment and was recommended for promotion to brigadier…
Dr. Robert A. Young
Born in 1824, Dr. Robert A. Young was the second president of Florence Wesleyan University and served from 1862 to 1865. Dr. Young, along with Professor Septimus Rice managed to keep the college open throughout the Civil War years. Enrollment was…
Dr. William H. Mitchell
Dr. William H. Mitchell was the minister of the Presbyterian Church in Florence during the Civil War. On Sunday, July 27, 1862, Dr. Mitchell was arrested during the church service when he prayed for Jefferson Davis and the success of the…
Edward A. O'Neal
Edward A. O’Neal was born on September 20, 1818, in Madison County, Alabama. His parents were Edward and Rebecca Wheat O’Neal. O’Neal graduated from La Grange College and worked as a lawyer in Florence. He served as a solicitor of the Fourth…
Governor Emmet O'Neal
The son of Edward A. O’Neal, Emmet O’Neal was the thirty-sixth governor of Alabama and a resident of Lauderdale County. He served as governor from 1911-1915. Emmet O’Neal was born on September 6, 1853, in Florence, Alabama. After graduating from…
Governor Robert Miller Patton
Robert Miller Patton was one of five Lauderdale County residents to serve as governor of Alabama. Patton was born in Virginia in 1809. He and his parents came to Alabama in 1818 and he took up residence in Florence in 1829. In 1832, he became a…
William Lindsey McDonald, Florence Historian
Florence, Alabama’s first official City Historian was William Lindsey McDonald, a man who did much to research, preserve, and promote local history. Born in 1927, Mr. McDonald served in the U.S. Army for thirty-eight years before retiring with the…
George Lindsey
George Lindsey was born on December 17, 1928 in Fairfield, Alabama, and grew up in Jasper, Alabama. Lindsey became interested in acting after watching a play when he was fourteen. He later became interested in football and the sport gave him a way…
Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House
The Rosenbaum House was built in 1939-1940 with a price tag of approximately $14,000. The Rosenbaum House is located in Florence and serves as the only example of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in Alabama. Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum were the…
Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts
The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts serves as an art gallery and hosts workshops and classes. The Center for the Arts is also the headquarters for the Florence museums.
April 1, 1976 marked the opening of the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the…
April 1, 1976 marked the opening of the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the…
Edith Newman Culver Museum
The Edith Newman Culver Museum features Native American items, Civil War artifacts, and items used by previous owners of the house. The museum also discusses history associated with the town of Waterloo. The house museum is located near the Trail…
Pope's Tavern Museum
Pope’s Tavern Museum has been the site of a stagecoach stop, an inn, and a tavern, besides serving as a private residence. The city of Florence acquired the building in 1965, and it has been used as a museum since that time. The museum’s site has…
W. C. Handy Home and Museum
The W. C. Handy Home and Museum located in Florence is dedicated to telling the story of “Father of the Blues” William Christopher Handy’s life and musical career. The museum’s main building is the cabin Handy was born in. The home was in a state…
University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections
The University of North Alabama’s Archives and Special Collections is located on the second floor of Collier Library on UNA’s campus. The archives’ primary goal is the collection and preservation of records regarding the University of North Alabama.…
Florence-Lauderdale Veterans Memorial
The Florence-Lauderdale County Veterans Memorial was dedicated during a Veterans Day ceremony on May 30, 1977. The memorial serves to honor all Lauderdale County veterans of all wars. The memorial’s location was originally named Point Park, but the…
Forks of Cypress Plantation Site
Originally owned by James Jackson, one of Florence’s founding fathers, the Forks of Cypress was one of the earliest Greek Revival homes built in Alabama. The home featured a temple-type veranda supported by massive columns that surrounded the…
Children's Museum of the Shoals
The Children’s Museum of the Shoals is located on Darby Drive in Florence and is part of Deibert Park. The museum offers hands-on exhibits, which allow children of different ages to explore the arts, science, and the history and culture of the…
Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area
The Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area (MSNHA) encompasses the six counties of North Alabama’s Tennessee River water basin, which includes Lauderdale County. An act of Congress established the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area in 2009. Since…
Jenkins Farm House
The Jenkins Farm House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 15, 2008. The house is located in Dupree, Lee County, Alabama.
Lowther House Complex
The Lowther House Complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 16, 1993. The Lowther House Complex is located in Smiths Station, Lee County.
Lee County Gathering
Annual festival organized by Lee County Historical Society celebrating old-time music, storytelling, dance, food, and crafts.
http://www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/leecountygathering/main.html
http://www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/leecountygathering/main.html
Annual Historical Fair: Syrup Sopping Saturdays
Annual festival celebrating local food, music, and crafts.
http://www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/fair/index.html
http://www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/fair/index.html
Franklin Yarborough, Jr. Store
Franklin Yarborough, Jr. Store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 29, 1989.
Leon Vandiver Oral History Recording
Oral interview of Leon Vandiver recorded by Keith S. Hebert in December 2016 for the Montgomery County Historical Society as part of their Alabama Bicentennial commemorations. The interview was conducted at Vandiver's home in Montgomery, Alabama. To…
Joe Savoldi Shows on Twin City Card
This article appeared in The Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina) on 23 May 1934. The article promotes an upcoming wrestling match between "two former college grid stars": Joe Savoldi of Notre Dame and Bill Middlekauff of University of…
Here It Is, Defense For Wrestling: But Horan's Hokum Has Kayoed Us
This article appeared in the Charlotte Observer on 25 May 1934. A wrestling fan defends the entertainment value of professional wrestling.
Hopes To Put On Wrestling Shows Here
This article appeared in the Charlotte Observer on June 12, 1934. Wrestling promoters Jim Crockett, Greensboro, and Bill Lewis, Richmond, Virginia, plan to apply to the Charlotte boxing commission for a permit to organize professional wrestling…
Boxing and Wrestling
This advertisement appeared in the Bristol News Bulletin on August 22, 1932. The wrestling and boxing event was promoted by Jim Crockett.
New Wrestling Promoters To Ask For Permit
This article appeared in the Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina) on April 23, 1934. Jim Crockett appears before the Charlotte boxing commission requesting permission to organize professional wrestling matches locally.
The Sportview
This article appeared in the Charlotte News (North Carolina) on August 10, 1934. The editorial suggests that local wrestling promoters should employ African American performers to elevate tensions with White wrestlers to draw larger crowds and…
Referee Stars in Wrestling Show
This article appeared in The News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina) on February 9, 1934.
The Skinny Big Man
This article appeared in The Charlotte News (North Carolina) on July 27, 1967. The article provides includes selections from an interview with wrestling promoter Jim Crockett.
He Gambles on the Public--And Wins
This article appeared in The Charlotte Observer on April 2, 1967. The article includes an interview with wrestling promoter Jim Crockett.
Light Punch-Heavy Punch
This article appeared in The Charlotte News (North Carolina) on March 27, 1941. The article reports on a recent exhibition boxing match promoted by Jim Crockett. Fans complained about the quality of the bout and threw coins into the ring to express…
Re-Elect Mat Officers
Article appeared in The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) on September 6, 1936.
The Carolina Blimp
Article appeared in Charlotte Observer on September 6, 1936.
Benefactor
Article appeared in Charlotte Observer on December 17, 1941. Describes wrestling promoter Jim Crockett's foundation's support for Charlotte's Empty Stocking charity.
Mayes McLain Grapples George Widchecki On Monday Mat Program
Article appears in the Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) on January 3, 1935. The reporters describes the types of wrestling matches that appeal to local fans.