Dublin Core
Title
Village One
Subject
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Wilson Dam; Nitrate Plants
Description
Village One, located in Sheffield, Alabama, is a subdivision of stucco homes built around 1918. The village was designed in the shape of a handbell. At completion, the village had 112 houses, two schools, and one large apartment building. (Maud Lindsey was hired as the first kindergarten teacher at the school.)
The houses were intended to serve as homes for the people who moved to the area to work on Wilson Dam and in the nitrate plants.
Harold Caparn, who was from New York and who helped expand the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, was chosen as the architect for the project. Most of the houses are either craftsman or Mission style.
When World War I ended and there was less need for the nitrate plants, the houses were unoccupied. Henry Ford wanted to purchase the village as part of his plan to develop the area.
Some of the houses were occupied by Alabama Power Company employees and Tennessee Valley Authority employees in subsequent years.
In 1949, the streets, playgrounds, and school were deeded to the city of Sheffield by the TVA and the houses were auctioned to the public.
The houses were intended to serve as homes for the people who moved to the area to work on Wilson Dam and in the nitrate plants.
Harold Caparn, who was from New York and who helped expand the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, was chosen as the architect for the project. Most of the houses are either craftsman or Mission style.
When World War I ended and there was less need for the nitrate plants, the houses were unoccupied. Henry Ford wanted to purchase the village as part of his plan to develop the area.
Some of the houses were occupied by Alabama Power Company employees and Tennessee Valley Authority employees in subsequent years.
In 1949, the streets, playgrounds, and school were deeded to the city of Sheffield by the TVA and the houses were auctioned to the public.
Creator
Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
Source
Tennessee Valley Historical Society, newsletter, fall 2011.
Publisher
Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
Date
December 4, 2015
Contributor
Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
Type
Still Image and Text