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

Florence Bridge Burned
subject: Florence Bridge Company; Memphis and Charleston Railroad; Civil War; Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston; Colonel Benjamin Hardin Helms; Double Decker Bridge; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The oldest river bridge in Alabama connected Florence to Sheffield for more than one hundred and fifty years. The Florence Bridge Company was authorized by the Alabama legislature in 1832. It was founded for the purpose of realizing a dream for the citizen of Florence, to construct a bridge connecting the city with the south side of the river and eventually the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. The site for the bridge was chosen as the ferry crossing on Jackson’s Military Road. The company raised the money for a bridge spanning the Tennessee River just below the shoals. The construction was completed in 1840, with eight stone spans atop six stone piers and was constructed of wood. It opened as a toll bridge. In 1854, the southern spans were destroyed by a series of tornados and the bridge would not be rebuilt for four years. In 1857, the Charleston Railroad Company purchased the spans and rebuilt the bridge. Completed in 1858, the new bridge had two levels: the top for trains and a lower level for wagons or foot traffic supported by additional piers. The bridge escaped destruction by Union gunboats in February of 1862 only to be burned by Confederate troops on March 18 of that same year. Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston order Colonel Benjamin Hardin Helms to have his troops burn the bridge to prevent its use by Grant’s Union forces. The bridge was not rebuilt until 1870 and was upgraded to a draw bridge in 1892, after train crashed through both decks and plummeted into the river. The bridge remained in service until 1988 and was donated to the Old Railroad Bridge Company in 1993. It has now been converted to a walking trail since the lift from the draw bridge was sold to Hannibal Missouri in 1993.
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). Hubbs, G. Ward. 2008. "Civil War in Alabama." Encyclopedia of Alabama. January 10. Accessed April 15, 2015. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1429. 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: March 18, 1862
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.washingtonky.com/civilwar.html Photo from following websites: http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/Moments08RS/46_web_leg_moments.htm Photo from following websites: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/333336809893643376/ Photo from following websites: http://oldrailroadbridge.com/old-railroad-bridge-landmark/

Gunwaleford Road
subject: Civil War; Commander Andrew H. Foote; USS Contestoga; USS Tyler; USS Lexington; CSS Robb; CSS Dunbar; Cypress Creek; General Roddy; Gunboats; Gunwaleford Road; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Gunwaleford Road earned its name because of a Confederate gunboat becoming lodged in between sand bars on Cypress Creek. After the fall of Fort Henry at the mouth of the Tennessee River, Union gunboats under the command of Commander Andrew H. Foote were sent on a probing mission up the Tennessee River. The USS Contestoga, Tyler, and Lexington steamed up the river toward Florence on February 6, 1862. The major objective of Foote’s sortie upriver was to destroy the Confederate gunboats Robb and Dunbar. The CSS Robb and Dunbar were hiding in Cypress Creek. On April 21, 1862, the CSS Robb was captured by Foote’s forces, and the Dunbar had become stuck on sand bars in Cypress Creek. The Union presuming the Dunbar destroyed and unsalvageable left the wreck in Cypress Creek. While the vessel remained lodged in the creek, local residents used it as a make shift bridge. The road leading to and from the vessel became known as Gunwaleford road. Later in 1862, General Roddy ordered the Dunbar raised and floated upriver past the shoals. The vessel was later captured by Union forces near the end of their campaign in Chattanooga.
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). 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). 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. Hubbs, G. Ward. 2008. "Civil War in Alabama." Encyclopedia of Alabama. January 10. Accessed April 15, 2015. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1429.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1862
rights: Photo from following websites: http://alabamascenicrivertrail.com/events/?eventID=37&date=09/10/2011 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

Burning of the Globe Cotton Mills
subject: Colonel Florence M. Cornyn; General Sterling A.M. Wood; Civil War; Captain Risden Deford; Globe Cotton Mills; Lauderdale County, AL
description: A Union force of 1380 men under the command of Colonel Florence M. Cornyn left Corinth, Mississippi on May 26, 1863. Colonel Cornyn’s mission was to destroy the industrial capacity of Lauderdale County. The county was a leading producer of cotton and wool cloth, leather, and food for the Confederate Army of the Tennessee. Among Colonel Cornyn’s officers was Captain Risden Deford, who knew the area from his youth. Captain Deford’s father had been a Methodist circuit riding preacher in the area, often staying in the homes of the local citizens. Captain Deford knowing the locations of the mills, tanneries, and foundries; guided the Union forces to them. The Union forces met the small number of confederate units commanded by General Sterling A.M. Wood on Coffee Road near Cox Creek. After a brief engagement Wood’s troops were driven back into the city. Cornyn’s forces then accomplished their major objective and burned the Globe Cotton Mills on Cypress Creek. The destruction of the mills was valued around one million dollars.
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 Hisory." 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 websites: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMHGR1_Ante_Bellum_Cotton_Mills_1840_Florence_AL Photo from following websites: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/49815934 Photo from following websites: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11114 Photo from following websites: http://civilwartalk.com/threads/corinth-ms-court-martial-and-murder-of-colonel-francis-cornyn-10th-missouri-cavalry.108468/

Colonel Pickett Place
subject: 10th Alabama Infantry; Civil War; Colonel Richard Oric Pickett; Tidewater Architecture; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Colonel Pickett Place, Home of Richard Oric Pickett a Colonel of the 10th Alabama Infantry under the “Defender of North Alabama” Confederate General Philip Roddey. The house is a “double-pile cottage” and rare example of Tidewater architecture in Alabama. The style originated on the southern coast during the colonial period. The house was built in 1833 by Thomas Crowe for his new bride, Elizabeth Hooks, as a wedding present. Richard Oric Pickett’s father, from a Virginia planter family, had moved to Limestone County Alabama in 1829 when Richard was six years old. Richard moved to Florence to begin his study of law in the office of James Irvine. He married Fannie Boggs a sister of Irvine and cousin to Union General Ulysses Grant. The couple moved into what is now known as Pickett Place. Pickett began his own law practice in Moulton. After the outbreak of the Civil War, Pickett organized a group of volunteers for the Confederate army as Company H of the 35th Alabama Infantry. He led the company in the Battles of Baton Rouge and Champion Hill. Pickett was given command of the 10th Alabama Infantry and promoted to Colonel in November 1863.
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). City of Florence, Alabama. n.d. "Historical Markers." Florenceal.org. Accessed April 17, 2015. http://florenceal.org/At_a_Glance/Historical_Markers/index.html.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1833-1888
rights: Photo from following websites: http://florenceal.org/At_a_Glance/Historical_Markers/index.html Photo from following websites: http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/MarkerDetail.cfm?KeyID=39-040&MarkerTitle=Colonel%20Pickett%20Place%201833%20

Old Confederate Fort in Florence
subject: Confederate Fort; General Daniel Ruggles; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Civil War; General Philip Dale Roddey; Dunbar; General Grenville M. Dodge; Colonel George Gibbs Dribrell
description: The Old Confederate fort in Florence was constructed by Confederate forces under General Daniel Ruggles in 1862. General Ruggles was born in Massachusetts and graduated from West Point married into a wealthy Virginia family. After the fall of Fort Henry which guarded the Tennessee River from Union forces on the Mississippi River, General Ruggles was placed in charge of the defense of Florence. Control of the fort was vital for either side to cross the river at the shoals. Confederate General Philip Dale Roddey, “Defender of North Alabama,” used the fort as his base in early 1863. During this period, General Roddey used the Port of Florence to repair boats for the Confederate river boats, including the raising of the Dunbar. General Nathan B. Forrest ordered an artillery battery at the fort in the spring of 1863. The battery was commanded by Colonel George Gibbs Dribrell. In last April of 1863, Union General Grenville M. Dodge took Tuscumbia and moved toward the river. Colonel Dribrell’s artillery fire from the fort persuaded the union general to withdraw back to Tuscumbia. The last action at the fort occurred in 1864 as General Hood’s forces were retreating from the battle of Nashville. Union gunboats shelled the fort on their way to try and stop Hood’s army from crossing the Tennessee at Bainbridge. Presently, the Florence Coliseum occupies the former location of the fort.
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, and L. D. Staggs. 2002. Remembering Sweetwater : the mansions, the mills, the people. n.p.: [Killen, Ala.] : Bluewater Publications, [2002], 2002. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015). City of Florence, Alabama. n.d. "Historical Markers." Florenceal.org. Accessed April 17, 2015. http://florenceal.org/At_a_Glance/Historical_Markers/index.html.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1862-1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://florenceal.org/At_a_Glance/Historical_Markers/index.html Photo from following websites: http://www.ranger95.com/civil_war/generals_confederacy/daniel_ruggles.htm Photo from following websites: http://www.civilwarsignals.org/pages/spy/pages/dodge.html

Waterloo Shelled by Union Gunboats
subject: Josiah Higgins; Civil War; USS Cottage; Waterloo, AL; Lauderdale County, AL; Gunboats
description: The city of Waterloo was shelled by Union gunboats in July 1862. Near the end of July 1862, older men from the town of Waterloo fired on the USS Cottage a transport vessel. The escorting gunboats returned fire, shelling the town. Union soldiers disembarked and arrested several men from the town led by resident Josiah Higgins. The men were sent to federal prison in Alton, Illinois. A member of the group, riverboat captain John Thomas Humphrey died in a makeshift prison camp at McDowell College in St. Louis, Missouri. Higgins was subsequently released and returned to Waterloo.
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).
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: July 1862
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.altonweb.com/history/civilwar/confed/prison.jpg Photo from following websites: http://records.ancestry.com/josiah_higgins_records.ashx?pid=36523890

Wilson's 1865 Raid stages at Gravely Springs.
subject: Union General James H. Wilson, Civil War, Raid
description: Gravely Springs near Oakland in Lauderdale County was the site of Union General James H. Wilson’s headquarters and camp in the winter of 1865. The final Union raid into Alabama was staged in this camp in the early spring of 1865. In January of 1865, General Wilson began assembling his 22,000 man cavalry. Advanced forces began preparatory raids at the end of February. On March 22, 1865, General Wilson’s main forces set out on the largest cavalry raid of the Civil War. The raid destroyed the remaining productive industrial capacity of Alabama at Birmingham and Selma. The raid also burned the University of Alabama and captured Montgomery.
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). Hubbs, G. Ward. 2008. "Civil War in Alabama." Encyclopedia of Alabama. January 10. Accessed April 15, 2015. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1429.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: Spring 1865
rights: Photo from following websites: http://www.sonstoglory.com/newsletters/pictures/GravellySpringsHistoricMarker.jpg Photo from following websites: http://cartweb.geography.ua.edu/lizardtech/iserv/calcrgn?cat=Special%20Topics&item=Civil%20War/CivilWarWilson.sid&wid=500&hei=400&props=item(Name,Description),cat(Name,Description)&style=simple/view-dhtml.xsl Photo from following websites: https://battleoffranklin.wordpress.com/category/james-h-wilson/

Hood's Narrow Escape Across the Tennessee
subject: General Hood's Confederate Army of the Tennessee retreats across the Tennessee River
description: The Bainbridge Ferry was the sight that Confederate General Hood’s Army of the Tennessee used to escape from the Union forces of General George Thomas who was pursuing them from Nashville. General Hood’s forces left Pulaski for Bainbridge to cross the Tennessee River on December 22, 1864. The army arrived on December 25. Lieutenant Colonel Presstman began what was accounted to be his crowning achievement as a military engineer. Presstman quickly reconstructed a pontoon bridge across the Tennessee River in half the time it had taken for the same project nearly two months earlier. The bridge was finished in the early morning hours of December 26. The Army began crossing the bridge that morning and finished on December 28 removing the pontoons to complete the escape. General Forrest’s cavalry harassed the Union forces following from Pulaski to allow Hood the time to finish the bridge. The two corps under General Benjamin Cheatham and Stephen D. Lee crossed the bridge after the wagon trains had crossed. General Alexander P. Stewart’s forces crossed the next day to be followed by General Edward C. Walthall and General Forrest’s cavalry. Union Admiral SP Lee’s “Brown Water Navy” attempted to steam up the river with a flotilla of gunboats. The larger boats were unable to pass the shoals at Florence and only two lighter boats continued toward Bainbridge. Admiral Lee’s boats exchanged fire with Confederate artillery on the two miles upriver from Florence. The boats were unable to navigate the shoals before Bainbridge and were forced to retreat down river.
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). 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/. n.d. "Civilwarhome.com." Journal of the Army of Tennessee. Accessed April 13, 2015. http://www.civilwarhome.com/journalaotnashville.html.
date: December, 1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://civilwardailygazette.com/2014/12/26/hoods-battered-army-recrosses-the-tennessee/ Photo from following websites: http://bshc-granbury.org/wp/the-stories/the-civil-war-era/john-bell-hood

Skirmish at Lamb's Ferry
subject: Civil War, Rogersville, Lambs Ferry, skirmish
description: 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.
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). 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.
date: May 9-14, 1862
rights: 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jewish Owned Businesses in Downtown Florence, Circa 1900
subject: Jewish Owned Downtown Businesses; Florence, Alabama; Lauderdale County, AL
description: The Tri-Cities Professional Directory of 1900 listed the following Jewish businesses in Florence, Alabama: M. Coplan, Grocer F. Cohn, Clothing H. Kreisman, Grocer A. Kreisman, Gents' Furnishings Frank Perry, Grocer Charles Perry, Gents' Furnishings M. Reisman, Dry Goods
creator: Pam Kingsbury, Universsity of North Alabama
source: Coleman, Edwin M., "A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration, !906 - 2006. Private Printing. Florence, Alabama. 2006.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: c. 1900
contributor: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
rights: Photograph courtesy of the Archives, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
type: Still Image

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

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

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

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

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

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

Civil War and Jackson’s Military Road
subject: Civil War; Andrew Jackson; Military Road; Lauderdale County, AL
description: Jackson’s Military Road was constructed from 1816 to 1820 under the direction of Andrew Jackson. The original purpose of the road was to serve as a conduit for military supplies in the southeast. The mail route from New Orleans to Nashville was transferred to the Military Road from the Natchez Trace in 1819. This shortened the mail route by 200 miles. During the Civil War, the Military Road was used by Confederate and Union forces on many occasions. The largest troop movement on the road in Lauderdale County occurred in the fall of 1864. After a three inch snow fall on November 20, the Confederate Army of the Tennessee under General Hood moved out of Florence to Franklin and Nashville in Tennessee. General Benjamin Cheatham’s corps moved down Coffee Road. General Stephen Lee’s corps took Chisholm road. General Alexander Stewart’s corps left via the Military Road.
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). Groundspeak, Incorporated. 2015. "Jackson’s Military Road - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com." Waymarking.com. Accessed April 16, 2015. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1PNX. n.d. "Jackson's Military Road." rootsweb. Accessed April 16, 2015. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tqpeiffer/Documents/Ancestral%20Migration%20Archives/Migration%20Webpage%20Folder/%285%29%20SOUTHEASTERN%20GULF%20PLAINS/Jackson%27s%20Military%20Road.htm.
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 1816-1820, November 1864
rights: Photo from following websites: http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdjack.htm Photo from following websites: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tqpeiffer/Documents/Ancestral%20Migration%20Archives/Migration%20Photo%20Galleries/(5)%20SOUTHEASTERN%20GULF%20PLAINS/JACKSONS%20MILITARY%20ROAD/JacksonsMilitaryRoadmap.jpg

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

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

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

George W. Andrews Federal Building
subject: Lee County, AL; Opelika, AL; Government; National Register of Historic Places
creator: Keith S. Hebert
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 2015-4-28
contributor: Keith S. Hebert
format: JPEG and Text
language: English
type: Image and Text

Franklin Yarborough, Jr. Store
subject: Lee County, AL; Beulah, AL; National Register of Historic Places; Commerce
description: Franklin Yarborough, Jr. Store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 29, 1989.
creator: Keith S. Hebert
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 2015-4-28
contributor: Keith S. Hebert
format: JPEG and Text
language: English
type: Image and Text

Annual Historical Fair: Syrup Sopping Saturdays
subject: Lee County, AL; Loachapoka, AL; Festival
description: Annual festival celebrating local food, music, and crafts. http://www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/fair/index.html
creator: Keith S. Hebert
source: http://www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/fair/index.html
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 2015-4-28
contributor: Keith S. Hebert
format: JPEG and Text
language: English
type: Image and Text

Lee County Gathering
subject: Lee County, AL; Loachapoka, AL; Festival; Lee County Historical Society
description: Annual festival organized by Lee County Historical Society celebrating old-time music, storytelling, dance, food, and crafts. http://www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/leecountygathering/main.html
creator: Keith S. Hebert
source: Lee County Historical Society
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 2015-4-28
contributor: Keith S. Hebert
format: JPEG and Text
language: English
type: Image and Text

Lowther House Complex
subject: Lee County, AL; Smiths Station, AL; National Register of Historic Places
description: 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.
creator: Keith S. Hebert
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 2015-4-28
contributor: Keith S. Hebert, Rivers A. Langley, Photographer
rights: Rivers A. Langley, Photographer
format: JPEG and Text
language: English
type: Image and Text

Jenkins Farm House
subject: Lee County, AL; Dupree. AL; Agriculture; National Register of Historic Places
description: 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.
creator: Keith S. Hebert
publisher: Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
date: 2015-4-28
contributor: Keith S. Hebert, Rivers A. Langley, Photographer
rights: Rivers A. Langley, Photographer
format: JPEG and Text
language: English
type: Image and Text

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

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