Architectural drawings; Watercolors; Mansions; Houses; Dwellings; Doors & doorways; Windows; Shutters; Columns; Porches; Roofs; Chimneys; Balconies; Hand railings; Stairways; Woodwork; Plants; Trellises; Vines; Women; Trees; Landscapes (Representations)
This image is a watercolor painting of Rosemount, also known as the Glover Home or the Glover-LeGare Home, in Forkland, Alabama done by Louis Gardner Goldberg in 1938. The painting shows the front exterior of the house with its doors, windows, shutters, columned porch, steps, sloped roof, and 4 chimneys surrounded by trees and landscaping. There is a smaller second story in the middle of the roof with a columned balcony, railings, and a peaked roof. There is a woman in period dress at the top of the steps. The house is placed within framing art showing its architectural features including a floor plan, side and top views of columns, a wooden staircase, a potted plant and a garden trellis with a leafy vine. In the lower right corner, there is an Alabama Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture stamp with a handwritten inscription "1st Medal" and the artist's information block which reads: "Measured drawing, Arch 476, Maj 4, Apr. 9, 1938, Louis Gardner Goldberg." The painting is in fair condition with some pieces missing from the edges and is encapsulated.
Goldberg, Louis Gardner (rendering); Glover, Allen (house)
Auburn University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives Dept. Architecture, School of -- Architectural Renderings Student Projects
This image is the property of the Auburn University Libraries and is intended for non-commercial use. Users of the image are asked to acknowledge the Auburn University Libraries. For information about obtaining high-resolution copies of this and other images in this collection, please contact the Auburn University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Department at archive@auburn.edu or (334) 844-1732.
Library of Congress (Historic American Buildings Survey): http://www.loc.gov/item/al0201/ ; Alabama Department of Archives and History: http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/photo/id/1292 ; Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemount_%28Forkland,_Alabama%29
Forkland -- Greene County -- Alabama ; County Road 19, Forkland, Greene County, AL
National Register of Historic Places Usonian Architecture Jewish History Museum
National Register property – Rosenbaum House The Rosenbaum house was built for Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum in 1940 from a late 1930s Usonian design by Frank Lloyd Wright, the only house designed by Wright in the state of Alabama. Usonian houses were designed as an affordable home for the everyday man. The design for the Usonian house was much smaller than most of Wright’s residential plans and were able to be altered for different settings. In keeping with Wright’s ideals the house is strongly horizontal with deliberate blank walls facing the street and large open windows towards the private family spaces to the rear of the house. Frank Lloyd Wright designed a large addition for the growing Rosenbaum family in 1948. This was the only addition Wright designed for a Usonian house. The house was restored by the Talisen Foundation in 1966. The house remained in the Rosenbaum family until 1999 when it became a city of Florence museum. This property is well known and well documented and is a significant part of Florence’s architectural heritage. The 1978 NR nomination is quite brief and could benefit from additional documentation and research. All information and photographs for this Omeka entry are from the National Register nomination. Rosembaum, Stanley ; Mildred Rosenbaum; and Ellen Mertins. National Register Nomination, “Rosenbaum House” (#78000492) (12/18/78).
Missy Brown, University of North Alabama
National Register Nomination (#78000492)
Located in Opelika between India Road and Oak Bowery Road. Coordinates: 32.6681886, -85.3963357
Lee County, AL; Civil War; Union Army; Rousseau, Major General Lovell Harrison; Sherman, General William T.; Decatur; Johnston, Major General Joseph; Atlanta; Confederate Army; Texas Hospital; Wilson, General James H.; Phenix City; Columbus, GA
On July 10, 1864, Major General William T. Sherman ordered Major General Lovell Harrison Rousseau to depart from Decatur, Alabama with approximately 2,500 men. Their goal was to sever the Montgomery and West Point railroads - a vital link for funneling supplies from central Alabama to Confederate Major General Joe Johnston's overwhelmed and outnumbered forces in Atlanta. Along the way, Rousseau's men were to destroy every scrap of government supplies or materials that could be used to aid the Confederate defense of Atlanta. Local slaves in the Auburn/Opelika area funneled information to Rousseau and his men about the area's weak defenses. In Auburn, only a handful of patients at the Texas Hospital were able to offer even token resistance. As Rousseau and his cavalry rumbled through the streets of Auburn and then Opelika, they burned warehouses, burned train depots, the post office, and disabled the local rolling stocks. Union soldiers returned once again on April 15, 1865, this time under the command of Major General James H. Wilson. They swept through Auburn, Opelika, and Phenix City, before finally making their way across the 14th Street Bridge into their intended target, the massive industrial city of Columbus, Georgia.
Encyclopedia of Alabama: Rousseau's Raid Encyclopedia of Alabama: Wilson's Raid New York Times July 27, 1864: Gen. Rousseau's Raid Routes of Union Activity in Alabama (Maps)
To reach this cemetery, turn off AL 20 (Savannah Highway), onto Lauderdale 6 (Gunwaleford Road), go 9.8 miles. The cemetery is on the right side of the road. You must go through a small section of woods, and then across an open field to reach it. It is about 75 yards from the main road, and can be seen. The Smithsonia Church of Christ is on the left side of the road, about 100 yards on down the road. The cemetery has a hand cut stonewall around it, four feet in height. It is covered in vines and poorly maintained. It is located on the F. M. Perry Estate. Neal Rowell practiced medicine in early Florence for a few years before he retired to West Lauderdale County. He and his wife inherited a plantation called Alba Wood. Rowell is a native of Wood County, Virginia. Rowell married Martha Ann Cheatham, daughter of Christopher Cheatham, one of the earliest settler’s of Lauderdale County.
Dylan Tucker, University of North Alabama
Irons, Olan. "Rowell Cemetery." Rootsweb. December 7, 1988. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allauder/cem-rowell.htm. Accessed April 20, 2015.
Located in Loachapoka at the end of Lee Road 78 off of Rowells Road. Coordinates: 32.6895759, -85.6193976
Located in Loachapoka along County Road 71 and County Road 551.
Hale County, Alabama; Perry County, Alabama; Marengo County, Alabama; Newbern, Alabama; Rural Arts Studio; Architecture
The Rural Arts Studio, based in Newbern, Alabama, is a design-build architecture studio run by Auburn University. The studio was founded in 1993 by architects Samuel Mockbee and D. K. Ruth, and Andrew Freear is the current director. The Rural Studio has built more than eighty houses or community projects in Hale, Perry and Marengo counties in Alabama's impoverished "Black Belt." Each year three thesis projects by groups of three to five students are built by the students. One of the goals of the project is to build decent and affordable housing for the individuals in Hale County who live in poverty. The Rural Arts Studio has been featured on National Public Radio, "Sixty Minutes," and other international and national publications.
Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
Photograph courtesy of the Archives at the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University.
Bridgeport, Doran's Cove, Jackson County, Prehistoric, Native American,
Russell Cave is located in northeast Alabama near the town of Bridgeport in Jackson County. It is a significant archaeological site that provides a record of thousands of years of human use. Russell Cave was named a National Monument in 1961 and a placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Today, the cave is part of the national park system and hosts visitors from all over the world. Russell Cave is a stop on the North Alabama Birding Trail. It is named for the Russell family, which for many generations owned the land surrounding the cave."
http://www.nps.gov/ruca/index.htm http://focus.nps.gov/nrhp/AssetDetail?assetID=b331281d-c793-4bdf-90c3-2cb0e1c19e98 http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2940
Northeast Alabama Community College Archives and Special Collections
Civil War; Events; Athens, AL; Limestone County, AL
Like many north Alabama communities, Athens changed hands many times during the Civil War. In May 1862, one particular event would scar the citizens of Athens. After Union troops celebrated their victory at Shiloh, the federal Army of Ohio pushed further into the Confederacy. The troops seized the Charleston and Memphis Railroad. Citizens in northern Alabama were shocked at the occupation of Union troops. On May 2, 1862 Union forces under the command of Col. John Basil Turchin seized Athens. Once Athens fell to the Union, Turchin told his men: “I shut my eyes for two hours. I see nothing.” Union soldiers attacked businesses, plundered private homes, and assaulted many of the citizens. Damage to the town was estimated at $55,000. This traumatic event became known as the Rape of Athens.
Karamanski, Theodore J., "Civilians, Soldiers, and the Sack of Athens, Alabama." http://www.lib.niu.edu/1997/iht429748.html. Accessed July 14, 2015
Saddle Up for St. Jude; Charity Event; Fundraiser; Gardiner Farm; St. Jude; Tuscumbia, Alabama; Colbert County, Alabama; Concert; Horseback Riding; Horse; Horses; Festival
Horseback trail riding, auction and headliner concerts mark this two-day event. Event is held annually on the 3rd Friday and Saturday in July. This event is a fundraiser for St. Jude. Donations are welcome. $35 donation to ride. $15 donation, if you don’t ride. Event is located at Gardiner Farm in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Thomas Hale, University of North Alabama
“Saddle Up for St. Jude”, Accessed on November 29, 2015, http://www.colbertcountytourism.org/index.php/2012-11-08-15-07-00/annual-events http://www.saddleup4kids.org/
Located Beulah along Highway 431. Coordinates: 32.5984693, -85.2416084
Sallie Independence Foster, Civil War Florence
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 named Rogers Hall, located at the end of North Court Street in Florence. Sallie’s best friend during her childhood was Julia O’Neal, the daughter of Alabama Governor Edward A. O’Neal. Sallie Foster kept diaries throughout the Civil War and later years that offer insight into life in Florence. Her first diary begins in June of 1861 when she was twelve years old. While the 1861 diary does not mention the Civil War often or with much detail, a later diary discusses the movement of Confederate and Union troops in Florence. Other subjects covered in her diary include Florence area stores, doctors, and people, as well as church. Today, these diaries are part of UNA’s Archives and Special Collections. Sallie graduated from Florence Synodical School and married Sterling Paine McDonald on February 9, 1870. They moved to Arkansas for several years, but returned to Florence to visit her family many times. Sallie, her husband Sterling, and their six children moved to Florence and into Courtview in 1886. Sterling McDonald was sick for many years and died on April 4, 1897. Sallie Independence Foster McDonald passed away on December 2, 1897.
Kayla Scott, University of North Alabama
Robert S. Steen, History of Foster House- Courtview- Rogers Hall and Early City of Florence . Florence: University of North Alabama, No Date, 20, 49, 59-60. Sallie Independence Foster Diary, 1861. Unpublished, University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections. Images of Sallie Independence Foster and her diary are courtesy of UNA Collier Library Archives Image of Courtview/ Rogers Hall Courtesy of Kayla Scott
Business; Athens, AL; Limestone County, AL
Samuel M. Bowen owned several businesses around Athens, Alabama. He operated Yarbrough Brothers and Bowen 5, 10, and 25 Cent Store in 1909. In 1913 he operated Lerman and Bowen, located on the north side of the square where Cluxton's Jewelry is now. In 1914 he operated Lerman and Bowen Grocery. In 1919 he operated Bowen and Johnson Shoes, Grocery, and Hardware, eventually partnering with John Caine. He later expanded his business to include appliances and then furniture. The last store, Sam M. Bowen Company was located on the West side of the Square where the Rogers Center is located. He operated the business with his son-in-law, Jim Burke King.
County, Ala. The Heritage of Limestone County, Alabama. Limited 1st ed. Clanton, AL: Heritage Pub. Consultants, 1998.
Born in 1837, Sam grew up with William "Billy" Patton, his young master. Because Sam's mother was the cook for the Patton family, he lived in the kitchen behind the big house. When Alabama seceded from the Union, Billy took Sam with him to war. In 1862, Billy and Sam fought with Company C of the 16th Alabama Infantry at Shiloh. On April 6, Billy fell, mortally wounded in a charge south of Shiloh Church. As the Confederates retreated, Sam refused to leave Billy's body on the battlefield. When darkness fell, Sam recovered Billy's body and returned him to his family at Sweetwater.
Ashley Pentecost, University of North Alabama
William McDonald, Civil War Tales of the Tennessee Valley. University of North Alabama archives
Florence, Lauderdale County, Music, Alabama Music Hall of Fame
Sam Phillips (1923-2003) Samuel Cornelius Phillips was born January 5, 1923 in Florence, Alabama. He was the youngest of eight children born to Charles Tucker Phillips and Madge Ella Phillips. He was born into a middle-class farming family, but the family lost the farm during the Great Depression. His love of music was evident early on; he was active in his high school band, playing several different instruments, and eventually becoming the conductor. Sam dropped out of school just before graduation to support his mother and deaf aunt after his father died. He married Rebecca Burns in 1942; the couple had two sons, Knox and Jerry. He took an extension course in audio engineering from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (present-day Auburn University), but his passion for music remained his focus. From 1942 to 1949, Sam worked as radio engineer and host for several different stations including the following: WMSG in Decatur, Alabama; WLAY in Nashville, Tennessee where he became known as host of “Afternoon Tea Dance;” and WREC in Memphis, Tennessee. This work allowed Sam to acquire up many skills including transferring recordings from vinyl to acetate tapes and prerecording shows for radio hosts. In 1950 Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service on Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee in order to meet the need of local musicians who had to travel to either Nashville, New Orleans, or Chicago to record. Early on, Phillips raised most of his business by offering anyone who walked in the chance to “cut” a record for a few dollars. He also recorded private events such as weddings. Eventually, Phillips started his own record label, Phillips Records. His first record, “Boogie in the Park,” by Joe Hill Louis, attracted the attention of B.B. King, Chester Arthur Burnett (Howlin’ Wolf), and Ike Turner, each of which went on to record his first record with Phillips Records. Phillips’s first hit record, “Rocket 88,” by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats reached the top of the rhythm and blues charts in 1951. In 1952, Philips renamed the label Sun Records. Sun Record’s first single was Johnny London’s “Drivin’ Show” released in March 1952. A year later, Elvis Presley recorded two songs at Sun Records as a gift to his mother. In 1954, Elvis returned and made a record of ten songs, including “That’s Alright (Mama).” Phillips signed Presley to a contract and booked him to play shows across the country. In need of money, Phillips sold the contract to RCA for $35,000, a decision he later regretted. However, the money allowed him to expand Sun Records and offer recording deals to Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Roy Orbison. Around this time, Phillips separated from his wife and began a relationship with Sally Wilbourn which lasted until his death. The studio did well, expanded, and included more diverse material. Phillips bought radio stations and real estate and invested in the Holiday Inn chain of hotels. He sold Sun Records in 1969 but stayed active in the radio business. He died of respiratory failure August 1, 2003. Phillips has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986), the Alabama Music Hall of Fame (1987), the Country Music Hall of Fame (2001), and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. The original site of Sun Records is a National Historic Landmark, and each January a Sam Phillips Music Celebration is hosted in Florence, Alabama.
Joy Caitlin Monroe, University of North Alabama
Bolton, Jonathan W. “Sam Phillips.” Encyclopedia of Alabama (August 2013). http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2989
Professional Wrestling Knoxville, Tennessee Promoter
Detailed description of 1935 wrestling match in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Historic Markers; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
This historic marker is located at Florence's Walk of Honor in River Heritage Park. The text on the marker reads: "Known as the "Father of Rock and Roll," Sam Phillips established Sun Records in 1952, helping Elvis Presley and other well-known artist launch their careers. He received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in music."
“Samuel Cornelius Phillips Marker”. Accessed 11/06/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Samuel J. Israel, Unpublished Autobiography
Samuel J. Israel; Sheffield, Alabama; Jewish Community; Philanthropy
Samuel J. Israel, who moved to Sheffield, Alabama in 1909 from Lithuania, wrote his memoirs at his daughter's (Beatrice Muhlendorf) request. The manuscript -- which is over thirty pages long -- is titled "From Northern Lithuania to Northern Alabama."
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, local history room, file 3-2.
Hale County, Alabama; Marengo County, Alabama; Perry County, Alabama; Samuel Mockbee; Rural Arts Studio
Samuel Mockbee - who was born on December 23, 1944 in Meridian, Mississippi and who died on December 30, 2001 - was an architect and the co-founder of Auburn University Rural Studio. A 1974 graduate of the School of Architecture at Auburn, Mockbee came to feel very connected to rural places and held a great respect for and understanding of the disadvantages faced by the rural poor. Mockbee and D. K. Ruth founded the Rural Studio program at Auburn University, a program acclaimed for introducing students to the social responsibilities of the profession. Mockbee was widely recognized for his work - including being given a MacArthur Foundation (known colloquially as the "Genius Grant" in 1998.
Dean, Andrea Oppenheimer and Hursley, Timothy, "Rural Studio:Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency." Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton Architectural Press, 2002.
Photograph courtesy of the Archives at the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
This historic marker is located on North Court Street, Florence AL. The text on the marker reads: "Named for Ferdinand Sannoner, who surveyed the town of Florence for the Cypress Land Company in 1818, the district contains twenty-five structures on North Court and North Pine Streets. Wealth planters, lawyers and merchants occupied the six fine antebellum homes: Courtview (1855) Gov. Edward Asbury O'Neal (1840's), Irvine Place (1843), Conner Place (1854), Wakefield (1820's) and Hickory Place (James Irvine's House 1832.) Other structures date from the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries."
“Sannoner Historic District”. Accessed 11/06/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Sannoner Historic District Medical Building
This historic marker is located on North Main Street north of East Tuscaloosa Street, Florence, Alabama. The text on the marker reads: "Built in 1826 in the Spanish Revival architectural style, this is the first structure in Florence erected with a steel skeleton supporting the floors, walls and roof. The framework is strong enough to support two more stories than were actually built. This building was individually listed in The National Register of Historic Places in 1976."
“Sannoner Histroric District Medical Building”. Accessed 11/09/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Bullock County, Cahauba, Religion, Christianity, Baptist, Church, Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
The Sardis Baptist Church is one of the oldest Baptist church building still standing in Alabama. The church was constructed after Greek Revival architecture. Because of the buildings condition, the church is currently inactive. The church was organized in 1837. The church building is believed to have been constructed in 1841. In 1860 an additional two acres were acquired for the church cemetery. The original families who settled in the Sardis community and established the church were from Edgefield, South Carolina and were crucial to the county’s growth and development. Sardis Baptist Church was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1991.
Sauta Village and Sequoyah's Cherokee Syllabary
Sauta, Jackson County, Native Americans, language, Sequoyah, George Guess, George Gist
Sauta was a small Cherokee village established about 1784 on the north side of the Tennessee River near its confluence with North Sauty Creek. The August 13, 1828, issue of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper includes a letter from an acquaintance of Sequoyah relating the story of Sequoyah's creation of the Cherokee syllabary. According to the story, several young men at Sauta were discussing their awe of white men's ability to pass language across vast distances via written words on paper. Sequoyah is said to have told the men that he could easily create a written language and his response was met with ridicule. Inspired by this event, Sequoyah completed the Cherokee syllabary. A similar story is recounted by Samuel Lorenzo Knapp from his 1828 interview of Sequoyah in Washington D.C. Many myths surround the life of Sequoyah and the creation of the Cherokee syllabary, but the timing and nature of these sources lend credence to this story.
Abram, Susan M. "Sequoyah." Encyclopedia of Alabama. May 21, 2009; http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2159 [accessed August 11, 2016] Chambless, Ann B. "Early Cherokee Village of Sauta." Jackson County Chronicles 20, no. 1 (January 2008): 6. Chambless, Ann B. "Sequoyah." Jackson County Chronicles 25, no. 4 (October 2013): 3-6. G.C. "Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet." Cherokee Phoenix 1, no. 24 (August 13, 1828): 2, col. 1a-2a. Foreman, Grant. Sequoyah. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2012. Street, O.D. "Cherokee Towns and Villages." Publications of the Alabama Historical Society, Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 1. Montgomery, AL, 1901.
Print by McKenney and Hall from Birmingham Public Library Tutwiler Collection of Southern History and Literature
Located in Opelika along County Road 162 near Cusseta Road. Coordinates: 32.7070764, -85.3588347
Scottsboro, Jackson County, Transportation, Railroad, Civil War, National Register of Historic Places
Scripture Relief Books and Learning Marker
This historic marker is located in front of Florence Public Library between E. Tuscalossa and E. Tombigbee Sts., Florence, Alabama. The text on the marker reads: "This sculpture relief was created by James W. Stoves and placed above the entrance to Gilbert Elementary School in 1921. In 1980, following the demolition of Gilbert school, it was moved to Hibbet Middle School. Because of its theme which relates to the teaching of children. it is now a part of the Florence/Lauderdale Public Library. Stoves left the Birmingham, Alabama coal mines to become a stoneworker and sculptor. He moved to Florence in 1913 and purchased the Florence Marble Works. Many of the monuments in the Florence Cemetery was sculptured by Stokes."
“Sculpture Relief Books and Learning Marker”. Accessed 11/09/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Seminary-O' Neal Historic District Marker
This historic marker is located on N Seminary St., Florence, Alabama. The text on the marker reads: "Named for the O’Neal family which produced two Alabama governors and for seminary the street on which Synodical Female College was located, the Seminary-O’Neal Historic District was added to the Nation Register of Historic Places in 1995. Built between 1908 and 1943, the houses in the district reflect the variety of architectural styles of those years. Two Sears~Roebuck houses called “American Four-Squares”, add interest and distinction. The district opens onto the impressive campus of the University of North Alabama."
“Seminary-O' Neal Historic District". Accessed 11/09/2015. http://www.lat34north.com/historicmarkersal/
Auburn, AL; Lee County, AL; Industry; Manufacturing; Automotive
This Korean-owned company that manufactures front axles and rear carrier assemblies for automobiles and currently employs around 300 people. The business opened in 2007, and still operates today. It is located at 246 Teague Ct., Auburn, AL.
Image: http://www.aecci.com/completedprojects/industrial/seohan/seohan.htm
This Korean-owned company that produces injection molded parts for automotive heaters and blowers and employs around 400 people. The business opened in 2004, and still operates today. It is located at 764 W Veterans Blvd., Auburn, AL.
Image: http://www.theplainsman.com/view/full_story/15522721/article-Expansion-increases-job-options
Colbert County Alabama; Tuscumbia Alabama; African American history; African American home
Dr. A.W. Davis and his wife had a home built called Shady Dell in 1920. The home is located across from where his former office stood. Dr. Davis was the first black physician in northwest Alabama. He arrived in Tuscumbia in 1903. He practiced medicine from 1914 until 1942. While his office is gone there is a sign where it once stood. The house is located on 606 East 8th Street in Tuscumbia. The house is a two story building in the style of a Dutch Colonial Revivalist Craftsman home.
Application for the historic rehabilitation tax credit program
Located in Beulah along Highway 29 (West Point Parkway). Coordinates: 32.6940216, -85.2916104
The shape-note notation was an American pedagogical tool designed to increase the music education of the average citizen who did not have the financial resources or time to learn the traditional round note notation. New Englanders William Smith and William Little patented the shape-note notation in 1796 and published The Easy Instructor, the first shape-note tunebook, in 1801. Smith and Little used four geometrical shapes to symbolize individual music notes on the staff instead of the traditional round note heads. Smith and Little’s use of syllables to designate and sing pitches is called solmization. The four-syllable solmization system in The Easy Instructor allotted a right sided triangle to indicate the note fa, an oval symbolized sol, a square was assigned for la, and a diamond represented mi. Smith and Little initially created the system as a response to the widespread musical illiteracy among America’s common folk. The effects of this music illiteracy were most evident in Protestant church services during the eighteenth century, when congregations practiced a singing technique called “lining out.” Lining out, also known as “call and response,” involved a minister singing the words of a song as he saw fit, and the congregation repeating the words and melody. While lining out enabled them to sing, it did not require participants to be literate in music and many believed that it produced poor quality music. For instance, in 1721, music reformer Thomas Walter characterized call and response music as “hideous and disorderly … beyond expression bad … miserably tortured, and twisted, and quavered … a horrid Medley of confused and disorderly Noise.” Not long after The Easy Instructor was published in 1801, other music composers acknowledged the shape-note notation’s pedagogical effectiveness in teaching music literacy. Many composers adopted the rudimental introduction and the system to notate songs. Over thirty-eight four shape-note tunebooks were composed between the years 1801 and 1855, many due to the Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening spawned hundreds of new hymnals. Since camp revivals relied upon communal singing, shape-note tunebooks provided a means for the congregations to participate in hymn singing. Some religious denominations, such as the Primitive Baptists and the Churches of Christ, realized the effectiveness of shape-notes, and, as a result, adopted shape-note notation in worship hymnals for years following the Second Great Awakening. From 1801 to the 1830s, the shape-note system was taught in singing schools established in urban and rural communities in both the North and South. These singing schools, taught by individuals considered to be vocal masters taught the schools, usually lasted from one to two weeks and relied on shape-note tunebooks to teach attendees the fundamentals of music. After the completion of singing school, many pupils went on to establish communal monthly shape-note singing events, normally lasting a few hours during the afternoon. In addition to these monthly meetings, shape-note singers started to organize state wide conventions that met anywhere from two to three days and targeted a wider geographical area than monthly local singings. Overall, these singing schools, communal singings, and conventions during the nineteenth century spread knowledge of shape-notes in American culture. With the popularity of tunebooks and singing schools came new developments. Some shape-note composers believed that Smith and Little’s four-note system could be improved. One Pennsylvania composer, Jesse B. Aikin, believed all seven notes in the music scale should be taught with shape-notes. In 1846, Aikin’s tunebook The Christian Minstrel, continued to use Smith’s and Little’s geometrical shapes for the notes fa, sol, la, and mi; but he implemented new shapes for the notes do, re, and ti. Aikin “used an equiangular triangle for Doe, a wine glass for Ray, and a fan for See.” Three elements played a factor in why the South far more than the North, enthusiastically embraced, shape-notes during the nineteenth century. First, they were linked with the democracy of music itself. Second, during the Second Great Awakening the singing of hymns unified Southern people in revivals. Last, with the demand for tunebooks during the Awakening, tens of thousands of shape-note tunebooks in the South during the nineteenth century. From the end of the Civil War until the turn of the century, Southerners strove to redevelop their culture and identity. Shape-notes were vital elements in both religious and secular settings during this time period in the South. By the late nineteenth century, many Primitive Baptists, Free Will Baptists, and Churches of Christ in the South adopted shape-notes in worship hymnals. Few musical genres in America have escaped the influence of shape-notes, especially in the South. Many southern gospel, country, and bluegrass musicians learned how to read music and gained the ability to harmonize their voice after studying shape-note tunebooks and attending singing schools. The spread of shape-notes as a result of the southern gospel movement greatly influenced both country and bluegrass music. As children, members of the Carter Family, the Delmore Brothers, and the Louvin Brothers, all three considered key innovators of country music during the twentieth century, attended singing school where they sang music from shape-note singing schools. Also at singing schools, the families learned how vocally harmonize with one another, which helped their music become hit records. Also, Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music, developed his high pitched singing voice that is considered to be a distinctively bluegrass sound, while attending singing schools as a child in Kentucky. A twenty-first century country duo from the Shoals, the Secret Sisters, personally acknowledged that their vocal harmonies were deeply rooted in the Church of Christ worshiping services from shape-note hymnals. In all, the notation entered into American culture during the nineteenth century and continues to affect both religious and secular music. The shape-note notation is the root of American music and is the first American music innovation to influence Europe’s music culture.
Jesse Brock, University of North Alabama
Text: David Taddle. “Solmization, Scale, and Key in Nineteenth-Century Four-Shape Tunebooks: Theory and Practice.” American Music 1 (Spring, 1996). Joyce Irwin,.“The Theology of ‘Regular Singing.” The New England Quarterly 51, no. 2 (June, 1978). Irving Lowens and Allen P. Britton. “’The Easy Instructor’ (1798-1831): A History and Bibliography of the First Shape Note Tune Book.” Journal of Research in Music Education 1, no. 1 (Spring, 1953). The University of Mississippi Music Department, “The Old Way of Singing,” The University of Mississippi, http://home.olemiss.edu/~mudws/oldway.html (accessed on September 9, 2014). Richard Dalzell, “American Shape Notes: Background, Development, Practice and Present Status,” Ph.D. diss., University of Kansas, 1978. The Center for Church Music: Songs and Hymns, “Lowell Mason,” http://www.songsandhymns.org/people/detail/lowell-mason (accessed on November 22, 2014). Marian J. Hatchett. A Companion to the New Harp of Columbia. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2003. Nathan Hatch.The Democratization of American Christianity. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. Neil V. Rosenberg. Bluegrass: A History. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1985. The Secret Sisters, interviewed by Skip Matheny, Nashville, TN, 2012, http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/09/drinks-with-the-secret-sisters/ (accessed February 3, 2015). George Pullen Jackson, White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands: The Story of the Fasola Folk, Their Songs, Singings, and ‘Buckwheat Notes’. Hatboro, Pennsylvania: Folklore Association, Inc., 1964 Images: George Pullen Jackson, White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands: The Story of the Fasola Folk, Their Songs, Singings, and ‘Buckwheat Notes’ (Hatboro, Pennsylvania: Folklore Association, Inc., 1964): 15. Douglas Harrison, Then Sings My Soul: The Culture of Southern Music (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2012), 5.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Sheffield City Cemetery; Cemeteries
To reach Sheffield City Cemetery from Florence, follow US-72 across O'Neal Bridge into Sheffield. Go straight through the first traffic light and veer slightly right onto North Jackson Highway. After half of a mile, look for the cemetery on your right. See the RootsWeb source below for a complete list of burials.
Brian Corrigan, University of North Alabama
"Oakwood-Sheffield," RootsWeb, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~alcolber/cem-oakwood-sheffield.htm (accessed November 21, 2015).
Historic Businesses; Sheffield; Colbert County; Alabama, Hardware; Historic Buildings
Sheffield Hardware is located directly across from the Sheffield Library at 309 North Montgomery Avenue. The building was built in 1896 and became the original Sheffield Hardware in 1898. In the 1930's, the building became McClellan's Five and Dime Store until the 70's. It was largely unoccupied except for storage until the owners of the new Sheffield Hardware renovated the building in 2014. The historic building opened once again for business in 2015.
Jacob Grandstaff, University of North Alabama
Conversation with store manager, December 5, 2015
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Sheffield Land, Iron, and Coal Company; Alfred Hugler Moses; Jewish Culture
Alfred Hugler Moses, who was appointed the first mayor of Sheffield, Alabama by the governor of the state, moved to Sheffield in order to build the Sheffield Land, Iron, and Coal Company. Moses, who had been a captain during the Civil War and a land developer after the war, wanted to create an industrial site on the banks of the Tennessee River. He believed the area would be more advantageous than Birmingham because of the coal and iron deposits in Franklin, Winston, and Walker counties and the proximity of a major waterway. He and his brother, Mordecai, formed the Sheffield, Iron and Coal Company. with financing from a New York bank to build a railroad from Franklin County. The brothers started selling lots on May 8th, 1884. Alfred, who was forty three at the time, moved from Montgomery to Sheffield to supervise the construction of streets and sidewalks, the building of a bank and school, and the first iron furnace in the area creating a land boom. Over-speculation, competition, and a decline in the cost of pig iron caused the business financial difficulties. The brothers were able to pay their debts but the company was closed. Alfred Moses died in St. Louis in 1918 and is buried in Montgomery, Alabama.
Coleman, Erwin M., A History of B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, 1906 - 2006.
Illustration courtesy of the Sheffield Public Library.
Public Libraries; Sheffield; Colbert County; Alabama
The Sheffield Public Library is one of five public libraries in Colbert County. It is located at 316 N. Montgomery Ave. From Hwy 72 in Muscle Shoals, take E 2nd St. until N Montgomery Ave, then go north. The library is on the corner of N Montgomery Ave. and 4th St. It is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. In 1890, a group of women came together and lended books out of their own personal collections. In 1919, the library found a home in the Red Cross building on the corner of 5th St. and Montgomery Ave. In 1948, the city of Sheffield let the library use the municipal building. That same year, the Friends of the Sheffield Library formed in 1948 as a non-profit corporation with the purpose of providing the library with its own building and to encourage the use of the library by the public. This organization purchased a building on the corner of 5th St. and Nashville Ave. and donated it to the city of Sheffield as a public library in 1963. In 1974, the library moved to a larger building. The Friends purchased the building next to the library in 1983. This building has since been turned into a conference room and local history room.
“Sheffield Public Library,” Accessed November 16, 2015, http://www1.youseemore.com/sheffieldpl/default.asp.
Sheffield Public Library -- Alfred Huger Moses Room
Sheffield,. Alabama; Colbert County; Afred Hugler Moses; Jewish Settlement
The Alfred Huger Moses Room, which is located in the annex of the Sheffield Public Library (on Montgomery Avenue ), was made possible, in part, by funding from the descendants of Alfred Huger Moses (founder and first mayor of Sheffield). The room was dedicated 104 years after the founding of Sheffield. Adeline Moses, one of Alfred's daughters, married Carl Loeb, founder of Loeb Rhodes in New York City. Her children and grandchildren were in attendance at the dedication of the room.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Sheffield Residential Historic District; Architecture; National Register of Historic Places
Covering 160 acres and encompassing 678 properties, the Sheffield Residential Historic District reflects development in the city of Sheffield from its establishment in 1883 through the mid-20th-century. Like the Colbert County Courthouse Square District in neighboring Tuscumbia, significant properties in the Sheffield historic district include both commercial and residential buildings, as well as a number of churches. Alfred Moses, a banker from Montgomery and founder of the Sheffield Land, Iron and Coal Company, designed the city's original street plan. This, along with the construction of docks and landings along the Tennessee River, opened the door for the entry of other businesses and industries into the area. After the Panic of 1893 devastated the Shoals economy, the Southern Railway Company established its headquarters in Sheffield, initiating a second wave of economic development. Following the construction of Wilson Dam and a pair of nitrate manufacturing plants in 1916, a number of apartment complexes sprung up in Sheffield, along with several Bungalow and Colonial-Revival-style houses. The Sheffield Residential Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
National Register of Historic Places, Sheffield Residential Historic District, Sheffield, Colbert County, Alabama, National Register #02000481.
Colbert County, Alabama; Sheffield, Alabama; Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield, Alabama; Water Tower; Tennessee River
Montgomery Avenue, in Sheffield, Alabama, has maintained several spots along the street for the citizens of the area to enjoy the natural beauty of North Alabama. A water tower marks the end of the street and a small park with an overlook allows residents and visitors an unobstructed view of the Tennessee River and the city of Florence.
Sheffield, Alabama; Tennessee River; public spaces
Sheffield, Alabama; Colbert County; Jewish Settlement in Alabama; Alfred Moses
Alfred Huger Moses and his brother, Mordecai, were largely responsible for the founding of Sheffield, Alabama. They named the city after Sheffield, England hoping for similar success in industrialization. The sales of 500 lots for the establishment of Sheffield, Alabama was a three day event starting on May 8th, 1884. The sale realized sales of $350,000.
Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama.
Shelby County; Museum; Archives; Courthouse; Shelby County Historical Society Inc.; Genealogy; Maps; Deeds; Marriage Records;
Our extensive and growing collection of research materials includes books, periodicals, microfilm, microfiche, family folders and much more. We have the index and records from 1957 through 1994 of the Bolton Funeral Home located in Columbiana, Alabama. We maintain the original old Shelby County Alabama courthouse records, including such records as (1) Probate Estate Files through 1915, (2) Probate Minute Books and Will Books, (3) Marriage Records through 1982, (4) Divorce Case Files through 1950, (5) Chancery Court Records, (6) Circuit Court Records, and much more! We have all up-to-date published counties of the Heritage of Alabama Book Series. For easy research, we have on microfilm and/or CD such items as (1) Shelby County Newspapers dating back to 1866, (2) Shelby County Deed Books through 1899, (3) 1908 through 1959 Alabama Death Certificate Index, (4) 1950-1979 Alabama Obituary Clippings, (5) 1907-1908 Alabama Confederate Soldiers Census, (6) Alabama Confederate Pension Applications, (7) Shelby County Alabama World War I Draft Registrations, (8) Shelby County Alabama World War I Service Records, (9) 1936 through 1969 Alabama Marriage Record Index, (10) 1950 through 1959 Alabama Divorce Record Index, and (8) 1820 through 1940 Shelby County Alabama Census Records, with index for each. We have equipment for you to view and copy these microfilm/microfiche and CD items. For your convenience, we also have on microfilm Alabama County Marriage Certificates for (1) Bibb, 1818-1929, (2) Chilton, 1870-1935, (3) Clarke, 1890-1930, (4) Coosa, 1834-1925, (5) Madison, 1809-1820, (6) Perry, 1820-1929, (7) St. Clair, 1819-1933, (8) Talladega, 1833-1929, (9) Tallapoosa, 1830-1911, and the Jefferson County 1818-1940 Marriage Index, including the Bessemer Annex. In addition, we have Death Index for the following states (1) Arkansas, 1914-1950, (2) Mississippi, 1912-1943, (3) Tennessee, 1908-1954, (4) Texas, 1903-1963, and Pre 1900 Georgia Death Certificates. Our library also offers additional researching FREE through "Ancestry.com", "Fold3.com" and "GenealogyBank.com". The Alabama Historical Commission Oral History Project in 1978, and through a grant received in 2011 from Alabama Historical Records Advisory Board and matching public contributions to digitalize this collection, are now available for your private listening pleasure. To see the index Click Here. The Shelby County Historical Society, Inc. accepts and collects materials which provide information on the history of Shelby County Alabama. It is possible that some of these same materials are also available at the Alabama Department of Archives & History and/or public libraries throughout the state. These materials are acquired for researchers' convenience and not with the expectation that they will be kept forever. We also acquire duplicate copies of many items which tend to be heavily used by researchers. The archive's collection consists of books, dissertations, theses, journals, and newsletters, and also contains materials in a variety of formats, such as microfilm, microfiche, and vertical files of unpublished materials. Because the history of Shelby County is closely tied to the history of Alabama, we also collect some Alabama history reference materials. If you would like to offer reference material to the Shelby County Historical Society, Inc. please contact Bobby Joe Seales. We are located in the Old Shelby County Courthouse, built in 1854 in Columbiana, Alabama. This building has been designated a historic landmark by the National Register of Historic Places and is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage. The Museum displays many old Shelby County photographs and artifacts from the Indian era through WWII; including such items as the bell from the Alabama, a well-known railroad engine during its time, Creek Indian artifacts, the 1906 Shelby County Courthouse cornerstone contents removed 24th June 2006, and three chestnut wood cars and several feet of wood track that were found on the 4th May 1974 in the forgotten Confederate Gurnee Coal Mine in West Shelby County. They proudly display a serving for 12 of the (1) Alabama College Wedgwood 50th Anniversary Reynolds Hall dinner plates, 1896-1946, and (2) serving for 12 tea cups and saucers, introduced in 1949, with the Library (Wills Hall). Effective August 1, 2015 (until further notice) the hours of operation of our Museum and Archives are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. We are temporarily closed, until further notice, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and Holidays. Please come and visit us. Information above from Shelby County Museum & Archives Website 2013 AL.com article about updates to 1854 Shelby County Courthouse which houses Museum and Archive. Historical Marker Database record of 1854 Shelby County Courthouse.
Liz Clayton, Shelby County Historical Society
Shelby County Musuem & Archives Website
What remains of the Shelby Hotel, adjacent to Shelby Iron Works, is closed to public and on private property. It is believed to be the first in Alabama to have running water and electric lights. Originally built in 1863, it was totally destroyed by fire in 1898, and rebuilt in 1900. Shelby Hotel by Bobby Joe Seales on Rootsweb Article about Shelby Hotel by Strange Alabama (Beverly Crider) on AL.com
Shelby County; Civil War; Iron Industry; Iron; Ware, Horace; blast furnace; Historic Shelby Association; industialization
Shelby Iron Works began when Horace Ware purchased land south of Columbiana, Alabama from Green B and Sarah Seale on December 29, 1842. Ware acquired other properties in the area with available timberland and hematite ore. The Shelby Iron Works Company was started with the building of a cold blast iron furnace. The lone furnace stack was built out of brick and stone and only stood 30 feet high. During The American War between the States the iron works was useful in outfitting the CSS Tennessee, CSS Huntsville and the CSS Tuscaloosa. A detachment of Union General Emory Upton's division of Wilson's Raiders attempted to destroy the ironworks on March 31, 1865. The ironworks was rebuilt and continued to operate until 1923 when production stopped. The majority of the Ironworks was dismantled for scrap in 1929. Shelby Ironworks Website
Shelby Springs Hotel & Confederate Cemetery
Shelby Springs; Mineral Springs; Hotel; Resort; Hospital; Cemetery; Civil War
Shelby Springs Resort Hotel is believed to have been built sometime around 1839 providing accomodations to tourists coming to avail themselves of the mineral waters. In about 1856 Mr. Jasper J. Norris of Selma leased the property consisting of 2,700 acres of wooded land, including the springs, hotel and cottages. During the Civil War, the facilities were used as a training center for the young Confederate soldiers. In 1862 Shelby Springs was known as Camp Winn. Several students in the University of Alabama Cadet Corps were sent there to drill troops for the Army. In 1863, the Confederate Army as a hospital and a soldier's home used the hotel and cottages. Father Leray and the Sisters of Mercy staffed the hospital after fleeing Civil War destruction in Vicksburg, Mississippi. They brought with them by train many wounded and sick Confederate soldiers. The Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery became an extension of an existing cemetery located on a ridge overlooking the springs. Copied from the Shelby County Historical Society Quarterly magazine, dated March 2002: Shelby County Reporter, Thursday, June 10, 1976 Letter to the Editor: With very much interest I read the letter in the "Reporter" about the old cemetery located near, at that time, the old Summer Resort at Shelby Springs. Fifty years ago the Nelson Realty Co. purchased the Shelby Springs and their plans were to build a big Hotel and Club House to be named the "Yamakita Club" but somehow it never materialized. Then a man named Irby procured it and from that the present owner acquired the property, Howard Hall. Since the last two owners acquired it, there were no more good times, such as picnics et cetera at Shelby Springs. People for miles around would come there especially on the 4th of July ball games et cetera, plenty of water of which there were five kinds, three artesian springs of sulphur water. It was meeting place for all the neighbors. Gone is all that now, an iron fence surrounds the old springs "lot" as it was called, but let us get back to the cemetery, it was known as the Old Soldiers Grave Yard. I personally knew of two old civil war veterans buried there, I.C. Miller and his brother William "Bill" then their sisters Miss Nancy Miller and Mrs. Marian [Mary Ann, second wife of Felix James] Seale ... John Roche Gould, 3329 Oakhill Drive, Birmingham, Alabama 35216. More about Shelby Springs Hotel More about Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery Findagrave.com listings for Shelby Springs Confederate Cemetery