Browse Items (1569 total)

In 1852, the Baptist Female Institution of Moulton was incorporated under the patronage of the Muscle Shoals Baptist Association. At the time the school received its charter, the school building could accommodate 150 female students.

Tuition per…

The seal of Auburn University that sits infront of Langdon Hall and was put there in the 70s.

This historic marker is located at the intersection of S. Court Street and Dr Hicks Blvd., Florence, Alabama.

The text on side one of the marker reads: "The American Legion, an organization of U.S. War Veterans was founded in Paris, France, March…

Once the TVA was formed during the New Deal, men were needed to work on building Wilson Dam and to work in the Nitrate Factory No. 2. Many of these men were a part of the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC. Many of the original workers were being…

The Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention occurs in Athens during the first week of October. This festival is known as the "Granddaddy of Midsouth Fiddlers Conventions" for its role in reviving the tradition of competition in old time music.…

The Tennessee Valley Art Association was incorporated in 1964 in order to create an art museum and develop public programming related to the arts. The Tennessee Valley Art Center was constructed in 1972 on property provided by the city of Tuscumbia.…

The Tennessee Valley Historical Society (TVHS) was established in 1923. Since that time, TVHS has served to educate the public and promote the region’s local history. The Journal of Muscle Shoals History is published by TVHS, and includes articles…

The Tennessee Valley Fertilizer Company is another company that the Ashcraft family of Florence either owned or had a stake in. In 1897, a year before he founded the Florence Cotton Oil Company, Lee Ashcraft founded and incorporated the Tennessee…

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…

Coleman, Erwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama: Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006. Privately Printed.

The highest point in Oakwood Cemetery in Sheffield was given to the members of the Jewish Synagogue in appreciation for their contributions to the communities of Sheffield and Florence, Alabama.

Families who are interred there include: the…

Tammy Wynette (May 5, 1942-April 6, 1998)

Virginia Wynette Pugh was born May 5, 1942 in Tremont, Mississippi, but she spent much or her childhood just across the state line in Red Bay, Alabama. After her father died when she was nine months old,…

Methodist settlers first entered the northwest region of Alabama during the early 1800s during the Second Great Awakening. The lot of land that Tabernacle Methodist Church sits on was used for religious camp meetings during the Second Great…

T.S. Stribling graduated from State Normal College in 1903. He was a Pulitzer Prize winning author. Due to his significance to UNA and the literary world he earned UNA the first Literary Landmark in the state in 2006.

Interviewed by FBI.
Age 27
At front of line?
Believes hit by Sheriff Clark

Wearing a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (1965) badge

The 1976 National Register nomination of the Robert M. Patton house states that the property is significant in terms of architecture as a classic example of a North Alabama Georgian plantation house, and for political history as the home of the first…

Sweetwater Mill has a relationship to the Sweetwater area because it is an old part of the Cherry Cotton Mill plant. The J.T. Flagg Knitting Company purchased the mill after the conclusion of World War II because the company was looking to expand…

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…

This historic marker is located at the intersection of Florence Boulevard (U.S. 43) and Sweetwater Avenue, Florence, AL.

The text on the marker reads: "Home of Major John Brahan, veteran of War of 1812, Major General, Alabama Militia, who owned…

Article appeared in Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) on August 20, 1941. Describes upcoming Jim Crockett promotions wrestling match between Tommy O'Toole, "a sturdy young Irishman," and the Swedish Angel.

Swan Creek Waterfowl Management Area is an 8,870 acre management area located in Tanner, AL. The area is open to the public for waterfowl and small game hunting. Swan Creek Waterfowl Management Area is located on 18936 Harris Station Road.…

This historic home that sits on what is now South College Street was the site where the 14th and 18th Alabama regiments were mustered in 1861. William F. Samford, known as the “Penman for Secession” for his nationally published diatribes on…

Birmingham News (Alabama), August 5, 1936

Hundreds of students participated to protest the new edition of the yearbook, which they felt overrepresented the presence and influence of hippie culture at the school.

Located in Smiths Station at County Road 179 and Lee Road 246.

Coordinates: 32.5504161, -85.1643831

Ralph the stress tigers place on RBD book Christmas tree ready for students to grab

The original congregation of the group of Baptist was organized in Mobile in 1835 settling in a plain brick church building. This group disbanded in 1840 before immediately reorganizing under the name St. Anthony Baptist Church. This group moved to a…

Stevenson's importance as the junction of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad and the Memphis and Charleston Railroad predates the Civil War. The town and its railroad junction were of strategic importance during the war for both sides. …

Sterling High School was another prominent school for African Americans in Colbert County. The origin of the school is in a Baptist Church on East 20th St. Originally, the school only served five students and a man named Henry Hopkins was hired as…

Southland, located at 1309 S. Jackson Highway in Sheffield was founded in 1950 primarily as a BBQ place and evolved over the years to offer a more diversified menu. In 2012, the building that housed Southland was bought by Steve Gaskins who now owns…

The State Normal School began in 1872 after Florence Wesleyan University closed and the building was deeded to the State. This university was the first normal school south of the Ohio River. The college consisted of a two year program to train…

Stanley Rosenbaum was born on October 1, 1910 in Denver, Colorado. His parents, Louis and Anna, moved to Florence, Alabama while Wilson Dam was under construction to open the Princess Movie Theatre.

He enrolled in Harvard at the age of…

A place of business in the Sweetwater area that still exists and serves the community today is Staggs Groceries. Originally, Staggs Grocery was founded as Taylor Wylie’s Meat Market at the turn of the twentieth century. Taylor Wylie moved to east…

St. Paul's Lutheran Church was founded on October 9, 1898. The congregation originally met in homes, and later in 1901, they built a house of worship at 4th Avenue and Sherman Street. Reverend W. G. Hussman was the first pastor for a congregation of…

Formed in 1867, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church served the people of Decatur until 1930. Located in Old Decatur, the church served a thriving population who prospered from the trade that the Tennessee River generated. However, in 1888 two events worked…

This historic marker is located at the intersection of Burrell Street and White Street, Florence, Alabama.

The text on the marker reads: "In early 1840s about 14 African-American members from First Methodist formed own congregation “Church…

St. Paul African Methodist Church was established in the early 1840s. A group of African Americans from a congregation called First Methodist left to form what is now known as the St. Paul African American Methodist Church. The original name of the…

This historic marker is located on Church Road (County Road 30) west of Old Jackson Highway (County Road 61), St Florian, Alabama.

The text on the marker reads: "In 1872, Catholics of German ancestry settled on the former Wilson Plantation and…

Established in 1872, St. Michael’s Catholic Church was the first Catholic Church in Lauderdale County. The church was organized in St. Florian, Alabama, a community founded by German Catholic settlers. A prominent Catholic minister in the southwest…

The site of St. Mark's missionary Baptist Church has been in continuous use by the African-American community of Florence since 1859. Originally, the church body met under a brush arbor. The current church building was built in 1901.

St. Luke’s church, commonly known as St. Francis at the Point Church, was constructed in 1898. The building was modeled in a vernacular interpretation of the late Gothic Revival style. St. Luke’s church was the first Episcopal Church on the eastern…

Prior to 1898 the Catholic population in Florence, Alabama, traveled to Tuscumbia’s Our Sacred Heart. The pastor of Our Sacred Heart, Father Bassen, characterized Florence as a mission of the Catholic Church. As a result, St. Joseph Catholic Church…

St. John's Episcopal Church, in Decatur, was built in 1890. The original structure was constructed for approximately $2,000.

Through the years the building and the congregation have grown. Descendants of the first parishioners still worship at St.…

This historic marker is located at the intersection of Old Jackson Hwy and Co Rd 47, St. Florian, Alabama.

The text on the marker reads: "In 1872, Father A. J. Houser, Director of the Homestead Society of Cincinnati, Ohio founded St. Florian. He…

In 1815, Michael Dickson and a group of white settlers sailed in a keel-boat down the Tennessee River and up Spring creek, settling where Spring Park is now. Dickson purchased this land from the Indian chief Tashka-Ambi for two pole axes and five…

Spring Park is in downtown Tuscumbia. The main feature of the park is the spring and waterfall. The waterfall is made of natural limestone rocks. An fountain show is put on during certain times of the year. The area is often used for festivals and…

In 1830, Spring Hill College was founded by Mobile’s first catholic bishop. Originally most of the students were male from wealthy families in the Mobile, Pensacola, and New Orleans areas. However most of the students were not catholic. In 1954,…

Spooner Oldham (June 14, 1943 - )

The writing credits of Spooner Oldham read like a jukebox selection. From Percy Sledge to Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett to Janis Joplin, Spooner is at the heart of what has come to be called “The Muscle Shoals…

Jacob Spielberger, who was born in Hungary in January of 1856, came to Alabama around 1888. He opened a dry goods store and clothing store, Spielberger and Sons, at 217 and 219 Mongomery Avenue in Sheffield. His three sons, Jacob, Harry, and Ben…