Historical
Markers Around the City of Florence
INDIAN MOUND
Indian
Mound-Located across from the Museum at the
Indian Mound, S. Court Street
This is the highest
domiciliary mound in the Tennessee Valley. It
was probably build around 100 B.C. an 400 A.D.
by a prehistoric people of the ancient Woodland
Culture. Such mounds served as bases for
ceremonial temples or chief's houses. This
mound, originally encircled by an earthen wall,
contains no burials. It is 43 feet in
height. Its base measurements are 310 feet
by 230 feet. Its flat top measures 145
feet by 94 feet. Evidence indicates that
nearby there were two smaller mounds, villages,
and cultivated fields.
JOHN McKINLEY
John McKinley's
Home Site-Located intersection of Seminary
Street and Veterans Drive
John McKinley
(1780-1852), native of Virginia, a prominent
attorney, member of Cypress Land Company, build
a large three story mansion near this site in
1820s which later burned. McKinley served in
Alabama legislature, U.S. Senate (1829-31) U.S.
House (1833-1839) was appointed Associate
Justice United States Supreme Court by President
Van Buren. Served 1839-52. Died in Louisville,
Ky.
DR. HICKS
BOULEVARD
Dr. Hicks Boulevard
Located at the intersection of Dr. Hicks Blvd
and South Wood Ave.
This boulevard was
named in honor of Dr. Leonard Jerry Hicks by the
City of Florence in 1981. Dr. Hicks was a
prominent Black leader of the community and was
recognized for his skills as a physician across
the State of Alabama. He was born September 20,
1899, at Plant City, Florida, and died September
27, 1973, at Florence. Dr. Hick's medical office
was located near this site.
LAUDERDALE
COUNTY
Lauderdale County
Marker-Located at the intersection of S. Court
St. and W. Alabama. A County Older than the
State
Created Feb. 6,
1818 by the Alabama Territorial Legislature
(Alabama became a state in 1819) Named for Col.
James Lauderdale, cavalry man under Gen. John
Coffee and Andrew Jackson, War 1812; Killed in
Battle of New Orleans. Coffee planned Florence,
the county seat. Jackson, President Madison
owned lots.
SAINT PAUL
AFRICAN METHODIST CHURCH
Greater Saint Paul
African Methodist Church- Located 141 S.
Cherokee
(Organized 1879
from earlier 1840 Congregation) In early 1840's
about 14 African-American members from First
Methodist formed own congregation "Church
Springs" near South Court Street. In 1857, a
nearby brick cow shed was converted for its use
under Rev. Robin Lightfoot who became a martyr
during the Civil War. Site of American
Missionary School after Emancipation. Organized
as St. Paul AME in 1879. Relocated to Court and
Alabama Streets in 1895. Charles B. Handy was
early pastor and William W. Handy was early
leader (father and grandfather to W.C. Handy.)
St. Paul relocated again in 1968 to present
site.
FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (1818)
First Presbyterian
Church-Located at 224 E. Mobile Street
The Presbyterians
organized the first church in Florence and
purchased this property from the Cypress Land
Company in 1818. A sanctuary was erected here in
1824 and James A. Sloss, and early Alabama
Territory missionary, was installed as the
church's first permanent minister in 1830.
Although the church buildings have undergone
several major expansions and renovations (in
1898, following a fire in 1927, in 1957, and in
1968), the present sanctuary occupies the site
of the 1824 building the "mother church" of
Florence. In deciding to remain an urban church,
this congregation continues its historical
presence in the heart of Florence.
CITY OF FLORENCE
City of
Florence-Located corner of East Mobile and North
Court Street
Florence was
surveyed for the Cypress Land Company in 1818 by
Ferdinand Sannoner and named for the famous
capital of Tuscany. The county seat of
Lauderdale County, it was first incorporated in
1826. Located at the foot of Muscle Shoals, it
became a thriving agriculture and commercial
center with light industry and significant
religious, educational, and medical
institutions. During the Civil War, Florence was
occupied by both armies at various times. The
Tennessee Valley Authority with Wilson and
Wheeler Dam contributed to further economic
development.
SOUTHALL DRUGS
Southall
Drugs-Located at the intersection of N. Court
Street and Mobile Street
Charles Morton
Southall (1864-1952) constructed this Commercial
Italianate building in 1900 of the finest
materials for his wholesale/retail drug
business. The elegant interior of Charles
Hester, New York City, contained the area's
first rubber tile floor. In addition to health
wares; window glass, paints, seeds, musical
instruments, and other sundries were dispensed.
The building remained a pharmacy until 1970. In
1982 it was renovated by the Southall family and
Byron Bower for combined commercial/residential
use with John Mott, AIA, Fort Smith, Arkansas,
architect. It was added to the National Register
of Historic Places in 1980.
TRINITY
EPISCOPAL CHURCH 1894
Trinity Episcopal
Church-Located at the intersection Tuscaloosa
and Pine Street
Trinity was
organized in 1836 by the Rev. Thomas Armstrong
Cook at Southwest corner of College and Cedar
Streets. Church was consecrated February 23,
1845 by the Rt. Rev. Nicholas Hamner Cobbs.
After fire damage in 1893, Trinity was relocated
to the present site in 1894. First worship
service held at this place was on Easter 1895.
Church was consecrated June 12, 1898 by the Rt.
Rev. Richard Hooker Wilmer. The bell from the
original church. Parish House added in 1929;
Mulled Hall and Educational Building erected in
1967.
FIRST METHODIST
CHURCH 1822
First Methodist
Church- Located on East Tuscaloosa Street in
front of the Church
Established
September 8, 1822 in a log house on the West
side of town by Revs. John Cox and John Kerr.
Cox and wife Frances Langley had been affiliated
with the Wesleys in England. Second meeting
place was in Farmer's Cobbler Shop on West
Mobile Street. The third house of worship was
built at present site in 1827. It was replaced
in 1835, and again in 1904 with a brick
structure that burned in 1920. Present church
was built in 1924 and renovated in 1968.
SANNONER
HISTORIC DISTRICT 1
Sannoner Historic
District 1-Located on Court Street just north of
Hermitage Drive
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 2
Sannoner Historic
District 2-Medical Arts Building
Built in 1926 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. The
building was individually listed in the National
Register of Historic Places in 1976.
HOME OF THE
FATHER-SON GOVERNORS
Edward O'Neal
Home-Located Court Street entrance to UNA campus
Built in 1840s,
acquired 1857 by Edward Asbury O'Neal. Occupied
various times during Civil War by Federals and
Confederates. Edward O'Neal (1818-1890) attended
LaGrange College; lawyer, Colonel of the 26th
Alabama Regiment C.S.A.; appointed brigadier
general, Governor 1882-1886. Emmet O'Neal
(1853-1922) lawyer, Governor 1911-1915 lived
nearby Courtview.
COURTVIEW,
ROGERS HALL 1855
Courtview, Rogers
Hall-Located in front of Rogers Hall on UNA
campus
George Washington
Foster, planter, built this Greek Revival
Mansion. An act of the legislature was required
to close Court Street. In fall of 1864 it was
the headquarters of Nathan B. Forrest General,
CSA. Foster's daughter, Sarah Independence
McDonald and her family, lived here until 1900
when it became the home of Governor Emmet
O'Neal. In 1922 it was acquired by Thomas M.
Rogers, Sr., and in 1948 by the University of
North Alabama.
Listed: Historic
American Buildings Survey National Register of
Historic Places
LOCUST DELL
ACADEMY 1834-1843
Locust Dell
Academy-Located on the campus of UNA, in front
of Willingham Hall
On this site
Nicholas Marcellus Hentz conducted a girls'
school. Native of Metz, France, Hentz was a
painter, entomologist, author, and was once a
professor at the University of North Carolina.
Experimenting with silkworms, he planted groves
of mulberry trees around this section of town.
His wife, Caroline Lee Whiting Hentz, native of
Massachusetts, assisted in the academy. She also
wrote plays, poems, stories, popular novels, and
a significant diary of her years in Florence.
FLORENCE STATE
TEACHER COLLEGE
Florence State
Teacher College-Located in front of Weleyan Hall
on the UNA campus
Oldest
state-supported teacher college south of Ohio
River. 1830-opened as LaGrange College
(Methodist) at nearby Leighton. 1855 moved here
and renamed FLORENCE WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY.
Flourished until closed by war in 1865. 1872
deeded to State by Church. Became FLORENCE STATE
NORMAL SCHOOL 1927-present name adopted-1975.
WESLEYAN HALL
Wesleyan
Hall-Located in front of Wesleyan Hall on UNA
campus
Charted in 1856 as
Florence Wesleyan University, R.H. Rivers,
President. Regarded as North Alabama's most
eminent landmark, this Gothic Revival structure
was designed by Adolphus Heiman, Nashville, and
built by Zebulon Pike Morrison, Florence, as new
home for LaGrange College (organized 1830 by
Methodist). Used by both armies at various times
during Civil War. Deeded to State of Alabama,
1873, as first co-educational teacher training
institution south of Ohio River. School expanded
to become University of North Alabama in 1974.
Listed: National Register of Historic Places.
JACKSON’S
MILITARY ROAD
Jackson's Military
Road-Located at intersection of Seminary Street
and Hermitage Drive in front of Pope's Tavern
Built by Andrew
Jackson 1816-20. Shortened by 200 miles the
route from Nashville to New Orleans for movement
of supply wagons and artillery. Built with U.S.
funds and troops. Followed in part Doublehead's
Road from Columbia, Tenn. To Muscle Shoals.
After 1819 mail route was transferred from
Natchez Trace to pass through Florence via
Military Road. A portion of Hood's Army followed
this road to Franklin and Nashville in 1864. In
later years called Jackson Highway.
WOOD AVENUE
HISTORIC DISTRICT 2
Wood Ave. Historic
District (2) One located at intersection of Wood
Ave. and East Tuscaloosa Street and one located
at intersection of North Wood Ave. and West
Hawthorne Street
A residential
neighborhood primarily developed between 1880
and 1930. The District contains elaborate Queen
Anne, classic Georgian Revival and the more
modest Bungalow style of architecture as well as
two homes of the Plantation Cottage style dating
back from the 1820s. Notable residents of Wood
Avenue, formerly Market Street, were Tom
Stribling, Pulitzer Prize winning author, George
Goethals, Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal and
Helen Keller, who resided on Wood Avenue while
attending public school. The neighborhood has
experienced very little change since the early
1900s.
WOOD AVENUE
CHURCH OF CHRIST 1886
Wood Avenue Church
of Christ-Located at intersection of East
Tuscaloosa and North Wood Avenue
The oldest Church
of Christ in the central Florence area, this
congregation began meeting in the home of Susan
Thrasher NE corner of Court and Tuscaloosa
Street in 1886. Met at various rented places
until September 1890, when building was
completed at SW corner of Poplar and Tombigbee
Streets. Moved to present location at NE corner
of Wood Avenue and Tuscaloosa Street March 1,
1970 upon completion of new building. This
congregation has played a significant role in
the expansion of Christ throughout many parts of
the world.
WALNUT STREET
HISTORIC DISTRICT
Walnut Street
Historic District-Located at intersection of
Walnut and Hermitage and another at Walnut and
Tuscaloosa Street
Walnut Street began
as a residential area in the national boom of
the 1880s and 1890s and continued its
development through 1920s. Industries and
businesses grew in Florence, the population of
the city increased, and business and
professional people built their homes in this
typical residential neighborhood. The street
remains intact and reflects the changes in
architectural styles from the 1890s Victorian to
the 1920s bungalow. The district was added tithe
National Register of Historic Places 1977.
THE GRAVE OF
"MOUNTAIN" TOM CLARK
The Grave of
"Mountain" Tom Clark-Located adjacent to the
Florence Cemetery on East Tennessee Street
Near the Center of
Tennessee Street lies the remains of Tom Clark,
a notorious leader of one of the number of
outlaw gangs who terrorized helpless citizens
during the Civil War. Clark and two companions
were removed from the local jail and hanged by
outraged townspeople. He confessed to having
murdered 18 people and a child. Graves were dug
in a nearby field, but someone remembered
hearing Clark boast "nobody will ever run over
Tom Clark." Therefore, they buried him here so
that all who passed by would run over Tom Clark.
FLORENCE
CEMETERY 1818
Florence
Cemetery-Located at the main entrance to
cemetery from Dr. Hicks Boulevard
When the city was
surveyed this land described as "outside the
city limits" was designated as the burying
grounds for the new town. It contains the graves
of early settlers, including a son and brother
of Ferdinand Sannoner, Surveyor of Florence, and
served as the principal cemetery for over 130
years. Two former Governors in the O'Neal
family, as well as many prominent community
leaders and families, are interred her.
"Solider's Rest", a Confederate Cemetery, is
located near the south property line.
SOLIDER'S REST
1862
Soldier's
Rest-Located near the rear of South Section of
the Florence Cemetery
This area is the
military cemetery for Confederate Soldiers after
an 1862 skirmish in the streets of Florence, it
was used to bury casualties until the end of the
Civil War. Many unknown Confederates and a few
unknown Union Soldiers rest here. After the war
it was reserved for Confederate veterans and
their families. In 1977 this historic plot was
deeded by United Daughters of the Confederacy to
insure its preservation and perpetual care.
SWEETWATER 1828
Sweetwater-Located
corner of Florence Boulevard and Hough Road.
Home of John Brahan
Home of Major John
Brahan, veteran of War of 1812, Major General,
Alabama Militia, who owned 4,000 acres here.
Built of brick made on this place, marble
mantels imported from Italy. Boxwood hedge from
London. Named for spring nearby. Federal and
Confederates quartered here during Civil War.
Home of Brahan's son-in-law, Governor Robert M.
Patton 1865-1867.
EAST
FLORENCE HISTORIC DISTRICT
East Florence
Historic District-Located on Royal Avenue north
of business district
The East Florence
business area began in the industrial boom of
the 1880s and 1890s and continued its
development through the 1920s. The small locally
owned firms, some in the third generation of
ownership, were established to serve the growing
population employed in the industries of the
area. The district contains twelve buildings of
historical and architectural significance,
including a home, drug store, grocery, bank,
cafe, fire station, and railroad depot.
MAUD MCKNIGHT
LINDSAY
Maud
Lindsay-Located at Maud Lindsay Kindergarten
near Brandon Elementary School in East Florence
(Erected by the Maud Lindsay Kindergarten Club)
May 13, 1874-May
30, 1941
Born in Tuscumbia,
Lived in Sheffield Daughter of Robert Burns
Lindsay, Governor of Alabama 1870-72. Teacher of
Alabama first kindergarten-1898. Ranks as one of
the greatest kindergarten teachers in the world.
Author of 18 books for children. Maud Lindsay
was close friend of Helen Keller. THE FLORENCE
FREE KINDERGARTEN-ESTABLISHED SEPTEMBER 3, 1898
FOUNDED THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF MISS LOULIE
JOHNES, MRS. JOHN R. PRICE, MR. FRANK JACKSON,
MR. THOMAS PHILLIPS, TEACHER-MISS MAUD McKNIGHT
LINDSAY TEACHER, WRITER, PHILANTROPIST.
FLORENCE WAGON
WORKS
Florence Wagon
Works-Located on corner of Richards Street and
Veterans Drive.
Moved here from
Atlanta in 1889, this industry made Florence a
household word through the South. It was the
largest wagon factory in the South, reportedly
second largest in U.S., with 175 employees and
annual production of 15,000 wagons. World War I
army wagons were made here and sent all over
U.S. and to France. The automobile caused
gradual reduction in activity. The firm was
liquidated in 1930s.
MUSCLE SHOALS
CANAL 1836-1918
Muscle Shoals
Canal-Located in downtown Killen at intersection
of U.S. Highway 72 East and Lock Six Road
Lock Six,
headquarters of Muscle Shoals Canal, was 1.3
miles south of here. An 1836 attempt to bypass
the Shoals proved unsuccessful. On Nov. 10,
1890, the canal from Rogersville to Florence was
successfully completed. The river fell 85 feet
in 14 miles requiring nine locks. Canal was
closed 1918, and later covered by backwaters
from Wilson and Wheeler Dams. Jesse James robbed
the U.S. payroll near lock six in 1881. Erected
by BROOKS HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES 1992-1993.
KENNEDY GUN
FACTORY (1823-1837)
Kennedy Gun
Factory-Located on US Hwy 43 near old Jackson
Road at Greenhill, AL
The famous Kennedy
Long Rifle was introduced at Philadelphia during
the Revolutionary War by Alexander Kennedy who
fled to Moore County, N.C., when the British
invaded. About 1823 his son David moved the
factory to Greenhill, Alabama locating 400 yards
east of the Tabernacle Cemetery. Greehill became
an early gun manufacturing center with the
advent of other gunsmiths: McDonalds, Garners,
Stutts, Keys, Higgins, Richardsons, Davidsons,
and Myricks. Property willed to the City of
Florence by Hiram Kennedy Douglass, a Kennedy
descendant, became the Kennedy Douglass Center
for the Arts.
LONE CEDAR
CHURCH OF CHRIST 1898
Lone Cedar Church
of Christ located between Greenhill and Shoals
Creek on Highway 47 North
Christians first
met here in a log building which also served as
a schoolhouse. In 1909, a frame building was
constructed. Because of a single cedar tree in
prominent view, it was given the name Lone Cedar
by Wilbert M. (Will) Behel, an early dedicated
gospel preacher. In 1938, a more modern stone
building was completed by these diligent
Christians. A larger auditorium was added in
1977. The early Christian meeting place soon
became a landmark and vital part of the
Greenhill community.
CENTER STAR
METHODIST CHURCH 1818
Center Star
Methodist Church-Located on US Highway 72 East
at Center Star Community
Earliest Methodist
Church congregation in Lauderdale County, AL.
Organized June, 1818 near mouth of Bluewater
Creek by circuit riders and became part of
Richland Circuit of Giles County, TN. Church
later move to Center Star (Originally know as
Masonville) and named Driskel's Chapel until
circa 1893, then relocated one mile east and
renamed Center Star Methodist. Six locations
have been used by congregations since organized.
(Alabama Historical Association 1974)
GABRIEL BUTLER
CEMETERY Circa 1809
Gabriel
Butler-Located on County Road (first road west
of Bluewater Creek Bridge on US Highway 72 East)
Gabriel Butler was
one of the earliest settlers in Lauderdale
County (shown in 1809 Chief Doublehead's reserve
tenant list). Born 1779 in South Carolina died
in 1856 and buried with 11 of his descendants
within these walls hewn by slaves from nearby
cliffs. Believed to be earliest cemetery in
County. His pioneer home located on hill across
from Cemetery.
FRENCH GLOVER
FARM
French
Glover Farm-Located north of intersection of
County Road 48 and 136
Revolutionary War
Veteran Benjamin French (1764-1847), a native of
Virginia, is buried at this site. Arriving in
Limestone County, Alabama, about 1808, French
acquired this farm 1837. The nearby spring is
site of prehistoric Indian village and Civil War
encampments. The two-story log house, originally
located three miles southwest of this place, is
believed to have been constructed as early as
1829. It was moved here by the Glover family
prior to 1913. This road was part of the early
Pulaski Pike, a major stage coach and supply
route the connected the river at Florence with
Pulaski, Tennessee. (Marker erected by Darnell
and Kimberley Glover)
GOV. HUGH MCVAY
Gov. Hugh McVay-Located
on Cox Creek Parkway in from of Mars Hill
Bookstore
Home and Site
Cemetery McVay (1766-1851) South Carolina
native, built a three room log house at head of
Cox Creek about 1818. Community later called
Mars Hill. He was a member of Mississippi
Territorial Legislature, delegate to convention
of 1819 which framed Alabama's first
constitution. For many years member of Alabama
House and Senate. Briefly Governor in 1837.
Buried near his home.
LARIMORE HOME
1870
Larimore
House-Located Mars Hill Road off of Cox Creek
Parkway
Built by Theophilus
Brown Larimore and his wife Esther Gresham
Larimore, as a home and educational center. Near
site of foundry and arsenal of War Between the
States, it served as a school, 1871-1877, to
train ministers and Christian workers of the
Church of Christ. Used 1947-1968 for classes by
Mars Hill School. Restored 1971 by Associated
Women Association. Added to the National
Register of Historic Places in 1974.
GENERAL JOHN
COFFEE
Gen. John
Coffee-Located on Cloverdale Road 300 feet from
intersection at Cox Creek Parkway.
Home Site and grave
Calvary Commander under Andrew Jackson through
War of 1812: (Creek War, Pensacola, New
Orleans). Negotiated many treaties ceding
Indians lands to U.S. Made original survey of
Tennessee Valley. (Alabama Historical
Association 1953)
NEW HOPE CHURCH
OF CHRIST
New Hope Church of
Christ-Located on County Road 14, tow miles off
Savannah Highway, Southwest of Central Community
Originally the
Concordia Church of Christ, the congregation was
established in 1875 as W.B. Young traveled from
Bethel-Berry to preach at the old Burcham Valley
School House. Name later changed to New Hope
Church of Christ. First building constructed in
1903 on land donated by William Brown Parrish
and other early members. Building was rebuilt in
1913 following storm damage. Men and women who
have made outstanding contributions to churches
and communities throughout the world had their
roots in this congregation.
WESLEY CHAPEL
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AND CEMETERY
Wesley Chapel
United Methodist Church and Cemetery-Located
1064 County Road 15 in Central Community
Church organized in
1819; First Cemetery Burial in 1819. One of the
earliest Methodist Congregations in the area,
this church was organized by local preacher,
Rev. Alexander Faires, in a log school built in
1816. Land donated in 1818 for church and
cemetery by Henry Kirkpatrick. Additional lands
donated in 1841 by Hiram and Eva Rhodes, and in
1911 and 1914 by John and Amanda Wesson and L.D.
Simmons. First and second structures were
destroyed by fires. A frame building was erected
in 1885. First service in present sanctuary was
February 6, 1966. Cemetery listed on Alabama
Register of Landmarks and Heritage.
MACEDONIA CHURCH
OF CHRIST
Macedonia Church of
Christ-Located near County Road 5 and near
intersection of Natchez Trace Parkway and
Alabama Highway 20
Tracing its roots
to the early 1800s, the Macedonia Baptist Church
originally met in homes with Joseph Fanning,
visiting evangelist. In 1834. J.W. Smith
supervised a building on this site. In 1880 T.B.
Larimore, an evangelist among Church of Christ
was asked to preach. The group then changed its
name to Macedonia Church of Christ. This Church
has made a powerful local and worldwide impact.
Its adjoining cemetery is the resting place for
many of the county's beloved sons and daughters.
WILSON'S
HEADQUARTERS AND CAMP Winter, 1865
Wilson Headquarters
and Camp-Located on County Road 14 at Gravely
Springs between Florence and Waterloo
Maj. Gen. James
Harrison Wilson, U.S. Army, assembled the
largest cavalry force ever massed in the Western
Hemisphere at this site from mid-January to
March 22, 1865. Wilson's headquarters was at the
Houston Plantation about 200 yards south of
here. Five divisions totaling 22,000 men were
camped from Gravely Springs at Waterloo. After
intensive training Wilson's Cavalry crossed the
river on March 22, 1865, to invade South Alabama
and Georgia. This operation included the burning
of the University of Alabama and the capture of
President Jefferson Davis at Irwinville, Georgia
on May 10, 1865.
WATERLOO
Town of
Waterloo-Located on County Road 14 at entrance
to the town
Settled in 1819,
established in 1824, and incorporated in 1832-
One of Alabama's oldest incorporated towns,
Waterloo was an important river port during the
steamboat era. Large boats from Louisville,
Cincinnati, and other places would unload here;
smaller crafts were used to transport goods and
passengers upriver to Florence during low water
seasons. Following a disastrous flood in 1847,
the town was relocated to its present site. It
was shelled by Union gunboats in July 1862. On
November 1, 1863, General William T. Sherman
crossed the river here and made his temporary
headquarters in the home of O.B. Sullivan.
TRAIL OF TEARS
Located in the Town
of Waterloo
Thousands of
Cherokee Indians passed through Waterloo in the
1830's when they were forced by the U.S.
Government to move west on the "Trail of Tears".
Most came by boat from Tuscumbia and camped here
to await transfer to larger steamboats. During
the encampment, several births, deaths, and
escapes occurred. One party of 1070 Cherokees
traveled overland from Ross' Landing in
Tennessee due to low water in the upper river.
Following the general route of U.S. Hwy #72 to
Florence, they arrived here on July 10, 1838, in
miserable condition after a 23-day journey.
About 17,000 Cherokees were driven from their
homeland in the Southern Appalachian Mtns. Most
traveled by land through Tennessee and on to
Okalahoma. Great suffering and about 4000 deaths
occurred along the trail, especially during the
Winter of 1838-39.
EDITH NEWMAN
CULVER MUSEUM
Located in the town
of Waterloo
1872-1995
The Newman House
was restored in 1995 and presented to the
citizens of Waterloo by Ezra Lee Culver. Built
in 1872 by Hiriam L. and Julia Ann Young
Richardson, this house was purchased in 1918 by
Joseph Newman, a native of Ohio and U.S. veteran
of the Civil War. His son, Clark Lytle Newman
with his wife, Eunice Lindsey Newman, became the
next owners. Their daughter, Edith, was reared
here from here childhood until her marriage. The
house remained in the Newman family until its
dedication as the museum on October 14, 1995.
ANDREW LEE
PHILLIPS
Located in the town
of Lexington
Descended from
early Lauderdale County pioneers, Andrew Lee
Phillips established a general merchandise store
here in 1888. Later, he operated a gin and grist
mill and was a co-owner of the flour mill. In
1917, he was responsible for the city's first
bank and served as its first president. A member
of the County Board of Education, he gave the
land, manufactured and donated the bricks, and
provided one-fourth of funds to build the local
school. He also donated the land for Lexington
United Methodist Church.
SEMINARY-O’NEAL
HISTORIC DISTRICT
Located on North
Seminary Street behind Pope's Tavern
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.
COLLEGE PLACE
HISTORIC DISTRICT-(2)
Located at the
corner of Willingham Road and Sherrod Avenue and
the corner of Willingham Road and Lelia Street
The land on which
this district rests was part of the 1818 sale by
the Cypress Land Company which established the
City of Florence. During the Civil War
Confederate soldiers constructed breast works
here for the defense of Florence. House
construction began in 1907 and thirty-three were
built before 1929. This lovely neighborhood
contains fine examples of Prairie, Mission, and
English Tudor architecture but the Bungalow
style dominates. A tour of the district reveals
the excellent condition of the homes, the
tree-lined streets, and the comfortable life
available here. The neighborhood was added to
the National Register of Historic Places in
1995.
MAJOR GENERAL
GEORGE WASHINGTON GOETHAL’S HOME-1888-1907
Located at 629
North Wood Avenue.
The great
engineering genius of the Panama Canal lived at
this site from 1888 until 1907. As a young
lieutenant, Goethal was sent to Florence to
speed up the work on the Muscle Shoals Canal
Project which effectively by-passed the serious
river impediment known as the Muscle Shoals. His
successful accomplishments here were considered
as an apprenticeship that led to his renowned
work in the building of the Panama Canal
(1908-1914). Goethals later remarked that his
work on the Muscle Shoals loomed far larger in
his memory that the canal in Panama.
FIRST BAPTIST
CHURCH-1888
Located on
Tombigbee Street near the intersection at Wood
Avenue.
On May 27, 1888,
this church was established at the Courthouse
after a sermon at the State Normal College. Its
initial name was First Missionary Baptist, but
in 1910 it became First Baptist. The Florence
Land Company gave property, and a building was
erected and occupied in 1890. That building
burned in 1909; only the piano, the pulpit
Bible, the pulpit chair and the communion
service survived. Dedication for the next
building occurred in September, 1910. A new
building was constructed in 1963.
THE GREATER
MOUNT MORIAH PRIMITIVE BAPTIST-1896
Located at 821 West
Irvine Ave.
The congregation
first met in home of Mrs. Betsy Key. Organized
as "Fairgrounds Church" in 1896 at nearby site
of early Florence Racetrack and Fairgrounds,
with Andy Sloss as pastor. Later, the church was
moved to Irvine Avenue (formerly Fish-Trap
Road). Mrs. Mary Ola Key was given honor of
naming the church "Mount Moriah." The adjoining
lot was purchased and church rebuilt in 1924,
with C.A. Crump as pastor. In 1924, the building
was remodeled and another addition erected under
David Tolbert as pastor. The Family Life Center
was completed in 1997 with Leroy Sawyer, pastor,
and Wayne Stanley, Chairman.
PREHISTORIC
NATIVE AMERICANS
Located in
McFarland Park near the boat harbor.
(Circa 8,000
B.C.-1500 A.D.)
(Side 1)
This area near the
mouth of Cypress Creek was inhabited by archaic
people as early as 8,000 B.C. Their main food
consisted of freshwater mollusks from the river.
(These mussels were the origin of the name
Muscle Shoals.) The Woodland and Copena
Cultures, associated with the nearby large
Florence Mound, arrived around 2,000 B.C. and
remained almost 3,000 years. About 800 A.D. The
Mississippian Civilization established villages
here and on adjoining islands. Many of the
Indian mounds in the Tennessee Valley were built
by them.
(Marker sponsored
by the Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee-Tombigbee
Waterway, the City of Florence.)
HISTORIC NATIVE
AMERICANS
(Side 2)
(Circa
1500-A.D.-1816 A.D.)
For almost 300
years this area was the home of people known as
the Historic Indians. The first were the Euchees
from the Great Lakes area. They were soon ousted
by the Shawnees from the Ohio River. The
Shawnees were evicted in 1715 A.D. by the
Cherokees and Chickasaws. The Cherokees signed
away their rights to this area in 1806. The
Chickasaws held their claim until the Treaty of
1816. In the summer of 1778, a skirmish occurred
nearby between a party of Creeks and a company
of militia from Nashville. The Chief Bigfoot was
killed.
(Marker sponsored
by the Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee-Tombigbee
Waterway, the City of Florence)
DOWNTOWN
FLORENCE HISTORIC DISTRICT-
Located at the
corner of Court Street and Tennessee Street
From the time
Florence was established in 1818, a slow but
steady growth occurred. In the late 1880s the
town's population increased by 500 percent as an
industrial boom began. This area became the core
of the business district. Most of the structures
within this district were constructed between
1880 and 1920. This district was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
WOOD AVENUE
HISTORIC DISTRICT EXPANSION-
Located on the
corner of Hawthorne Street and Meridian Street.
1850-1943
Joining the Wood
Avenue Historic District, the residential area
is composed of 51 structures dating from 1850 to
1943. The architectural styles in the expansion
area range from late-Victorian to bungalow, with
an unusually fine collection of bungalows. Union
General Don Carlos Buell occupied Florence in
July 1862. His troops were camped on the grounds
surrounding the home of Benjamin Foster, a local
industrialist, once were located between
Hawthorne Street and North Wood Avenue. Nearby
Civil War defense earthworks survived the war
for a number of years. The Malone Home on
Hawthorne Street was used as a military hospital
during the Civil War.
CHERRY STREET
HISTORIC DISTRICT
Located on Cherry
Street near the corner of Cherry Street and
Hermitage Drive.
(early 20th
Century)
Placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1997,
this district contains 52, most were built after
1900. Cherry Street was laid out in 1818 near
the east boundary of Florence. Pulitzer Prize
winner Thomas Sigismund Stribling portrayed
Cherry Street in his novel, The Store. Angel's
Corner, at Cherry and Tuscaloosa Streets was
named for the James H. Angel Grocery Store which
was established about 1905. This was a popular
streetcar stop during the era of the streetcars.
CHURCH SPRING
CHURCH AND SCHOOL-
Located on Spring
Street between Pine Street and Court Street.
(Circa 1840-1895)
About 1849,
African-Americans began holding religious
services in a brick cow shed overlooking the
town spring near the site. It was purchased in
1857 by the local Methodists for this
congregation, with Robin Lightfoot, a slave as
its pastor. In 1879, it was organized as St.
Paul's African-American Methodist Episcopal
Church. Children of slaves and freemen were
taught here in early years. In 1866, the
Freedmen's Bureau established a school for the
children of African-Americans, probably at this
location.
ST JOSEPH
CATHOLIC CHURCH-
Located at the
Church on Plum Street.
1898
Florence Roman
Catholics established their first church here in
1898 with Gammelbert Brunner, OSB, as pastor.
They earlier met in private homes attended by
visiting priests. Churches in Tuscumbia and St.
Florian served the Shoals at large. The ordinal
wooden church and its school were the center of
the surrounding Catholic Hill neighborhood for
seventy-five years. A brick church replaced the
wooden building in 1974. When founded, St.
Joseph Church and school mainly served the
working class areas of East Florence. In time,
it became the chief religious and educational
center for area Catholics.
FLORENCE EARLY
WATER TOWER
Located on Seymore
Ave.
1890
Listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, this tower
of native stone was completed in 1890 as the
foundation for a wrought-iron tank with a
capacity of 280,000 gallons of water. It is 70
feet high and is located on the highest
elevation in the city. Water was pumped here
from Cypress Creek. It was constructed during
the Industrial Boom at which time the population
of Florence increased from 2,000 in 1887 to over
6,000 in 1889. It was replaced by the adjoining
standpipe in 1935.
HOMER GIVENS
Located in Seven
Points (North Florence)
1898-1971
"America's First
World War I HERO"
The home of Homer
Givens, America's first hero in World War I, was
located .4 of a mile north of this intersection.
Following a bloody two-hour battle on November
1, 1917. Corporal Givens stood alone after his
comrades had fallen. He then managed to kill
three enemy soldiers before being severely
wounded by twenty-three pieces of shrapnel.
Givens was decorated with Frances highest
military honor. His award ceremony was attended
by General John J. Pershing. Commander of the
American Expeditionary Forces.
OLD CONFEDERATE
FORT
Located on Veterans
Drive at the entrance of the Florence Coliseum
1862-1865
This high elevation
was used by both armies during the Civil War.
Large earthworks were even constructed in
February 1862 by Confederate General Daniel
Ruggles. At the time, more that 500 sick and
wounded soldiers were being treated in Florence
following the battles of Ford Henry and Donelson.
The last action here occurred on Christmas Day,
1864, when it was shelled by two federal
gunboats, the boats were at Muscle Shoals in an
attempt to block General Hood's river crossing
above Florence following the battles of Franklin
and Nashville.
GENERAL HOOD'S
NARROW ESCAPE
Located on Highway
72 at the Florence Fire Station No.2
December 26, 1864
Following his
tragic defeat at Franklin and Nashville, General
John B. Hood managed to escape over the
Tennessee River at Bainbridge Ferry, a few miles
south of here on December 26, 1864. Two corps
under General Benjamin Cheatham and Stephen D.
Lee were the first to cross, followed by men
under General Alexander P. Stewart. General
Nathan B. Forrest and Edward C. Walthall were
the last to escape over this treacherous pontoon
crossing which narrowly missed becoming one of
history's bloodiest field of slaughter.
THE UNIVERSITY
OF NORTH ALABAMA FOOTBALL PROGRAM NATIONAL NCAA
DIVISION II CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES
Located near the
UNA practice field.
(1993-1994-1995)
The University of
North Alabama became the fist school in the
history of NCAA scholarship football to win
three consecutive national championships (1993,
1994, and 1995.) Under Coach Bobby Wallace, UNA
posted a 41-1 record over the same three year
period to become the first collegiate football
team at any level to win as many as 40 games in
over a three-year period. UNA also became the
first Division II school to win a football
national championship on its home field in three
consecutive game at Florence's Braly Municipal
Stadium.
DEIBERT PARK
Located at Deibert
Park on Darby Drive
Dedicated May 25,
2000
This park was
donated to the people of Florence by Dr. Kirk R.
and Lillian Cook Deibert who initially acquired
this property in 1952. The acreage was once a
part of a large antebellum plantation owned by
Judge Sidney Cherry Posey. In 1875 his heirs
sold this farm to Charles Posey who had worked
these same fields as a slave. Later, Charles and
his wife Amey, began dividing the land among
their heirs, and this settlement became know as
Posey. According to tradition, Charles Posey
built a schoolhouse here for his children and
others in the neighborhood.
PESTHOUSE AND
CEMETERY
Located on Waterloo
Road and Wildwood Road
1866
Following an
outbreak of the dreaded plaque, smallpox (Variola),
at Florence during the winter of 1865-66, the
Board of Alderman adopted a resolution on
January 2, 1866, that a Pesthouse be "erected at
the vineyard as soon as possible." According to
tradition, this Pesthouse, believed to have been
a simple two-room log structure, was located in
this area where people with infectious diseases
could be isolated from community. Also located
nearby is a small cemetery where victims of
these diseases were sometimes buried in unmarked
graves.
PLEASANT HILL
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH CEMETERY
Located on Savannah
Highway by the church
-Established prior
to 1843-
The first marked
grave here is that of David Reeder who died
November 18,1843. An earlier unmarked burial was
a Mrs. McClure from Ireland. The original log
church and school stood just north of the
cemetery. In 1844, a new church was erected
north of the present sanctuary on property
donated in 1888 by Charles and Susan Reeder. The
modern sanctuary, constructed of gray stone, was
completed in 1946. Pleasant Hill was originally
a part of the Cypress Circuit, one of the
earliest Methodist circuits in Lauderdale
County.
ANDREW JACKSON'S
MILITARY ROAD
This marker will
correct and replace the existing one located at
the Indian Mound.
-1817-
Construction of
this road, as ordered by General Andrew Jackson,
began in May 1817 by troops of the U.S. Army for
national defense purposes. Beginning new
Nashville, Tennessee, and continuing to Madison,
Louisiana, it shortened the distance from that
were used by Jackson's Army during the War of
1812. The military road served as a major
transportation route for early settlers of North
Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and the old
Southwest Territory.
CHEROKEE CHIEF
DOUBLEHEAD'S VILLAGE
Located near the
intersection of Darby Drive and Cox Creek
Parkway.
Around 1800
About 1800
Doublehead located his village at this site,
where his brother-in-law, Tahlonteeskee had
previously lived. Doublehead's log house was
built along the same style of those of the white
settlers. Chief Doublehead had previously led
raids against Tennessee settlers from Moneetown,
located southeast of here. In 1806 a reserve was
set aside for Doublehead between Elk River and
Cypress Creek. He leased large tracts of land to
white settlers who were later evicted by the
U.S. Army. His own people assassinated
Doublehead on Hiwassee River 1807.
ST. MICHAEL'S
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Located on Highway
72 by the Blue River Creek Polo Fields. Donated
by Edward Stanley Robbins III.
In 1872, Catholics
of German ancestry settled on the former Wilson
plantation and established the town of St.
Florian. St. Michael's Church was built south of
the road, moved to the present site 1878, and
replaced with the present building in 1916. The
stained-glass windows, ordered from Munich,
Bavaria, weren't installed until the 1920's. The
rectory was built in 1872, burned, and was
rebuilt in 1934. The first pastor, Fr. Michael
Merz, a German Priest, died in 1876. He was
replaced by Fr. Gabriel Guerster. O.S.B., from
Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Benedictine priest have
served the parish since that time.
DANIEL WHITE
Located by the
church on 2781 County Rd. 30.
Settled Here in
1818
Daniel White,
native of North Carolina, purchased land here in
1818, a year before Alabama became a state. His
home and stage coach stop, "Wayside Inn", was a
large two-story log house located on the north
side of the highway from the site. In 1834 he
set aside the original two acres in this burial
ground for the church and cemetery. Daniel White
and his wife, Margaret, are believed to be
buried here. Also buried here is a son, Sherwood
White, who operated a grist mill on Second Creek
a few miles west of Rogersville.
DRED SCOTT
Located on Highway
72
(In Florence
1820-1830)
Dred Scott, whose
name is associated with the landmark U.S.
Supreme Court Dred Scott Decision of 1857, was
born in Virginia between 1795-1809. In 1818 he
was in Madison County, Alabama. He came to
Florence with the Peter Blow family in 1820.
About 1827 the Peter Blow Inn was established at
this site. Scott served as the hostler here
until the Blows relocated to St. Louis,
Missouri, in 1830. Afterwards, Scott was sold to
Dr. John Emerson. It was under Emerson's service
that Scott based his legal fight for freedom
that resulted in the Dred Scott Decision.
COLONEL PICKETT
PLACE
Located on Pine
Street by the old Health Department
1833
This "double-pile
cottage" is a rare Alabama example of Tidewater
architecture that originated along the Southern
seaboard during the colonial period. This house
was built in 1833 by Thomas J. Crowe, proprietor
of the early National Hotel in Florence, as a
wedding gift for his bride, Elizabeth Hooks of
Tennessee. It later became the home of Richard
Oric Pickett, who arrived in 1843 to become one
of the town's leading attorney's. Pickett was
Colonel of the 10th Alabama Infantry
under General Philip Roddey, called the
"Defender of North Alabama" during the Civil
War.
JUSTICE JOHN
MCKINLEY FEDERAL BUILDING
Located on the
corner of Seminary Street and Hermitage Drive
Named for Alabama's
first United State Supreme Court Justice, John
McKinley made his first home in Florence,
Alabama from 1821-1842. Born May 1, 1780, in
Culpepper County, Virginia, he died July 19,
1852, and is buried in Louisville, Kentucky.
McKinley was an early settler of Huntsville,
Alabama, and resided in the Howard Weeden home.
As a member of the Cypress Land Company, he was
one of the seven founders of Florence in 1818.
McKinley helped establish one of Florence's fist
schools and its first church, First Presbyterian
Church
McKinley was and
early benefactor of public education in Alabama
by donating land for the current Athens State
University and serving on the original Board of
Trustees for the University of Alabama. As a
local lawyer, he gained regional status as
Alabama legislator and national status in both
the U.S. House and Senate. His work in congress
on resident of Florence 1838, McKinley was sworn
in as the 23rd Associate Justice of
the United States Supreme Court where he served
until his death.
CAPTURE OF JOHN
A. MURRELL, NATCHEZ TRACE OUTLAW
Located on Waterloo
Road
John A. Murrell,
known as the "Great Western Land Pirate", was
captured near this site in the winter of 1834.
He was said to have killed over 400 people,
including many kidnapped slaves. His arrest was
brought about through the clever maneuvering of
Tom Brannon, a local African-American slave. An
attempt had been made by the outlaw to recruit
Brannon as a contact man for his far-reaching
empire of crime. Brannon was awarded $100.00 for
his bravery and his name was publicized across
the country.
BURRELL-SLATER
SCHOOL
Located at 110 West
College Street
Named for Jabez
Burrell of Oberlin, Ohio, a major donor to the
American Missionary Association which funded the
first structure here in 1903. The original
building served black students in grades 1-12.
When the school suffered financially during the
Depression, its operation was assumed by the
City of Florence in 1951. The high school was
moved to the Slater Elementary building on South
Court Street where it remained until the
structure burned in 1958. In 1960, the present
Burrell-Slater building opened on this site and
served black students in grades 7-12 until it
closed 1969.
WHEELER RIFLES
Located on Short
Court Street
Organized in 1888
Prior to the repeal
of the Militia Act in 1902, states maintained
their own militia. One of the last militia in
Florence and Lauderdale County was the Wheeler
Rifles. Organized in 1888, under the command of
Captain Julian Fields, it was named for U.S.
Congressman Joseph Wheeler Rifles, under the
command of Captain William Martin, was the first
militia company in Alabama to volunteer for
service in the Spanish-American War, although
the war ended while they were undergoing
training in Florida.
SCULPTURE
RELIEF-BOOKS AND LEARNING
Located
at 350 North Wood Avenue
1921
This sculpture
relief was created by James W. Stoves and placed
above the entrance to Gilbert Elementary School
in 1921. In 1980, following the closing of
Gilbert School, it was moved to Hibbett Middle
School. Because of its theme which relates to
the teaching of children, it is now a part of
Florence/Lauderdale Public Library. Stoves left
the Birmingham, Alabama, coal mines to become a
stone worker and sculptor. He moved to Florence
in 1913 and purchased Florence Marble Works.
Many of the monuments in the Florence Cemetery
were sculptured by Stokes.
THE AMERICAN
LEGION
Located at the
corner of Court Street and Dr. Hicks Blvd.
1919
The American
Legion, an organization of U.S. War Veterans was
founded in Paris, France March 15-17, 1919, by
delegates from combat and service units of the
American Expeditionary Force assembled in
response to a call committee headed by
Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. A
national charter was granted by Congress on
September 19, 1919. The charter has been amended
over the years to admit veterans of all American
Wars to its membership. Nonsectarian and
nonpolitical, the American Legion membership
requirement is an honorable service and an
honorable discharge.
Side two
THE AMERICAN
LEGION
FLORENCE-LAUDERDALE POST NUMBER II
DEPARTMENT OF
ALABAMA
1919
On July 15, 1919,
following a petition signed by fifteen charter
members, the American Legion Post Number II,
Florence, Alabama was organized, with Albert
McFarland, commander, Bob Eastep,
vice-commander, and George Bowen, adjutant. This
post held its first meetings on West Tennessee
Street, across from the location of the original
court house. Construction of the original wing
of this historic home of Post Number II, 318
South Court Street, commenced on March 15, 1936.
This building is dedicated to the memory of
those from Lauderdale County who paid the
supreme sacrifice in World War I.
ANTE-BELLUM
COTTON MILLS
Located by Hibbett
Middle School on Appleby Blvd.
1840
About one mile west
of here is the side of the Globe Cotton Factory
which was erected on Cypress Creek in 1840. By
1857 its operation included three cotton mills,
a flour mill, and two corn mills, all powered by
the use of three dams. By 1860 the factory
employed 310 people, including a large number of
women and children, at average salaries of $2.50
per week. These mills were burned by the Union
Army in May, 1863. One factory, called Cypress
Mill, was re-built after the war, but is
operation was never successful.
LOCUST STREET
HISTORIC DISTRICT
Located on Locust
Street
1818
Part of the city's
first residential area, this district contains a
variety of architectural styles. Originally the
dwellings were log cabins. An early sawmill on
Cypress Creek and a nearby brick yard provided
lumber and bricks for many of the earliest
houses. An early school was located on South
Cedar Street, "Prepdom", an academy for boys
established prior to 1835, was at the corner of
Tombigbee and Cypress streets. Irvine Avenue, on
the north boundary of this district, was
original Fish Trap Road, named for the natural
fist trap in nearby Cypress Creek.
THE KOREAN WAR
June 1950-July 1953
Erected by the
citizens of Florence in honor of the men and
women from Lauderdale County who served the
nation in the Korean War, and IN MEMORY OF THE
FOLLOWING PATRIOTS FROM LAUDERDALE COUNTY WHO
MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE FOR THIS NATION
DURING THE KOREAN WAR:
James F. Barrier
Ralph T. Bruce
Robert H. Guthrie
Morris E. Hughes
William R. McGee
Grady H. Miller
James Oakley
James G. Olive
Oscar B. Parker
Carl T. Sloan
Grover C. Spence,
Jr.
Marvin R. Springer
Gerald D. Steen
James O. Trent
VIETNAM WAR
MEMORIAL
The following men
from Lauderdale County made the supreme
sacrifice for our nation during the war with
Vietnam.
Jimmy Rex Ball
Howard Wayne
Bramlett, Jr.
Paul O'Neal Brown
Edward Lee Brock
Roger Jerrell Bryan
Virgil L. Castle
Phillip Don
Childers
Samuel Earl Coker
Thomas Cotton
Charles Edward Cox
James Larry Evans
Joel Wayne Forrester
Richard J. Glenn
Jerry DeWayne Hill
James Dale Hodges
Alfred W. Hubbard
Barber
Jerry Reed Johnson
Albert J. Jones
Felix D. King, Jr.
Robert Burton
LeCates
Larry Luster
George Thomas
Mangrum
Robert Lee McCraig
Danny Albert McGee
James Danile
McKelvey
William Newton
McMurtrey
Don Leslie Michael
Donald Lee
Montgomery
John Runyon Neary
II
Charles Terry
Jimmy Lee Thompson
Gary Frank Wallace
SIMPSON
HOUSE-IRVINE PLACE-COBY HALL
Located on the
campus of University of North Alabama, North
Court Street
Built by John
Simpson in 1843, on the site of his earlier
home, this residence was occupied at various
times by both armies during the Civil War.
Purchased in 1867 by George W. Foster, builder
of Courtview, for his daughter, Virginia, and
her husband, James B. Irvine. Their daughter,
Virginia, left the home to her great-niece
Harriett Rogers King in 1939. Mrs. King and her
husband, Madding restored Irvine Place in 1948.
Acquired in 1990 by David Brubaker, and donated
to the University of North Alabama in memory of
his wife, Coby Stockard Brubaker. Listed:
National Register of Historical Places.
ORIGINAL SITE OF
FAME RECORDING STUDIO
Located near the
Shoals Theater on Seminary Street, and Mobile
Plaza
-EARLY 1960's-
This marks the site
of the pioneering music company of FLORENCE
ALABAMA MUSIC ENTERPRISES (FAME), a name which
became renowned worldwide as the home of "The
Muscle Shoals Sound". FAME was founded in the
early 1960's by three young entrepreneurs (Rick
Hall, Billy Sherrell, and Tom Stafford) who
improvised a make-shift studio in a vacant room
above the City drug Store that once stood here.
FAME'S earliest recording sessions launched the
careers of such music business legends as Arthur
Alexander, Rick Hall, Billy Sherrell, Norbert
Putnan, David Briggs, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham,
and many others.
ORIGINAL SITE OF
FAME RECORDING STUDIO
-ABOUT 1960-
Following limited
success, the partnership dissolved. Rick Hall
took the publishing company and FAME name in
return for the studio equipment. He relocated
the studio to an empty tobacco warehouse in
Muscle Shoals. His next recording "You Better
Move On", by Arthur Alexander, was acclaimed as
the Shoals first worldwide best seller. Over the
next several decades FAME recording studios
became one of the most successful producers of
rhythm and blues, pop, and country music in the
world. Rick Hall became known as the "Father of
the Muscle Shoals Sound".
WORLD WAR II
MEMORIAL
Dedicated to the
memory of 129 men from Lauderdale County (Listed
on these four panels) who sacrificed their lives
in the defense of our Nation during World War
II.
Robert F. Adams
Aubrey H. Alexander
Lee Eddy Anderton
Eugene Barnett
Victor E. Barnett
Grady Bates
Joseph D. Belue
Ralph T. Berg
Raymond Blackwell
Alvin Brewer
William M. Brooks
Dennis O. Brown
Melvin O. Brown
Ed Buffler
Collins O'Neal
Butler
James D. Butler
James E. Butler
Thomas E. Campbell,
Jr.
Chester L. Chapman
Wayne Cody
Robert O. Collum
Overton L. Corner
William L. Connor,
Jr.
John R. Cooper
John H. Craig
Eugene H. Crouch
Homer Crunk
J.M. Cunningham
Marcy B. Darnall,
Jr.
Omer E. Davidson
George W. Davis
Clettis J.
Dickerson
Edward T. Douthitt
Jack Douthitt
Clarence Calvin
Duke
Jerome R. Eckl
Fred R. Eckl
Fred Edwards
Thomas Ralph Epping
Jeffie C. Davis
Weildon R. Fowler
William E. Fowler
Ernest Franklin
Foy N. Gamble
Lynwood M. Glazier
J.C.Goode
Louis O. Greaves
Harry L. Grigsby
Roy B. Grigsby
Marvin S. Gruber
William A. Hamer
Foster S. Hammond
Malcolm Hugh
Hammond
Ira D. Harvey
Anthony Hawkins,
Jr.
Henry V. Haynes
Clyde Hendrix
Samuel T. Holt
Keith F. Holtsford
Herbert H. Hughes
Woodrow Hughes
James A. Hunt
Charles E. Hurn
Thomas Harlan Irons
Charles Allen
Jackson
Herbert F. Johnson,
Jr.
R.T.S. Johnson, Jr.
George H. Kelley
Robert Bruce Killen
Albert Thomas King,
Jr.
Gordon K. Knight
Reuben E. Lard
Joseph R. Lentz
Milton E. Littrell
Irl Emerson Lucas,
Jr.
Jesper A. Mathis
Walter Matthews
Earl J. McBride
Theodore McCollum
Roy E. McCorkle,
Jr.
Don K. McDowell
Oscar E. Miner
Jefferson W.
Mitchell
Sam H. Mitchell,
Sr.
Don M. Montgomery
Fred T. Montgomery
Stevenson W. Moomaw
John M. Morgan
Arthur L. Muthig
Charles Myrick
Marvin W. Olive,
Jr.
Elmer M. Patterson
Llewellyn
Pennington
Calvin F. Pettus
Byron P. Phillips
Coy Willis Phillips
Walter P. Porter
Homer R. Richardson
Ganes Robbins
Edward Lee Roden
Perry L. Roden
Thomas E. Romine
James R. Sego
George L. Simms
Alvin H. Smith
Howard P. Smith
Joseph W. Staggs
William Joe Tanner
Mack Tays
Gaylon S. Thigpen
Robert Coleman
Thigpen
Cecil Howard
Thornton
Gaines E. Threet
Alvin A. Threet,
Jr.
Willie L. Threet,
Jr.
Glenn C. Turner
Jesse L. Vinson
Wilson O. Wanner
Cheatham B. Warren
Raymond F. Weaver
Albert W. White
Harold G. White
Delma W. Wilbourn
Sylvester L.
Wilburn
Eldred E. Williams
Arnold A. Word
Clifford M. Wright
James E. Yates
Robert E. Young
SAM PHILLIPS IN
FLORENCE
This will be placed
at the new Marriott Hotel in Jan.2006
Side one
Sam Phillips had a
vision. It sprang from the land. It sprang from
the river. Long after he had achieved fame and
worldwide recognition he always spoke of
Florence as the birthplace of his inspiration.
He pointed towards the people he had grown up
with, the family upbringing he had enjoyed, the
freedom he had learned to cherish in Alabama.
His greatest heroes were from the place of his
birth and often of the humblest origins. He
loved, as he always said, "the soil, the water,
the trees, and the beautiful Tennessee River."
He learned from his father how to plow behind a
mule, but he told the world to always seek that
unplowed row. Above text by Peter Guralnick.
Side two
THE FATHER OF
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
Sam Phillips fell
in love with the miracle of sound and the
unifying power of music. Moving to Memphis,
Tennessee, he embraced the beauty of the blues
with his early recordings of Howlin Wolf, B.B.
King, and other delta artists. In 1951, the
maverick producer cut the first "Rock 'N' Roll"
record, "Rocket 88". Three years later he
revolutionized American music with his discovery
of the dynamic Elvis Presley. His credo was
passionate, conviction, originality, and
individuality in the extreme. His Sun Record
label unleashed the earth shaking rule-breaking
sounds of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee
Lewis, Roy Orison, and Charles Rich. "Rock 'N'
Roll is the freedom of the rhythm of the soul".
He once said, "And I was looking for that little
piece of soul magic". Above text by Terry Pace.
WORLD WAR I
MEMORIAL
This will be placed
at Veterans Park in 2007
Dedicated to the
following heroes who sacrificed their lives in
the defense of our Nation during World War I.
Adams, Jesse
Agnew, Jesse
Alexander, John C.
Barkley, John T.
Brewer, William
Calvin
Burks, Tommie
Couch, William A.
Creasy, William M.
Crunk, Percy
Foster, Soloman
Hall, John Wesley
Hardedn, Nalia
Hill, Price
Hines, Luther
Holland, Henry
Houston, John W.
Howell, T.A. Jr.
Huepel, Jacob W.
Hulsey, Thomas W.
Jones, Jesse
Johnson, Robert
Lanier, Charles E.
Lawson, Henry J.
Liles, Barney
Livingston, David
L.
Martin, Beatrice
McCollum, Arlie A.
McCollum, Oscar M.
McFall, George
Edwin
McKinney, Alvin M.
Miller, Milton G.
NeSmith, John
Newton, Aaron
Nugent, Alonzo
Parum, William E.
Smith, Henry
Thompson, Green
Underwood, Thomas
Clayton
Wesson, James E.
Wilcoxson, Clyde
Young, Frank Leslie
115th
SIGNAL BATTALION
This will be
placed at the original site in March 2007.
-Organized 1940-
At this site where
once stood Fort Willingham (Armory) the 115th
Signal Battalion was organized December 1, 1940.
Originally the 2nd Battalion, 151st
Engineers, it was organized a number of times
from 1940 to 1959 as its mission was changed to
meet the Nation's military requirements. In
World War II it was designated as an Engineer
Combat Regiment (later Battalion). During the
Korean War it was on active duty as the 104th
Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons
Battalion. The 115th Signal Battalion
served this Nation in the war with Iraq during
2004-2005.
BIRTHPLACE OF
W.C. HANDY
This marker is to
be located on West Irvine Street at the actual
site of the birthplace of W.C. Handy.
1873
William Christopher
Handy, acclaimed worldwide as the "Father of
Blues" was born on November 16, 1873 in his
grandfather's two-room log cabin which was
located at this site. All structures in this
area were removed in 1954 to make way for the
Handy Homes Project. W.C. Handy received $20,000
for this site which he returned to the City of
Florence to be used for restoration of his
boyhood home. In 1970, the cabin was restored at
its present location (620 West College Street)
as a part of the W.C. Handy Home and Museum.
McFARLAND PARK
AND RECREATION AREA
This is to be
located at McFarland Park in 2007
This bottom land
serves as a reservoir for TVA's flood control
program. Florence leases it for recreational
purposes when not being used by TVA. Major
Robert McFarland, a native of Ireland, his wife,
Katie Armstead McFarland, and their seven
children resided in the ante-bellum mansion now
called Mapleton that overlooked this river
bottom. Strawberries were once grown here.
Jobless familes were encouraged to plant
vegetable gardens here during the Great
Depression. Major McFarland rode with
Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and became
the first cavalryman to leap across the line
onto Indiana soil.
FLORENCE LITTLE
LEAGUE BASEBALL (1951)
COACH PRESLEY ROBBINS FIELD (1972)
This will be placed
at Robbins Field in April of 2007.
Plans for the
Florence Little League Baseball Program for
youth in ages ranging from eight to twelve years
were completed in April 1951. These plans and
the layout of this playing field were in accord
with those developed by America's first Little
League Program of 1939 in Williamsport,
Pennsylvania. The four local teams to
participate in the Florence 1952 opening season
were Indians, Red Socks, Tigers, and Yankees.
In 1973 this field
was re-named Coach Presley Robbins Field in
appreciation of Robbins' years of labor that was
instrumental to the development of this program
for the youth of Florence.
FLORENCE BETHEL
CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
Will be placed at
408 East Alabama Street in 2008
The "Mother Church"
of the Presbytery, Florence Cumberland colored
Presbyterian Church originated in 1898 on
property deeded by the city. Led, in 1918, by
Rev. Holt Smith, it bought property on Alabama
Street and built a frame structure. In 1948 Rev.
Earl McDonald led in the construction of the
annex named for him and the Jerome Robinson
Educational building. In 1997, the name became
Florence Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church
in American. The church continually proclaims
the compassion of Christ throughout the world.
