Today, I rode to Moulton, Alabama, to join a group of people. We enjoyed several different people talking about sites in Moulton.
Our First Stop was the Moulton Negro High School, also called Moulton Rosenwald School.
 Moulton Negro High School, also called Moulton Rosenwald School. |
| Near this site in the 1920s, a school was constructed with funds and labor from the African-American community and funds from the Public Whites and the Rosenwald Foundation. In the 1950s, new buildings replaced wooden structures. Most of the block-laying, plastering, and mortar mixing was done by African-American volunteers. Much of the funding came from faculty, students, and their families. The school closed in 1970 due to desegregation. The school exemplified the educational pride of the African-American community. School Principals were Mrs. Maggie Truss, Mrs. Addie Irwin, Ms. Pearl F. Crenshaw, Mr. A.G. Petty, Mrs. Hazel A. Shelley, Mr. Samuel A. Shelley, Ms. Ora Smith, Mr. Noble Jones, Mr. James Poe, Mr. C.C. Chunn. |
We listened to a woman speak about the school that once was a Negro High School but now is an elementary and junior high for remote learning.
Next, we rode down the street to the Byler Road Church of Christ AME, where we listened to another woman talk about the church's history.
We then rode to the Freeman Tabernacle Church on Byler Road, where another woman talked about that church and its history.
In 2019, the Freeman Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church celebrated its 150th Anniversary.
Isaac Owens donated the land for the church, and for a short time, the Baptists and Methodists worshiped together.
Reverend Freeman was the minister of the church for over 35 years.
Freeman Tabernacle church celebrated its 150 years of service in 2019.
We stopped at the Old Moulton Cemetery and watched several women talk about important people buried in the cemetery. They were in period dresses.
Alicia Carpenter played the character of Miss Lucy Downing, the daughter of James and Mary Downing.
When she was about four years old, her father died, and her mother went to work for the Post Office. She was appointed postmistress of Moulton and served for 17 years.
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| Mother Mollie Downing 1955-1933 wife of James Downing "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou." |
Lucy Downing, daughter of James & Mollie Downing 1886-1968
Lucy never married and followed in her mother's footsteps as postmistress of Moulton.
We stopped in front of the Smith Chapel CME Church and listened to a woman talk about the church's history.
 Smith Chapel C.M.E. Church |
| On this site, in 1871, former slaves constructed one of the first churches and schools for African Americans in Moulton. The Colored Methodist purchased most of the materials used for the building. Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Nabors Owen gave land for the Color Baptist and Colored Methodist Church and School Moulton. The congregations worshipped together until 1874. The course is named in honor of Rev. Andrew Smith, a former pastor |
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| Mural of Moulton |
I stopped to take a picture of the mural about the history of Moulton, which was not quite finished.
My last stop was at The Hot Spot, where we listened to the history of the Hot Spot and Byer Road.
Byler Road
Pioneer Alabama's settled path to new lands, agriculture, transport, and commerce began in Northwest Alabama. The 140-mile corridor was designed by the state legislators on December 19, 1819. This was Alabama's first state legislative action. It started at the junction of Shoals Creek and Jackson Military Road, 10 miles northeast of Florence, AL, and ended at Warrior River Falls at the state capital crossing in Tuscaloosa, AL.
