👣👣👣👣 2009 June 6 - August 9 Historic Markers and Walking Tours

2009 Saturday, June 6 Walking tours of Wood Avenue & Frontier Days at Pope's Tavern

2009 Saturday, June 13 Walking Tour of North Court and Seminary St homes

2009 Saturday, June 20 Walking in Florence Cemetery

2009 Saturday, June 27, Walking tour of Forks of Cypress.

June 17, 2009

Hubby and I went to music in the park from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. We ate lunch at Subway.

In Tuscumbia, I took pictures of different markers

Alabama Institute for the Blind 

Yellow Fever Victims 

Ivy Green (Home of Helen Keller)

St John's Episcopal Church  

Train Depot  

Tuscumbia Courthouse & KIA War markers  

Governor Lindsey Home

In Sheffield, I took pictures of the historic markers of  

FDR & Furnace Hill

At Rogers High School, I took a picture of the 

KIA World War II

June 23, 2009

Hubby worked on his sister's swimming pool, and we ate at a restaurant in Cloverdale. 

Hubby drove and stopped to take pictures of the Historic Markers

General Coffee me 

Governor Hugh McVay  

St Florian  

     

June 25, 2009 

In the Florence area, I took pictures of Historic Markers

Wood Avenue Church of Christ 1886 

Wood Avenue Historic District 

Sculpture and Relief Books and Learning, 1921, 

First Baptist Church, 1888; all these markers are near the Florence Library. 

Picture of the statue of W.C. Handy that stands at the entrance of Wilson Park. 

(Near the Florence Post Office, the following markers)

First Presbyterian Church 1818 

Justice John McKinley Federal Building   

Mountain Tom Clark Hanged September 4,1872

This marker is located in front of the Florence Cemetery, where Tom Clark said, "Nobody will ever run over me." So it is said he was buried under Florence Boulevard/Tennessee Street. 

June 28, 2009 

In the Florence area, I took pictures of 

A County Older Than the State, Lauderdale County was created on February 6, 1818. The Civil War Statue and Inscription (located in front of the Florence Courthouse)

Downtown Florence Historic District 

South Hall Drugs

Sannoner Historic Medical Arts Building

City of Florence

Burrell Normal School, Burrell High School, Burrell~Slater High School, 1903-1969, Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, 

Dred Scott 

Historic downtown Florence 

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Hubby's granddaughter and I ate breakfast at Hardies for $16.16, then headed to Huntsville, stopping along the way so I could take pictures of historic markers.

Next to the Bluewater Creek Polo Club and near Bluewater Cemetery were two markers.

Daniel White Settle Here in 1818 

Cherokee Chief Doublehead's Village Around 1800

Fort Hampton 

We rode to Redstone Arsenal, where we saw the Historic Redstone Test Site, Liquid Hydrogen Tanks, Historic Saturn I, Saturn I-B Test Stand, Miniature Columbia NASA Shuttle, and Rockets.

Hubby bought a new cell phone at AT&T. 

We finished the day by going shopping at Victoria's Secret on Bridge Street.
We ate dinner at Red Robbin, Hubby ordered a fully dressed hamburger and fries. I ordered 

Salsa, avocado dip with colorful chips.
After a long day of sightseeing, shopping, and eating, we needed to relax in our swimming pool at home.

Thursday, July 2, 2009 

I rode around downtown Florence, taking pictures of historic markers

Cherry Street

First Baptist Church 1888

First United Methodist Church

Taking pictures outside the Kennedy Douglas Art Center

Killen Park Sign

Muscle Shoals Canal

Regions Bank (Replica of the Forks of Cypres, which was built by James Jackson)

Sculpture, Relief, Books, and Learning

Trinity Episcopal Church 

Walnut Street 

And the flow of the Wilson Park Foundation

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Hubby and I enjoyed listening to music in Wilson Park from 11–1 P.M.

I took a picnic lunch.

After the music ended, we rode around Florence so I could take a couple of pictures of 

Andrew Jackson Military Road

115th Single Battalion Organized in 1940

Tuesday, July 13, 2009

I rode with my daughter to Heritage Park, located next to the Marriott Hotel, for an Ice Cream Social where the Stroke Conference was being held.
We had met several people from the Conference the day before inside the Marriott.

I walked down the River Heritage Walk of Honor to take pictures. This marker was placed on a plaque honoring notable people who had an impact on our community.

Lt. Col. R. Edward Yeilding

Thomas Sigismund Stribling

James Thomas Rapier

Samuel Cornelius Phillips

Edward Ashbury O'Neal

Dr. Ethelbert Brinkley Norton

Justice John A. McKinley

William D. "Buddy" Killen

Harlan Hill

Caroline Lee Hentz 

William Christopher Handy

Major General George W. Goethals 

Ronnie Gene Flippo

General John Coffee

Ezra Lee Culver

General Arthur E. Brown, Jr

The day was hot, and many people in swimsuits were playing in the fountain, trying to stay cool. While others lay on towels or blankets, sunning. 

The water show began after dark, where the water danced in sync with the music. 

Monday, July 24, 2009 

Hubby and I rode throughout Florence to get the following markers.

1. Father of Rock'‘n' Roll, & Sam Phillips in Florence, 
2. The Florence Early Water Tower
3. The Ante Bellum Cotton Marker
4. College Palace Historic District 
5. Original Site history of Florence Wagons    
6. East Florence Historic 
7. Site of Fame Recording Studio  
8. St Joseph Catholic Church
9. Lone Cedar Church  
10. John McKinney Marker 

Friday, July 25, 2009

Hubby and I rode around the Florence area, taking pictures of historic markers.

Colonel Picket Place 

Florence Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America 

Florence Little League Baseball 1951 Coach Presley Robbins Field 1972

Homer Givens 1898-1971 

Major General George Washington Goethals Home  

The Greater Mount Moriah Primitive Baptist Church  

UNA Football Program NCAA Div II titles 1993-1994-1995 

Wheeler Rifles Organized in 1888 

Wood Ave Historic  

Monday, July 27, 2009 

Hubby and I rode around in Colbert & Lauderdale Counties, taking pictures of sites and historic markers.

I took pictures of the W.C. Handy Home Museum outside. 

I took pictures of the abandoned train trestle, now used as a walkway. 

The American Legion 1919

The American Legion Florence ~Lauderdale Post Number II Department of Alabama 1919 (both located next to the American Red Cross building in Florence)

Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church

Seminary ~ O'Neal Historic District 

William Winston Home (Now a part of Deshler High School)

First Baptist Church 

First Presbyterian Church, Tuscumbia's Oakwood Cemetery

Village One (Sheffield)

Winston Cemetery (When I was a child, my cousin would run past this cemetery hurriedly; we were afraid of ghosts.) Our grandfather told many ghost stories. 

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hubby and I rode to different areas in the Shoals, taking pictures. 

Weeden Heights 

Lagrange Mountain Park and war markers

Coon Dog Cemetery, Cherokee (where only coon dogs are buried)

Barton Cemetery (Where there is evidence of a battle)

The Civil War Skirmish at Barton Cemetery

Jerry Scott Marker at the Railroad Station in Muscle Shoals  

We ate lunch at Chopps in Tuscumbia. 

Saturday, August 1, 2009 

Hubby and I rode to Waterloo. I was taking pictures along the way.

The Trail of Tears 

Capture of John A Murrell 

Pestilence and Pesthouse and Cemetery  

Waterloo Settled 1819  

Edith Newman Culver Museum

Wilson's Headquarters and Camp   

Macedonia Church of Christ Marker

That evening, we went to Heritage Park splash pad to watch the water explode into colors of yellow, red, and blue. 

Monday, August 3, 2009

Hubby and I rode to Limestone County, so I could take pictures of the historic marker.s   

Harris/Pryor House (Flower Hill Farm)  

General Nathanael Bedford Forrest CSA Raid  

Oakland United Methodist Church 

Hitt's Home Decor Cabinets, Granite Mansion Burned    

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Hubby and I rode to Athens so I could take pictures of historic markers

Athens Sacked and Plundered  

Athens University Athens

Limestone Athens Courthouse 

Old Town Cemetery Historic  

Saturday, August 8, 2009 

Hubby and I rode to Decatur, where we toured the Cook's Natural Science Museum.

In the Cooks Museum, we saw every kind of bug and spider known to man.

We saw many bird species, fossils, shells, animal skeletons, and a collection of butterflies.

In the Blue & Gray Civil War Museum, we saw cases full of items used during the Civil War and pictures hanging on the wall depicting officers and battles.

We stopped along the way so I could take pictures of sites and historic markers.

Decatur Train Depot 

Princess Theater 

Morgan Courthouse Markers 

Old State Bank

Historic Decatur

General Joseph, Annie Wheeler     

General Wheeler 

In Lawrence County, we went to Jessie Owens Park, where we saw a statue of Jesse Owens, the 1956 Olympic Champion, and toured the museum, his boyhood home, and a sand pit depicting his winning jump.

James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens

At Oakville Indian Mounds, I took pictures of several mounds, the park, the museum, and several markers. 

Straights Raid

Creek Indian Removal

Cherokee Indian Removal

Oakville Indian Mound

Cherokee Council House Museum

Town of Oakville

Cope-an Burial Mound

Historic Indians

Doublehead

Saunders Hall (Located In Town Creek) 

Sunday, August 9, 2009 

We rode to Fort Pay, near Alabama, where we toured the Alabama Fan Club and Museum. We walked through the park, looking at the statues of the famous Alabama band and the historic markers. We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel.

Statues of the Group Alabama Band

The Alabama Fan Club and Museum 

Trail of Tears at Bridgeport

Willis Town Historic Marker

Fort Payne's Fort

RR Depot Fort Payne 

Fort Payne City Park

CSA Marker Fort Payne Park 

We rode to Ruby Falls to take the elevator down into the cave. We were told about the rock formations, and the grand finale was the colorful Ruby Falls, a small hole where water was coming out.

Ruby Falls

Crow Town Stevenson  

Sequoyah Historic Marker 

Decatur County 1821-1825 

Battle of Wauhatchie Historic Marker  

2009 ~ Friday, July 24, Historic Markers Lauderdale County Alabama

My husband spent the day driving me around Florence; he would stop and let me out long enough to take a few pictures.

We stopped in the Marriott's parking lot to get a picture of The Father of Rock' n' Roll, & Sam Phillips in Florence.

  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 through 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 extreme individuality. His Sun Records label unleashed the earth-shaking, rule-breaking sounds of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Charlie 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."

Sam Phillips in Florence
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 toward the people he had grown up with, the family upbringing he had enjoyed, and the freedom he had learned to cherish in Alabama. His great 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 continuously seek that unplowed row.
Above text by Peter Guralnick.

We stopped on Veterans Drive so I could take a picture of the Florence Wagon Works Marker; it was very worn.

Florence Wagon Works
Moved here from Atlanta in 1889, this industry made Florence a household word throughout the South. It was the largest wagon factory in the South, reportedly the second-largest in the U.S., with 250 employees and an annual production of 12,000 wagons. World War I army wagons were made here and sent all over the U.S. and to France. The increasing use of motorized vehicles led to a gradual decline in factory activity. The firm was liquidated in the 1930s.

We stopped in East Florence so I could take a picture of the East Florence Historic District marker, which was located on South Royal Avenue and Georgia Street, next to the building that was once a Drug Store.

East Florence Historic District
The East Florence business area began during the industrial boom of the 1880s and 1890s and continued to develop through the 1920s. Originally known as "Sweetwater", the small, locally owned firms were established to serve the growing population employed in the area's industries. The district contains twelve buildings of historical and architectural significance, including a home, drug store, grocery, bank, cafe, fire station, and railroad.

We stopped on Veterans Drive behind the Hampton Inn so I could take a picture of the John McKinney marker.

 John McKinney, Associate Justice, US Supreme Court 

John McKinley (1780~1852), a native of Virginia, prominent attorney, and member of the Cypress Land Company, built a large three-story mansion near this site in 1820, which later burned. McKinley served in the Alabama Legislature and the U.S. Senate (1826~31); was appointed Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court, by President Van Buren; served 1837~52. Died in Louisville, Ky.

We rode uptown Florence, where I took pictures of the  Site of Fame Studio, Father of Rock ' n ' Roll, marker located on the corner of Florence Boulevard and Seminary Street.

Original Site of Fame Recording Studios, early 1960s 
Following the 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 of "You Better Move On" by Arthur Alexander was acclaimed as the Shoal's first worldwide bestseller. Over the next several decades, FAME recording studios became one of the most successful producers of rhythm and blues, pop, and country in the world. Rick Hall became known as the "Father of the Muscle Shoals Sound".

Original Site of Fame Recording Studios, early 1960s
This marks the site of the pioneering music company, Florence, Alabama Music Enterprise (FAME), a name that became renowned worldwide as the home of the "Muscle Shoals Sound". FAME was founded in the early 1960s by three young local entrepreneurs, Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, and Tom Stafford, who improvised a make-shift studio in a vacant room above the City Drug Store that once stood there. FAME's earliest recording sessions launched the careers of such music business legends as Arthur Alexander, Rick Hall, Billy Sherrell, Norbert Putman, David Briggs, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, and many others.

St Joseph Catholic Church 1898
The Roman Catholic Church in Florence established its 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 original 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 St. Joseph Church and School was founded, it mainly served the working-class areas of East Florence. At the time, it became the chief religious and educational center for area Catholics.

St Joseph Catholic Church  is located on the hill behind the Florence Cemetery
on 115 Plumb Street

In the College Place Historic District, there are two of these markers: one at Lelia Ave & Willingham Road, and the other at the end of Willingham Road and North Sherrod Avenue.

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 breastworks here to defend Florence. House construction began in 1907, and thirty-three were built before 1929. This lovely neighborhood contains fine examples of Prairie Missio, and English Tudor architectur,e 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.

Florence's Early Water Tower 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 sits at the city's highest elevation. Water was pumped from Cypress Creek here. It was constructed during the Industrial Boom, when Florence's population increased from approximately 2,000 in 1887 to over 6,000 in 1889. It was replaced by the adjoining standpipe in 1935.

Florence's Early Water Tower, 189,0, no longer in use, located on Seymore  Avenue. 

Ante-Bellum Cotton Mills 1840 is located at the intersection of Appleby Blvd and Cypress Mill Road.d

About one mile west of here is the site of the Globe Cotton Factory, which was erected on Cypress Creek in 1840. By 1857, its operations included three cotton mills, a flour mill, and two corn mills, all powered by three dams. By 1860, the factory employed 310 people, including many women and children, at an average weekly salary of $2.50. These mills were burned by the Union Army in May 1863. One factory, Cypress Mill, was rebuilt after the war, but its operations were never successful.

Lone Cedar Church of Christ 1898

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 193,8, a more modern stone building was completed by these diligent Christians. A larger auditorium was added in 1977. This early Christian meeting place soon became a landmark and a vital part of the Greenhill Community.

Lone Cedar Church of Christ 1898
The front has a new addition located on the Old Jackson Highway. 

We stopped at 1350 North Pine Street to get a couple of barbecue sandwiches for lunch at Dick Howell Barbecue Pit.