By Lee Freeman Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, Local History-Genealogy Department It’s easy nowadays to think of Florence as an international community, especially with the many international students who attend the University of North Alabama. But it might surprise you to know that almost from its beginning, Florence was an international community. Left, Irish immigrant John Andrew […]
By Tori Shaw, MSNHA graduate student On June 23, the Alabama Department of Archives and History released a statement formally acknowledging and addressing its role in excluding Black Alabamians from the archive. This is especially significant given that the ADAH was the first state-funded archive to be established in the South. [1] Historian W. Fitzhugh Brundage […]
By Jeffrey Bibbee, Ph.D. Ilike to think of myself as an experienced world traveler. My passport lives in a drawer near the front door and I keep a leather weekend bag in the bottom of the closet. It is possible that I could jet off to an exotic tropical location or a luxurious European capital […]
By Carrie Crawford, Ph.D. Director, Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area Joe Wheeler State Park sits on the north and south side of the Tennessee River, putting it in two MSNHA counties: Lauderdale and Lawrence. The park has a golf course, lodge, campground, marina with boat rentals, cabins and a swimming area. It’s popular with residents and […]
By Tori Shaw MSNHA graduate assistant Whether you are simply interested in finding the date it was built or you hope to uncover the full history of your home, there are a variety of resources at your disposal. For a good place to start on your own (especially if you’re social distancing), try this online guide […]
By Tori Shaw, MSNHA graduate assistant When you buy an historic home, perhaps the most significant challenge is the process of restoration. When we think of restoring historic homes, however, seldom do we consider extending those efforts into the landscape surrounding the home. If you’re wondering how a bunch of grass and plants could possibly […]
By Carrie Crawford Direction, Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area Within the six counties (Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone and Morgan) that make up the MSNHA, recreational opportunities abound! Because of the COVID-19 situation, many of us are staying close to home. What a great opportunity to get out and explore our parks. We love the new mountain biking trail at Joe […]
By Dixie Norwood MSNHA graduate assistant Could you imagine Muscle Shoals becoming the “Detroit of the South”? Well, this almost occurred. Just before the end of World War I, two nitrate plants were completed on the Tennessee River. Their purpose was extracting nitrate to produce explosives, but they were also used to manufacture fertilizer. Starting in the early 1920s, a political battle […]
FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) from “The X-Files.” By Lee FreemanFlorence-Lauderdale Public Library,Local History-Genealogy Department “The Truth is Out There” was the tagline of hit TV show “The X-Files,” in which FBI agent Fox Mulder (David Ducovny) and his skeptical partner Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigated the alleged alien […]
By Lee FreemanFlorence-Lauderdale Public Library,Local History-Genealogy Department Throughout the late 1820s and 1830s, there was pressure on the Alabama legislature to abolish slavery, with Quaker agents buying cotton that wasn’t produced by slave labor for a higher cost. There is anecdotal evidence of eight abolitionist societies in north Alabama in 1832, including one in Florence. […]
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