Discover the history hidden in your hometown with the Florence History Scavenger Hunt! From September 13-19, Florence-Lauderdale Public Library will be hosting a photographic scavenger hunt that will take you on a journey to learn the history of ten locations throughout Florence (and outside of Florence). Each stop on the hunt will have a large panel featuring a historical photograph of a building, person, or event related to that location. You can learn more about each photograph by following along with the descriptions below on your mobile device, or by picking up a scavenger hunt brochure at the library.
Visit all ten locations, and you will get an entry to win a high-quality print of a historical photograph of the Forks of Cypress! Just find the secret word at each location, and use those words to decode the secret message to enter the drawing at FLPL.
Florence Post Office, John McKinley Federal Building, 210 North Seminary Street
The John McKinley Federal Building in downtown Florence is an imposing structure. Completed in 1913, it is one of the few Federal buildings in the nation that still combines a post office and a Federal Courthouse beneath one roof. In 1999, the building was named in honor of Justice John McKinley, one of the earliest settlers of Florence, and one of only three Alabamians to have served on the United States Supreme Court. Despite rumors to the contrary, the John McKinley Federal Building was not originally destined for Florence, South Carolina. Original blueprints for the cavernous structure clearly indicate that it was intended to be built on Seminary Street in Florence, Alabama from the very beginning.
First Presbyterian Church is Florence's oldest Christian congregation. Established in 1818, the church--like the city of Florence--is older than the state in which it stands. The first permanent sanctuary for First Presbyterian Church was built in 1824 in the same place as the current sanctuary on Mobile Street. In 1862, the church's pastor, Reverend Dr. Mitchell, was arrested in the pulpit for publicly praying for Jefferson Davis, the Confederate government, and the Confederate army. The officer responsible for his arrest was a Kentucky Unionist named John Marshal Harlan, who would go on to become a Justice of the United States, and the lone dissenting opinion in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. Throughout the years, First Presbyterian Church has contributed in various ways to the founding of other churches, as in the late 1880s, when the members of First Presbyterian donated $888 to the members of First Baptist Church for the construction of their first sanctuary. First Presbyterian continues that tradition of community service today in such ministries as the weekly soup kitchen.
In Feburary 1918, Sol Aizenshtat, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, purchased the “general stock and merchandise” of J.M. Mitchell on Tennessee Street. He then remodeled the store and increased the merchandise, renaming the business the Grand Leader. Eventually, the Grand Leader moved to 208 North Court Street, where it was when this photograph was taken in the early 1920s. The Grand Leader frequently conducted massive “blowout” two-week sales events. As can be seen in this photograph, the sales were major local events that attracted huge crowds. In true salesman style, Mr. Aizenshtat often bought ad space in the local newspaper before the sale began to explain to potential customers why he had to place his merchandise on sale. For example, during one 15-day sale in 1919, Mr. Aizenshtat stated that he had “five counters full of all kinds of remnants” that must be sold, regardless of the profit he made on them. In 1926, the Grand Leader held another massive sale because the proprietor had dissolved his partnership with his brother and bought out his brother’s half of the merchandise, stating “Why, folks! I’ve got to raise cash regardless of the price my goods sell for. I have paid my brother all the ready cash I had, and my creditors will soon be pushing me for payments.”
Built in 1830, the Greek Revival-style home known as the Forks of Cypress was once considered one of the finest plantation houses in North Alabama. One of the only homes in the state to feature a two-story colonnade which encircled the entire home, the Forks of Cypress was built by Irish immigrant and up-and-coming horseflesh expert James Jackson, who was a personal friend of (but no relation to) President Andrew Jackson. The Forks of Cypress produced some of the nation's finest race horses, and is believed to have been the home of the slave woman Queen Ester, the grandmother of author Alex Haley, who fictionalized his ancestor's story in the novel Queen. The home survived over 130 years of war, financial ruin, and natural disaster, only to be destroyed by a bolt of lightning in the summer of 1966. In 1983, AmSouth Bank, using floor plans created by the Historic American Buildings Survey during the Great Depression, rebuilt a replica of the home in downtown Florence.
O'Neal Hall, a former residence hall of the University of North Alabama, once stood in the spot where the current Guillot University Center stands. Built in 1913, O'Neal Hall was a towering, gothic structure which was capped by an imposing stone and brick tower. In its early days, O'Neal Hall was the girls' dormitory for the State Normal College, but served the university in many capacities as the building aged, eventually becoming sorority housing, Greek meeting space, and a commuter's lounge. The building was demolished in 1986 to make way for the Guillot University Center, but it has left one enduring legacy in the haunting tale of Priscilla. According to university lore, a student named Priscilla, either jilted by a lover or despondent due to bad grades, committed suicide in O'Neal Hall during its early days either by hanging herself in an elevator shaft or by throwing herself from one of the building's upper-level windows, and her ghost was said to have haunted the second floor of the building for the rest of its existence. Some say that Priscilla still haunts the newer University Center, especially in the winter months.
Today, this triangular plot of neatly-trimmed grass across the street from the UNA Baptist Campus Ministries and in front of Wesleyan Hall is vacant, but for most of the 20th century, it was occupied by an unusual building whose triangular construction mirrored the shape of the lot on which it stood. This building served Florence in many difference capacities during its existence. It was built around 1921 by Lula J. Young, who operated a confectionery there with her family. Young's Confectionery was ideally-suited to serve students at Florence State Teacher's College, the forerunner of today's University of North Alabama. In fact, the building's location made it a favorite hangout for college students for most of its existence. The Young family sold the building in the mid-1940s, after which it became known briefly as the Hangar, and then as the Triangle Soda Bar in the 1950s. In 1959, the restaurant reopened as the Three-C Grill, named for the three Carroll brothers who bought the place in late 1958. In those days, when the school cafeteria and most other restaurants in Florence were closed on Sundays, the Three-C Grill was a popular destination at dinnertime, where hungry students could purchase a hamburger, fries, and a drink for $1.50. It remained in operation as the Three-C Grill until it closed in the mid-1970s.
Burrell-Slater School was a segregated school for African-Americans on West College Street in Florence. The school came into existence in 1951, when the high school students of Burrell Academy and the John F. Slater School were merged into Burrell-Slater High School. Prior to the merge, the Burrell Academy traced its origins to a private school which was founded in 1903, in Selma, by the American Missionary Association. That building was destroyed by fire, after which the AMA opted to move the school to Florence. The Burrell Academy became a public school in 1937, when it was adopted by the Florence School System. In 1958, the Burrell-Slater building burned. Reconstruction of the school was completed in 1960. The school was closed permanently by integration, and by 1969 the Burrell-Slater school building became the city’s first vocational school.
This photo of Jerry Wexler and Willie Nelson was taken in 1973 at the iconic Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. They were at the studio to record the Phases and Stages album, the second of Willie Nelson’s albums produced by Jerry Wexler and the only one to be produced in Muscle Shoals. Session musicians on this album included David Hood, Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson, Pete Carr, John Hughley, and Johnny Gimble.
Jerry Wexler spoke about industry doubts concerning Willie Nelson recording in Muscle Shoals, “Everyone in Nashville thought I was out of my mind. They said Muscle Shoals was too R & B for Willie. I said Willie was too R&B for Nashville…” All songs on this album were written by Willie and the song, “Bloody Mary Morning,” has become a staple at his concerts.
President-Elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt first toured the Nitrate Plants and Wilson Dam on January 21, 1933, based on his campaign promise to put the Muscle Shoals back into operation. The Nitrate Plants and Wilson Dam were intended to be used in the WWI effort but the complex was only completed after the war ended (the Nitrate Plants in 1919 and the Dam in 1925). Before devising a use for them, however, Roosevelt completed a brief inspection tour. During his visit, Roosevelt made two short speeches, one in Sheffield from the back of his train car, and another at 11:15 am from his presidential automobile at the corner of Court and Tennessee Streets.
Donated to the city of Florence by Dr. Kirk and Lillian Cook Deibert in 2000, this beautiful land originally comprised a settlement named Posey. After the Civil War, Judge Sidney Posey's daughters, Mary Posey and Rachel Morgan, sold this land to one of his former slaves named Charles Posey. Charles Posey built a schoolhouse on the property for neighborhood children, and then passed the acreage down to his own descendants. When Kirk Deibert came to Florence in 1952 to work as a radiologist, he and his wife Lillian fell in love with the Posey land, and bought 90 acres of it to establish as a horse and cattle farm. Lillian taught riding lessons at the farm for many years, and raised many thoroughbred horses there. Although the land could have been worth millions of dollars if sold to retailers, the childless Deiberts wanted to share the joy that their farm had brought them with the entire city of Florence, and so they donated the land to the city to become the park that bears their name.
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