| Australia, New South Wales, Lithgow — The Great Zig Zag — Lithgow |
| | A railway zig zag is a series of reversing ramps used to avoid very steep grades. John Whitton, Engineer in Chief NSW Government Railways 1856-90, chose this as the economical method for the descent from Clarence to Lithgow. Built during 1866-69 by contractor Patrick Higgins, it involved massive rock excavations, a tunnel and three stone arch viaducts. During its 41 years of operation it accelerated the development of western New South Wales and achieved world renown as a major engineering work. — Map (db m59808) HM |
| Australia, Victoria, Port Fairy — SS Casino |
| | Top Marker
This memorial was unveiled
July 8 1934 by Mrs. C.A. Melhuish
daughter of
Captain Thomas Boyd
first master of the S.S. Casino.
Middle Marker
Borough of Port Fairy
This commemorative plaque is to mark the 100th anniversary of the registration of the S.S. Casino as part of the Belfast and Koroit Steam Navigation Company and the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. Casino at Apollo Bay on 1oth July, 1932. Unveiled by his Worship the Mayor . . . — Map (db m52484) HM |
| Brazil, Amazonas, Manaus — Praça São Sebastião — Monumento Comemorativo a Abertura dos Portos — Monument to the Opening of the [Amazon] Ports |
| | [Panel 1] Mandado Construir em MDCCCXCIX pelo Exmo Senr. Jose Cardoso Ramalho Júnior, Governador do Estado do Amazonas.
[In English: Construction Ordered, 1899, by His Excellency, Mr. Jose Cardoso Ramalho Junior, Governor of the State of Amazonas.]
"ASIA"
[Panel 2]
15 de Novembro de MDCCCLXXXIX.
[November 15, 1889.]
"AMERICA"
[Panel 3]
Monumento Levanta do em substitução ao que foi erguido n’esta praça em XII de Setembro de . . . — Map (db m26407) HM |
| Alberta, Devon — Leduc-Woodbend Oil Field — Le Site Pétrolifière Leduc-Woodbend |
| | The development of this field in 1947 marked a turning point in the history of the Alberta petroleum industry. After the drilling of Leduc No. 1, the geographical focus of the industry shifted from Turner Valley northward to the central plains area, where vast oil reserves were uncovered. Oil production, which has been in decline, expanded dramatically and the Edmonton area became a petrochemical and distributing centre. The boom in output enable Alberta to become, for the first time, a major . . . — Map (db m8856) HM |
| Alberta, Turner Valley — Turner Valley Gas Plant |
| | This plant, which was critical to the development of the Turner Valley oil field, is the earliest gas processing facility built in Canada and the only survivor of its type. The present complex was begun in 1921 after a fire destroyed the original plant, built in 1914. The many modifications and additions made to it since the 1920s reflect the evolution of refining technology. The buildings. Machinery and equipment together illustrate the production process required to extract marketable gas and . . . — Map (db m8825) HM |
| British Columbia (Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District), Port Alberni — Forest Industry in British Columbia — L’Industrie Forestiere en Colombie-Britannique |
| | Harvesting of the forest has long been an important aspect of life on the Pacific Coast. The native people were the first to utilize this valuable resource in the construction of dwellings, canoes, and implements. In the nineteenth century, spars masts, and timber were exported. In 1860 the first export sawmill was constructed near this site. From these beginnings the forest industry has expanded to become a very important element of the economy of British Columbia. In this century considerable . . . — Map (db m9192) HM |
| British Columbia (Capital Regional District), Victoria — Leiser Building — Built 1896 |
| | Simon Leiser & Co., Wholesale Grocers, was the largest business of it kind in British Columbia when this warehouse was built. The building featured a central electric elevator with tracks radiating from the elevator on each floor for ease of handling merchandise.
Designed by architect A.C. Ewart, the building cost $35,000 in 1896. The brick structure has stone dressing and sheet metal decoration. It was renovated in 1972 as the headquarters for Capital Regional District.
This . . . — Map (db m49101) HM |
| British Columbia (Capital Regional District), Victoria — S.J. Pitts, Importer — Built 1882 |
| | This is one of the earlier brick warehouse in the area, replacing previous wooden construction.
Sidney Pitts, like other businessmen on Yates Street, operated a wholesale grocery, provision and produce business.
Stuccoed for may years, the building was restored in 1990 by the Canadian Hostelling Association, revealing windows and other details that had long been covered.
[Photo credits] c1890 Victoria City Archives, c1975 Hallmark Society photograph — Map (db m49102) HM |
| British Columbia (Capital Regional District), Victoria — Shop/Warehouse — Built 1883 |
| | This two-story brick building in the Italianate style was one of several shop/warehouses in Victoria’s warehouse district. Originally occupied by W.J. Jeffree, pioneer clothier, the building later housed F.R. Stewart & Co. Provisioners.
The historic photograph shows boxes and local produce waiting on the sidewalk for delivery by F.R. Stewart’s horse-drawn delivery wagon.
Splendid cast iron columns, made at the Albion Iron Works in Victoria support the building and are dated on their . . . — Map (db m49124) HM |
| British Columbia (Capital Regional District), Victoria — The Bank Building — First Opened for Business on April 19, 1886 — Project Architect: Mr. W.H. Williams |
| | When the building opened, it was the second largest in Victoria with a total area 5,230 square feet. The original drawings came from London, England.
Using brick on a stone foundation, Mr. Williams combined cast iron columns, lintels, and sills with moulded cement renderings; cornices of heavy galvanized iron sheet metal; and elaborate, hand carved entrance doors and interior trim. The roof was edged with a decorative cast iron cresting depicting the floral emblems of the United Kingdom, a . . . — Map (db m48522) HM |
| British Columbia (Capital Regional District), Victoria — The Bell Tower |
| | You are standing in Bastion Square. The Hudson’s Bay Company, whose legacy continues at the store on Government Street, established Fort Victoria here in 1843.
Acting on behalf of the British Columbia Government, the company sold the surrounding land to pioneers but kept the area around here for itself.
During The Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858, thousands of new settlers, including many immigrants, arrived in Victoria. The Hudson’s Bay sold the Fort Victoria land to these new arrivals in . . . — Map (db m49227) HM |
| British Columbia (Capital Regional District), Victoria — The Majestic Theatre — Built c1860 — Alterations: 1885; 1909; 1917 |
| | This building first housed Moore’s Music Hall (Victoria’s earliest existing theatre) upstairs, above Nathanial Moore’s dry goods store.
In 1885, a new facade was constructed to match the new building next door, with identical cast iron columns.
Various commercial uses followed, which included supplying miners preparing for the Klondike. In 1898 miners’ equipment was piled high on this sidewalk.
In 1909 architect Thomas Hooper renovated the building to house the Majestic Theatre, . . . — Map (db m49125) HM |
| British Columbia (Capital Regional District), Victoria — The Signing Post |
| | You are standing in Bastion Square. The Hudson’s Bay Company, whose legacy continues at the store on Government Street, established Fort Victoria here in 1843.
This area has always been an important public space. All visitors had to gain permission from a gatekeeper to enter Fort Victoria and they were required to provide letters of introduction to . . . — Map (db m49080) HM |
| British Columbia (Capital Regional District), Victoria — Thomas Earle Warehouse — Built 1900 |
| | Thomas Earle was a local wholesale grocer and provision merchant whose business dated back to 1869.
This building, constructed for $10,000 and designed by architect Thomas Hopper, features a large brick arch and two finials flanking a central pediment and date plaque
The building was used for many years by Smith, Davidson and Lecky, paper wholesalers. After a major fire, the building was renovated in 1979 for the Capital Regional District.
[Photo credit]
c. 1900 Victoria City Archives.
British Columbia Heritage Trust — Map (db m49099) HM |
| British Columbia (Capital Regional District), Victoria — Waddington Alley |
| | Built by B.C. pioneer Alfred Waddington, this alley was intended to maximize access to, and use of, three privately-owned lots during the Fraser River gold rush of 1858.
Initially, “a number of cheap shops” were erected which, by 1863, included a fishmarket, a bakery, a blacksmith, a bowling saloon, the Sacramento Restaurant and the Pioneer Wholesale and Retail Variety Store.
Alfred Waddington retained private ownership of the alley until his death of smallpox in 1872. Both . . . — Map (db m49100) HM |
| British Columbia (Cariboo Regional District), 150 Mile House — To the Goldfields! |
| | In the 1860s, the fabulous Cariboo goldfields were a lure to thousands. Miners, traders, and adventurers, many afoot, some with wheelbarrows, shared the pioneer route with mule trains, plodding oxen, freight wagons, and swaying stage-coaches.
Havens for man and beast were the road-houses and stables every 12-14 miles along the way. — Map (db m8857) HM |
| British Columbia (Cariboo Regional District), Barkerville — Cariboo Gold Fields — Districts Aurifères de Cariboo — Barkerville - Historic Town |
| |
English:
A search for the source of placer gold found on lower parts of the Fraser River led to discoveries of lode mines in the Cariboo, of which Williams Creek, is said to have yielded $19,000,000. As a centre of population in the 1860’s, the gold fields were the catalyst for the economic and political development of colony of British Columbia. They attracted miners from around the world and stimulated the growth of trade and agriculture. Economic difficulties resulting from the . . . — Map (db m42712) HM |
| British Columbia (Cariboo Regional District), Barkerville — Cornish Wheel & Pump |
| | This overshot water wheel is 16 feet in diameter. It is modeled after wheels and pumps used in the tin mines of Cornwall. The early miners found that the pay gravel often lay 40 to 100 feet under the surface. The wheels were used to pump the water from these deep workings and also lift gravel to the surface. — Map (db m42710) HM |
| British Columbia (Cariboo Regional District), Quesnel — Cottonwood House |
| | For over half a century the Boyd family operated this haven for man and beast. Here weary travellers found lodging, food, and drink. Here fresh horses were hitched to stage-coaches and miners bought supplies.
This historic road-house, built in 1864 stood as an oasis of civilization on the frontier of a rich new land. — Map (db m42766) HM |
| British Columbia (Greater Vancouver Regional District), Vancouver — BC Permanent Building — City of Vancouver Heritage Building — Architects: Hooper and Watkins |
| | This small scale but well-executed example of Beaux-Arts classicism was designed by Thomas Hooper (the architect of Shaughnessy's Hycroft Mansion) and Elwood Watkins. Built in 1907 for Thomas Talton Langlois' BC Permanent Loan Company, after 1935 it housed offices of the Bank of Canada. The impressive open interior features a large Tiffany-style stained glass dome, mosaic tile floors, and a series of fine windows displaying the Yukon, Great Britain and eight provincial coats-of-arms. After new . . . — Map (db m54523) HM |
| British Columbia (Greater Vancouver Regional District), Vancouver — Deutschesland Café — City of Vancouver Heritage Building — Architect: Max B. Downing |
| | This unusual building is one of the few surviving Art Deco buildings in downtown Vancouver. Its roofline an exuberant crenelated cornice built in cast concrete and designed in a curvilinear waterfall theme. Downing is best known as the architect of the Art Deco Federal Buildings in Prince Rupert and Powell River. The original owner of this was the nearby Hudson's Bay Company, and it was tenanted by the Deutschesland Café until 1939. — Map (db m41926) HM |
| British Columbia (Greater Vancouver Regional District), Vancouver — Flack Block — City of Vancouver Heritage Building — Architect: William Blackmore |
| | Thomas Flack commissioned this landmark commercial building in 1898, following his return from a prosperous venture to the Klondike gold fields. Completed in 1900, it framed one of the city's most prominent intersections, facing the first provincial Court House across the street in what is now Victory Square. Conceived as a prestige project in a prime location, this was one of the largest structures designed by prolific local architect William Blackmore (1842-1904). The Romanesque Revival . . . — Map (db m53619) HM |
| British Columbia (Greater Vancouver Regional District), Vancouver — Power Block — City of Vancouver Heritage Building — Architects: N.S. Hoffar, 1888, Townley & Matheson, 1929 |
| | This rare example of an art deco exterior employing colourful terra cotta with Egyptian overtones was designed by the architects of Vancouver's city hall as part of a 1929 building renovation. The interior structure dates from built in 1888 for Captain William Power, then known as the "Mayor" of North Vancouver's Moodyville. It was expanded and renovated by owner Dominic Burns of the meat-packing family in 1911, the year he also built the nearby 14-storey Vancouver Block with its huge landmark clock. — Map (db m42010) HM |
| British Columbia (Greater Vancouver Regional District), Vancouver — Randall Building — City of Vancouver Heritage Building — Architect: Richard T. Perry |
| | Built in 1929 for the brokerage firm S.W. Randall Company, this commercial building is a good example of the design of the city's downtown office development at the time of the Great Depression. The brick cladding is enriched by the terra cotta paneling on the lower levels of the important Georgia Street facade. Sam Randall was also a thoroughbred race promoter who operated racetracks at Hastings Park in the 1920s and Lansdowne Park in Richmond (1924-45). In 1991 the building was rehabilitated . . . — Map (db m54834) HM |
| British Columbia (Greater Vancouver Regional District), Vancouver — St. Regis Hotel — City of Vancouver Heritage Building — Architect: W.T. Whiteway |
| | Of the turn-of-the century hotels built in the downtown area before World War I, this is the last one that has survived as a hotel. Noted architect W.T. Whiteway designed it in 1913. He was the architect of the Sun Tower, the original 1903 Woodard's store, as well as notable buildings in Victoria, Halifax, St. John's and Port Townsend, Washington. The builder, E.J. Ryan, constructed the existing Hotel Vancouver. The St. Regis is a good example of the Edwardian Commercial style. Part of the . . . — Map (db m41988) HM |
| Manitoba, Inglis — Inglis Grain Elevators |
| | This impressive grouping of five standard-plan wooden grain elevators is a rare survivor of the long rows that once dominated Prairie towns. The row was built between 1922 and 1941, Manitoba's golden age of elevators, by a cross-section of grain-handling firms, including cooperatives and large companies backed by Canadian and American investors. Located in a town typical of many that dot the West, these slope-shouldered sentinels are surrounded by their outbuildings, rail line and fields of . . . — Map (db m8491) HM |
| New Brunswick (Charlotte County), Campobello — Campobello's Resort Hotels |
| | In 1881, a group of American businessmen (called themselves the Campobello Company) purchased most of Campobello Island. In an era of summer-long vacations and great summer resorts, the company hoped, by promoting Campobello's charms, to attract, well-to-do people with extensive leisure time to its hotels. Both the Canadian and American press promoted Campobello as a summer resort. Built in 1881 on the northern end of Friar's Bay, the Owen was the first and most luxurious of the company's three . . . — Map (db m25467) HM |
| New Brunswick (Charlotte County), Welshpool — Lubec, Maine |
| | About 1840, a canal connecting Johnson and South Bays was dug in North Lubec and a dam constructed there to harness tidal energy to power plaster mills. Gypsum (the raw product used to make plaster) and grindstones from the Maritimes were important trade goods. Lubec’s mills manufactured plaster as late as 1858. In 1874, shipping traffic to and from Lubec was so extensive that the U.S. Coast Guard constructed a life-saving station at West Quoddy Head.
About that time, passenger ferries . . . — Map (db m54995) HM |
| New Brunswick (Charlotte County), Welshpool — Lubec, Maine |
| | Lubec's known history began at a Passamaquoddy Indian encampment at Mill Creek in what came to be called Seward's Neck (now North Lubec). French settlers later came to those shores in the early 1700s, but shortly afterward were driven away by the British. Resettlement occurred around 1776 when squatters settled Seward's Neck and Moose Island, both incorporated into the town of Eastport in 1798 and having a population of 244. Many of the settlers were Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and western . . . — Map (db m55023) HM |
| Ontario, Ottawa — By Ward Market Heritage Conservation District — District de Conservation du Patrimoine du Marché By |
| |
The dense cedar bog that became the site of the By Ward Market was drained and cleared in 1827 by Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers to accommodate the workers building the Rideau Canal. The area rapidly became the commercial core of Bytown and later served the region's farming communities and the Ottawa Valley lumber industry, whose itinerant lumbermen gave the town its rowdy reputation. Over the next century the By Ward Market housed the businesses and institutions that . . . — Map (db m63692) HM |
| Ontario (Essex County), Amherstburg — The Commissariat Office |
| | The office for the Commissariat Department was built in 1831 near the government wharf and storehouse. Commissary officials purchased from local contractors the flour, beef, straw and firewood used by troops. They also managed Fort Malden's finances, including the soldiers' pay which was issued daily from this office. — Map (db m37356) HM |
| Ontario (Essex County), Windsor — The Detroit River |
| | The Detroit River is unique in Canada, the United States and indeed, the world. Its shores embrace the largest metropolitan area on any international border - but rather than separating communities, the river connects them culturally and economically.
Archaeological finds date First Nations communities at the river as early as 400 A.D. while French settlers reached the area by the mid-1600's. The river and its watersheds represent the history of North America in a way that is not . . . — Map (db m37378) HM |
| Ontario (Middlesex County), London — The British Garrison in London |
| | In one of several concentrations of British troops in Upper Canada various infantry and artillery units were stationed on a military reserve here during the mid-19th century. The garrison, which contributed significantly to the economic growth of London, was first established in 1839 to guard against border raids following the Rebellion of 1837. Although its troops were withdrawn in 1853 to serve in the Crimean War and military duties were assumed by pensioners, it was re-occupied by British . . . — Map (db m18918) HM |
| Ontario (Middlesex County), London — The Petition of John Ewart |
| | The Petition of John Ewart of the Town of York:
Humbly Shewith:
That while your Petitioner was performing his contract for building the Court House and Gaol in the town of London, in the London District, he was located by Colonel Talbot upon two lots in the said Town of London liable to settlement Duties and upon which he has made the following...improvements -- that is to say, a framed House, 50 feet long by 30 feet wide, and 23 feet high, with a wing, 30 by 16 feet, and a back Kitchen . . . — Map (db m18974) HM |
| Ontario (Middlesex County), London — The Ridout Street Complex |
| | This streetscape includes several of London's earliest buildings and provides a capsule view of the appearance of mid-19th century Ontario cities. These buildings, the earliest of which was begun in 1835, include residential, industrial and commercial premises all intermingled on one of the city's main streets. The group of structures soon became known as “Bankers' Row” because of the presence of five branch offices here. After years of neglect and deterioration, they were . . . — Map (db m18972) HM |
| Ontario (Niagara Municipality), Fort Erie — Bertie Street Ferry Landing — c. 1796 - 1950 |
| | Over the centuries there have been many ferry landings along the Niagara River. Some were built by local merchants and some as government licenced landing points.
The longest operating ferry dock was here, near the foot of present-day Bertie Street. It was licenced to Henry Windecker c. 1796.
This hub of activity was not only a crossing point to and from the United States, but was also the location of customs, immigration, vehicle registration, and a railroad terminus.
During the . . . — Map (db m59332) HM |
| Ontario (Niagara Municipality), Niagara Falls — Zimmerman Fountain Pond |
| | This beautiful fountain takes its name from Samuel Zimmerman who came to Canada from Pennsylvania in 1842. He amassed a fortune through a series of lucrative contracts involving the building of the second Welland Canal and various Railway Lines, allowing him to begin construction of a large estate in what is now Queen Victoria Park. The estate was unfinished when he was killed in a railway accident in March of 1857. This fountain pond, which dates back to 1856, is the last remaining remnant of his estate. — Map (db m59372) HM |
| Ontario (The Regional Municipality of Niagara), Chippawa — The Founding of Chippawa |
| | In 1792-94 a village grew up near Fort Chippawa on Chippawa Creek at the end of the new portage road from Queenston. In 1793 the creek was renamed the Welland River, but the village, where a post-office was opened before 1801, remained "Chippawa". It was largely destroyed 1813-14 when British and American forces fought for control of the Welland River. Portage traffic revived after the war and continued until Chippawa became an outlet for the original Welland Canal from 1829 to 1833. A . . . — Map (db m54124) HM |
| Ontario (The Regional Municipality of Niagara), Niagara Falls — Bridgewater Mills |
| | In the late 1790's the river flowed swiftly around these islands. The Bridgewater Mills, a water powered saw and grist mill and an iron foundry, where the first bar iron was made in Canada, were located here. The Mills were burned by the retreating American Army after the Battle of Lundy's Lane on July 26, 1814, and were not rebuilt. — Map (db m53402) HM |
| Ontario (The Regional Municipality of Niagara), Niagara Falls — Nikola Tesla — Inventor — 1856-1943 |
| | The St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, Niagara Falls, in partnership with the Niagara Parks Commission, have erected this monument to Nikola Tesla. Physicist, inventor, electrical engineer. Tesla developed the world's first hydroelectric system used here at Niagara Falls. — Map (db m40101) HM |
| Ontario (The Regional Municipality of Niagara), Niagara-on-the-Lake — Brown's Point |
| | Brown's Inn was located here. Both the Canadian York Militia and the American Army bivouacked near here on separate occasions during the War of 1812. Adam Brown later added a store to his inn, and built a wharf on the river shore below, where sailing ships loaded settlers' produce, potash and lime destined for Montreal and overseas. — Map (db m49166) HM |
| Ontario (The Regional Municipality of Niagara), Niagara-on-the-Lake — Locomotive Turntable |
| | For 103 years, beginning in 1854, a train powered by a steam locomotive pulled into the Niagara Dock. At first it only came from Chippawa via Niagara Falls and Queenston but by 1863 the line had been extended as far as Fort Erie and Buffalo. The train met the steamers which arrived from Toronto carrying tourists going to the Falls and soldiers bound for Camp Niagara. In late summer these ships returned to Toronto filled with baskets of peaches brought to the dock by the train. Riverbeach Drive . . . — Map (db m54079) HM |
| Ontario (The Regional Municipality of Niagara), Niagara-on-the-Lake — Niagara Harbour and Dock Company |
| | Formed by local businessmen in 1831, the Niagara Harbour and Dock Company created a shipping basin here on the Niagara River by hiring hundreds of labourers to excavate a riverside marsh. By the late 1830s the company employed close to 400 workers and was operating one of the busiest ports and shipyards in Upper Canada. The local economy boomed as the business prospered, then lapsed into recession after financial problems crippled the company in the late 1840s. The company's industrial complex . . . — Map (db m54049) HM |
| Ontario (The Regional Municipality of Niagara), Thorold — DeCou House Monument |
| | DeCou's Stone House
1812 -1950
This house of Captain John DeCou (the name was variously spelled by his relatives and descendants and latterly as DeCew) was the Headquarters of the British outpost under Lieut. James Fitzgibbon to which came Laura Secord through the woods and swamps below the Niagara Escarpment from Queenston on June 24, 1813 to warn of the American advance. Thus warned, the small British force with its Indian allies captured, by bold strategy, at . . . — Map (db m56826) HM |
| Ontario (The Regional Municipality of Niagara), Thorold — The Founding of Thorold |
| | During the construction of the original Welland Canal, 1824-1829, a number of communities sprung up along its length. Here, on land belonging to George Keefer, a village known as Thorold had developed by 1828. A large flouring mill was built on the canal and the Thorold Township post office was moved from Beaverdams to the new settlement by Jacob Keefer. By 1831 two sawmills were in operation and in 1835 the village contained 370 inhabitants. During the 1840's the building of the Welland Mills, . . . — Map (db m54088) HM |
| Ontario (The Regional Municipality of Niagara), Vineland — Ball's Grist-Mill |
| | By 1809 John and George Ball had constructed a four-storey grist-mill here on Twenty Mile Creek. Equipped with two run of stones, the mill provided flour for British Troops during the War of 1812. It was expanded during the 1840's and by the end of the decade was part of a complex which included sawmills and woollen factories. About that time George Peter Mann Ball laid out a village plot named Glen Elgin. His plans for an industrial community were thwarted, however, when the Great Western . . . — Map (db m57064) HM |
| Quebec, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu — First Railway in Canada |
| | Canada's first steam railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence, was opened in 1836 to better facilitate trade with the United States. It was built by promoters led by brewer John Molson and merchant-forwarder Jason C. Pierce. This 23-kilometre line expedited the movement of passengers and freight between Montréal and New York by linking La Prairie, on the St. Lawrence River and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The wooden rails were replaced with iron in 1847, and the line was extended in 1851 to Rouses . . . — Map (db m43636) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — 3rd Avenue Complex — Le complexe de la 3e avenue |
| | [English] In Dawson City’s history, permafrost ranks second only to fire as the bane of buildings. These three structures, dating from 1901, illustrate what can happen when heated buildings are placed on frozen ground; the frost melts, mixing water with the soil to form a very fluid muck into which the different footings settle at different rates. No restoration measures have been taken with these buildings so that visitors may see history as it naturally unfolds. [French]
Dans l’histoire . . . — Map (db m49305) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — Bank of British North America/La Bank of British North America |
| | [English:]
The BNA, which opened Dawson City’s first bank in a tent in 1898, moved into these premises in 1899. By providing the essential services of assaying, buying and shipping gold, it helped integrate the local currency of dust and nuggets into a cash economy. As larger gold companies with their own assayers and capital took over mining, the bank (since 1918 the Bank of Montreal) became a more peripheral service, providing a payroll service for the dredges. It closed in 1968 after the . . . — Map (db m44857) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — Billy Bigg’s Blacksmith Shop — La forge de Billy Bigg |
| | [English] This building stands as a testament to the way frontier businesses changed and adapted to new realities. It began life in 1899 as the two storey Great Northern Hotel, to service the needs of a rapidly growing population. By 1907, as the population settled, it was converted into a blacksmith shop. In 1913, with the increasing mechanization of mining, a machine shop was added. Each change in business came with an addition to the building. In the 1940’s, then-owner Billy Bigg removed . . . — Map (db m49304) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — Discovery Claim — Concession de la Découverte |
| | [English:]
The names Robert Henderson, Skookum Jim, Tagish Charlie and George Carmack are inextricably linked to the discovery of gold on Bonanza Creek. Henderson was first to systematically explore the gold bearing potential of the region, only to have the major find elude him. Then on 17 August 1896 Jim struck gold, and with his companions Charlie and Carmack staked the first claims. A few day later at Forty Mile, Carmack in his own name registered the Discovery Claim where this monument . . . — Map (db m44702) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — Harrington’s Store — Le magasin Harrington |
| | [English] Like other grocers at the turn of the century, Harrington provided a cosmopolitan clientele with every conceivable foodstuff, from beans to truffles. This was made possible by the coincidence of improved transportation systems with new food storage technologies, such as evaporation, canning, and artificial cold storage. Linked to the rest of the world during summer by rail and steamer, Dawson City merchants provided perishable foods year-round, all at a price of 2 to 3 times that . . . — Map (db m49303) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — K.T.M. Company — La compagnie K.T.M. |
| | [English] Built in 1899, this warehouse was taken over by the Klondike Thawing Machine Company 1n 1913. The growing hardware company was it the process of buying out other firms and expanding its line of goods even as Klondike gold claims were being consolidated by larger mining companies. The warehouse was necessary to store the company’s varied merchandise stock because for 8 months of the year it was cut off from “outside’ sources of supply.
[French]
Construit en 1899, cet . . . — Map (db m49302) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — Madame Tremblay’s Store/Le magasin de Madame Tremblay |
| |
While this building dates from 1899, it did not become Mme. Tremblay’s, a dry goods and novelty shop, until 1913. Émillie Tremblay had first come to the territory as a young French Canadian bride in 1895 with her husband Jack. After 15 years on Eldorado Creek, and with the era of the individual miner on the wane, they moved to Dawson City. There they completed the transition from miners to merchants by investing their earnings from the creeks in the store. Mme. Tremblay ran the store until . . . — Map (db m44933) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — Northern Commercial Co. Warehouse — L’entrepôt de la Northern Commercial Co. |
| | [English] One of the complex of four warehouses that covered an entire city block in 1898, this and numerous other warehoused like it provided the life blood of Dawson City. For four months a year, the river was open for shipping and in the ensuing flurry of activity, the warehouses were loaded with every conceivable item of merchandise. Over the next 8 months, virtually cut off from the rest of the world, Dawson City drew on these supplies to satisfy the needs and wants of a modern . . . — Map (db m49346) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — Ruby’s Place/La maison de Ruby |
| | [English:]
Opened as a boarding house and laundry in 1902, the building was taken over by Mathilde “Ruby” Scott in 1935. For over 27 years, this former Paris Madame operated a brothel here, finding a ready clientele in the seasonal workers from the gold dredge camps. She operated with the tacit approval of local officials until 1961. With both gold mining and her business in decline, Ruby was charged with keeping a bawdy house. For the next 8 years, Ruby’s was simply a boarding . . . — Map (db m44887) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — The B.Y.N. Co. Ticket Office/La billettetereie de la compagnie B.Y.N. |
| | [English:] This structure, built in 1900, is all that remains of a larger complex that included a warehouse and dock. At the time of the gold rush and for years afterwards, the riverfront was the transition point between Dawson City and the rest of the world. Riverside facilities were developed until they stretched in a solid line across the city’s length. For most people, it was the first thing that greeted them as the arrived in Dawson City – and the last thing they saw as the . . . — Map (db m44859) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — Yukon Hotel |
| | [English] When it was built in the fall of 1898, the Binet Block stood at the southern end of the business district extending north to King Street. A two-storey log building with a facade of milled lumber, it was typical of commercial structures built at the height of the gold rush. The lower floor with its large windows was meant for commercial use, the upper for residential. Between October 1898 and October 1900, the Federal Government rented it for offices. During the next fifty-seven . . . — Map (db m49306) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Dawson City — Yukon Saw Mill Office Historic Site |
| | The Yukon Saw Mill Company was one of the first to cut timber in the Klondike, registering its first timber lease in March of 1898. At its peak, the company’s machine shop was the largest north of Vancouver, and its lumberyard stretched over three city blocks. The economic impact from these operations was far-reaching, not only for local workers, but also for the First nations and non-First Nations contractors who cut the timber and rafted huge log booms down the Yukon River to the Dawson . . . — Map (db m44761) HM |
| Yukon Territory, Whitehorse — SS Klondike |
| |
English:
The largest vessel ever to ply the Canadian portion of the Yukon River, this sternwheeler was built by the British Yukon Navigation Co. and launched at Whitehorse in 1937 to replace her namesake, which sank the year before. Klondike No. 2 was designed to expedite the movement of silver-lead ore on the Yukon River. A combination freight and passenger boat, she operated primarily between Whitehorse and Dawson. In 1954-55 the vessel was placed in cruise service after an . . . — Map (db m42699) HM |
| Estonia, Harjumaa MaakondTallinn — Mustpeade Maja — [Tallinn House of Black Heads] — PIKK 26 |
| | Text in Estoninan: ...
Text in English:
The Tallinn Brotherhood of Black Heads, established in 1399, leased the Pikk Street building in 1517 and added a big festive hall to it in 1531-32, the initial ornament paintings of which can still be seen in the windows.
In 1597, the façade was renovated by the builder-stonecutter Arent Passer. In addition to the coat of arms of the brotherhood that bears the picture of St. Mauritius, the stone décor also represents the portraits . . . — Map (db m57007) HM |
| Estonia, Harjumaa MaakondTallinn — Suurgildi Hoone — [The Great Guild] — PIKK 17 |
| | Estonian Text : …
English Text :
The Great Guild, which was an organisation for major merchants and dealt with international trade, had an official building built in 1407-17. The basements and walls of the dwelling that was situated there in the 14th century was partially used. A double-naved festive hall was vaulted in 1410. The hall had air heating and a balcony for musicians, as well as a staircase that led to the bridal chamber. The front door knockers are lion heads . . . — Map (db m56996) HM |
| France, Aquitaine (Gironde), Saint Emilion — L’ancienne Halle — [The old Covered Market] |
| | Ce bâtiment du XVIIIème siècle abrite, jusque bien après la Révolution Française, l’Hôtel de Ville, sa prision et sa halle où se tenaient certains marchés.
[English translation by Google Translate with modifications:
The old covered market
This 18th century building housed, until well after the French Revolution, the Town Hall, its prison, its covered market or stood some markets.] — Map (db m60518) HM |
| France, Île-de-France (Paris), Paris — Bureau de Gustave Eiffel — Gustave Eiffel’s office |
| | Gustave Eiffel, en compagnie de sa fille Claire, s’était aménagé un petit appartement au sommet de la Tour où il accueillait de hôtes de marque dans le cadre de réceptions intimes. Cette scène évoque la viste que lui fit Thomas Edison le 10 septembre 1889. A cette occasion, le physicien et inventeur américan, offre à Gustave Eiffel un modèle de son fameux phonographe qu’il vient présenter é l’Exposition Universelle de 1889.
Gustave Eiffel’s office
Accompanied by his daughter Claire, . . . — Map (db m60918) HM |
| France, Île-de-France (Paris), Paris — Le Moulin de la Galette — Histoire de Paris |
| | Plus qu’une institution, l’ancien “Blute-fin” est un monument, avec sa légende héroique; en 1814, lors du siege de Paris par les Cosaques, le dernier de quatre frères d’une dynastie de meuniers attestée depuis 1621, les Debray, finit dépecé et cloué sur les ailes de son moulin au terme d’une défense désespérée. Sous la Restauration, son fils transforme le bâtiment en salle de bal, à la décoration essentiellement composée de treillis de jardin peints en vert. L’ambiance y est . . . — Map (db m60876) HM |
| France, Île-de-France (Paris), Paris — Tribunal de Commerce — (Commerce Court) |
| | A l’emplacement de l’actuel tribunal de commerce s’élevait l’église Saint-Barthélemy. Le vétuste édifice médiéval fut reconstruit à partir de 1772 et doté d’un portail classique, oeuvre de Cherpitel. A peine achevée, l’église fut détruite en 1791, et l’architecte Lenoir édifia à sa place une salle de spectacles, le théâtre de la Cité. En 1810, ces lieux furent aménagés en salle de bal, le Prado, où une clientèle d’assez mauvaise réputation dansait la polka. En 1860, le tribunal de commerce, . . . — Map (db m61455) HM |
| France, Languedoc-Roussillon (Bouches-du-Rhône), Arles — Le Forum Romain et Les Cryptoportiques — The Roman Forum and the Cryptoportiques |
| | L’implantation du Forum romain contre le flanc Ouest de la colline d’Arles a necéssité la construction d’importantes substructions destinées à établir solidement une vaste terrasse.
La partie Nord de ces galeries sousterraines, appelées Cryptoportiques passe sous la place du Forum actuelle, la partie Sud sous l’Hôtel de Ville.
Autour l’esplanade ainsi constituée, fut édifié dès l’installation de la colonie romaine, fondée en 46 av. J.C. par Jules César, un grand portique de colonnes encadrant . . . — Map (db m60964) HM |
| France, Languedoc-Roussillon (Hérault), Beziers — Les Halles — [The Covered Market] |
| | Sur cet emplacement etait un eglise romane (XIe siecle) dediee a St. Felix. Au pied de cette eglise : le cimetiere des pauvres. C’est le lieu que choisit Raymond Trencavel, dernier Vicomte de Beziers, pour annoncer a la population qu’il faisait cession de Roi de France de sa vicomte (1247).
L’eglies St. Felix est detruite en 1815. Sur l’emplacement du cimetiere sera elevee en 1855 un colonne surmontee d’une statue de l’Immaculee Conception (apres les apparitions de Lourdes).
Elles sera . . . — Map (db m60261) HM |
| France, Languedoc-Roussillon (Hérault), Capestang — La maison vigneronne — [The Winemaker's house] |
| | Exemple de maison vigneronne: Celle du propriétaire exploitant (première moitié du XIXe). La partie résidentielle est bien séparée de la cave surmontée d’un étage auquel la poulie (la carrela) permettait de monter le matériel viticole et la récoite.
[Translation by Google Translate (with modifications): The Winemakers Home
Example of a vintner's house: owner-operator (first half of the nineteenth century). The residential portion is separated from the winemaking room which is topped . . . — Map (db m60175) HM |
| France, Languedoc-Roussillon (Hérault), Capestang — Le Domaine CASTRES |
| | Une “campagne” au coeur du village. Malgré le patronage officiel de Rouget de Lisle, pour les gens du cru, le “plan de Castres” sert toujours à designer la place et tour le quartier.
[Translation by Google Translate (with modifications):
Domain CASTRES
A "campaign" in the heart of the village. Despite the official patronage of Rouget de Lisle, for the locals, the "plan Castres" is still used to designate the place and in turn the neighborhood.] — Map (db m60084) HM |
| France, Midi-Pyrénées (Tarn), Albi — Les Moulins albigeois — Albi Mills |
| | Une dizaine de moulins s’égrenaient autrefois sur les deux rives du Tarn. Quatre subsistèrant après la Révolution: les moulins de Gardes, de Lamothe, du Chapitre et le Moulin-Neuf, appele par la suite «Moulins de l’Albigeois» .
Un moulin existant déjà sur ce site au XIIIe siècle. Transformé aux XVIIIe et XIVe siècles, il devint le siège d’une minoterie après 1828, complétée par une vermicellerie en 1845.
Après avoir connu une période florissante, la Société des Moulins des l’Albigeois cessa . . . — Map (db m60335) HM |
| France, Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur (Vaucluse), Bonnieux — 14 — Place du Moulin a Huile — (Place of the Olive Mill) |
| | Les moulins à huile (appelés «a bras ou a sang», c’est-à-dire à traction animale) étaient nombreux et situés à l’intérieur des remparts. Il est très difficile de les dater, car la technique a peu èvolue au cours des siècles.
Dans plusieurs maisons, on retrouve meule et pressoir. Ceux-ci, très bien conservés dans ce moulin, sont de précieux témoins de leur fonctionement.
La première pression à froid était pour l’usage de la table, la deuxième pression à chaud pour l’usage domestique, la . . . — Map (db m61758) HM |
| Germany, Bavaria, Bamberg — The Old Tollhouse — Alte Mauth |
| |
[Marker text in German:]
Hier stand die
Alte Mauth
Zerstört durch
Kriegseinwirkung
1944 - 1945
[Marker text translated into English:]
Here stood the Old Tollhouse. Destroyed by the effects of war, 1944-1945. — Map (db m58411) HM |
| Germany, Bavaria, Munich — Miesbach to Munich Power Transmission |
| | Im Oktober 1882 wurde hier anlässlich der internationalen Elektrizitätsaustellung von Miesbach nach München erstmals in der Welt eine Kraftűbertragung mit hoch gespannten Strőmen durchgefuhrt. Die Schőpfer des Werkes Oskar von Miller und Marcel Deprez bahnten da mit den Weg zur Ausnűtzung entlegener Energiequellen. Der Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker im September 1952. Leitung Telegraphendraht 2x57 km. Spannung 1350 bis 2000 Volt Gleichstrom.
Translated, the . . . — Map (db m22477) HM |
| Germany, Bavaria, Würzburg — Old Cranes — Alter Kranen |
| | In den Jahren 1767-1773 errichtete Fürstbischof Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim ein Hebewerk am Mainufer, das unter dem Namen “Alter Kranen” bekannt ist. Dieser Kran diente den Binnenschiffern bis 1846 zum entladen ihrer Schiffe. Der ausführende Architekt war Franz Ignaz Neumann, der Sohn des berühmten Barockmeisters Balthasar Neumann. Franz Ignaz Neumann hat mit diesem Bauwerk eine noch heute in der Fachwelt bestaunte Anlage geschaffen.
Translated, the marker reads: In the . . . — Map (db m22687) HM |
| Germany, Bavaria, Würzburg — The Lower Main Mill |
| | Hier stand erbaut von Fürstbischof Iohann Philipp von Schönborn die Untere Mainmühle 1644-1921. An ihrer Stelle wurde in den Jahren 1921-1923 dieser Bau errichtet als erstes Kraftwerk der Grosschiffahrtstrasse Rhein-Main-Donau.
Translated, the marker reads: From 1644-1921 here stood the Lower Main Mill, built by Prince-bishop Johann Philipp von Schoenborn. In its place this building was built in the years 1921-1923 as the first power plant of the Greater Rhine-Main-Danube Navigational Route. — Map (db m22827) HM |
| Ireland, Connacht (County Galway), Inishmore, Aran Islands — Welcome to Port Corrúch Seal Colony — Failte go Port Corrúch |
| | Welcome to Port Corrúch Seal Colony
[First part of the marker is about the seal colony along the coastline and is not transcribed]
As you look across the North Sound you can see the Coast of Connemare and the Twelve pins of Connemara. Near by the factory ruins represents an out post of Victorian industianlism [sic] in the 19th Century. One of the earliest attempts to mechanige [sic] the kelp industry was sited just here for the topography of the area makes this Aran's most favoured . . . — Map (db m22928) HM |
| Ireland, Connacht (County Mayo), Moneen — Lime Kiln, Moneen, — Clew Bay Archaeological Trail site 11 — Slí Seandálaíochta Chuan Módh |
| | Móinín - Small Bog
Lime Kilns date from the 18th century and were used until the 1940s in some areas. By lighting fires in these kilns and adding crushed limestone, lime was produced for use as fertiliser in the fields and also for whitewashing cottages. Most of the lime kilns around the country have been destroyed and only rare examples survive. This site survives in its entirety and is as fine an example of its type to be found in the area.
Tornóg Aoil - Móinín
Tosaíodh ag . . . — Map (db m27989) HM |
| Ireland, Connacht (County Mayo), Murrisk — Murrisk Fisherman's Monument |
| |
Ag Criost an muir
Ag Criost an t-iasc
_liontaib de go gcastar sinn
This monument was erected to honour the
contributions of the traditional seafaring
fishing community in Murrisk.
We celebrate their memory and ask you to remember
all those who lost their lives in Clew Bay
Names of boats associated with sea fishing in Murrisk up to mid 1960's
Officially unveiled by
Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council
Gerry Coyle &
Most Rev. Michael Neary DD
Archbishop of . . . — Map (db m27575) HM |
| Ireland, Connacht (County Roscommon), Strokestown — Strokestown Brewery |
| |
Brewery here in
early 18th century — Map (db m27548) HM |
| Ireland, Leinster (County Fingal), Howth — Howth The Village / Binn Éadair ______ — The Fingal Way / Sli Fhine Gall |
| | A Fishing Village
References to the fishing industry in Howth can be found from the twelfth century, although in the seventeenth century the port was also known in the area as a base for pirates roaming Dublin Bay. In Elizabethan times a wooden quay was built but as vessel size increased the importance of Howth for goods and passenger traffic declined. In the nineteenth century various plans were put forward for a harbour at Howth and in 1807 construction commenced using stone quarried . . . — Map (db m27057) HM |
| Ireland, Leinster (County Fingal), Howth — Lost At Sea |
| | The monument was erected by
The Howth Fishermens Association
and commemorated the lives
of all persons lost at sea,
no matter where or no matter how.
[Representative memorial plaques follow]
Fishermen
Brian Faherty and Michael McDonogh
of The Lively Lady, Inís-More, Aran Islands
Lost at Sea, March 1st 1982 in Rossaveal.
Sadly missed by their families & friends
Ar dheis dé go raibh a nanam
In loving memory of the crew of
‘The . . . — Map (db m26806) HM |
| Ireland, Leinster (County Longford), Lanesborough — fáilte go Lanesborough |
| |
Brief History of Longford
Longford is a focal point of the northern midlands where the provinces of Leinster, Ulster and Connaught all converge. Longford, where history and literature, tradegy and triumph are all woven together, takes its name from the ancient stronghold of the O'Farrell family (Long Fort - Fort of the O'Farrells) who ruled from the 11th Century. Bordered to the west by the majestic River Shannon, Longford is a county of rolling plains and picturesque stretches of . . . — Map (db m27498) HM |
| Ireland, Leinster (County Meath), Fordstown — Girley / Fordstown — Meath Villages |
| | An introduction to Fordstown
Fordstown is named after the Norman-Irish Ford family, who lived in the area. One part of the townland is sometimes referred to as Ballaghboy. Today, Fordstown is a growing, vibrant community. ‘Fordstown Street Fair’ is an old world fair, hosted by Fordstown in October each year since 2004. Fordrew Rovers
Fordrew Rovers Football Club was formed in 1997 and play in Drewstown. They progressed from Division 4A to Division 1 in four years. They won . . . — Map (db m27318) HM |
| Ireland, Munster (County Kerry), Listowel — Maid of Erin |
| | Work of local man
Pat McAuliffe
1846-1921 — Map (db m23698) HM |
| Netherlands Antilles, Sint Maarten, Philipsburg — Dr Albert Claudius ("Claude") Wathey — July 24, 1926 - January 8, 1999 |
| | Albert Claudius Wathey, simply "Claude" to everyone, was no doubt the most dominant political figure on the island in the last century. The legendary leader was in power for almost 40 years, during which time St. Maarten was
transformed from a sleepy backwater island whose inhabitants had to emigrate elsewhere to find work, into one of the leading tourist destinations in the Caribbean, attracting over a million visitors annually, including a very significant number of cruise passengers as . . . — Map (db m40384) HM |
| Netherlands Antilles, Sint Maarten, Philipsburg — John Philip Frederick Craane — a.k.a. Boechi |
| | This building is dedicated to John P.F. Craane, affectionately known as "Boechi." Born November 24,1913. Boechi spent most of his life working on or around boats. His love for boats was greatly influenced by his father, who was a well-known boat builder on the island of Bonaire.
As a young boy, Boechi worked with his father, helping to build boats after school. As a young man, he captained several of the boats his father had built, including the Endeavour and Rainbow.
In 1954 Boechi was . . . — Map (db m40591) HM |
| Netherlands Antilles, Sint Maarten, Philipsburg — St. Maarten Gingerbread Market Stalls — Historic Sint Maarten Remembered |
| | The gingerbread surroundings for the Harbor Point Village market stalls are a typical feature of the St. Maarten/ St. Martin homes of the past. Lovingly crafted by hand, often with improvised tools, gingerbread designs took on folk art appeal on their own at the turn of the 19th century. Many of the smaller holmes were constructed with the help of family and friends whose only pay would be a plate of food and a hearty drink at the end of the day. These buildings were gaily painted in bright . . . — Map (db m40518) HM |
| Turks and Caicos Islands, Grand Turk, Cockburn Town — Grand Turk Historic Lighthouse |
| | During the colonial days, hundreds of shipwrecks occured off Grand Turk due to the shallow reef off its northern coast. Because shipwrecks were so common, vessels began refusing to call for salt cargoes, the mainstay of the Grand Turk economy. Both shippers and the American Government insisted that a lighthouse be constructed.
The Grand Turk Lighthouse was built in London in 1852 and shipped to Grand Turk, where it was assembled in hopes of saving the salt trade. Standing sixty feet, it was . . . — Map (db m40367) HM |
| Turks and Caicos Islands, Grand Turk, Cockburn Town — Grand Turk Historic Lighthouse |
| | During the Lighthouse's first forty years of use, wrecks continued along the northern coast. Ship captains complained that the light was too dim or not lit at all. Some believe that the dimming of the light was done intentionally to cause ship wrecks in order to loot cargo aboard.
In March 1878 Captain Huehl of the S.S. Tybee reported that, on approaching Grand Turk at 2 a.m., he found himself in white water off the Northeast Reef, yet saw no light burning. On May 21st, the brig Lydia . . . — Map (db m40454) HM |
| Turks and Caicos Islands, Grand Turk, Cockburn Town — The History of the West — ( Grand Turk ) |
| | The western side of Grand Turk is the leeward side of the island. This is the side protected from high winds and storms. Because of this, it was the primary anchorage for the sailing vessels that came and went from Grand Turk for hundreds of years. The west coast is littered with artifacts left by these ships. Anchors, cannons, stone ballast, and even bottles lay sometimes within a few feet of shore. These remnants of our maritime past can be seen almost anywhere you snorkel on the west side . . . — Map (db m40351) HM |
| Turks and Caicos Islands, Grand Turk, Cockburn Town — The Northeast Reef — (Grand Turk) |
| | The Northeast Reef is a shallow reef lying to the northeast of Grand Turk and running 2.8 miles into the sea. The Reef lies in the Turks Island Passage, which has been located along trade routes from Jamaica, Cuba and Hispaniola back to Europe since the finding of the New World.
Some estimates indicate that maybe 1,000 shipwrecks in the waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Northeast Reef is the most infamous cause. It has caused hundreds of shipwrecks.
Shipwrecks off the . . . — Map (db m40602) HM |
| Turks and Caicos Islands, Grand Turk, Cockburn Town — #16 — Todds |
| | Todds, which was built in the 1880's, not only is the oldest variety store in the island, but also the only one still trading under its almost-original name and owned by the same family. The store was first owned by the Stubbs family who were the largest landowners in the Caicos Islands and also one of the foremost salt families in the territory. Freddie Todd purchased it in the early 20th century for his daughter, Eva Todd. When she died in the 1960's, her cousins, Olive Wood and Minnie Tatem, . . . — Map (db m31453) HM |
| U.S Virgin Islands, St Croix, Christiansted — Christiansted Wharf — 1830s-1850s |
| | Along the wharf you would have heard the creaking of rigging and pulleys as ships unloaded foodstuffs, plantation supplies, and building materials. The scent of sugar and molasses sweetened the air. Down the street plodded oxen, snorting with effort, as they delivered cartloads of rum barrels.
This was the music of international commerce. Sailors from Denmark, Great Britain, France, and the United States contributed to the blend of languages. Above the clipped Danish of customs officials . . . — Map (db m60815) HM |
| U.S Virgin Islands, St John — Boiling Room |
| | Intense heat. Steam rising from huge cauldrons. A foreman shouting to watch the last copper. This empty ruin was once the heart of Annaberg’s sugar operation.
Workers ladled the cane juice from kettle to kettle, gradually concentrating and purifying the boiling liquid. They then poured the juice into flat wooden pans where it cooled and crystallized into sugar.
Timing was critical. If juice were removed too soon from the last kettle, it became molasses instead of sugar crystals. — Map (db m60781) HM |
| U.S Virgin Islands, St John — Horse Mill |
| | When the breeze died, mules, horses or oxen plodded an endless circle in the sun while slaves fed cane to the rollers. A box at the base caught and held the juice until the factory called for more.
In the early 1900’s, after the sugar industry declined, a cattle farmer built the cookhouse on the far side of the platform. — Map (db m60780) HM |
| U.S Virgin Islands, St John — Windmill |
| | If there was a steady breeze, cane was brought to the windmill. Revolving sails turned a central shaft, rotating the rollers and crushing the stalks. Juice ran down the rollers into the gutter and flowed downhill to the factory.
The windmill, as well as the rest of the factory, was built between 1797 and 1805. It could produce more juice than the horsemill, and involved fewer people and no draft animals.
The now-missing turret carried axle and sails, and could be turned into the wind. — Map (db m60779) HM |
| United Kingdom, Angus (Scotland), Arbroath — David Dunbar Buick — September 17 1854 – March 5 1929 |
| | American motoring pioneer & founder of
the Buick motor company of America.
David Dunbar Buick was born at No. 26
Green Street, Arbroath, which lay approx
90 metres north of this, the only remaining
building to show the line of the original
street. — Map (db m34452) HM |
| Alabama (Autauga County), Prattville — Daniel Pratt Cemetery / George Cooke |
| | (Front): Daniel Pratt CemeteryFinal resting place of early Alabama industrialist Daniel Pratt, 1799-1873, and wife Esther Ticknor Pratt, 1803-1875. He was from New Hampshire and she, Connecticut. Married 1827 at Fortville, Jones County, Georgia.
The former carpenter’s apprentice practiced his craft in Milledgeville, Ga. Where he gained skill in building and design. In 1832 Pratt came to Alabama to build cotton gins. Esther encouraged Pratt to remain in Alabama in order for him . . . — Map (db m27957) HM |
| Alabama (Autauga County), Prattville — Heritage Park |
| | Located within Daniel Pratt Historic District, this park overlooks Autauga Creek and the manufacturing complex around which this New England style village developed. Daniel Pratt founded Prattville in 1839, and patterned the town after those of his native New Hampshire. Pratt chose this site to manufacture cotton gins because of the abundant water power. The many artesian wells gave Prattville the name, "The Fountain City." Some of the buildings in view here have been used continuously since . . . — Map (db m27958) HM |
| Alabama (Autauga County), Prattville — Old Plank Road — Circa 1840's |
| | The plank road was constructed of large pine logs, sawed lengthwise and laid round-side down. Daniel Pratt built the road for public benefit and to provide transportation from the Pratt Cotton Gin Factory to Washington on the Alabama River. Over four-miles long, the road cost between eight-and ten-thousand dollars to construct.
Cotton gins from Pratt's factory were shipped all over the globe. Under the name "Continental Eagle," this factory remains the largest cotton gin manufacturer in . . . — Map (db m27983) HM |
| Alabama (Autauga County), Prattville — Pratt Homesite — Circa 1842 |
| | Daniel Pratt, Prattville’s founding father,
constructed an imposing home and garden
within a quarter-mile of this site on
Autauga Creek, near his industrial complex.
The large home was designed and erected by
Pratt himself, a noted architect / builder.
The white frame house featured New England
architectural elements characteristic of
Pratt’s style and incorporated a narrow,
two-story portico and balcony. Pratt also added
An art gallery to the home displaying paintings by
George . . . — Map (db m27985) HM |
| Alabama (Barbour County), Eufaula — Confederate Hospital |
| | Confederate Hospital
1861 - 1865
“Sanctuary for valiant and courageous men”
Built for a river tavern 1836
Placed by Barbour County Chapter United Daughter of the Confederacy. — Map (db m27986) HM |
| Alabama (Barbour County), Eufaula — Fendall Hall — The Young - Dent Home |
| | Marker Front:
Built between 1856 and 1860 by Edward Brown Young and his wife, Ann Fendall Beall, this was one of the first of the great Italianate style homes constructed in Eufaula. It later became the home of the builders’ daughter, Anna Beall Young, and her husband, Stouten Hubert Dent. The Dents renovated the house in the 1880s in the styles and colors then popular, and hired a Mr. LaFranc to stencil and paint the ceilings and walls of the hall, parlor, and dining room. These three . . . — Map (db m33759) HM |
| Alabama (Bibb County), Brierfield — Bibb Furnace |
| | The Bibb County Iron Company under the direction of C. C. Huckabee of Newbern, Alabama, constructed a furnace here and poured the first iron in November 1862. Within a year, the Confederate government purchased the works and completed a second and larger furnace alongside whose stack exists today. Known as the Bibb Naval Works, the facility was a major contributor of iron used for Confederate ordnance especially the Brooke cannon.
On the morning of 31 March 1865, Union General James H. . . . — Map (db m37090) HM |
| Alabama (Bibb County), Brierfield — Bibb Naval Furnaces Brierfield Furnaces — — ½ mile → |
| | Principal iron producer for Confederate foundry at Selma where naval guns and iron-clads were made.
1865 - Furnaces destroyed by Wilson’s Raiders, U. S. A.
1866 - Furnaces rebuilt and operated by Gen. Gorgas, former Ordnance Chief, C. S. A. — Map (db m37055) HM |
| Alabama (Bibb County), West Blocton — Belle Ellen |
| | One and a half miles northeast of here, the mining town of Belle Ellen was established by the Bessemer Coal, Iron and Land Company in the fall of 1895 and named for Henry F. DeBardeleben's daughter, Belle, and wife, Ellen. DeBardeleben was a noted industrialist of the era and principal stockholder in the company.
During its existence, several mines were opened at Belle Ellen. The Welsh mining engineer, Llewellyn Johns, was an early superintendent. The Number Two mine was operated with . . . — Map (db m37226) HM |
| Alabama (Bibb County), West Blocton — Blocton / Blocton Coke Ovens |
| | Blocton
Centered around the coke ovens, Blocton, first called Gresham, was the Cahaba Coal Mining Company town founded by Truman H. Aldrich in 1883-84. Other company officers included W. A. Clark of Muscatine, Iowa, and Cornelius Cadle, Jr., the town's first postmaster. The first coal was shipped in February 1884. Ten coal mines were eventually opened, the last in 1915 by the Tennesee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company division of U.S. Steel. In its hayday around 1900, Blocton was the largest . . . — Map (db m37228) HM |
| Alabama (Bibb County), West Blocton — Piper |
| | The town of Piper was established in 1901 a half mile of northeast of here by the Little Cahaba Coal Company, named for Oliver Hazzard Perry Piper, a partner of industrialist Henry F. DeBardeleben. Two coal mines were opened in 1901 and 1903. The first was sealed in 1935 due to fire. Piper was one of the larger mining towns in the Cahaba Coal Field reaching greatest employment in 1914 with 432 miners and related workers. The Piper-Coleanor High School operated from 1931-1940. After World War . . . — Map (db m37227) HM |
| Alabama (Blount County), Blount Springs — Blount Springs |
| | Famous Health Resort
1843-1914
Here fashionable ladies and
gentlemen of the South
vacationed with
their families. — Map (db m33782) HM |
| Alabama (Blount County), Oneonta — Champion Mines |
| | John Hanby came in 1817 and found a rich seam of brown iron ore. Named Champion in 1882 when Henry DeBardeleben and James Sloss bought land and brought L&N Railroad causing county seat to be moved from Blountsville to Oneonta in 1889. Most ore was mined by Shook and Fletcher 1925-1967 from Champion & Taits Gap mines under E. N. Vandergrift, superintendent. Ore was shipped to Woodward, T. C. I. & Sloss furnaces in Birmingham and Republic in Gadsden. — Map (db m28362) HM |
| Alabama (Calhoun County), Jacksonville — The First National Bank of Jacksonville |
| | Since 1890 the financial interests of this area have been served by The First National Bank and its predecessor The Tredagar National Bank (an institution of the "Boom" days of Jacksonville)
Organizers were Peyton Rowan, President, Jos. W. Burke (Brig. Gen. USA), Vice Pres., and George P. Ide, Cashier. Horace Lee Stevenson, Pres. 1900-1913.
Name changed to First National Bank March 25, 1913
Presidents
Maximillian Bethune Wellborn, 1913-1914
Henry A. Young, 1914-1918 . . . — Map (db m29480) HM |
| Alabama (Calhoun County), Ohatchee — Janney Furnace |
| | The furnace was constructed by Montgomery businessman Alfred A. Janney, reportedly using slaves brought from Tennessee by a "Dr. Smith." The furnace was completed and ready to produce pig iron when, on July 14, 1864, a Union cavalry raiding force of 2,300 men, led by Major General Louvell H. Rousseau, crossed the Coosa River at Ten Islands Ford in route to destroying the railroad between Montgomery and West Point, Georgia. Learning of the location of the furnace, Rousseau dispatched his . . . — Map (db m25544) HM |
| Alabama (Cherokee County), Cedar Bluff — Cornwall Furnace |
| | The Confederate States of America in 1862 commissioned the Noble Brothers of Rome, Georgia to erect a cold blast furnace to produce needed pig iron from the war effort.
The skilled labor was detailed from Confederate army personnel. It is estimated that 1000 laborers were employed in building the canal, tunnel and mining brown hematite rock used in building the furnace in less than a year.
The furnace output was small (6 tons daily) but an important asset to the Confederacy in building . . . — Map (db m41006) HM |
| Alabama (Coffee County), Enterprise — Boll Weevil Monument — December 11, 1919 |
| | In profound appreciation of the Boll Weevil and what it has done as the Herald of Prosperity this monument was erected by the Citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama — Map (db m30306) HM |
| Alabama (Coffee County), Enterprise — Enterprise Depot |
| | This building was built in 1903 with additions in 1916 and 1997. The first freight shipments and passengers came here on the Alabama Midland railroad in 1898 immediately after construction of the roadbed. That was also the year when most of the brick business buildings downtown were completed. By 1903 a depot was needed as the transportation focus of this town. Along with the new Rawls Hotel, the depot became a gathering place for our citizens. In 1974 the Pea River Historical Society purchased the depot and began operating the Depot Museum. — Map (db m30307) HM |
| Alabama (Coffee County), Enterprise — Rawls Hotel |
| | Original two-story brick structure built 1903 by Japheth Rawls, developer of some of earliest turpentine plants in Coffee County. Building remodeled 1928 and three-story wings added by Jesse P. Rawls, founder of first electric power system in Enterprise. Hotel was center for business and social gatherings until its closing in early 1970's. Listed on National Register of Historic Places 1980. — Map (db m30308) HM |
| Alabama (Colbert County), Sheffield — Furnace Hill |
| | Center of Industry for new town of Sheffield. Five blast furnaces with 75 ft stacks build 1886~1895 1/2 mile west. Promoted by E. W. Cole and E. Ensley. Iron ore and limestone from Franklin Co., coke from Walker Co. and Virginia used. Hattie Ensley Furnace, most successful, produced 221 tons pig iron daily. Iron barged down Tennessee River. Furnaces operated by Sloss ~ Sheffield Iron & Steel Co until 1927. — Map (db m28428) HM |
| Alabama (Colbert County), Sheffield — History of Sheffield |
| | Side A Prehistoric man arrived in this area bout 10,000 years ago.
Later Indian cultures left many stone artifacts and pottery vessels.
In the 1780s, a French trading post and Indian village were located near the mouth of Spring Creek. The town of York Bluff was laid out in 1820 and Andrew Jackson brought land for a plantation. A few houses and store were built but that "town" dwindled away. In 1832, the first railroad in the state terminated at Tuscumbia Landing near Spring Creek. . . . — Map (db m35624) HM |
| Alabama (Colbert County), Sheffield — Village One |
| | Front In 1918, during World War I, the U.S. Government built this unique village of 85 bungalows, school, and officers barracks to house personnel at nearby Nitrate Plant No. 1. Prefabricated and standard size materials were used in construction along with red tile roofs and stucco exteriors. Streets were laid out in an unusual "Liberty Bell" design.
Reverse The Village was owned by TVA from 1933~1949. Its employees occupied the houses and their children attended a . . . — Map (db m28577) HM |
| Alabama (Covington County), Opp — The Depot / Opp, Alabama |
| | The Depot In 1900, the L&N Railroad won the right to establish the railroad through this area. The town is named for Henry Opp, who represented L&N in successful legal negotiations. The coming of the railroad consolidated the surrounding areas and brought people and businesses from Poley, Opine, Cool Springs and other nearby areas. The first depot was a railcar parked on a sidetrack. As the town developed, a wooden building was constructed. The present structure was constructed in 1928 . . . — Map (db m39777) HM |
| Alabama (Covington County), River Falls — The Horseshoe Lumber Company / River Falls Power Company |
| | (side A)
The Horseshoe Lumber Company
E.L. More, president of the A&F Division of the L&N Railroad, arrived in River Falls from Nashville in 1897 to spearhead the construction of a branch line of the L&N. Recognizing a business opportunity in the large quantity of virgin longleaf pine timberland in the area, he purchased a half-interest in a small mill located on Buck Creek near River Falls. He was encouraged by his long-time friend and mentor Major E.C. Lewis, president of . . . — Map (db m42547) HM |
| Alabama (Dallas County), Cahaba — Cahaba Drug Store |
| | The Cahaba Drug Store once covered this cellar hole. It was operated by Herbert Hudson and J. D. Craig.
On the same lot were T. L. Craig's large family grocery, Coleman's dry goods store, and Fellows' Jewelry.
All these men were related through marriage. — Map (db m23008) HM |
| Alabama (Dallas County), Cahaba — Commissary - R.R. Depot |
| | This cellar was under Joseph Babcock's brick store. During the Civil War the building was used as a commissary.
Babcock's warehouse and cotton shed were located to your right on the bluff overlooking the river. The family home, kitchen, and garden stood between this store and the warehouse.
In 1860 the Babcock family sold the land between this sign and Capitol Street to the Cahawba, Marion and Greensboro Railroad Company for a train depot. Railroad tracks had been laid directly down Capitol Street in 1858. — Map (db m23287) HM |
| Alabama (Dallas County), Cahaba — Crocheron's Row |
| | A "row" was a 19th century shopping mall. The word was used whan building or block had several similar storefronts arranged in a straight line or row.
This celler marks the spot where David and Nicholas Crocheron built a large 2 story brick row. It was completed in 1822. At that time, most of Cahawba's stores were in log cabins. The brothers had previously built the town's other brick structure, the Statehouse.
This building contained eight different stores or offices, equally divided . . . — Map (db m23007) HM |
| Alabama (Dallas County), Cahaba — Perine Well |
| | This artesian well was drilled to serve a factory which did not materialized. It was then used to water the grounds, a garden and pastures. In addition, by forcing water through pipes into his $50,000 home, E. M. Perine, a merchant prince, had the first air conditioning in Alabama. Fry's history relates that when drilled, this was the deepest known well in the world. Flow is now estimated at 1250 gallons per minute from a depth of 700-900 feet. — Map (db m23290) HM |
| Alabama (Dallas County), Cahaba — The Old Brick Store |
| | By 1858 many brick stores had been built in Cahaba, so everyone called this the "old brick store." Merchant Sam M. Hill turned the building into one huge dry goods store where shoppers could buy just about anything!
Col. Hill, like most of the merchants in Cahaba, traveled to New York twice a year to stock up on new seasonal goods. They traveled by steam-boat down the Alabama then by packet boat from Mobile or New Orleans to New York via Cuba. In 1859, Col. Hill made this trip in less than four days! — Map (db m23242) HM |
| Alabama (Dallas County), Cahaba — Vine Street |
| | Vine Street was Cahawba Business district. Stores, offices and hotels were tightly packed together along these three blocks. Homes were scattered over an entire square mile. Nearly every house had a yard of one or two acres. — Map (db m23289) HM |
| Alabama (Dallas County), Selma — Arsenal Anvil |
| | Anvil used in Selma’s Confederate Arsenal to make armament for Southern forces.
Presented to Sturdivant Museum Association April 1, 1961 by the Southern Railway Company which as the Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad Company purchased the anvil among scrap disposed of at the arsenal, in 1866. The anvil was in use in the railroad blacksmith shop until 1936. — Map (db m37690) HM |
| Alabama (Dallas County), Selma — Water Avenue |
| | Selma’s Water Avenue is one of the finest surviving examples of a 19th century riverfront street in the south. Located here are structures which reflect the architectural trends in commercial buildings from 1830 to 1900.
This was the main business artery of one of central Alabama’s major commercial centers. During the War Between the States Selma was the Confederacy’s most important military depot in the lower south. The arsenal and naval foundry were located here and the St. James Hotel . . . — Map (db m37669) HM |
| Alabama (DeKalb County), Fort Payne — Boom Town Historic District |
| | Around 1889-1891 Fort Payne experienced a great industrial boom due to promotion by New England investors who speculated greatly on the area’s mineral deposits. During this period several highly ornate commercial and civic buildings, along with the planned park, were constructed along Gault Avenue. The Fort Payne Opera House and other buildings in the same block constructed by the Fort Payne Coal & Iron Co., together with the Sawyer Building, the Alabama Great Southern Railroad Depot & Union . . . — Map (db m28027) HM |
| Alabama (DeKalb County), Valley Head — Former Site Of Battelle |
| | Former Site Of Battelle
Thriving iron ore and coal mining community of early 1900’s established by Colonel John Gordon Battelle five miles north of Valley Head. — Map (db m61018) HM |
| Alabama (Escambia County), Brewton — Bank of Brewton |
| | Side A Recognized as “Alabama’s Oldest Bank,” the Bank
of Brewton opened for business on Monday, January 7, 1899. Brewton, Alabama was a prosperous town in the late 1800s. A local resident, Charles Sowell, participated in the flourishing times. A native of Monroe County, Alabama and a wounded veteran of the Civil War, Sowell settled in Brewton. After a brief stint as a railroad station agent, he began a timber industry that produced a sizeable fortune. In 1880 Sowell . . . — Map (db m39025) HM |
| Alabama (Escambia County), Flomaton — Flomaton, Alabama |
| | Front As railroads were reconstructed following the Civil War, a junction of north-south and east-west lines was established along the Alabama-Florida border near the confluence of Big Escambia Creek and the Conecuh-Escambia River. A settlement followed which became knows as Reuterville, for Major Reuter, the contractor who on April 9, 1872, drove the last spikes joining the different railroads. The community was also known as Pensacola Junction, or simply the Junction, as well as . . . — Map (db m47484) HM |
| Alabama (Etowah County), Alabama City — Howard Gardner Nichols 1871-1896 — Scholar, Engineer, Industrialist, Naturalist, Humanitarian |
| | Nichols came to Alabama City in 1894 to supervise construction of the Dwight Manufacturing Company. While serving as the mill's first agent, he planned and began a model mill village and was elected Mayor of Alabama City. — Map (db m18578) HM |
| Alabama (Etowah County), Attalla — Electricity for the City of Attalla |
| | In the fall of 1902, Captain William Patrick Lay, of Gadsden, began construction of a small hydro electric generating plant at the site of Wesson Mill on Big Wills Creek, just southwest of Attalla. The plant was constructed, in Lay’s words, “First to supply the City of Attalla with electricity; second, to pump water into a tall stand pipe which would furnish Attalla with water; and third, to demonstrate the possibilities and economy of hydro electric power for which I had been contending . . . — Map (db m39158) HM |
| Alabama (Etowah County), Attalla — William Patrick Lay — (1853-1940) |
| | William Patrick Lay (1853-1940), founder of Alabama Power Company, built his first hydroelectric plant on Big Wills Creek about 2 miles east on Simmons Lane.
Lay purchased the Old Wesson Mill in 1902 and built a small hydroelectric generating plant which furnished electricity to the City of Attalla. Drawing on this success, Lay proposed building a large hydroelectric plant on the Coosa River at the Lock 12 site near Clanton and in 1906 organized the Alabama Power Company. Lock 12 Dam, . . . — Map (db m24082) HM |
| Alabama (Etowah County), Gadsden — Dwight Mill Village |
| | Dwight Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts selected this site in Alabama City for a cotton mill in 1894. The Mill and the village covering 240 acres was constructed under the direction of Howard Gardner Nichols.
There were 160 New England style cottages in the original construction plan, each home had a distinctive architectural style and color scheme. Later construction brought the total number of homes in the village to 700. This model Village was designed with its own . . . — Map (db m18575) HM |
| Alabama (Etowah County), Gadsden — Gadsden, Alabama |
| | Side A:
In the early 1840’s, John S. Moragne, along with Gabriel and Joseph Hughes, began surveying for a city on the banks of the Coosa River near the settlement of Double Springs. The new city would be located on 120 acres of land at the present site of the downtown business district. The fledgling town received a boost on July 4, 1845, when the piercing sound of a steamboat’s whistle along the banks of the Coosa River announced the beginning of a new era in Northeast Alabama. The . . . — Map (db m39139) HM |
| Alabama (Hale County), Greensboro — Gayle - Tunstall House |
| | Built in 1828 by John Gayle,
sixth governor of Alabama.
Birthplace of
Amelia Gayle Gorgas,
wife of Gen. Josiah Gorgas,
Chief of Ordnance, CSA,
mother of Wm. Crawford Gorgas,
US Surgeon General who freed
Canal Zone of yellow fever.
For many years was the home
of the Hobson - Tunstall family:
Wiley C. Tunstall, member of
first Alabama R. R. Commission;
his son, Alfred Moore Tunstall,
Alabama legislator for 39 years
and twice Speaker of House. — Map (db m33744) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Bessemer — Bright Star / Koikos Restaurant — "Alabama's Oldest Restaurant" / "An American Classic" |
| | Bright Star
In 1907, Greek immigrant Tom Bonduris invested his savings and opened a small cafe with only a horseshoe shaped bar at First Avenue and 21st Street in Bessemer, Alabama. Outgrowing three locations, the Bright Star moved to this site in 1915, and introduced patrons to a new dining atmosphere. The interior of the restaurant has remained true to its 1915 glory, with handpainted murals on the walls, a marble-tiled floor, and a couple of private curtained booths. Major . . . — Map (db m34926) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — 4th Avenue District |
| | The Fourth Avenue "Strip" thrived during a time when downtown privileges for blacks were limited. Although blacks could shop at some white-owned stores, they did not share the same privileges and services as white customers, so they created tailor shops, department stores, cafeterias, billiard parlors, fruit stands, shoe shine shops, laundry service, jewelry and record shops, and taxicab stands. These businesses were distinctively geared toward and managed by blacks. When darkness fell, the . . . — Map (db m26985) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Belview Heights Neighborhood |
| | The Corey Land Company, a group of prominent local businessmen headed by Robert Jemison, Jr., developed Belview Heights as a neighborhood for the professional employees of U.S. Steel in the 1910's. Extending the grid system being used in Ensley over the topography of the 30 square block area, Jemison created a neighborhood of rolling streets and avenues, occasional steeply pitched lots, and captivating views. In 1915, the city of Birmingham set the architectural tone for Belview Heights when it . . . — Map (db m24351) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Birmingham Water Works Company (1887) / Cahaba Pumping Station (1890) |
| | Side A The Elyton Land Company, which had founded the city of Birmingham in 1871, established a subsidiary, the Birmingham Water Works Company in 1887. Dr. Henry M. Caldwell, President of the Elyton Land Company, contracted with Judge A. O. Lane, mayor of Birmingham, to furnish the new city with not less than five million gallons of water a day. Without water Birmingham could not have grown into the city that the founders had envisioned.
(Continued on other side) Side B . . . — Map (db m28445) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Boilers — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark |
| | The Process
The boiler was the source of power for most of Sloss. The boilers burned blast furnace gas to provide the heat necessary for converting water into steam. The steam produced here powered the blowing engines and turbo-blowers, the skip hoist, and the electrical generator in the powerhouse. A network of pipes distributed water and steam throughout the plant
The company installed six boilers (illustrated below) in 1910-11. The four boilers on the south side of the walkway . . . — Map (db m43728) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Brock Drugs Building |
| | The Brock building was established in 1915, located at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and 18th Street North, was built while the area was residential. The three-story building housed a hotel upstairs that catered to professional musicians and athletes. The drug store served as the "gathering place" for black patrons during the early 1920's through the early 1960's. The building was demolished in the 80's. The most notable businesses included:
1928 - 1977 Palm Leaf Hotel
. . . — Map (db m26723) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Clark Building |
| | This building was constructed in 1908 by Louis V. Clark (1862-1934), who also built the historic Lyric Theater located nearby on 18th Street. The Clark Theater on Caldwell Park is named in honor of Mr. Clark’s generosity to the Birmingham Little Theater.
The Clark Building housed multiple businesses until 1986, when it became vacant. In 1996, plans had been made to demolish the building when John Lauriello of Southpace Properties and Bob Moody of Moody & Associates recognized its potential . . . — Map (db m27515) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Dewberry Drugs and Phenix Insurance Company Buildings |
| | The two commercial buildings on this corner lot are some of the earliest surviving business houses in Birmingham. The Dewberry building appeared on the corner about 1881, and it housed the first and longest surviving drug store in the city, starting as Godden & Lide, and becoming Dewberry around 1900. After Dewberry left the building in about 1995, it remained vacant until its rehabilitation as a law office in 2003.
The Phenix Insurance Company building was built somewhat later, about . . . — Map (db m36740) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Five Points South |
| | This neighborhoods developed in the 1880s as one of Birmingham's first streetcar suburbs. It was the Town of Highlands from 1887 to 1893, when it became part of the City of Birmingham. The heart of the neighborhood was Five Points Circle, a major streetcar intersection lined with houses and small stores. In the 1920s, the Circle was transformed into one of the state's most distinctive shopping areas, known for its outstanding collection of Spanish Revival and Art Deco buildings. Nearby houses, . . . — Map (db m26965) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Fourth Avenue Historic District. |
| | Marker front:
Prior to 1900 a "black business district" did not exist in Birmingham. In a pattern characteristic of Southern cities found during Reconstruction, black businesses developed alongside those of whites in many sections of the downtown area.
After the turn of the century, Jim Crow laws authorizing the distinct separation of "the races" and subsequent restrictions placed on black firms forced the growing black business community into an area along Third, Fourth, and Fifth . . . — Map (db m26702) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Fraternal Hotel Building |
| | The Fraternal Hotel Building was built in 1925. Some of the businesses that were located in this building included:
1925 - 1980 Fraternal Hotel
1925 - 1970 Fraternal Café
1950 - 1966 Monroe Steak House
1985 - 1994 Grand Lodge Knights of Pythians
1928 - 1931 Mabry Brothers Department Store
1952 - 1985 Hill Photo Studio
1950 - 1985 Central Barber Shop
Famous persons such as: Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Monroe Kennedy and many others were . . . — Map (db m27518) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Green Acres Café — 1705 - 4th Avenue, North |
| | Businesses that occupied this building between 1908 - 1970
1908 - 1913 Southern Bell Telephone Company Stockroom
1915 - 1926 OK French Dry Cleaning Company
1927 - 1938 George Kanelis Billiards
1940 - 1945 Alex’s Steak House
1946 - 1971 OK Cleaning Company
Historically, this building has been identified as the OK Cleaners building. During the early 1970’s until 1989 this building remained vacant. Green Acres Café was established in 1959 and was located at 1600 - 6th Avenue, . . . — Map (db m27521) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Ironmaking — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark |
| | The Industry That Built A City
The minerals needed to make iron-iron ore, coal, and limestone-are abundant in the Birmingham area, and for ninety years men turned these materials into pig iron at Sloss. Sloss pig iron was sold to foundries, where it was melted down and cast into iron pipe, machinery, and many other products.
The heart of the Sloss plant was a pair of blast furnaces that together produced as much as 950 tons of iron a day. In addition to the furnaces, the plant . . . — Map (db m43973) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Morris Avenue Historic District / Elyton Land Company (Successor, Birmingham Realty Co.) |
| | Created 1972 by the Jefferson County Historical Commission, the district is based on this avenue. Morris Avenue was named for one of the founders of Birmingham, Josiah Morris, who paid $100,000 for 4,157 acres of the original site of the city in 1870. At the suggestion of Mr. Morris the city was named for England's industrial district. This avenue was the principal wholesale trade district of the city and enjoyed it's greatest popularity from 1880 to 1900. Some of the city's most prominent . . . — Map (db m27156) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — North Birmingham |
| | On October 1, 1886, the North Birmingham Land Company was formed to develop a planned industrial and residential town on 900 acres of land, formerly part of the Alfred Nathaniel Hawkins plantation north of Village Creek. The plan included sites for houses, parks, businesses and manufacturing plants, and a streetcar line to downtown Birmingham. The community was incorporated in 1902 with a population of 5,000, and annexed by legislative act, into the City of Birmingham, under protest, in 1910. . . . — Map (db m26700) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Oldest House In Shades Valley / Irondale Furnace Commissary — Cummings - Eastis - Beaumont House |
| | The original log structure was built c. 1820 - 1830, with the board and batten addition dating to as late as the 1860s. The log cabin was at first one and one-half stories and is believed to be the oldest structure in Shades Valley. Members of the Eastis family lived here for over eighty years until it was purchased by the Edward Beaumonts in 1951.
(Continued on other side)
(Reverse):
The log house, purchased from William Cummings in 1863 by Wallace S. McElwain, owner of the . . . — Map (db m26697) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Oxmoor Iron Furnaces — 1863 - 1928 |
| | First blast furnace in Jefferson County erected near this site (1863) by Red Mountain Coal and Iron Co. Destroyed (1865) by Federal troops: rebuilt (1873) and second furnace added. Successful experimental run made in Furnace No. 2 (1876) using local coke and Red Mountain iron ore: this assured future growth of coal and iron industry in Birmingham area. Owned by a succession of companies, the furnaces were acquired by U.S. Steel Corp. (1907) and later dismantled (1928). — Map (db m27280) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Sloss Furnaces |
| | The crossing of railroads in 1872 adjacent to this site gave rise to the industrial city of Birmingham. In 1881 Alabama railroad magnate and entrepreneur James Withers Sloss, capitalizing on the unusual coincidence of coal, iron ore and limestone in the area, founded the Sloss Furnace Company as an iron manufacturer and built blast furnaces beside the railroad crossing. Production of pig iron at Sloss Furnaces began in 1882 and continued for almost 90 years. Early 20th century additions to the . . . — Map (db m23498) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — The Berry Project |
| | This row of buildings from 2009 to 2017 Second Avenue dates from the early years of the 20th century and has undergone a variety of changes and modernizations over the years. Originally part of a larger building that burned in 1944 (now the site of Brombergs’s), 2009 survived and was rebuilt and known for many years as the Lee Building. Martha Washington Lunch originally occupied 2013, and 2017 was originally known as Gunn’s Drug Store. Burger Dry Goods was the first occupant of 2015, a fine . . . — Map (db m38563) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — The Blowing Engine Room — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark |
| | The blast furnace required a tremendous amount of air - about two tons for every ton of iron produced. These three rooms, known collectively as the blower building, house the equipment used to pump air to the furnaces. Workers called this blast of air the “ wind.” The eight giant steam-powered piston engine in the largest room date from 1890-1910 and were used until the early 1950s. At that time they were replaced by the two turbo-blowers in the adjoining rooms. Despite their size, . . . — Map (db m43628) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — The Coe House — 1908 |
| | John Valentine Coe, president of Birmingham Lumber and Coal Company, commissioned this two-story Craftsman-Tudor Revival style house in 1908. Coe, who had previously been a lumber merchant in Selma, moved his family and business to Birmingham at the turn of the 20th century. As the business thrived, he built this house in the Rhodes Park area of the Highland Park neighborhood. At the time, Highland Park's gracious homes and trolley network made it one of Alabama's most exclusive residential . . . — Map (db m27356) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — The Gas System — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark |
| | The Gas System
Gas produced in the furnace as a by-product of the ironmaking process was used in the plant as fuel. A large pipe called the downcomer carried gas from the top of the furnace to the gas cleaning equipment, which removed the dirt and dust. Once cleaned, the gas was piped throughout the plant. The stoves burned part of the gas to pre-heat the air blast. The boilers burned the remainder to produce the steam that powered much of the plant's machinery.
The . . . — Map (db m43669) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — The Heaviest Corner On Earth |
| | At the turn of the 20th century, Birmingham was a small town of two and three story buildings with a few church steeples punctuating the skyline. During the industrial boom from 1902 to 1912 which made Birmingham the largest city in the state. Four large buildings were constructed at the intersection of the City's main streets. The Woodward building (now National Bank of Commerce), constructed in 1902 on the Southwest corner, was the City's first steel-frame skyscraper. A good example of the . . . — Map (db m27500) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — The Iron Man: Vulcan |
| | The giant, cast iron statue you see towering above you is Vulcan, the Roman god of metalwork and the forge. The 56-foot tall statue was commissioned by Birmingham leaders to represent their new, growing city at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. After a smashing success at the fair, he was brought home to Birmingham. — Map (db m26297) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Title Building |
| | Designed by William C. Weston and erected in 1902, the Title Building was the second skyscraper built in Birmingham. It was the first building to supply its tenants with electric power with its own power-generating plant and the water supply was pumped from a well beneath the foundations.
In 1983 the investment partnership of John N. Lauriello, Neal L. Andrews, Jr. and David Cromwell Johnson rescued the Title Building from Bankruptcy proceedings. Certified in 1984 as a historic property in . . . — Map (db m27501) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — United States Pipe and Foundry Company |
| | On March 3, 1899, the United States Pipe and Foundry Company was incorporated consolidating 14 iron and steel foundries in 9 states. One of these foundries, the Howard-Harrison Iron Company of Bessemer, was founded in 1889. In 1911, the Dimmick Pipe Company, located in North Birmingham, became part of the company. U.S. Pipe led the industry with its introduction of the deLavaud centrifugal casting technology in 1921. The process revolutionized the U.S. pipe-making industry and remained the . . . — Map (db m27526) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Wilson's Raiders — Headquarters March 28-31, 1865 |
| | Gen. James H. Wilson, USA, having crossed the Tennessee River with a large force of well equipped cavalry, grouped them here at Elyton.
Their mission: to destroy Alabama's economic facilities for supporting the War.
From these headquarters he sent;
(a) cavalry unit to burn the military school, foundries and bridges at Tuscaloosa.
(b) soldiers to destroy mines and furnaces in Jefferson, Bibb and Shelby Counties.
(c) cavalry to dash south to destroy railroads and factories at Selma. — Map (db m24358) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Birmingham — Zion Memorial Gardens |
| | Mt. Zion Baptist Church began burying here in the mid-1800s. On June 2, 1970, New Grace Hill Cemetery, Inc., a subsidiary of the Booker T. Washington Insurance Company in Birmingham, purchased this cemetery and officially named it Zion Memorial Gardens. Dr. A. G. Gaston (1892-1996) organized the Booker T. Washington Burial Society in 1923, responding to the lack of burial insurance available to African Americans. Gaston believed, “a proper funeral is of immense importance….it’s the very . . . — Map (db m35602) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Brookside — Brookside's Unique Heritage / Brookside Russian Orthodox Church |
| | (side A)
Brookside's Unique Heritage
Originally settled by the Samuel and Mary “Polly” Fields family in the 1820s, Brookside enjoyed a quiet life as an agricultural community until industrialists discovered rich coal deposits here. Sloss-Sheffield Iron and Steel Company mined the area to produce its own coal for use in the blast furnaces located in Birmingham. Brookside's unique ethnic makeup, however, sets it apart from other similarly founded Alabama towns. While . . . — Map (db m43223) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Fultondale — None — Black Creek Park, Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership and the Fultondale Coke Oven Park |
| | Black Creek Park, part of the Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership, encompasses the Fultondale Coke Oven Park development. The Fultondale Coke Oven Park preserves the environment and history of the old mining communities of north Birmingham, including the beehive coke ovens. The Five Mile Creek area experienced an explosion of coal mining and mining camps in the late 1800s due to the unique possession of all the resources needed for iron and steel production: iron ore, limestone and coal. The . . . — Map (db m50823) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Graysville — Downtown Graysville |
| | (side A)
In the latter 1800s and early 1900s, the city of Graysville was called Gin Town. Because Graysville had the only cotton gin for miles around, the town and community grew. As the community grew, the need for businesses and houses of worship grew as well. One street over from this site, the Union Church was established in the early 1900s. All people of all denominations met and worshipped there as it was the only church for miles around. The City of Graysville was incorporated . . . — Map (db m43221) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Homewood — Hallman Hill |
| | In the early 1900's, among the many craftsmen who migrated south to build the booming industrial cities was Swedish brick mason A. G. Hallman. Hallman moved from the Lake Michigan area and purchased an acre of farmland along the north side of Oxmoor Road between Park Avenue (now 18th Street) and Center Avenue (now 19th Street). Hallman's brothers began to buy land around his, and before long residents began referring to the area as Hallman's Hill. — Map (db m26986) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Homewood — Hollywood / Hollywood Town Hall / Hollywood Country Club |
| | Clyde Nelson, born in Columbiana, Alabama, was only 26 when he began development of the Town of Hollywood in 1926. With a sales force of 75 and the slogan "Out of the smoke zone, into the ozone" his beautiful community soon took shape. Homes were usually designed by local architect George P. Turner in Spanish Mission style as was the rage in Hollywood, California. Many were also of the English Tudor design.
Besides homes, Nelson built the magnificent Hollywood Country Club (burned 1984) on . . . — Map (db m27091) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Hoover — Brock’s Gap / Historic Gateway To Birmingham — The South and North Railroad Cut. |
| | In 1858, the State of Alabama, wanting to develop coal and iron industries in Jefferson County, Had John T. Milner survey Shades Mountain for the most practical route for the South and North Railroad to cross. He selected Brock's Gap, named for original land purchaser, Pinkney L. Brock. Work began immediately. The cut, now passing under South Shades Crest Road, was blasted by nitroglycerin through a bed of limestone 75 feet deep and was heralded as the deepest railroad cut in the world. Delayed . . . — Map (db m26773) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Hoover — Founding Of Hoover |
| | The City of Hoover has grown rapidly since its incorporation in 1967 from a small four block area west of this site. A metal shed behind Employers Ins. Co. became the first fire station and “city hall.” A bank, grocery, hardware, drug store and a shopping center were some of the first commercial ventures. — Map (db m28448) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Hoover — Ross Bridge |
| | In 1858 James Taylor Ross, a Scotchman, migrated to the South, acquired land and homesteaded in what is now Shades Valley. He provided land for the construction of a railway, including a bridge spanning Ross Creek. After the Ross family moved westward, his property was purchased in 1907 by TCI, a predecessor of U.S. Steel. In 2002, U.S. Steel, Daniel Corp. and the Retirement Systems of Ala. combined to develop the community of Ross Bridge. — Map (db m27302) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Leeds — John Henry — Ledgendary 'Steel Drivin' Man' |
| | The story of "steel driving' man" John Henry is one of America's most enduring legends. The strong ex-slave became a folk hero during construction of the Columbus & Western Railroad between Goodwater and Birmingham. He drilled holes for explosives used to blast tunnels. According to legend, he was involved in a race against a steam-powered drill that its manufacturer claimed could do the job faster than a man. Witnesses said after the all-day contest that he and his heavy hammer cleared . . . — Map (db m22207) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Mountain Brook — Mountain Brook |
| | In 1821 the first settlers came to this area, later called Waddell. Large numbers of people first migrated here in 1863 with the construction of the Irondale Furnace. Destroyed in the Civil War, the furnace was rebuilt and operated from 1867 to 1873. The first school was established in 1857 and the first church in 1867. The area later became known for its many dairies. In 1926 Robert Jemison, Jr. began development of modern day Mountain Brook, which became one of the most beautiful residential . . . — Map (db m26769) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Mountain Brook — Wallace S. McElwain / Irondale Furnace Ruins |
| | Wallace S. McElwain (1832-1888)McElwain trained in a gun factory in New York and in a foundry in Ohio before moving to Holly Springs, MS, where he operated Jones, McElwain and Company Iron Foundry. He was well known in the Southeast for his beautiful cast iron designs, which still adorn many buildings in the French Quarter in New Orleans. After the Civil War began, he received the first order for the production of rifles and cannons from the Confederacy. He moved his operations to Jefferson . . . — Map (db m26266) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Mulga — Historic Lakeview Cemetery |
| | This cemetery is owned by St. John Baptist Church in Edgewater and operated by Scott-McPherson Funeral Home, Inc. US Steel Corporation previously owned the area and it is historically associated with the Edgewater Mining Camp community established for the workers of Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company (TCI, later US Steel). The cemetery , now 3.5 acres, was deeded to St. John Baptist Church by US Steel on March 3, 2003. It is a non-profit cemetery. — Map (db m37221) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Pinson — Pinson, Alabama |
| | Pinson, one of Alabama’s oldest communities, was settled by General Andrew Jackson’s soldiers in the early 1800s, after victory at Horseshoe Bend during the War of 1812. The community was originally known as Hagood’s Crossroads for settler Zachariah Hagood and his family. It was renamed Mount Pinson, presumably after Pinson, Tennessee, and later called Pinson. Pinson’s first post office was established in 1837. Andrew Jackson Beard, a black American who became a renowned inventor and the first . . . — Map (db m37829) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Tarrant — Tarrant City Hall — Originally the Main Office for National Cast Iron Pipe Company |
| | Front:
A pipe foundry was established in 1912 by the following founders, A. H. Ford, F. M. Jackson, E. E. Linthicum, Charles Green and Charles Day. Originally the main office was located approximately 100 yards west of this building. The company prospered from the beginning and in a short time employed several hundred people. The company’s growth mandated the need for a new and larger facility. In 1928, construction began on this building which was to house the general manager, . . . — Map (db m49312) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Trussville — Trussville Furnace — 1889-1919 |
| | Operated on this site under the ownership of seven companies to produce foundry pig iron. Supplied pig iron during World War 1. Closed for the last time in the Spring of 1919. Dismantled in 1933, and the land sold in 1935 for a Federal Housing Project. — Map (db m26229) HM |
| Alabama (Jefferson County), Trussville — Trussville, Alabama |
| | Trussville was settled between 1816 and 1819 by a few settlers from the Carolinas prior to Alabama becoming the 22nd state in December 1819. The First Baptist Church, Cahaba, was organized in 1821. Trussville’s first postmaster in 1833 was Arthur Truss. The railroad line between Chattanooga and Mississippi through Trussville was completed in 1871. Birmingham Furnace and Manufacturing Company, which operated in Trussville on and off from 1889 until the close of World War 1, became Trussville’s . . . — Map (db m34338) HM |
| Alabama (Lauderdale County), Florence — Ante-Bellum Cotton Mills 1840 |
| | 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 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 its operation was never successful. — Map (db m35232) HM |
| Alabama (Lauderdale County), Florence — Cotton and Textile Mills — (1822 to early 20th Century) |
| | A cotton mill was established near this site in 1822. Although short~lived, it was the forerunner of other cotton and textile factories located in this area during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cherry Cotton Mill began operations on nearby Sweetwater Avenue in 1893. The Gardiner~Warring Knitting Mill, later J.T. Flagg, occupied facilities a short distance from this site in 1927. Other cotton industries in East Florence were the Ashcraft, later Florence Cotton Mill, established in . . . — Map (db m48600) HM |
| Alabama (Lauderdale County), Florence — East Florence Historic District |
| | The East Florence business area began in the industrial boom of the 1880s and 1890s and continued its development through the 1920s. Originally known as "Sweetwater", the small locally owned firms 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. — Map (db m35769) HM |
| Alabama (Lauderdale County), Florence — Ezra Lee Culver |
| | With a fourth grade education, Ezra Culver employed his own innovative concrete process in major 20th century projects. His construction experience included work on Yankee Stadium, Lincoln Tunnel and the Florida Keys bridges.
Inducted 2007
City of Florence
Walk of Honor — Map (db m29269) HM |
| Alabama (Lauderdale County), Florence — Florence Wagon Company |
| | 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 second largest in U.S. with 250 employees and annual production of 12,000 wagons. World War I army wagons were made here and sent all over the U.S. and to France. Increasing use of motorized vehicles caused gradual reduction in activity of factory. The firm was liquidated in 1930's. — Map (db m35772) HM |
| Alabama (Lauderdale County), Florence — Frank Perron Achorn |
| | In 1947 Frank Achorn began his successful work as a chemical engineer in 45 states and 40 countries to feed the hungry of the world through increased crop yields. He later secured eight patents related to the fertilizer industry. — Map (db m56373) HM |
| Alabama (Lauderdale County), Killen — Town of Killen — Established 1896 |
| |
[Side 1:] The area known as Killen in Lauderdale County, was settled in the early 1800s. In 1826, Joseph Mason was appointed the first postmaster of the new community called Masonville, later to become Killen. The post office existed until 1866.
In the 1830s the construction of the Alabama Canal brought growth to the area. The canal was built to solve the navigation problems created by the shoals in the Tennessee River. Construction on the new canal began in 1875 and the 14 1/2 - . . . — Map (db m35169) HM |
| Alabama (Lauderdale County), Rogersville — Heritage Park |
| | Side A
The settlement of what is now eastern Lauderdale County (known as "Over Elk)" by non-Native Americans commenced by 1807.
Federal land sales were held in Huntsville during the spring of 1818.
Although much of the land was described as a "howling wilderness," there was a rush to buy. Records of these sales show purchasers were Samuel Burney, Andrew Rodgers, Archibald Fuqua and dozens more. Andrew Rodgers bought 79 acres in what became the downtown business district and as a . . . — Map (db m32473) HM |
| Alabama (Lee County), Auburn — The Lathe |
| | Built in Selma, Alabama, during the early part of the Civil War for the manufacture of military supplies for the Confederate Army. During the war an attempt was made to move it to Columbus, Georgia to prevent its being seized by Federal troops. En route, it was buried for a time near Irondale, Alabama. When the danger of capture had passed, it was dug up and moved to Columbus, where it was used for boring cannon until the end of the war. After the war, the lathe was used by the Birmingham . . . — Map (db m39815) HM |
| Alabama (Lee County), Auburn — Toomers Corner And The Bank Of Auburn |
| | This famous intersection, now known as Toomers Corner was named for businessman and State Senator Sheldon Toomer who founded the Bank of Auburn here in 1907. He served 45 years as bank President and 25 years on the Auburn City Council. Toomers Corner is adjacent to Auburn University’s historic Main Gate and a tradition to generations of Auburn University students who gather to celebrate the “Auburn Spirit”. The Bank of Auburn building constructed in 1906 features a limestone base . . . — Map (db m39813) HM |
| Alabama (Lee County), Opelika — Bean's Mill |
| | Here in 1897 the first iron bridge in Lee County was built. In 1903 George W. Bean bought the mill, operating it until his death in 1952. About 1910 Bean installed an iron overshot wheel to replace the old turbine. Later, the dam height was raised two feet. On March 30, 1939, FDR on his way to Warm Springs stopped his motorcade for a visit. In 1989 John M. Ross purchased the deteriorated mill with 80 acres. Ross reconstructed the mill to operating condition in 1997. On October 1, 1997, the . . . — Map (db m31349) HM |
| Alabama (Limestone County), Mooresville — Cottonport / Mooresville |
| | Front The town of Cottonport flourished in the early years of Limestone County. It was settled in 1818 and chartered in 1824. It was located approx. 1½ miles S.E. near the point where Limestone Creek flowed into the Tennessee River and was a prime boat landing.
Steamboats from E. Tennessee brought much needed goods to this area. During high water, flatboats loaded with bales of cotton departing Cottonport, could cross the river's rocky shoals and float to New Orleans. . . . — Map (db m28152) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Huntsville — Erected in 1835 — This building has since been occupied by |
| | The First National Bank of Huntsville and its predecessors:
The National Bank of Huntsville
1865-1889.
The Northern Bank of Alabama
1852-1865
(Operation suspended 1863-1865)
The Branch of the State Bank of Huntsville
1833-1852
George Steele, Architect and Builder — Map (db m27852) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Huntsville — First Bank In Alabama — Planters And Merchants Bank of Huntsville — Housed on this site in brick building |
| | Housed on this site in brick building
44 ft. x 54 ft
Chartered by Mississippi Territorial Legislature December 11, 1816
Commenced operations October 17, 1817, shortly thereafter made depository for Huntsville Federal Land Office funds.
Charter voided by Proclamation of Governor Pickens on February 1, 1825.
LeRoy Pope, first and only president. — Map (db m27785) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Huntsville — Harrison Brothers Hardware — Established 1879 |
| | Harrison Brothers, the oldest operating hardware store in Alabama, was founded in 1879 when James B. Daniel and T. Harrison opened a tobacco shop on Jefferson Street. In 1897 they purchased this building on South Side Square and expanded into the adjoining building in 1902. Both buildings were remodeled following a 1901 fire, but alterations since then have been minimal. The brothers' stock evolved from tobacco through crockery, furniture, jewelry, appliances and finally into hardware. Two . . . — Map (db m27791) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Huntsville — Historic Viduta / Hotel Monte Sano |
| | (Front):Historic Viduta
"Viduta"-derived from Spanish "vida" meaning "life"
In a time when yellow fever, malaria, and cholera threatened, Dr. Thomas Fearn and his brothers Robert and George were drawn by the cool air and medicinal springs to establish a small colony on the northern section of Monte Sano Mountain in 1827. In 1833 the town of Viduta was officially established. This area contains a variety of architectural styles dating from the late 1800's.
(Back):
Hotel . . . — Map (db m27795) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Huntsville — Hotel Monte Sano — “Monte Sano” – Spanish for “Mountain of Health” |
| | Site of Hotel Monte Sano, built in 1887 by the North Alabama Improvement Company with the assistance of Michael and James O’Shaughnessy. The 233-room hotel opened on June 1, 1887 and served as a health resort and haven for famous visitors including Helen Keller, the Vanderbilts, and the Astors. Guests arrived via the “Tally Ho” stagecoach or the Monte Sano Railway, which served the mountain community. The hotel closed in 1900, and the W.W. Garth family later purchased it for their . . . — Map (db m27796) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Huntsville — Huntsville |
| | City was scene of these "firsts" in Alabama:
1811 first town incorporated
1812 first Masonic Lodge chartered
1816 first bank incorporated
1819 first state constitution drafted
1819 first Governor inaugurated
1819 first session of state legislature held
1824 first cotton mill erected. — Map (db m27843) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Huntsville — Lincoln School and Village |
| | In 1918 William Lincoln Barrell of Lowell MA. purchased Abingdon Mill and transformed it into a large textile center of all concrete construction named Lincoln Mill Village. Phillip Peeler served as its superintendent from 1934-1953. Built in 1929 this school became the central core of community life until 1956 when Lincoln Village was annexed into the city of Huntsville. Edward W. Anderson served as its principal for 27 years. Many graduates became local and state leaders. The mill stopped operation in 1957 and burned in 1980. — Map (db m39758) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Huntsville — Merrimack Mfg. Co. & Village / Joseph J. Bradley School — 1900-1992 / 1919-1967 |
| | Merrimack Mfg. Co. & Village In 1899, construction started on Merrimack Mill and village. The mill began operation in 1900. A second mill building, added in 1903, made it one of the largest in the South. Under Joseph J. Bradley, Sr., managing agent (1905-1922), the village grew to 279 houses, a hospital, school, company store, and other small businesses. In 1920, the steam-operated mills converted to electricity. Lowenstein Fabrics bought the mill (1946), changed its name to . . . — Map (db m38805) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Huntsville — Site The Huntsville Inn — A three-story brick building erected before 1817 |
| | Here, President James Monroe was honored at a public dinner on June 2, 1819, while on a three-day visit to the Alabama Territory. Here, also, the First Alabama Legislature convened on October 25, 1819, while Huntsville was the first Capital. — Map (db m27851) HM |
| Alabama (Madison County), Riverton — Site of Bell Factory |
| | Mile and one-half southeast on Flint River ---------> Earliest important textile mill in Alabama Incorporated by Patton Donegan Company in 1832 3,000 spindles and 100 looms operated by skilled slave labor. In production as late as 1885. Name derived from "bell" used to signal workers — Map (db m31722) HM |
| Alabama (Marengo County), Demopolis — Alabama Cattlemen’s Association |
| | In This Building The
Alabama Cattlemen’s
Association
was organized on January 4, 1944
The Association has grown to be
the largest state Cattlemen’s
Association in the Nation. — Map (db m38006) HM |
| Alabama (Marshall County), Arab — Bear Meat Cabin Road |
| | Starting as an ancient Indian trail, the north–south road through Arab in 1816 was known as Bear Meat Cabin Road. By 1818, it had become an important Federal trade route through the Alabama Territory known as the St. Stephens – Huntsville Road. Designated as a post road in 1822, it became the main mail route between New Orleans and Cincinnati over which Alabama’s first stage line traveled. Philip Clack received a State charter to operate the section through Arab as Clack’s Turnpike. . . . — Map (db m40134) HM |
| Alabama (Marshall County), Arab — Farmer's Exchange |
| | The Farmer’s Exchange was a focal point of commerce during the early years of the young town of Arab. Farmers exchanged their corn, eggs, butter, hides and other agricultural products for a barrel of flour, a stand of lard or other “groceries”. William “Bill” Harrison operated the Exchange in this building beginning about 1933, although the structure may be older. Basil Cobb began working here while still in high school during the early 1930s. His uncle, L.D. Cobb, . . . — Map (db m40627) HM |
| Alabama (Mobile County), Mobile — The Mobile Bar Association — Alabama's First Bar Association |
| | On March 29, 1869, 32 attorneys organized the Mobile Bar Association, the first bar association in Alabama and the 14th oldest bar association in the entire nation. They filed the Association's Declaration of Incorporation on April 12, 1869, having contributed $5,000.00 in capital, and established a law library in the City of Mobile.
Original Members:
P. Hamilton • Thos. A. Hamilton • Henry St. Paul • Thos. N. Macartney • H. Austill • Robt. H. Smith • Wm. G. Jones • Thos. H. Price • . . . — Map (db m40666) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — Alabama River: The Grand Avenue |
| | Twelve miles above Montgomery the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers unite to form the Alabama which meanders over four hundred miles on its way to Mobile Bay. This river has played major role in region's history, being a thoroughfare for Native Americans, European explorers, and Americans who settled along its fertile shores and used it as a means of getting cotton to Mobile and world markets. Ferries served the population until the building of Tyler Goodwyn and Reese's Ferry bridges in the first . . . — Map (db m26591) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — City of Montgomery / Court Square |
| | City of Montgomery Two small villages, New Philadelphia, founded by Massachusetts lawyer Andrew Dexter in 1817, and East Alabama, established by Georgians led by John Scott in 1818, united in 1819 to form Montgomery, named for Revolutionary hero Gen. Richard Montgomery. Connecting at Court Square, the two towns principal streets were Philadelphia's Market Street (Dexter Avenue) and East Alabama's Main Street (Commerce Street). First courthouse stood to west of artesian well which City . . . — Map (db m35576) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — Decorative Lions Heads — 1907-1978 — Presented to Montgomery by First Alabama Bank of Montgomery, N.A. |
| | These decorative terra cotta lions heads, typical of the ornamentation used in commercial style architecture in the early part of the 20th century, were utilized by the First National Bank of Montgomery on the cornice of their 12 story building from 1907 to 1978. Organized on April 18, 1871, the first location of the bank was on Dexter Avenue which was then called Market Street. In 1975, the name of the bank was changed to First Alabama Bank of Montgomery, N.A. Extensive renovations to the 12 . . . — Map (db m36646) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — High Red Bluff — (Chunnanugga Chatty in Creek Indian Language) |
| | Also called Hostile Bluff or Thirteen Mile Bluff, this spot located in a deep bend of the Alabama River was once the key to the Southeast and a strategic point in Colonial days. The first steamboat , the Harriet, arrived at this point in 1821, and the first railroad came in 1880, making Montgomery a transportation hub for people and commerce. When cotton was king, millions of bales were shipped from the wharf here by steam boat to Mobile and thence to the mills of England. The tunnel under the . . . — Map (db m38574) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — Josiah Morris — 1818-1891 |
| | Had his bank on this site 1852-1891. He helped finance Montgomery's business, railroads and industry. Here on Dec. 19, 1870, he bought 4150 acres of land and deeded them to the Elyton Land Co. which later was platted, and on his motion named the City of Birmingham. — Map (db m36648) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce — The Forefront of Montgomery's Future |
| | Side A The first American Chamber of Commerce was organized in New York City in 1770. The Montgomery Chamber was organized in 1873. Thomas Joseph was its first President. The Alabama State Journal stated at its founding, "Montgomery ought to have a Chamber of Commerce. Located in the midst of one of the richest agricultural districts in the South, the political center of the commonwealth, and the commercial center of a large section which obtain here their supplies, the Chamber . . . — Map (db m36568) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — Montgomery City Hall / Funeral for Hank Williams |
| | (Front) Built 1936-37 Following a fire in 1932 that destroyed a 19th century City Hall, architect Frank Lockwood designed a replacement for the same site. With the Depression affecting all construction projects during the period, the city received federal assistance through the Works Progress Administration. Completed in 1937, the City Hall included offices for city officials and an auditorium to accommodate large crowds for public programs, debutante balls and social gatherings. . . . — Map (db m36571) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — Murphy House |
| | Greek Revival Home built, 1851 by John H. Murphy, cotton broker and an incorporator and director of the Montgomery Water Works Company, chartered 1854. Union Army Provost Marshal's Headquarters 1865. Elks Club 1902-1967 Restored by Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board, 1970 — Map (db m36569) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — The Lightning Route / Central Bank Building |
| | The Lightning RouteIn 1886, Montgomery became the first city in the Western Hemisphere to convert an entire street railway system to electricity. The Capital City Street Railway Co. initiated electric trolley service on one mile of the street car line the year before. Civil engineer J. A. Gaboury supervised installation of the system developed by Charles Van de Poele. The car line, fondly known as the "Lightning Route" operated until 1936. Investors in the mass transit system also were . . . — Map (db m35301) HM |
| Alabama (Montgomery County), Montgomery — Union Station & Riverfront Park |
| | Transportation center of Montgomery located in this area for many years. First steamboat, the "Harriet," landing nearby 1821. City wharf Constructed at landing place 1823. First railroad, Montgomery & West Point R.R., developed ca. 1840. By 1900 most major railroads in Central Alabama had connections here. Union Station and Tunnel connection to river landing built 1897. Because of decline in river traffic, Tunnel closed 1930. With development of Riverfront Park 1970's, Tunnel reopened. Ramp reopened 1981. — Map (db m22523) HM |
| Alabama (Morgan County), Decatur — Carolyn Cortner Smith — Female Architect Pioneer / Designed Delano Park Structures |
| | (Front): Born in 1894 in Normandy, Tennessee, Carolyn Cortner was raised in the Courtland area of Lawrence County, Alabama. She attended Ward-Belmont College in Tennessee. She married Wilburn Smith in 1912. She did not attend formal architecture school but studied design textbooks to become Alabama’s first licensed female architect, designing her first home by 1914. Mrs. Smith acquired three area lumber mills and ran them as the Carolyn Lumber Mills. In the 1920’s, the Mars family put . . . — Map (db m27814) HM |
| Alabama (Morgan County), Decatur — Health and Civic Welfare — Restoring the Vision ... Preserving the Legacy |
| | "The opportunies which were at hand in the development of the river and the region were being seized upon by our people with renewed courage and confidence.
We now kow that we couldn't be licked again, that what had been preached to us by TVA was the economic truth."
Barrell C. Shelton in "The Deactur Story" 1949
Early leaders envisioned a healthy and prosperous New Decatur, and their city plan included elements to promote health and civic welfare.
The Town's easy access to both the . . . — Map (db m53682) HM |
| Alabama (Morgan County), Decatur — Old State Bank Building |
| | Erected 1833, Cost $9,482. Classic Revival design. Listed on National Register of Historic Places. Decatur Branch, Bank of The State of Alabama. Chartered 1832 by state legislature, profitable until 1837, charter revoked 1842 and closed. 1842-1901 used as residence, Union Army supply depot, and First National Bank. 1901 purchased by Dr. F. Y. Cantwell. Renovated 1934 by C. W. A. as museum and civic Hall. Donated by Mrs. W. B. Edmundson and American Legion Post No. 15 to City. Restored 1982. Site is original lot No. 60 of 1824 Town Plan. — Map (db m27762) HM |
| Alabama (Pike County), Goshen — Goshen Substation |
| | South Alabama Electric Cooperative’s Goshen Substation provided the first electric energy to rural Pike County. The station was energized at 11:26 A.M. on April 4, 1938. The first 86 miles of electric lines served 170 members.
The cooperative was established on June 17, 1937 and serves members in Pike, Crenshaw, Coffee, Bullock, Montgomery and Butler counties. The original Board of Trustees were: J. H. Beasley, Sam K. Adams, George W. Gilmore, V. G. Perdue, J. N. Wallace. — Map (db m38947) HM |
| Alabama (Randolph County), Roanoke — Roanoke Doll Factory — 1900-1925 |
| | Ella Gannt Smith, artist, inventor, manufactured in this building the famous Roanoke Dolls. The dolls, completely handmade, featured a head molded of plaster of Paris enclosed in a tight cotton fabric cut and stuffed to resemble body, hands and legs. Facial features of each doll were hand-painted, no two being alike. At her death, April 2, 1932, Mrs. Smith held eleven patents. The factory, built by her husband, S. S. Smith, was later converted into an apartment building. — Map (db m11730) HM |
| Alabama (Saint Clair County), Ohatchee — Battle of “Ten Islands” — ¼ mile above Neely Henry Dam |
| | On July 14, 1864 a small group of brave Confederate Cavalry under General James H. Clanton approximately 300 strong were overwhelmed by a vastly superior Union Cavalry force under General L. H. Rousseau. The Confederates were attempting to protect the Janney Iron Works near Ohatchee and Crowe Iron Works near Alexandria. The superior Union force destroyed both Iron Works and proceeded to Talladega. — Map (db m35593) HM |
| Alabama (Saint Clair County), Pell City — None — Historic Downtown Pell City |
| | Founded by railroad investors and incorporated on May 6, 1891. Pell City was named for one of the financial backers, George Hamilton Pell of New York. Nearly disappearing after the panic of 1893, the town was redeveloped after 1901 by Sumter Cogswell and his wife, Lydia DeGaris Cogswell, along with other local investors and businessmen. Mr. Cogswell influenced the location here in 1902 of the Pell City Manufacturing Company, subsequently, Avondale Mills. The town’s prosperity was secured after . . . — Map (db m49660) HM |
| Alabama (Saint Clair County), Pell City — None — Pell City, Alabama |
| | The town charter for Pell City was granted in 1887. The town was named for George Hamilton Pell, a prominent New York industrialist and president of the East and West Railroad. In 1901, the town was almost deserted when a young man named Sumter Cogswell passed through the area. After seeing the potential for growth here, he set out to rebuild the town. In 1902, he secured a cotton mill named Pell City Manufacturing Company. Later PCMC was purchased by Avondale Mills. The young town began to . . . — Map (db m49656) HM |
| Alabama (Saint Clair County), Pell City — None — Pell City’s Historical Residential District |
| | The earliest neighborhood in Pell City was the Residential District, located on the northern boundary of the Downtown Historic District. The Residential District was the preferred location for many of the earliest leaders involved in the growth and development of Pell City. The city was incorporated in 1891 and named for George Hamilton Pell of New York, a leading investor in the railroad that influenced the city’s location. The town almost disappeared after the Panic of 189, but due to the . . . — Map (db m49667) HM |
| Alabama (Shelby County), Columbiana — Shelby Furnaces — Erected 1849 and 1863 — ------5 miles ---> |
| | Major source of pig iron for the Confederacy. Furnished iron to Selma arsenal for heavy cannon, naval armor plate.
Furnaces destroyed in 1865 by Wilson’s Cavalry raiders U.S.A.
Rebuilt 1873, closed 1923. — Map (db m28523) HM |
| Alabama (Tallapoosa County), Alexander City — Alexander City: A Textile Community |
| | Front Youngsville, Alabama was incorporated in 1872. The name was changed to Alexander City in March 1873. In 1892, when cotton was king, farmers and planters in the Alexander City area were producing an estimated 18,000 bales of cotton a year. Community leaders sought to broaden the "Market City" by seeking a cotton mill as its first major manufacturing plant. The Alexander City Cotton Mill, built in 1901, was purchased in 1919 by the Braxton Brag Comer Family. The Avondale "Bevelle" . . . — Map (db m45739) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), McCalla — Civil War Site 1861-1865 |
| | As the border states began to fall, Alabama iron became critical to the survival of the Confederacy. During the last two years of the war, Alabama’s furnaces were producing 70% of the entire southern iron supply.
That output invited federal invasion in the largest cavalry operation of the war. Known as Wilson’s Raid, a federal force of over 14,000 laid waste to Tannehill and a dozen other Alabama furnaces including the Selma Arsenal as the war came to an end.
The Tannehill Ironworks . . . — Map (db m36672) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), McCalla — Tannehill Furnace And Foundry — (1829-1865) |
| | 2 ½ miles East - the beginning of Steel Industry in this area. Iron Ore, reduced by charcoal, hauled by oxcart, was made into plows, pots, cannon and munitions.
State Park- Camping, Nature Trails, Swimming and Fishing Early American Restorations. — Map (db m36927) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), McCalla — Tannehill Furnaces |
| | Tannehill Furnaces began as a
small forge in 1830. During the
War Between the States (1861-1865)
these furnaces were a major
supplier of iron and munitions
for the Confederacy. When
partially destroyed by Union
troops on March 31, 1865, they
were producing more than
20 tons of pig iron daily
for the arsenal at Selma.
This marker is dedicated to
the valiant men and women
who served the Confederacy
in this area.
Placed by the Alabama Division
United . . . — Map (db m36926) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), McCalla — Tannehill Ironworks |
| | This important battery of charcoal blast furnaces ranked among the most productive in Alabama during the Civil War. The only three furnaces ironworks in the state during the war years, it was capable of producing 22 tons of pig iron a day for the Selma Arsenal and Gun Works.
Equipped with hot blast stoves and steam power to increase production, the Roupes Valley furnaces were among the most modern of their day. Experiments with red iron ore opened the door to iron manufacture in . . . — Map (db m36209) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), Tuscaloosa — Arthur P. Bagby — Governor 1837 - 1841 |
| | He inherited the financial woes brought on by the collapse of the "Flush Times". Despite chaotic banking conditions during the Panic of 1837, chancery courts and a penitentiary system were both created, and Alabama settled its boundary dispute with Georgia. — Map (db m29030) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), Tuscaloosa — Benjamin Fitzpatrick — Governor 1841 - 1845 |
| | He oversaw the closing of the unstable State Bank. In 1845 the legislature amended the constitution to allow the removal of the capital from Tuscaloosa. The growing wealth and population of the Black Belt brought the seat of government to Montgomery. — Map (db m29033) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), Tuscaloosa — Castle Hill - Daly Bottom Community |
| | In 1883 the Castle Hill Real Estate and Manufacturing Company began the first eastern expansion of the original 1821 Tuscaloosa city limits. Hoping to stimulate development in the area, the company created a popular amusement park centered around and artificial lake. Portions of this property had belonged to Delaware Jackson, a freed slave who had been given the land for courage and loyalty. In 1881 Jackson organized the Bethel Baptist Church and, in 1917, he donated nearby land for the Baptist . . . — Map (db m35467) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), Tuscaloosa — Clement Comer Clay — Governor 1835 - 1837 |
| | He served during Alabama's years of great prosperity known as the "Flush Times." With the economy booming, the legislature abolished all state taxes. — Map (db m29029) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), Tuscaloosa — First Papermaking In Alabama |
| | Gulf States Paper Corporation (3/4 mile Northeast) began production in April 1929 to introduce the modern pulp and paper industry to Alabama. Based on the state's fast-growing forests, paper became a major Alabama industry.
The Tuskaloosa Paper Company made Alabama's first paper from rags in 1849 at a small mill at the foot of River Hill (3 ½ miles West), this early plant operated only a few years. — Map (db m40448) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), Tuscaloosa — John Murphy — Governor 1825 - 1829 |
| | He initiated construction of the Capitol, the University of Alabama, and the State Bank. The legislature passed laws, known as slave codes, to severely restrict the rights of slaves, while citizens began to press for the removal of Alabama's remaining Indians. — Map (db m29020) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), Tuscaloosa — Masons Marks |
| | To identify their work masons often carved special marks into the bottom, sides, or back of the stones. Their supervisors were thus able to distinguish between the quality and quantity of each mason's work. Blocks for the building were quarried from local sandstone from the banks of the nearby Black Warrior River.
Over a dozen different masons marks and directional signs appear throughout the ruins. Such identifying marks had been used by stone masons since the European Middle Ages. — Map (db m29116) HM |
| Alabama (Tuscaloosa County), Tuscaloosa — Old Tavern |
| | Built in 1827 three blocks east on Broad Street. Stage stop and inn frequented by many political leaders while Tuscaloosa was State Capital. Moved to Capitol Park, 1966. — Map (db m29119) HM |
| Alabama (Walker County), Cordova — City Of Cordova |
| | Obverse:
Cordova, Alabama, located in Walker County on the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River, was founded in 1859 by Captain Benjamin McFarland Long. He named the town after one in Mexico where he served under Robert E. Lee during the Mexican War (1846-1848). In 1885, Long moved into a residence that had begun construction in 1883. The two-story structure was built in the early Greek Revival-style with Doric columns and four massive chimneys. In 1886, two railroads came to Cordova. . . . — Map (db m43145) HM |
| Alabama (Wilcox County), Catherine — Postal Routes of 1820 |
| | Two miles north of this point was the intersection of two important postal routes of early Alabama, the Saint Stephens-Cahawba Road and the Tuskaloosa-Prairie Bluff Road. — Map (db m38495) HM |
| Alaska (Fairbanks North Star Borough), Fairbanks — "The Line" |
| | Noticeable among the earliest pioneers settling in Fairbanks were prostitutes, women of the demimonde who stampeded to the new Fairbanks gold camp from Dawson, Circle City, Rampart and points beyond. In a city where men far outnumbered women, earnings from prostitution were normally higher than wages for other, more respectable jobs available to women. Still the prostitute’s life and work were hard. Pimps and hangers-on lived off some of the women and squandered their money.
Tales of the . . . — Map (db m47404) HM |
| Alaska (Fairbanks North Star Borough), Fairbanks — Alaska's Gold Rush Era |
| | Gold discoveries brought Alaska and the Yukon to the attention of the world. A series of stampedes occurred over more than three decades. Drawn by dreams of gold, men and women from many places and all walks of life participated in an adventure that would change their lives. Only a few would become wealthy.
Early Discoveries
Prospectors made the first significant gold discovery in Alaska at Juneau in 1880. This discovery encouraged others to look throughout Alaska and the Yukon for . . . — Map (db m59836) HM |
| Alaska (Fairbanks North Star Borough), Fairbanks — James A. Maple — P. E. Arctic Pipeline Pioneer — 1937 - 2001 |
| | Dr. Maple was a structural engineer and principal designer of the trans-Alaska pipeline. He holds three patents for his development of innovative pipe supports that enabled the warm oil pipeline to safely traverse areas of permafrost. He pioneered the use of sophisticated structural analysis for pipelines, now used on arctic pipelines worldwide. A graduate of Purdue University, he was a major contributor not only during design and construction but also continued to provide engineering expertise . . . — Map (db m58949) HM |
| Alaska (Fairbanks North Star Borough), Fairbanks — Lacey Street Theater (1939) — 504 Second Avenue — (the corner of 2nd & Lacey St) |
| | Construction of the Lacey Street Theater began in 1939, and this Art Deco style building opened in 1940. Austin E. “Cap” Lathrop, Fairbanks businessman and financier, was its owner. The Lacey Street Theater, with its distinguished neon sign, ornamental concrete details, and architectural style is a prominent building in downtown Fairbanks. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 14, 1990, the theater is a popular social center in town, showing movies into the . . . — Map (db m58989) HM |
| Alaska (Fairbanks North Star Borough), Fairbanks — Tanana Valley Gold |
| | The gold deposit found in 1902 north of present-day Fairbanks proved to be the richest in Alaska. Prospector Felix Pedro and trader E.T. Barnette played key roles in the discovery and initial rush. A second strike made the following summer catapulted a temporary trading post into the largest city in the territory.
A Prospector and Trader Meet
Felix Pedro, an Italian immigrant, claimed he made a rich gold strike in 1898 in the Tanana Valley foothills. While trying to find it again in . . . — Map (db m59826) HM |
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