Opelika in Lee County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Barbara H. Patton

One of Opelika's Most Distinguished Public Servants

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2025

1. Barbara H. Patton Marker

Inscription.

Barbara H. Patton. One of Opelika's Most Distinguished Public Servants. , Barbara H. Patton was elected Opelika's first female mayor in 1996, serving two terms, with her second term ending in 2004. During her tenure as mayor, Opelika saw significant economic growth and development, marked by the planning and development of the Northeast Industrial Park, securing the initial phases of the Tiger Town Retail Center and the reimaging of downtown with streetscape projects. Mayor Patton has held numerous leadership positions through which she has made immeasurable contributions to her community, including serving as Executive Director of Envision Opelika and serving on the Board of Directors and/or serving as an officer of the following organizations: the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Community Foundation of East Alabama, Opelika Main Street, the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, the Auburn/Opelika Airport Advisory Board, the Opelika Kiwanis Club, the Museum of East Alabama, the Auburn/Opelika Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Boys and Girls Club, the Historic Chattahoochee Commission, the Opelika Historic Preservation Commission, the Opelika Preservation Society, and the United Way of East Alabama. , Mayor Patton has been duly recognized with numerous awards and honors, including Opelika Professional Business Woman of the Year, Civitan International Citizen of the Year, Opelika-Auburn Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen, American Hometown Leadership Award, Girl Scouts of Concharty Council Women of Achievement Award, Dream Achiever Award, and Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow recognition. She has worked tirelessly over the years to promote, advance, develop, and expand the reach of artistic endeavors in the Opelika-Auburn community, including serving as President of the Opelika Arts Association. , Mayor Patton is the person most responsible for restoring and revitalizing the historic building known as the Southside Center for the Arts (formerly named Southside Elementary School and Miriam Brown School). The Southside Center for the Arts provides a platform for the performing arts, visual arts, and literary arts and offers spaces for performances, exhibitions, and education. , In 2025, because of her devotion and love for the Southside Center for the Arts, the City of Opelika, the Opelika City Council, and the citizens of Opelika, renamed the building the Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts.

Barbara H. Patton was elected Opelika's first female mayor in 1996, serving two terms, with her second term ending in 2004. During her tenure as mayor, Opelika saw significant economic growth and development, marked by the planning and development of the Northeast Industrial Park, securing the initial phases of the Tiger Town Retail Center and the reimaging of downtown with streetscape projects. Mayor Patton has held numerous leadership positions through which she has made immeasurable contributions to her community, including serving as Executive Director of Envision Opelika and serving on the Board of Directors and/or serving as an officer of the following organizations: the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Community Foundation of East Alabama, Opelika Main Street, the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, the Auburn/Opelika Airport Advisory Board, the Opelika Kiwanis Club, the Museum of East Alabama, the Auburn/Opelika Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Boys and Girls Club, the Historic Chattahoochee Commission, the Opelika Historic Preservation Commission, the Opelika Preservation Society, and the United Way of East Alabama.

Mayor Patton has been duly recognized with numerous awards and honors, including Opelika Professional Business Woman of the Year, Civitan International Citizen

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of the Year, Opelika-Auburn Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen, American Hometown Leadership Award, Girl Scouts of Concharty Council Women of Achievement Award, Dream Achiever Award, and Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow recognition. She has worked tirelessly over the years to promote, advance, develop, and expand the reach of artistic endeavors in the Opelika-Auburn community, including serving as President of the Opelika Arts Association.

Mayor Patton is the person most responsible for restoring and revitalizing the historic building known as the Southside Center for the Arts (formerly named Southside Elementary School and Miriam Brown School). The Southside Center for the Arts provides a platform for the performing arts, visual arts, and literary arts and offers spaces for performances, exhibitions, and education.

In 2025, because of her devotion and love for the Southside Center for the Arts, the City of Opelika, the Opelika City Council, and the citizens of Opelika, renamed the building the Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts.

Erected 2025 by City of Opelika.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Charity & Public Work • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1996.

Location.

Marker detail: Barbara H. Patton image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: Barbara H. Patton

32° 38.515′ N, 85° 22.413′ W. Marker is in Opelika, Alabama, in Lee County. It is on Glenn Street just south of West Johnson Avenue, on the left when traveling south. The marker is located on the south/right side of the Southside Center for the Arts entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1103 Glenn Street, Opelika AL 36801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Alabama and in Greater Columbus.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts (a few steps from this marker); Thompson Chapel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lee County Confederate Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); First Baptist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Killgore Scholarships / Some Terms of Scholarships (approx. 0.4 miles away); J.W. Darden High School (approx. 0.4 miles away); Former Site of J. W. Darden High School (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lee County Courthouse / Lee County Probate Judges (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Opelika.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. Arts Center renamed in honor of Barbara H. Patton (Opelika Observer).

(By Rob Davis, 9/23/2025) Excerpt: Barbara H. Patton stood alongside city officials as the Southside Center for the Arts was renamed
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2025

3. The Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts entrance
The marker is located in front of the building, on the right/south side of the entrance.
the Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts during a ceremony held at the building, which opened in 1929 as Southside Elementary School.
The Arts Center, a shared venture between The Arts Association of East Alabama, the city of Opelika and Envision Opelika, features a 300-seat auditorium for hosting performing arts, as well as plenty of space for visual arts, arts education and community events. Two wings of the Center offer space for conferences and meetings and house the Lee-Russell Opelika Senior Center.
A native of Pensacola, Florida, and a graduate of the University of Alabama, Patton moved to Opelika with her husband Dr. Robert C. Patton in 1973. After her tenure as mayor ended, Patton served as president and CEO of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce from 2010 until 2017.
What began as an elementary school to serve the children of Opelika, the historic building known today as the Barbara Patton Southside Center for the Arts, continues to serve the people of Opelika.

(Submitted on October 11, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Barbara Patton (RadioAlabama.net).

(By Ann Cipperly, 12/2/2015) Excerpt: In 1993, Barbara purchased the Heritage House and was in the process of turning it into a bed and breakfast with
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2025

4. Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts (formerly Southside Elementary School)
Looking east from Glenn Street.
son Richard when she was asked to run for mayor. At first she said no, but then was approached by several others. “They knew I cared about Opelika,” says Barbara, “because I had been involved in many civic organizations and have a love for the community.”
Barbara became Opelika’s first woman mayor in 1996, serving two terms, with the second term ending in 2004. “As mayor,” says Barbara, “we targeted retail, commercial and industrial sectors to create jobs.” Housing was another priority. She worked with the OIDA, Economic Development and the state to develop the Northeast Industrial Park…

(Submitted on October 11, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 81 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 11, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.