Montevallo in Shelby County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Selma Road
Historic Black Business District
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026
1. Selma Road Marker
During the Jim Crow era, Selma Road served as the business, social, and cultural center for African Americans in Montevallo. Most of the commercial buildings in the district were owned by Hampton D. and Exie P. Lee an affluent Black couple from Marion, Alabama. In 1948, the Lees sold the state of Alabama a fifteen-acre tract of land to build Prentice High School, now the site of Montevallo Middle School and George Dailey Park.
In operation by the 1940s, Lee Funeral Home also offered ambulance service, notary public, and a burial association. Its employees included John Smith, Walter Taylor, and Roosevelt "Sam" Cunningham. Nearby was an Owl filling station run by Andy Smelley and Ardelia Miller, a cleaners operated by Hobie Harris, a taxi service, and a pool hall for men and boys.
Tom Billingsley owned and operated a barbershop. Mable and Walter Coleman's cafι offered soul food and a dance floor where local band the Sensation Heartbeats often played. In the 1970s, Sam Lilly purchased Coleman's Cafι and renamed it the Superfly Club. Tellie Cunningham ran another dance club called Slim's Place.
Many of the Black-owned establishments along Selma Road closed at the end of segregation. Others went out of business upon the deaths of their original owners. Sponsored by the City of Montevallo
this page online
Erected 2025 by Alabama Historical Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1948.
Location. 33° 5.704′ N, 86° 51.924′ W. Marker is in Montevallo, Alabama, in Shelby County. It is on Selma Road north of Quarles Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 245 Selma Rd, Montevallo AL 35115, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area. 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 New Spain, 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: Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Lynching in America / Lynching in Montevallo (approx. 0.3 miles away); Welcome To Historic Montevallo (approx. 0.4 miles away); Alabama Historical Association (approx. 0.6 miles away); The "Little School" in Jacksonville (approx. 0.6 miles away); Montevallo High School (approx. 0.7 miles away); University Of Montevallo National Historic District (approx. 0.7 miles away); King House (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montevallo.
Additional keywords. Jim Crow, segregation
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026
2. Selma Road Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 13, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
