Legacy of Dr. Edd W. Shields D.D.

Legacy of Dr. Edd W. Shields D.D.. , Edd Shields was born into slavery on June 15, 1853, on the Steele plantation in Wilcox County. At age 4, his owner brought him to Marengo County where he remained enslaved until age 12. From 1867-1873, he worked as a farmer, and was educated by white people. He joined the church in 1876, preached his first sermon on August 19. 1878, and pastored his first church in 1880. He began teaching public school in 1882. From 1900-1910. he pastored the First Baptist Church of Linden. He received a diploma from Birmingham Baptist College in 1914 and a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1920. He taught and preached for more than 60 years. In 1890, he bought 70 acres for $500, and in 1900, he deeded 12 acres for Linden Academy, the first school for African Americans in Linden. His grandson. Robert C. Adams, built the Frank Lankster House in 1928 on the property. Originally a family dwelling, the home served as a "teachers' home" for Linden Academy in the 1950s-1960s Dr. Shields's son, Reverend Andrew Shields, served as Secretary of Linden Academy's Board of Trustees in 1946. The descendants of Dr. Edd W. Shields have always owned the home. The current owner. Shields' great-grandson Frank Lankster, purchased it in 1991. Listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on December 9, 2021 . , [Captions:] , Mary Frances Adams, oldest daughter of Dr. Edd Shields, with five of her children in 1955. (R to L): Robert Coleman Adams; Mary Adams Little; Velma Adams Lankster, mother of current owner Frank Lankster; Willie Gray Adams; Doris Juanita Adams; and Willie Charles Little, great-grandson of Dr. Edd Shields. All are descendants of the Choctaw Indian Nation through Dr. Shields' wife, Mrs. Malinda Hall Shields.