On Woodfield Drive, on the right when traveling east.
Auburn University's acquisition of paintings from the auction featured works by major artists of the day, including Arthur Dove, Lyonel Feininger, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Ben Shahn, together with significant examples by emerging . . . — — Map (db m183933) HM
On South College Street (Alabama Route 147) at Magnolia Avenue, in the median on South College Street.
Settled by Judge J. J. Harper and others from Harris County, Georgia, in 1836.
This region was opened to settlement
in 1836-37 by the removal of the
Creek Indians to lands west
of the Mississippi River.
Erected by
The Alabama . . . — — Map (db m39830) HM
On East Magnolia Avenue, 0.1 miles east of North College Street (Alabama Route 15), on the right when traveling west.
Side 1
Auburn
1865~Present
Only one house was built in the village in the decade after the Civil War, and though the state took over the bankrupt college in 1872, the institution received no state appropriation until 1883. . . . — — Map (db m79947) HM
On East Glenn Avenue east of North College Street (Alabama Route 15), on the right when traveling east.
Auburn First Baptist Church's history dates to June 19, 1838. The first church
structure was a log building erected on the north side of West Glenn Avenue
on land donated by Judge John Harper, the Methodist founder of the town of
Auburn. Land for . . . — — Map (db m183941) HM
On East Magnolia Avenue at South Gay Street, on the right when traveling east on East Magnolia Avenue.
In 1836 Judge John Harper with 34 other Methodists from Harris County, Georgia settled here. They built a log structure on this site, the first church and school in Auburn. In 1856 church leaders inspired the Methodist Conference to open East . . . — — Map (db m74442) HM
On West Thach Avenue at Mell Street, on the right on West Thach Avenue.
Used popularly since the founding of East
Alabama Male College in 1856, the name Auburn
University was made official by the Legislature
in 1960, in recognition of the school's second
century of service to the state and nation.
Originally . . . — — Map (db m183914) HM
On Donahue Drive, 0.3 miles south of West Samford Drive, on the right when traveling south.
On January 31, 1921, farmers gathered on the campus of Alabama
Polytechnic Institute (API), now Auburn University, to form the
Alabama Farm Bureau, now known as the Alabama Farmers Federation.
Former Alabama Extension Service Director Luther . . . — — Map (db m194773) HM
On South College Street north of East Thach Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Side A:
The University Chapel is the oldest public building in the city of Auburn. Built as a Presbyterian Church, the first service was held in the original Greek Revival-style building on September 13, 1851. Edwin Reese, spiritual leader . . . — — Map (db m39831) HM
On South Dean Road at East Thach Avenue, on the right when traveling north on South Dean Road.
(Side 1)
Auburn's first separate black community cemetery offers a rich source of the city’s black heritage. Much of the history is oral but it is known that a white man gave most of the land in the early 1870’s. The four acre cemetery . . . — — Map (db m74453) HM
On West Thach Concourse, 0.1 miles west of Miller Drive, on the right when traveling west.
(Side 1)
Dr. Charles Cary, a native of Iowa and graduate of Iowa State in 1887, came to Auburn in 1892 and taught the first class of veterinary medicine at Alabama Polytechnic Institute. He has been called the Father of Veterinary . . . — — Map (db m74436) HM
On Murphy Drive, 0.2 miles east of Wrights Mill Road (County Road 33), on the right when traveling east.
Side 1
Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal (1933-1942), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established to provide work for single young men. The CCC's Company 4448, Camp Alabama SP-12, began work in September 1935 to . . . — — Map (db m85164) HM
On Tichenor Avenue at North Gay Street, on the right when traveling east on Tichenor Avenue.
Side 1
In 1846, Auburn's founder, Judge John J. Harper deeded the property on this corner to Simeon Perry, as town agent for two of the earliest public schools in Auburn. A member of the settlement party, Perry laid out the original . . . — — Map (db m79948) HM
The first African American student entered the library to register at Auburn University at this site. Acting on a court order, Auburn president Ralph Brown Draughon accepted the application of Harold Franklin as the first African American student in . . . — — Map (db m90861) HM
On East Magnolia Avenue at South Debardeleben Street, on the right when traveling east on East Magnolia Avenue.
Built by Auburn merchant A.L. Dillard in 1894, the home was once part of the old Scott Plantation. It was one of the first homes in Auburn to have an indoor bath and electricity. An unusual feature of the house is the gray stone, for which Dillard . . . — — Map (db m74445) HM
Centennial Garden
commentates the granting of a state charter to the
East Alabama Male College
February 1, 1856
Established by Alabama Methodists
to foster Christian education.
Formally opened on October 1, 1859
Used as a . . . — — Map (db m183916) HM
On East Thach Avenue at Auburn Drive, on the left when traveling west on East Thach Avenue.
(Side 1)
This simple frame structure was built by newly freed black men and women before 1870. The property on which the building stands was given to a member of the Ebenezer congregation in 1865, the year the War Between the States . . . — — Map (db m74450) HM
Near Garden Drive, 0.1 miles west of South College Street (Alabama Route 15), on the left when traveling west.
This post oak started growth in 1850 and was 6 years old when East Alabama Male College was established. It was 33 years old when the Alabama Agricultural Station was established, 91 when the nation entered World War II, and over 100 when this site . . . — — Map (db m74430) HM
The Lane House, built in 1853 at the corner of Thach and College Street, was home to several Auburn University notables, E. T. Glenn, Treasurer, leased it in 1873. Gen. James H. Lane, Aide to Gen. Stonewall Jackson and Head of Engineering, purchased . . . — — Map (db m85165) HM
On Spencer Avenue, 0.1 miles north of Clark Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
(Side 1)
J. F. Drake High School
J.F. Drake High School, formerly Lee County Training School, educated Black children of the community from 1958 to 1970. It bears the name of Dr. Joseph Fanning Drake. Drake consisted of 12 . . . — — Map (db m74457) HM
On North College Street just north of East Glenn Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Luckie Meagher's Kindergarten
Mrs. Luckie Meagher established a private kindergarten just east of this site and served as its premier teacher for more than 30 years, caring for delicate young minds from both Auburn and Lee County. Red Meagher . . . — — Map (db m184029) HM
Near War Eagle Way at South Donahue Street, on the left when traveling west.
(Side 1)
Max Adams Morris
Max Adams Morris b. December 7, 1918, of Blountsville, Alabama, entered Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API) in 1938, was a varsity football player and became a member of "A" club, Scabbard & Blade, and . . . — — Map (db m85166) HM
On Shelton Mill Road (County Route 97) 0.8 miles north of East University Drive, on the left when traveling north.
Marker Front:
The Greek Revival rock and mortar house was built by Addison Frazer (1809-1873) between 1852 and 1854 and served as the center for a 2,000 acre cotton plantation. Frazer owned 100 slaves and was on the Board of Trustees of . . . — — Map (db m25988) HM
On North College Street north of West Drake Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
With the creation of the seven-member Historic
Preservation Commission by the Auburn City
Council in 1999, the City took its first step
in establishing historic districts to preserve
its architectural heritage. The first work of
the Commission . . . — — Map (db m184196) HM
On Armstrong Street at Miller Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Armstrong Street.
(Side 1)
Pine Hill was established in 1837 and is the oldest cemetery in Auburn. Judge John J. Harper, Auburn's founder, donated almost six acres to the new town to be used as a community burying ground for white settlers and their . . . — — Map (db m74474) HM
On East Magnolia Avenue, 0.1 miles east of Burton Street, on the left when traveling east.
(Side 1)
Near this site once stood "Four-Story Cottage," the home of Robert Wilton Burton. A one-story house with wide porch and bay window, Burton built it in 1885 with proceeds from the sale of four stories to children's magazines. Born . . . — — Map (db m74440) HM
On South Debardeleben Street at East Magnolia Avenue, on the left when traveling south on South Debardeleben Street.
(Side 1)
Colonel Nathaniel J. Scott, from Harris County Georgia, built this house, which he called Pebble Hill, on 100 acres in 1847. With its pyramidal roof and symmetrical lines, the frame house reflects the Greek Revival . . . — — Map (db m74446) HM
The Alpha Mu chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon was founded on June 15, 1878 at the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Alabama (now Auburn University). John E.D. Shipp came to Auburn as a student determined to organize a chapter at a time when . . . — — Map (db m66726) HM
On Mitcham Avenue at North Gay Street, on the right when traveling east on Mitcham Avenue.
Front
The Crescent was an exclusive train of Southern Railway (SR) and Alabama affiliates, Western Railway of Alabama (WRA), Atlanta & West Point Railway (AWPR), and Louisville & Nashville Railway (LNR). Excepting SR, these . . . — — Map (db m98305) HM
On Mitcham Avenue at North Gay Street, on the right when traveling west on Mitcham Avenue.
At the Auburn train depot on February 16, 1861, Jefferson Davis reviewed the Auburn Guards, the first Confederate military company thus honored. Davis was en route to his inauguration as President of the Confederacy. The Auburn Guards were comprised . . . — — Map (db m74455) HM
On East Magnolia Avenue, 0.1 miles east of North Ross Street, on the right when traveling east.
Designed by William Dryden Baughman and built by Fred Burk in 1929, the house was not finished due to the Great Depression. Because of its two-story turret and French Norman Style, it became known as "The Castle." In 1949, the home was sold to . . . — — Map (db m74443) HM
On Birmingham Highway (U.S. 280) at North College Street (State Route 147), on the right when traveling south on Birmingham Highway.
Built in 1924 and billed as "the world's largest bottle", The Bottle (also know as the "Twist Inn") was built by John F. Williams, owner of the Nehi Bottling Company in Opelika, Alabama. A wooden replica of a bright orange Nehi soda bottle, it stood . . . — — Map (db m85167) HM
Near Woodfield Drive, 0.1 miles east of South College Street (Alabama Route 15), on the right when traveling east.
The Cullars Rotation
(Established 1911)
The Cullars Rotation is the oldest, continuous soil fertility study in the South and the second oldest cotton study in the world. It was started in 1911 by the Alabama Agricultural . . . — — Map (db m74463) HM
Near South College Street north of West Thach Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
The East Alabama Methodist College occupying this site was used as a Confederate hospital
1864 • 1865
1888
Alabama Polytechnic Institute
Agricultural & Mechanical College
Burned June 24, 1887. — — Map (db m183920) HM
Near South College Street, on the right when traveling south.
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 . . . — — Map (db m39815) HM
On Lem Morrison Drive, 0.1 miles north of Duncan Drive, on the right when traveling north.
Established in 1896 by Professor J.F. Duggar, the Old Rotation at Auburn University is: (1) the oldest, continuous cotton experiment in the U.S.; and (2) the 3rd oldest continuous field crop experiment in the U.S.; and (3) the 1st experiment to . . . — — Map (db m74429) HM
On North College Street at West Magnolia Avenue, on the right when traveling south on North College Street. Reported missing.
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 . . . — — Map (db m183930) HM
On South Gay Street at East Thach Avenue, on the right when traveling north on South Gay Street. Reported missing.
Wittel Dormitory has long been admired as one of Auburn’s most significant examples of classic nineteenth-century design. Built in the early 1900’s by Samuel S. Wittel to house professional women, it also served as a home for three generations of . . . — — Map (db m66725) HM
On Murphy Drive at Wrights Mill Road (County Road 33), on the left when traveling east on Murphy Drive.
Side 1
A popular recreation area for more than 100 years. Original dam located a short distance below Chewacla Lake Dam. Mill located on the west bank and ground both corn and wheat. Earlier mill owners from 1840's were Echols, Hiram . . . — — Map (db m85168) HM
On Martin Luther King Drive (County Road 83) at County Road 82, on the right when traveling south on Martin Luther King Drive.
Following the signing of the Creek Treaty in 1832, the early white settlers constructed a 16 by 30 foot hand hewn log fort for protection against a possible Indian uprising from Cussetaw Indian Village on Osanippa Creek just north of here. Walls of . . . — — Map (db m71643) HM
Coming of the railroad from Montgomery in 1845 started a new era, with Loachapoka's name revived. It became the trade center for Waverly, Roxana, Rome, Camp Hill, Dudleyville, and Dadeville.
Rousseau's Raiders hit Loachapoka at sun down, . . . — — Map (db m31356) HM
On Stage Road (Alabama Route 14) 0.1 miles east of Waverly Road, on the left when traveling east.
Dr. Alexander Nunn
Dr. Nunn was born in Loachapoka on September 17, 1904. Beginning in 1924 he contributed to and edited the Progressive Farmer Magazine for 43 years. He helped to start Southern Living Magazine, retiring in . . . — — Map (db m73537) HM
On Stage Road (Alabama Route 14) 0.4 miles east of Arrowhead Road (County Road 188), on the right when traveling east.
Side 1
On this site once stood the first of over 5,300 Rosenwald schools for black children built between 1913 and 1932. The schools were started in a collaboration between Julius Rosenwald, CEO of Sears, Roebuck, and Company and Booker . . . — — Map (db m73539) HM
On Stage Road (Alabama Route 14) 0.2 miles east of Waverly Road, on the left when traveling east.
One of the larger settlements of the Upper Creeks at the time of Indian removal to the west, 1835-1837. Their last council fire was held here before their forced migration to Oklahoma. Pioneer families began pouring in after 1836. Today's cemetery . . . — — Map (db m85169) HM
On Long Street at Auburn Street, on the left when traveling north on Long Street.
Side 1
On February 9, 1876, the City of Opelika paid D.B. Preston $80 for two acres of land to establish an African-American section of Rosemere Cemetery. This rectangular area of the cemetery contains 176 blocks, with 16 being partial . . . — — Map (db m75139) HM
On West Point Parkway (U.S. 29 at milepost 197), 0.6 miles south of County Road 390, on the right when traveling south.
Side 1
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 . . . — — Map (db m73533) HM
On Marvyn Parkway (Alabama Route 51) south of Williamson Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
Located on this 800 acre site was an enemy prisoner of war camp. Construction of Camp Opelika began in September 1942. The first prisoners, captured by the British, were part of General Erwin Rommel’s Africa Corps. The camp prisoner population was . . . — — Map (db m85170) HM
On Auburn Street, 0.1 miles north of Kilgore Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Dr. John Wesley Darden, was the first African American physician to treat patients within a 30-mile radius of Opelika. He built the Darden House in 1904, and later married Maude Jean Logan of Montgomery. Dr. and Mrs. Darden shaped many lives through . . . — — Map (db m75131) HM
On North 8th Street at 1st Avenue, on the right when traveling south on North 8th Street.
Organized in 1858, Trinity Mission was admitted to the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama on May 5, 1860. When the first church was consecrated on this site in 1862, it was renamed Emmanuel, meaning "God With Us." That building was destroyed by a tornado . . . — — Map (db m75132) HM
On South 8th Street south of Avenue B, on the right when traveling south.
On this site in October 1859, the Opelika Baptist
Church was organized. In 1861, a "little white framed
church" was erected. After a fire consumed this
original building, a new structure was built in 1885.
This building was referred to as the . . . — — Map (db m176382) HM
On Avenue A at South 7th Street, on the right when traveling west on Avenue A.
Established as the first religious organization in the area in 1837 with 22 members as Lebanon Methodist Episcopal Church, around which the village of Opelika developed. Moved to present location in 1879 as Opelika Station, Montgomery District, . . . — — Map (db m68097) HM
On Avenue B at South 9th Street, on the right when traveling south on Avenue B.
Side 1
Killgore Scholarships
Here James A. Killgore (1888-1966) and his wife, Ophelia Parker, operated a grocery store from 1916 to 1944. The Killgores worked hard, practiced frugality, and invested money wisely, desiring to help . . . — — Map (db m75123) HM
On Geneva Street south of South 8th Street, on the left when traveling south.
North side
To Our Confederate Dead
and Lee County Veterans
West side
"Nor Shall Your Glory
Be Forgot, While Fame
Her Record Keeps,
Or Honor Points
The Hallowed Spot,
Where Valor
Proudly Sleeps!
Easts . . . — — Map (db m176385) WM
On South 9th Street south of Avenue A, on the right when traveling south.
Lee County Courthouse
Lee County was created from portions of Russell, Macon, Chambers and Tallapoosa by act of the Alabama Legislature, approved December 5, 1866. The County’s first election was held January 21, 1867.
An early . . . — — Map (db m85171) HM
On South 9th Street at Avenue B, on the left when traveling north on South 9th Street.
In grateful memory of the rich courage and
sacrifice of the men and women who served
with the Armed Forces in World War II
This tribute is erected by their friends in Pepperell
{List of Names} — — Map (db m176392) WM
On 7th Avenue at North 6th Street, on the left when traveling east on 7th Avenue.
Dallas “Dal” Smith was a veteran of the First World War. During his time of service, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart and a Regimental Citation. He commanded the 3rd Battalion of the 167th Regiment. After the . . . — — Map (db m75133) HM
On South 9th Street south of Avenue A, on the left when traveling south.
Lynching in America
After the Civil War, the ideology of white supremacy led to violent
resistance to equal rights for Black people. Lynching emerged to enforce
racial hierarchy through arbitrary and deadly violence that terrorized
all . . . — — Map (db m176380) HM
Near North 5th Street north of Park Road, on the right when traveling north.
Opelika's Board of Parks and Recreation hired W.J. "Bill" Calhoun as its first director in 1951. His top priority was to develop a wooded area behind Northside School. Two adjacent parcels of land were donated by I.J. Scott, Sr. and Winston Smith . . . — — Map (db m210764) HM
On Long Street, 0.1 miles north of Auburn Street, on the left when traveling north.
Side 1
The City of Opelika purchased 19.6 acres of land to expand Rosemere Cemetery. This rectangular area is the newest portion. There are 193 blocks with varying numbers of sections and spaces in each. 467 grave markers have death dates . . . — — Map (db m75140) HM
Near Long Street, 0.2 miles north of Auburn Street, on the right when traveling north.
Side 1
On July 23, 1869, the City of Opelika purchased ten acres of land for a cemetery from Dr. A.B. Bennett for $100 an acre. On November 23, 1869, he accepted his choice of a lot in exchange for the debt. The earliest marked grave is . . . — — Map (db m85335) HM
On South Railroad Avenue west of South 8th Street, on the left when traveling west.
Opelika A Railroad Town
Opelika's original name was Opelikan when the town was founded in the 1830s. In 1850, the name was respelled as Opelika. In 1851, the Montgomery & West Point Railroad Company extended its Montgomery to Opelika rail line . . . — — Map (db m184077) HM
On South 9th Street at Avenue A, on the left when traveling north on South 9th Street.
Dragon/Griffin – The Pepperell trademark
symbol of world-wide excellence
This memorial is dedicated to the memory of the pioneer men and
women who came to Pepperell to begin a new way of life.
Russell Leonard, Treasurer of Pepperell . . . — — Map (db m176391) HM
On South Railroad Avenue at South 9th Street, on the right when traveling north on South Railroad Avenue.
obverse
The Railroad Avenue Historic District was the downtown nucleus of Opelika when the city was incorporated as part of Russell County, Alabama in February, 1854. The city limits extended a mile in every direction from the Montgomery . . . — — Map (db m85336) HM
On South 8th Street at South Railroad Avenue, on the right when traveling south on South 8th Street.
With orders from Gen. Sherman, Gen. Lovell Rousseau left Decatur with 2,700 cavalry, beginning his raid into East-Central Alabama. That raid ended successfully in Opelika July 19, 1864, after miles of track were destroyed along with other railroad . . . — — Map (db m75126) HM
On Park Road, 0.1 miles west of Rocky Brook Road, on the right when traveling west.
obverse
This is the last surviving covered bridge in Lee County. It was constructed about 1900 by Otto Puls over Wacoochee Creek in the Town's lattice truss design. Materials used in the 75 foot long bridge included longleaf heart pine, . . . — — Map (db m85337) HM
On Lee Road (County Road 177) 0.1 miles north of West Point Parkway (U.S. 29), on the right when traveling north.
Organized November 15, 1846, as the Church of Christ at Shady Grove, under the New Covenant of 2nd Corinthians, 3rd chapter, agreeing to believe all the New Testament teaches, and to obey all its injunctions to the best of their capacity and submit . . . — — Map (db m85338) HM
On South 9th Street at South Railroad Avenue, on the right when traveling south on South 9th Street.
The earliest buildings in the South Rail Road Avenue block between 9th and 10th Street were constructed by William O. Harwell around 1900 and were occupied by his agricultural supply store. His daughter, Alice Inez Harwell married Lum Duke who . . . — — Map (db m84735) HM
On Columbus Parkway (Alabama Route 38) at South 6th Street, on the right when traveling east on Columbus Parkway.
Organized c. 1872 by Rev. John Ford, Tom Isaiah, Julius Crockrum, Daniel Billingslea, Fannie Bryant, Charity Harris, Sarah Chambers and others, and named for presiding Bishop J. P. Thompson. This congregation first met in a house near the oil mill . . . — — Map (db m75157) HM
Near Park Road, 0.1 miles west of Rocky Brook Road, on the right when traveling west.
This "Top Rock" Millstone
was in a grist mill
owned and operated by W.S.A. Bence
on Sweetwater Creek in Clay County, AL
1919-1947
Donated by H.S. Bence — — Map (db m75160) HM
On U.S. 280 at County Road 633, on the right when traveling east on U.S. 280.
Side A:
Among the earliest settlers were the families of Henry Crowder, Dr. D. W. Floyd, Charles Nelms, W. W. Burt, George Heard, John Askew, Moses Pruitt, and Dr. McCoy. Rev. F. L. Cherry, leading historian of East Alabama’s first 50 . . . — — Map (db m39832) HM
On County Road 430, 0.6 miles south of County Road 248, on the left when traveling south.
Northern Boundary of:
British W. Florida 1764-83
Spanish W. Florida 1783-95
Mississippi Territory: 1798-1804
Washington County 1800-12
Clarke County 1812-15
Southern Boundary of:
British Illinois 1764-83
United States . . . — — Map (db m73532) HM
On County Road 298, on the left when traveling north.
George Wyatt Jones Built the Jones Store around 1910. He and his wife Maggie Huguley Jones operated the store in the Smiths Station area for decades. The couple settled in the area in the late 1800s and opened their store on Old Opelika Road on the . . . — — Map (db m186337) HM
