Dedicated to civilian defense workers in critical industry for the war. US Army directed construction and production via Air Nitrate Corp. Army Projects here in 1917-1918 required 20,000 workers recruited from across the USA. The great flu-pandemic . . . — — Map (db m138776) HM WM
In the 1950s, seven black men gathered at McClains Place on Atlanta Avenue to discuss forming Alabamas first VFW for black veterans. With only $30, VFW Spokesman John T. Hampton boarded a train to attend the National Convention in New York which at . . . — — Map (db m260607) HM
Escape to an Earlier Time The giant trees of Northern Alabama's mature forest have stood throughout generations, witnessing considerable natural, historical, and cultural changes. Some probably witnessed the Civil War while others only date . . . — — Map (db m117058) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m28428) HM
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. . . . — — Map (db m83389) HM
In Memory of Our Comrades of Sheffield Who lost their lives in the World War
Lieut. James R. Crowe • Sergt. John H. Oldham • Pvt. William A. Peden • Pvt. Georce W. McFall, Jr. • Pvt. Louis Goldstein
"Take up our quarrel with the foe. To . . . — — Map (db m235336) WM
The Military Road was built from 1816 to 1820 as a pioneer settlement shortcut from Nashville to the Southwest Territories / New Orleans, proceeding through the Shoals. A ferry crossed the River here in the vicinity of York Bluff settlement, . . . — — Map (db m288629) HM
Production Difficulties
Several complications impeded this plant's full operation including its inability to operate at the required pressure of 200 atmospheres at 500-600° C. Most importantly, ammonia synthesis could not be sustained due to . . . — — Map (db m183922) HM
An Experimental Plant
During World War 1, construction of the first ammonia synthesis plant in the U.S. began on this location in October 1917. With plans acquired by American and British espionage, construction of U.S. Nitrate Plant No. 1 . . . — — Map (db m183927) HM
Side A Ashe Boulevard was built on the early railroad bed which connected Florence and Southport to the main railroad line in Tuscumbia. Trains first traveled along the railroad bed and across the Tennessee River in 1858 after the Memphis . . . — — Map (db m39237) HM
In 1832, the Alabama legislature authorized the Florence Bridge Company to construct this bridge across the Tennessee River. In 1840, it opened as a toll bridge. Twice damaged by storms, it was reopened in 1858 as a double-decked bridge by the . . . — — Map (db m40596) HM
(side 1)
Percy Sledge
"When A Man Loves A Woman"
Hospital orderly Percy Sledge recorded 'When a Man Loves a Woman' at Quin Ivy's studio in 1966. Sledge's breakup with a girlfriend inspired the lyrics credited to songwriters . . . — — Map (db m83390) HM
On Jan. 21, 1933 President-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed an immense crowd at this crossing from his railroad car and promised "to put Muscle Shoals back on the map." He then toured the idle U.S. Nitrate Plant No. 2 and Wilson Dam with . . . — — Map (db m83392) HM
Sheffield Colored School
Public education for Sheffield's black children began in 1889 in a framed building at E. 20th St. and S. Atlanta Ave. with Henry Hopkins as teacher. Professor Benjamin J. Sterling (1847-1941), a former slave, became . . . — — Map (db m193430) HM
This sculpture is dedicated to the many individuals whose efforts made Sheffield and the Muscle Shoals area the “Hit Recording Capital of the World,” and to those who continue that legacy.
Legend of the Singing River
The . . . — — Map (db m167280) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m88110) HM
