African-American Heritage in Tuscaloosa

A L A B A M A

P.O. Box 3167Tuscaloosa, AL 35403

1.800.538.8696www.visittuscaloosa.com

Samuel B. Hay- was the president of Stillman College from 1948-1965. Under Dr. Hay’s administration, the school was expanded into a Liberal Arts Institution and officially named Stillman College in 1948. In 1953 a gymnasium, a library, administration-classroom building, two women’s residence hall, a prayer chapel and student center were constructed. The hous-ing development Hay Court near Stillman College was named in his honor.

Weaver-Bolden Library- named for founders, Dr. George Au-gustus Weaver and Ruth Bolden. Dr. Weaver was a blacksmith, businessman and landowner who allowed local youngsters to use his private library. Ms. Weaver was a librarian. Through her firm efforts, she was able to obtain funds to open a library. In 1961 the city allo-cated $29,000.00 to build a new library.

Andrew Battle McKenzie- was a Grand Medical Director of the Prince-Hall Free and Accepted Masons of Alabama. McK-enzie Courts, a housing authority located off 10th Avenue was named in his honor in 1952.

Howard and Linton’s Barbershop at 1311 Ty Rogers Jr Avenue. Reverend T.W. Linton was very instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement in Tuscaloosa. His barbershop houses a collection of African-American artifacts and memorabilia. The barbershop is also home to more than 600 shaving mugs from all over the country. Tours by appointment.

-The University of Alabama literally burned to the ground in 1865. The President’s Mansion was one of just four buildings left standing. Located behind the mansion are slave cabins. Records show that the University owned at least one slave as early as 1828.

-The University Cemetery is located adjacent to the Biology building. At least two slaves were buried there in the 1840’s. The University owned Jack, and the 2nd President of the University owned a 7-year-old boy named Boysey. Boysey died of whooping cough.

-Foster Auditorium, located on the University of Alabama campus, is the site Governor George C. Wallace’s infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” on June 11, 1963. His stand was to prevent two African-American students Vivian Malone & James Hood from enrolling.

-Drive through Downtown Tuscaloosa on 23rd Avenue to see what was once known as the Black Business District.

-Oak City Barber & Beauty Shop is the oldest existing African-American owned and operated barbershop; it is located on 7th Street.

-Van Hoose & Steele Funeral Home, located at 2615 Stillman Blvd., was founded in 1923. It is the oldest independently owned and operated African-American funeral home.

-Wade Printing Company is located at 1914 Martin Luther King Blvd. It is the oldest operating African-American printing company in Tuscaloosa. Mr. Wade still uses the old printing press machinery.

-Beautiful Zion A.M.E. Church is located on Sanders Ferry Road. The church was organized in 1870 by freed slaves and built on its present site in 1896.

-First African Baptist Church, located at 2621 Stillman Blvd., was founded in 1866 with 144 members. This church was al-ready over 50 years old when the

present structure was built. It was also the meeting place for many Civil Rights activists in the 1960’s.

-Hunter Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church is located at 1105 22nd Avenue. The church was established in 1865 and is the oldest A.M.E. Zion Church in Tuscaloosa. The church’s first place of wor-ship was a rented structure on the University of Alabama’s campus where Denny Chimes now stands. At that time, it was a school for children of freed slaves during the Reconstruction period.-Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, located on the Still-man College Campus, is the oldest existing black Presbyterian Church in Alabama. The church was organized in 1880.

-Greenwood Cemetery is just one of the known slave cemeteries in Tus-caloosa. It is located next to the First African Baptist Church.

-Prewitt Slave Cemetery, located off Bull-Slough Road, was a burial ground for the slaves of John Welch

Prewitt before and after the Civil War. It is said to be one of the largest slave cemeteries in the South.

-Pine Ridge Cemetery, located on Martin Luther King Blvd., is home to many prominent African-Americans, including Will Murphy, Tuscaloosa’s first black licensed mortician.

-Central Elementary School, located at 1510 30th Avenue, began as a seven-classroom school with grades 1-5. The first school built in 1889 was the Central Elementary School for the Colored. The first commencement was held in the spring of 1891 at the First African Baptist Church. Six students from the seventh grade graduated with nearly six hundred attendees.

-Druid High School, located at 1715 Martin Luther King Blvd., opened in 1935 as an Industrial high school. This was the first public high school for blacks in Tuscaloosa. This is currently the site of Westlawn Middle School.

-Stillman College, located at 3601 Stillman Blvd., was estab-lished in 1876 to train black ministers. Snecodor Hall was the hospital and the site for training black nurses.

-Castle Hill-Daly Bottom was a community of churches, businesses and nearly 300 homes. Castle Hill was named for the real estate and manufacturing company that began the first Eastern expansion of the original 1821 Tuscaloosa city limits. Some portions of the developed land belonged to freed slave Delaware Jackson, who was also the pastor of the Bethel Mis-sionary Baptist Church. A housing complex is named for him just steps away from the UA law school. Many of the residents worked at the University of Alabama, but because of segregation laws they were unable to enjoy the athletic events. However, they were able to hear cheering football fans from their porches. This neighborhood “gave birth” to Bethel Baptist, Tenth Street Baptist and two Methodist churches including Tabernacle A.M.E. Zion. Daly Bottom was named for the landowner, Rafe A. Daly. The Bryant Museum is currently located where these homes once stood.

-Jemison Van de Graff Mansion, located at 1305 Greensboro Avenue, was once the home of Senator Robert Jemison, a member of the Confederate Senate. He owned over six plantations and more than 500 slaves. Although it is not document-

ed, stories have been told of an underground tunnel located in this house that led to the Black Warrior River, less than two miles north.

-Murphy African American Museum is located at 2601 Bry-ant Drive. African-American contractors used salvaged material purchased from the site of the old State Capitol constructed it in 1923.

-Weaver-Kerr Home was located at 1016 Lurleen Wallace Blvd., behind the Murphy African American Museum. It was the home of Dr. George Augusta Weaver. Weaver-Bolden Branch Library was named in his honor.

Churches

The role of African-Americans can be seen throughout Tuscaloosa

Cemeteries

Schools

Markers

Homes