Stories about towns, buildings, landmarks, and neighborhoods.
About five miles west of Florence, along Gunwaleford Road, stood the John Peters Plantation, a sprawling agricultural estate covering approximately 6,620 acres. By 1860, it had become one of the largest slaveholding operations in Lauderdale County, with 313 enslaved people…
Maxwell Hill in Florence, Alabama has undergone significant transformations over the years, shaping not only the physical landscape but also the way the transportation of the Shoals area operates. The hill is located where East Tennessee Street connects with Royal…
At 221 West Tuscaloosa Street in Florence, Alabama, stands one of downtown Florence’s more unusual historic homes. Known as Thimbelton, the house dates to around 1830, but the building we see today looks considerably different from the one that stood…
Now housing the Abstract Company, this downtown Florence building is full of historic ‘firsts’ for Florence. As seen in this late 1940’s picture, the Lamar Furniture store resided here and was the first to be fully air-conditioned and electrically heated…
Crosby-Lambert House A color rendering of the Crosby-Lambert House. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1958 at a proposed cost of $35,000. Though construction never began, the house was destined for Colbert County, Alabama. A single-story, flat-roofed one-bedroom residence of…
The Larimore Home, a magnificent Victorian-era mansion nestled in the heart of Mars Hill, Alabama was built in 1870 by Theophilus Brown “TB” Larimore and his wife, Julia Esther Gresham, the home was a stunning example of architectural craftsmanship. The…
Robert M. Patton, Alabama’s governor from 1865 to 1867, is often portrayed as a complex figure, caught between the remnants of the Confederacy and the emerging era of Reconstruction. However, a darker aspect of his legacy remains undeniable: his ownership…
Charles Morton Southall graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy with gold medals for the highest grade as well as “proficiency in chemistry.” Southall moved to Florence in 1891. He constructed this building (see construction photo at right) to house…
In the late 1800s, the city of Florence, Alabama was experiencing a period of growth and prosperity, driven by the Industrial Boom. And as the city grew, so did its need for clean, reliable water. That’s when a group of…
If you had walked down Court Street in Florence during the second half of the 1800s, you probably wouldn’t have needed an address to find the Stafford Block, also called Stafford’s Corner. People simply knew where it was. Today, you’ll…