Florence — latest news, discussion & facts — IJR

Antebellum Florence (1826–1860)

The first river steamboat visited the town in 1821. Speculators and settlers, including General Andrew Jackson and President James Monroe, bought up plots of land as they were sold by the Cypress Land Co. Florence quickly became an important commercial hub on the Tennessee River, but it did not reach the level its founders had hoped. However, Florence did grow quickly enough to be incorporated by the State Legislature in 1826. By 1831, the increased cotton cultivation in the area to the east of Florence necessitated the expansion and improvement of transport facilities in the area, including the digging of a canal around the Muscle Shoals. Congress appropriated land for that purpose and construction began in 1831, with the Muscle Shoals Canal opening in 1837, however, the locks could not support steamships and the state had difficulty maintaining the construction, so it was abandoned shortly thereafter.

Equally important was the construction of a railroad bridge across the Tennessee River, with the first bridge being completed in the 1830s; but it would be washed away by a flood soon after completion. Another bridge would be completed in 1840 and would last until the mid-1850s, when it was damaged by tornadoes in 1850 and 1854, resulting in its decommissioning. The rock piers of the 1840 bridge survived the damage and form the foundation of the present structure. As a part of Florence's development as a commercial hub, a variety of manufacturing enterprises sprung up around the city, including an iron foundry, lumber, cotton, and wool mills, as well as a complex of cotton, flour, and corn mills along Cypress Creek known as the Globe Factory.

Plantations, too, sprang up around Florence, driven by cheap fertile land and high cotton prices. Two of these plantation homes are of note: Sweetwater Mansion and the Forks of Cypress. Sweetwater Mansion is notable for being the residence of Robert M. Patton, the first governor of Alabama after the Civil War and for the various paranormal sightings that have occurred there. The Forks of Cypress, on the other hand, was the plantation home of James Jackson, one of the original Cypress Land Co. trustees, and was acclaimed for its architectural style and the quality of its racing horses.

With the plantation economy, so too came slavery. While slavery in northwest Alabama did not reach the magnitude that it did in the Black Belt, a significant percentage of the population (about 14% in 1818) was enslaved and by 1860, there were twenty three plantations in Lauderdale County that had over fifty slaves. Not all slaves worked on the plantation, however, many worked in construction or in other contexts. Dred Scott was brought to Florence in the 1820s and served as a hosteler in the local inn, before his participation in the landmark Supreme Court case.

As a sign of progress and ambition, townspeople established the Florence Female Academy in 1847, for paying female students. By the 1850s, the school was converted into the Florence Synodical Female College, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. It closed in 1893. A historical marker commemorates the site. LaGrange College, Alabama's first chartered college, was established near Leighton in 1830 before being moved across the river to Florence in 1855. The move to Florence was controversial, however, and the Florence site was denied the use of the LaGrange name and was thus chartered as Florence Wesleyan University in 1856, with its main building at Wesleyan Hall. One hundred and 60 students enrolled in the first year of operation (1855) of Florence Wesleyan University and quickly attracted students from five states and two foreign countries. The university also chartered a grammar school, which still serves today as Kilby Laboratory School, the only university-operated elementary school in Alabama. After becoming publicly owned during the Postbellum period, the university went through a variety of name changes, including: Florence Normal School, Florence State Teachers College, and Florence State University, before changing its name to the University of North Alabama in 1972.

Museums

The W. C. Handy Home and Museum is dedicated to the noted musician, known as the "father of the blues". Handy was born in a log cabin at this site in 1873. The museum contains a collection of Handy's personal papers, artifacts and other items he donated before his death in 1958.

The Rosenbaum House, at 601 Riverview Drive, is the only building in the state designed by famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was built in 1939. The house was the first in the city to have such novelties as a carport and under-floor heating. It is open for tours six days of the week.

The Forks of Cypress was a large cotton plantation located in Florence. Its remains can be seen in the form of 24 Greek columns, as well as the Jackson Family cemetery. Both are on private property and are not usually open to the public. The local historical society hosts tours sporadically. A scale replica of the plantation home is located in downtown Florence and is currently used as a Regions bank.

The Florence Mound and Museum is located along the Tennessee River. The earthwork mound is the largest in the Tennessee Valley, and was built nearly 1700 years ago during what archaeologists refer to as the Woodland Period. Originally a six-sided structure with an earthen embankment surrounding it on three sides, the earthwork represents a Native American worldview of the time it was built. Today, the mound is a four-sided structure, approximately 43 feet high, measuring 310 by 230 feet at the base, and about 145 by 95 feet on top. The Museum alongside the mound, built in 2017, displays and interprets Native American culture from northwest Alabama, telling the story of indigenous peoples of the area dating back 13,000 years.

The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts consists of three historic buildings known as the Wilson Park Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in downtown Florence. The art center showcases local, regional, and sometimes national artists. It also offers classes and workshops to people of all ages.

Parks

Cox Creek Park is home to a children's playground, horseshoe pits, an indoor archery range, and twelve tennis courts. Recent additions have included the new Florence Skate Park, the only skateboard park in the area, and a new stadium for the University of North Alabama softball team. The Florence/Lauderdale Farmer's Market is also located at the park.

Deibert Park was a former horse farm belonging to the Deibert family, the park now includes a playground, picnic shelters, and three ponds. The network of walking trails is enjoyed by walkers, joggers, and bikers. The Children's Museum of the Shoals is also on the park property.

Florence Sportsplex has baseball, softball, and soccer fields. It is located at the corner of Alabama Highway 20 and Gunwaleford Road.

Martin Park is the location for the city swimming facility, at the Royal Avenue Recreation Center. The park is also home to a playground, tennis courts, picnic shelters, and a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) fitness trail.

McFarland Park is also the location of the Florence Harbor and Marina. While serving as host to several events throughout the year, the park is also equipped with a playground, numerous picnic shelters, campgrounds, soccer fields, baseball fields, a disc golf course, a golf driving range, and lighted walking trails. Situated along Pickwick Lake, the park is also used by fishermen, boaters, and swimmers.

River Heritage Park is located at the base of the Renaissance Tower and adjacent to the Renaissance Shoals Resort & Spa and Conference Center. The park contains scenic overlooks of the Tennessee River and Wilson Dam. Also included are picnic shelters, a playground, and an interactive fountain called the Splash Pad.

Veterans Memorial Park contains a memorial to the war veterans of Florence and Lauderdale county. Twenty-two campsites, six lighted tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, playgrounds, and picnic shelters are also found at the park. Veterans Park is also home to one of the oldest disc golf courses in the state, established in 1983.

Wildwood Park is located adjacent to the University of North Alabama along Cypress Creek. It is the most secluded and serene of the city parks. The park has a pavilion, picnic tables, nature trails, and bicycle trails. Swimming, fishing and canoeing are some of the park's recreational activities.

Wilson Park is located in the heart of downtown, across from the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library. Its grounds are used for numerous festivals and events. The original Plan of Florence in 1818 showed the area as a Public Walk. In 1924, the park was renamed in honor of former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, shortly after his death.

Transportation

Florence is the merger point for two major U.S. Highways, as well as several Alabama Highways. Both U.S. Highway 43 and U.S. Highway 72 merge just east of the city limits in Killen, and are co-signed their entire length through the city. Highway 43, running north and south, helps connect the city to Lawrenceburg and Columbia to the north in Tennessee, as well as Tuscaloosa and Mobile to the south. Highway 72 helps connect the city to Huntsville and Chattanooga, Tennessee to the east and Memphis, Tennessee to the west. Interstate 65 is accessible about forty-five minutes east on Highway 72. Both of these roads cross the Tennessee River on O'Neal Bridge, connecting Florence to Sheffield.

Alabama state highways that serve the city include State Route 13, State Route 17, State Route 20, State Route 133, and State Route 157. Alabama 133 connected Florence and Muscle Shoals via Wilson Dam until 2002, when the new six-lane "Patton Island Bridge" finished construction. The bridge is part of a new corridor that eventually saw the widening of Wilson Dam Road in Muscle Shoals to Alabama 20 (Phase 1 widening to six lanes to Avalon Avenue, Phase 2 widening to 4 lanes to Alabama 157/72 alt), and the construction of a new road from the bridge to Florence Blvd, eventually becoming part of Helton, Dr. in Florence. State Route 157, a road to Florence and the Shoals area, serves as a four-lane link to Interstate 65 in Cullman. The project was completed in the summer of 2007. The road is known as the "University of North Alabama Highway".

Florence and the Shoals area does not have a direct link to an Interstate highway. One solution discussed has been the Memphis to Atlanta Highway, proposed to connect the two cities via a freeway through north Alabama. However, in recent years Mississippi has concentrated its funding on U.S. 78 (Interstate 22), also known as "Corridor X". Though U.S. 72 through Mississippi is four lanes, there are no plans to upgrade it to freeway status. The state of Georgia has also not committed to the necessary work to connect the freeway from the Alabama state line to Atlanta. The highway remains in the planning stages with the Alabama Department of Transportation.

Another plan recently discussed is extending Interstate 565 west from its current terminus just outside Decatur, along Alabama 20/Alternate U.S. 72. The plan has received support from Decatur officials.

There is no fixed-route transit service in Florence. However, the Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments operates a dial-a-ride transit service known as NACOLG Transit.

Florence is served by the Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals. The airport is used for commercial and general aviation, It is served commercially by Contour Airlines which provides several daily flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, an American Airlines hub, giving the city access to hundreds of domestic and international destinations. Huntsville International Airport, another option for Florence residents, offers service to eleven domestic destinations, and is an hour's drive from Florence.

Local industry is served by the Tennessee Southern Railroad (TSRR), which runs from Florence to Columbia, Tennessee, and the Port of Florence on Pickwick Lake.

Notable people

Walt Aldridge, songwriter and record producer

Malcolm Armstead, professional basketball player

Ron Billingsley, former professional football player

Whitney Boddie, professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)

Sterling Bose, jazz trumpeter

Jeff Brantley, former Major League Baseball pitcher

Jeff Briggs, video game developer and CEO of Firaxis Games

Roger Briggs, composer

Greg Burdine, member of the Alabama House of Representatives

Thomas Burrows, professional baseball player

The Butler Twins, Detroit blues musicians

Jerry Carrigan, drummer and record producer

Stewart Cink, PGA golfer, 2009 British Open Champion

John Coffee, General during the War of 1812

Dennis Condrey, professional wrestler and member of The Midnight Express

Oscar De Priest, the first African American to be elected to Congress from outside the southern states

Bud Dunn, horse trainer who won the Tennessee Walking Horse World Grand Championship twice

Ronnie Flippo, U.S. representative for Alabama

Byron Franklin, former National Football League (NFL) wide receiver

Donnie Fritts, musician and songwriter

Braxton Garrett, professional baseball player for the Miami Marlins

Eric "Red Mouth" Gebhardt, singer-songwriter

Donna Jean Godchaux, singer, the Grateful Dead

Brett Guthrie, U.S. representative for Kentucky

Elbert Bertram Haltom Jr., former United States federal judge

W. C. Handy, blues musician, known as "father of the blues"

Billy Hardwick, PBA bowler

Kneeland Hibbett, University of Alabama football player

Dorrit Hoffleit, astronomer

Kelvin Holly, musician, guitarist for Little Richard, The Amazing Rhythm Aces

John Hood, Rear admiral in the United States Navy during World War I

Patterson Hood, guitarist, singer and songwriter for Drive-By Truckers

Autry Inman, rockabilly musician

Tammy Irons, member of the Alabama State Senate

Jason Isbell, musician

Thomas Jeter, fencer

Jim Jones, football player

Buddy Killen, former owner of Killen Music Group

Julianne Kirchner, swimmer

Hank Klibanoff, professor at Emory University

Adam Lazzara, musician and lead singer of Taking Back Sunday

Lenny LeBlanc, songwriter

Jesse Marsh, comic book artist and animator

Dewey Martin, actor

Floyd Matthews, former member of the United States Navy

Alison McCreary, Miss Alabama 1996

Fran McKee, first female Rear Admiral in the United States Navy

John McKinley, U.S. congressman, senator, and associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

Don Leslie Michael, recipient of the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War

Tom Monroe, disc golfer

Melba Montgomery, country music singer

Charles Moore, civil rights photographer

John Mortvedt, soil scientist at the Tennessee Valley Authority in Muscle Shoals

Harryette Mullen, professor at the University of California, Los Angeles

Emmet O'Neal, 34th Governor of Alabama

Mary Phagan, 13-year-old girl murdered in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 26, 1913

Sam Phillips, record producer, discovered Elvis Presley

Norbert Putnam, record producer

James T. Rapier, U.S. representative for Alabama

Rob Rausch, reality tv contestant Love Island USA and The Traitors

Billy Reid, fashion designer

Milton P. Rice, former Attorney General of Tennessee and former Secretary of State of Tennessee

Freddie Roach, American football player and coach

Al Romine, former professional football player

Jonathan Rosenbaum, film critic

Wimp Sanderson, former college basketball coach

Dred Scott, of the Dred Scott vs. Sanford case

Oscar Streit, former professional baseball pitcher

T. S. Stribling, 20th-century novelist

Randy Tate, former Major League Baseball pitcher

Mark Thompson, radio personality and member of The Mark & Brian Show

Chris Tompkins, musician and Grammy-winning songwriter

Lamonte Turner, University of Tennessee Basketball player

Frank R. Walker, rear admiral in the United States Navy during World War II

Gary Weaver, former professional football linebacker

Jessica Wesson, retired actress.

White Dawg, crunk rapper

John Paul White, guitarist, singer and songwriter for Grammy Award-winning duo The Civil Wars

Josh Willingham, former Major League Baseball player

S. A. M. Wood, Confederate States Army general

Larry Woods, former professional football player

Tom York, television and radio personality

Florence

Florence

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Notable quotes

Live room · 1 here

Notable quotes

Article

Geography

Climate

History

Beginnings

Antebellum Florence (1826–1860)

20th century

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

American Community Survey

Ancestry

Education

Government

Culture and events

Museums

Festivals

Other attractions

Recreation

Parks

Other recreation

Transportation

Media

AM radio

FM radio

Television

Notable people

About Florence

About Florence

Article

Notable quotes

Live room · 1 here

Notable quotes

Article

Geography

Climate

History

Beginnings

Antebellum Florence (1826–1860)

20th century

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

American Community Survey

Ancestry

Education

Government

Culture and events

Museums

Festivals

Other attractions

Recreation

Parks

Other recreation

Transportation

Media

AM radio

FM radio

Television

Notable people