A Sunday Treat - Yes, Really!

We didn't know such a film existed. What a treat to see Mr. Frank Potts at the end!

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Tennessee Valley Historical Society presents Helen Keller Festival Week Speakers: In recognition of Northwest Alabama history diversity and Helen Keller Festival Week activities, the Tennessee Valley Historical Society is sponsoring three guest speaker presentations to be held at Cold Water Bookstore, 101 West 6th Street, Tuscumbia, Alabama.

The presentation line up is as follows:

Thursday- June 21 - Time: 2 p.m. - “The American Star” Tom McKnight, TVHS President, will give a Power-Point presentation on ‘The American Star,’ the African-American, Muscle Shoals Missionary Baptist Association newspaper, edited and published by Professor George Washington Trenholm in Tuscumbia. Artifacts of recently discovered rare issues that were not known to exist covering the 1940s and 1950s will be on display.

Friday - June 22 - Time: 5:30 p.m. “Rediscovering the Poarch Creek Band of Creek Indians” Robert Thrower, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Poarch Creek Indians, will discuss “The Forgotten Creeks of Alabama: Rediscovering the Poarch Band of Creek Indians”. The presentation will explore the origin, struggles and accomplishments of the Poarch Band. A number of Creek cultural items will be on display for both discussion and demonstration.

Saturday – June 23 – Time: 12 Noon - “General Joe Wheeler Museum” Scheduled speakers will be Melissa Beasley, Site Director of the General Joe Wheeler Museum, Pond Spring, Hillsboro, Alabama and Kara Long, Museum Curator. Power-point presentation will cover the restoration effort that restored the Wheeler Home Museum, the family’s furnishings and artifacts that now occupy the historic site and historic insights of General Wheeler who served his home and country as a Confederate General, Congressman and West Point graduate. Miss Annie Wheeler’s service in the American Red Cross during three wars and her devotion to helping others will also be discussed.

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Tomorrow we'll have some newly released info on the alleged murderer of Dylan Mylam. It's a sad commentary on the state of some families as well as our legal system.



Shoalanda

A Sheffield Sunday

If you grew up in the Shoals, you probably spent several Sunday afternoons of your formative years in Sheffield, either cruising around the stand pipe, visiting one of the town's remaining drive-in restaurants, or looking up in wonder at the giant Santa during the holidays.

Perhaps you even drove through the Village admiring the Spanish-style houses. If so, here's a chance to own a rare souvenir of that architectural delight, now available on eBay: Link

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Sheffield still has much to offer, especially this Sunday afternoon:

The Tennessee Valley Historical Society (TVHS) will hold its Quarterly Summer Meeting on Sunday, 22 August 2010 at 2:30 p.m. at the Sheffield Public Library located at 316 North Montgomery Avenue in downtown Sheffield, Alabama.

This quarter’s speaker will be Tom McKnight who will give a power-point presentation on the Mosaic Templars of America, (MTA); an African American fraternal organization whose presence throughout Alabama and particularly northwest Alabama was an organization of great significance.

Though headstones marking member’s existence can be found scattered throughout city, church, private cemeteries and farm land, knowledge of the organization’s existence, purpose and some of members were unknown until research brought to light the organization’s history and some of its members.

Mr. McKnight, President of the Tennessee Valley Historical Society is also Colbert County Historical Landmark Foundation’s Program Chairperson and has made his home in northwest Alabama after retiring from a career with the United Nations. McKnight’s membership affiliations include Tuscumbia’s Civitan; American Legion Post 31, consulting member of the Sheffield Historical Commission and engagements in other history and research projects.

He’s a graduate of Columbia University School of Public Health (MPH) and holds a Business Management degree from the Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York.

Tennessee Valley Historical Society meetings are open to the public, free of charge. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tennessee Valley Historical Society President Tom McKnight, at 914-707-0528.


What's up with this: Apparently the rail car business was much better in 2003 if this quote concerning Greg Aziz's new home is any indication: "This 14,400-square-foot mansion, a replica of the famed Le Petit Trianon at Versailles, is being built on the Caledon estate of National Steel Car chairman Greg Aziz at an estimated cost of $3 million."

Shoalanda



Get connected in September!

"The Civil War in the Shoals Area"

The Tennessee Valley Historical Society is hosting a special program entitled The Civil War in the Shoals Area presented by Dr. David Gregg, at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library in the Conference Room on Sunday, October 25, 2009, at 2:30 p.m. The Civil War in the Shoals Area is a PowerPoint presentation compiled from old local newspapers and highlights the Civil War in Florence and the Shoals area. Dr. Gregg has presented this program to various organizations, schools, and other historical societies.


Dr. Gregg is the Pastor at the Florence Boulevard Baptist Church and has spent most of his life researching Baptist, family, and the Civil War history. He has been awarded by the History and Archives Committee of the American Baptist Association, for his research in Baptist History. Dr. Gregg has written four books and also serves as an instructor in History for the Oxford Baptist Institute.Tennessee Valley Historical Society meetings are open to the public, free of charge. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tennessee Valley Historical Society President William Smith, at 256-767-4529.


Shoalanda