Three different walking tours to take place on October 10, 17 and 24, 2009
Walking Tours Start at 10:00 AM
Take a walk to remember and discover Decatur’s fascinating history! Exercise your mind and body by putting on your walking shoes and exploring three different tour routes that highlight various themes and events in local history. The free Saturday tours begin at 10:00 AM. The tours on October 10 and 24 will begin and end at the 1833 Old State Bank. (925 Bank Street NE). The tour on Saturday, October 17 will begin at Cotaco Park in front of the Morgan County Courthouse and end at First Missionary Baptist Church on Vine Street in Old Town. Guests are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and clothing appropriate for the walks.
On Saturday, October 10, 2009, local historian Phil Wirey will take walkers on a journey of over 200 years of Decatur history, tracing a new tour route down Bank, Oak and Market Streets that will revel fascinating stories from Decatur’s past. Rediscover the first locations of early churches and Jewish places of worship, and hear little known stories of African-American (Dr. Willis Sterrs, Solomon Sykes) and Jewish (Samuel Frank, Louis Falk, Max Cohn, the Olshine brothers, Ike Kuhn and Ephraim Lyons) business leaders. Through the use of early photos and fire insurance maps, uncover the locations of early movie houses, drug stores, banks, doctor and lawyer offices, variety stores, clothing vendors, grocery markets and hardware stores. The history of the Rhodes Family Cemetery (Lafayette Street Cemetery) will be reviewed, and the location of early hotels such as the McCartney, Americana, Dixie, Echols and the Hotel Lyons will be discussed. Retrace the life of Colonel Lawrence Banks as well as the influential role of the Banks and the Leadingham women on early education in Decatur. Discover Decatur’s connection to historical figures such as Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett, James K. Polk, Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. Hear stories about sports legends such as Doc Sykes of the Negro Baseball League and Shorty Ogle of Riverside High and Birmingham Southern. Stories of the “The Quad,” one of the southeast’s most important Paleo-Indian archaeological site, and its researchers, Dr. Frank Soday and his wife Myrtle, will also be told. The tour will conclude by separating fact from legend in the stories of some of Decatur’s most famous women; Anna Burleson who became Mississippi’s first lady under Governor and Senator James Vardaman; Grace Hinds Duggan Curzon (“Lady Curzon”) the Marchioness of Kedleston, and Katherine Carey Lackner, better known as “Miss Kate.” Tour leader Phil Wirey is a native of East Tennessee and is employed by 3M. He has been active in researching the early settlement and settlers of Decatur and Morgan County. He has worked with the Alabama Historical Commission to register the Kimbell and Fennel cemeteries in Trinity, has documented the Garth and Menefee burial plots in Decatur, and is currently seeking state registration for the Lafayette Street Cemetery (Rhodes Family), Decatur’s oldest cemetery. Wirey has also researched the early directors and presidents of the Old State Bank, developed various maps of the Trinity and Decatur area including downtown Decatur city plot maps, Decatur Civil War landmark maps, and various maps that show early homes and businesses in Decatur. He has assisted the English Department at Calhoun College in researching the burial site of southwest humorist, George Washington Harris, whose last residence was in Decatur. Working with the local Methodist church, Wirey has sought information on early church locations, ministers and members in the Decatur area. Recording the history of early prominent African American families in Decatur has also been an area of interest for Wirey, and he recently worked with Sheryll Cashin, Georgetown University professor, in promoting her latest book, The Agitator’s Daughter, which tells the story of the Cashin family of Decatur. The walking tour on October 10 will begin and end at the Old State Bank.
As part of the BIG READ celebration taking place in Decatur and the designation of October as “Mockingbird Month, ” with all citizens being invited to read Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird and take part in activities throughout the city, the October 17 walking tour will focus on the significant history and sites related to the 1930’s. The October 17 tour will begin at Cotaco Park at the Morgan County Courthouse and conclude at First Missionary Baptist Church in Old Town. (Please note the starting and ending point for this tour is different from the others.) The tour will be led by Peggy Towns, Rev. Wylheme Ragland and Karen Bailey Gearhart. During the 1930’s, Decatur was thrust into the international spotlight when the trial of the Scottsboro Boys was relocated to Decatur. Explore this era of change, and a trial that is considered to be one of the most important trials of the 20th century. From the darkness of this trial, two landmark supreme court decisions were issued that are today a cornerstone of the American legal system. 1) Criminal defendants are entitled to effective legal council and 2) people may not be de facto excluded from juries because of race, thus the interpretation that a person’s right to a jury of one’s peers meant that African-Americans could not longer be excluded from jury duty. It is said that the roots of the Civil Rights movement can be traced to this decades-long fight for justice for the Scottsboro Boys. The trial highlighted many of the major social conflicts of the time, and from the darkness of the trial, individuals such as Judge James Horton, emerged as beacons of justice and decency. In his quiet strength and respect for the dignity of all human beings, Horton shared many traits with the fictional Atticus Finch. The tour will conclude at First Missionary Baptist Church on Vine Street in what is known as “Old Town.” Listed on the Alabama Register of Historic Places, First Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1866 by 21 members in the home of Sister Jane Young. Through the years, the congregation met in several locations when in 1919, Dr. Sterrs, S.S. Sykes and G.F. Oliver obtained a $1460 loan to purchase this property upon which St. Ann’s Catholic Church was once located. The existing church was designed by W.A. Rayfield in 1921 and constructed at a cost of $1250. Rayfield was a prominent African-American architect who was born in Macon, Georgia and educated at Howard University, Pratt Polytechnic Institute and received his BA in Architecture from Columbia in 1899. Booker T. Washington recruited the young Rayfield to develop the Architectural and Mechanical Drawing program at Tuskegee Institute, elevating it to place a prominence and respect. Rayfield went into private architectural practice in Birmingham in 1908, where he is best known for his design of numerous churches, including the 16th Street Baptist Church. Decatur’s First Missionary Baptist Church is said to have been built through the work of “professionals, craftsmen, and donations of ‘nickels and dimes.’”
Following the tour, guests are invited to take part in short book panel discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird as part of the BIG READ. Tour leader Peggy Towns is a 5th District Congressional Aide, and was recently involved in indexing the historic Magnolia-Sykes Cemetery and securing a military marker for Private Amos McKinney, a former slave who served with Company C of the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment. Rev. Wylheme Ragland serves at King’s Memorial United Methodist Church, and has actively researched the leaders of the early Black community. He also assisted in the recognition of Amos McKinney, and is also working to nominate “Doc” Sykes to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Karen Bailey Gearhart, MSW, is interested in the preservation of African-American history, primarily in the period from Emancipation to the present.
General John Bell Hood described Decatur as being “a hard nut to crack” as he engaged in a difficult four day battle to try and reclaim the city in October of 1864. Relive the “Battle for Decatur” on Saturday, October 24 as a re-enactor with the 13th Alabama Partisan Rangers follows past footsteps through Decatur’s Civil War Walking Trail. This
walking tour will begin and end at the Old Bank. Discover how a small battle taking place in Decatur in October of 1864 would impact the success or failure of Sherman’s military plans and the ultimate future of the Confederacy. Trace the lines of the fortifications and view sites and structures that interpret Decatur’s war experience. Get to know the personalities of Col. Charles C. Doolittle, commander of the Decatur garrison; Brigadier General Robert S. Granger, Commander of the Military District of North Alabama; and Union Major General Grenville M. Dodge. Explore the Charge of the 14th U.S. Colored Infantry, led by Company Commander Captain Albert H. Ralph. Recall the tremendous significance of Decatur as a transportation crossroads, possessing both river access, a north-south rail access (Nashville and Decatur RR), an east-west rail line (Memphis and Charleston) and a railroad bridge over the river. The 13th Alabama Partisan Rangers will also be hosting a Civil War Living History Encampment at the Old Bank in the Founder’s Park area fronting the building. Additionally, the Downtown Halloween HOOT will be taking place on this day and there will be a variety of activities taking place throughout the day in the historic downtown. Walking tour guests are invited to attend and enjoy this day of seasonal family fun on the 24th.
The 1833 Old State Bank is located at 925 Bank Street in the heart of historic downtown Decatur. Walking tour guests are invited to enjoy the unique shops and restaurants that are found in Decatur’s historic downtown districts. Inclement weather may cause a change in the schedule for tours. For additional information, please contact 341-4818 or meldunn@decatur-al.gov.
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