Alabama Historical Association Markers, 2021

Abstract

Alabama Historical Association Markers, 2021 Scotty E. Kirkland (bio) The texts and locations of the fourteen markers sponsored by the Association in 2021 are copied below. More information on the program, including guidelines for new marker requests, can be found at https://www.alabamahistory.net/historical-markers. JACKSON COUNTY PHILLIP HAMMAN, SOLDIER & EARLY ALABAMA SETTLER Of German ancestry, Phillip Hamman was a Colonial-era scout and a Revolutionary War soldier hailed as the “Savior of Green-brier” for his 1778 efforts to defend Ft. Donnally in present-day West Virginia. In 1780, he married Christina Cook (1763–1842). After nearly 40 years in Kentucky, they became early settlers of Jackson County in the 1820s, farming a large tract of land one mile north of this site. In 1827, Phillip Hamman helped organize the Friendship Church at Fackler and was ordained as its pastor. In 1972, the remains of Phillip and Christina Hamman were removed from family land and reinterred at the Valley Head Cemetery. [To be located along County Road 42, near Fackler] [End Page 163] JEFFERSON COUNTY HIGHLANDS SCHOOL Evalina Brown Spencer founded Highlands Day School in 1958, expanding a daycare she operated in her family’s backyard. In 1962, Highlands moved from rented space in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church to this site, on land donated by Joseph and Virginia Simpson. The early campus consisted of four buildings. Expansions in 1991, 1997, and 2019 added an auditorium, library, offices, a gymnasium, cafeteria, and classrooms. Students range from infants to eighth grade. Alumni remember school traditions fondly, including Blue Devils athletics, public speaking, gatherings on the quad, and time spent on the “Big Rock” located on campus. [4901 Old Leeds Road, Birmingham] THE ATTEMPTED BOMBING OF CONGREGATION BETH-EL Congregation Beth-El was founded in 1907 on Birmingham’s north side. Its leadership came from Knesseth Israel, the city’s Orthodox Jewish congregation. Beth-El was established as a modern, yet traditional congregation. Construction on the synagogue at this site began in 1926, with the addition of an education wing in 1952. By the 1950s, Beth-El was Alabama’s largest Conservative Jewish congregation. On Monday, April 28, 1958, a satchel containing 54 sticks of dynamite was placed along the eastern exterior of the synagogue’s lower floor. The bomb failed before it could detonate. Had the bomb exploded, the blast would have demolished the building. Part of a series of unsolved antisemitic attacks against Jewish institutions in the South in the 1950s, the attempted bombing of Beth-El came amidst a plague of racial terror during Birmingham’s modern Civil Rights era. Although Congregation Beth-El received sympathy and support from across Birmingham and beyond, the crime remained unsolved. [End Page 164] In the bombing’s wake, reaction within the local Jewish community ranged from fear to a determination to confront bigotry and intolerance amidst the ongoing struggle for justice and equality. [To be located at 2179 Highland Avenue, Birmingham] LEE COUNTY AUBURN UNIVERSITY AND THE ALABAMA FARMERS FEDERATION On January 31, 1921, farmers gathered on the campus of Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API), now Auburn University, to form the Alabama Farm Bureau, now known as the Alabama Farmers Federation. Former Alabama Extension Service Director Luther Duncan, who later became API president, encouraged farmers to organize as a unified force in public policy and to support agricultural education, research, and outreach. Extension agents promoted Farm Bureau membership throughout Alabama. By 1925, Farm Bureau groups were established in all 67 counties. Farm Bureau played a pivotal role in development of farm programs, cooperative marketing, rural electrification, and strengthening the land-grant university system. In 1946, Alabama Farm Bureau formed what is known today as Alfa Insurance® to provide coverage for rural residents. The organization changed its name in 1987. The Federation has emerged as the preeminent voice for farmers and rural Alabama in advocacy, communication, public policy, leadership development, commodity promotion, agricultural education, and research. In 2021, the Alabama Farmers Federation celebrated its centennial and the 75th anniversary of Alfa Insurance with a renewed commitment to its founding principles. [Ag Heritage Park Pavilion, S. Donahue Drive, Auburn University] [End Page 165] MADISON COUNTY ALICE BOARMAN BALDRIDGE, WOMEN’S RIGHTS...