Public History Commons^™

Trail Of Tears Correspondence From Southwest Us Dept. Of Interior, 2.9.1994, John Harely

Correspondence

Correspondence issued by the National Park Service Southwest Region to William L. McDonald concerning his collaboration with Richard Sheridan of the Trail of Tears Advisory Council. The correspondence also includes an enclosed itinerary of the Trail of Tears Advisory Council Field Trip held on March 3, 1994.

Wildwood Park Area Correspondence To Mary Alyson Prude, 8.7.1993, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from William L. McDonald to Mary Alyson Prude concerning the history of Wildwood Park and the surround vicinity in Florence, Alabama.

The pdf is faded and difficult to read, so it has been transcribed below.

August 7, 1993

Miss Mary Alyson Prude

426 Robinhood Drive

Florence, Alabama 35630

Dear Mary Alyson:

Please forgive an old man who finds it more and more difficult to hear. And I feel terrible for not recognizing you until after we had talked over the telephone. It then hit me: You are Joel and Jayne's beautiful young daughter. I am so sorry. Your entire …

Suggested Historical Headlines For Times Daily, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

A list of suggested historical headlines of the Shoals, Alabama compiled by William Lindsey McDonald for the Times Daily.

The document is faded and difficult to read, so it has been transcribed below.

Suggested Historical Headlines for Times Daily

Probable Date (+/- days): Historical Event Described

May 10, 1915: Congressional visit to Muscle Shoals for feasibility study of construction of Wilson and Wheeler Dams

April 1918: Work begins on Wilson Dam

Dec. 3-5, 1921: Henry Ford and Thomas Edison visit Florence

Dec. 9, 1921: Florence Times ran account of Ford's visit

Nov. 10, 1898: Muscle Shoals Canal opens for navigation …

Hopewell African Methodist Episcopal Church To Jean Meyer, 1.26.1990, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from William L. McDonald to Mrs. Jean Meyer regarding the history of the Hopewell African Methodist Episcopal Church, originally located on the Old Jackson Highway in St. Florine, Lauderdale County, Alabama. The Hopewell African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1865 after the Civil War resulted in a split of the original congregants of the Hopewell Methodist Episcopal Church.

Sunken Trace Sign Correspondence To Johnny Sims, 8.6.1999, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from William Lindsey McDonald to Jonny Sims, a ranger of the Natchez Trace Parkway, concerning the interpretative sign at Sunken Trace located at mile marker 350.8. Within the correspondence, McDonald proposes that the verbiage be adjusted to be more respectful of the early Native American inhabitants of the area. He also highlights another instance in which National Park signage was changed at the George Colbert parking area and home site.

The current historical markers for the Sunken Trace and Colbert's Stand are accessible on the historical marker database.

"Colorful Characters" In Florence History To Martha Murphy, 7.17.2000, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from William L. McDonald to Martha Murphy of city hall concerning "colorful characters" that inhabited Florence, Alabama. The Florence inhabitants mentioned include Professor Augustus Provskoski, a graduate of four German universities who taught ancient and modern classics at Florence Wesleyan University; Miss Jem Weakley, an eccentric daughter of prominent citizens; Thomas Sigismund "T.S." Stribling, a Florence Teachers College alum and Pulitzer Prize winner whose work was controversial within the local public; and Mrs. Kate Nelson, a brothel keeper connected with various local legends.

Donation Of The William Lindsey Mcdonald Papers To Collier Library Archives, Dec. 2005, William L. Mcdonald, G. Garry Warren

Correspondence

Correspondence between William L. McDonald and Dr. Garry Warren, Dean of Information Technologies at the University of North Alabama, discussing the donation of the William Lindsey McDonald Collection, an expansive body of "rare books, magazines, wills, deeds, diaries, notes of interviews, and a wealth of early photographs," to the Collier Library Archives.

Florence Renaissance Faire Correspondence, From Eddie Frost, 9.28.1994, Eddie Frost

Correspondence

Correspondence from Eddie Frost, Mayor of the City of Florence, Alabama, to William Lindsey McDonald, city historian, concerning Vice-Mayor of Florence, Italy Signore Giovanni Pallanpi's visit to the 1994 Alabama Renaissance Faire.

Forks Of Cypress Archaeological Excavation To James Jackson, 7.16.1993, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from William L. McDonald to James Jackson concerning archaeological excavation near a cabin at the Forks of Cypress.

Florence City Council Ordinance To Create The Position Of City Historian, Eddie Frost

Correspondence

Florence, Alabama city ordinance that establishes the position of city historian.

Kennedy Long Rifle Correspondence To Mayor Eddie Frost, 11.13.1992, William L. Mcdonald, Barbara Broach, Marjorie Norton

Correspondence

Proposal sent to Mayor Eddie Frost request that an exchange of the North Carolina Long Rifle at Pope's tavern and Museum be made for a Kennedy Long Rifle from the collection of Dan Wallace, a Wayne County, Tennessee gun collector. This exchange was requested in accordance with the city of Florence, Alabama's connection to the fabrication of the Kennedy Long Rifle, as demonstrated by the historical marker erected by the Kennedy Douglass Center for the Arts at the original site of the Kennedy Gun Factory.

Muscle Shoals Canal Nomination To The Alabama Engineering Hall Of Fame Correspondence, 7.15.1992, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from William L. McDonald to Mrs. Bette D. Jefcoat, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer of the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame, concerning the nomination of the Muscle Shoals Canal.

Name Of Florence & Ferdinand Sannoner Surveyor Correspondence To Cesare Pavone, 2.1.1993, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from William L. McDonald to Ceasare Pavone of Milan, Italy concerning the name of Florence, Alabama, the 175th anniversary of the city, and the early Italian surveyor of Florence, Alabama Ferdinand Sannoner.

For further information on Florence, Alabama's origins view the Founding of Florence Historical Marker.

Spring Street (Veteran's Blvd) Correspondence To Steve Pierce, 12.15.1992, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from William Lindsey McDonald to Steve Pierce, the President of the Florence City Council, regarding the proposed change of Spring Street's to Veterans Boulevard. The letter outlines the historical significance of Spring Street.

Outlaws In The Shoals, Al From Bernie Delinski And Mike Goens Of The Times Daily, April 27, 2000, Bernie Delinski, Mike Goens, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from Bernie Delinski and Mike Goens of the Times Daily requesting a list of the "10 worst outlaws" from the Shoals, Alabama for a series of articles they planned to write. William L. McDonald's reply with a list of eight groups of outlaws, dated April 30, 2000, is also enclosed, and provides a small synopsis of their crimes.

The list includes:

1. John Melton
2. John A. Murrell
3. Clerk from John Edie's Store
4. Mountain Tom Clark
5. Elias "The Man" Thrasher
6. Frank and Jesse James
7. Arline "Speck Wylie, his younger brother Eugene Wylie, and Elmer Bentley "Slick Pickens
8. F. W. Seay

Letter To Richard Nixon In Support Of Vietnam Policy, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Undated correspondence from William L. McDonald to President Richard Nixon claiming support for his Vietnam policy.

William L. Mcdonald's Theological Training, Correspondence From Pres. E.B. Norton To Col. John C. Lawrence, 5.22.1951, E. B. Norton

Correspondence

Correspondence from E. B. Norton, President of Florence State Teachers College, regarding the then Second Lieutenant William Lindsey McDonald to Colonel John O. Lawrence, Commanding Officer of the Alabama Military District.

Within the letter, Norton details McDonald's service as a pastor of the Margerum Charge of the Methodist Church in Florence, Alabama and his intentions of enrolling in Emory University's Theological Seminary the next fall. He then requests McDonald's release from active duty to pursue seminar education.

Edward O'Neal Home Cistern Correspondence To Steve Blevins, 11.12.1993, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

Correspondence from William Lindsey McDonald to Steve Blevins concerning an archaeological project to cover the cistern at the Edward O'Neal home in Florence, Alabama. The historical marker for the site can be accessed here.

Church (Town) Springs Correspondence To Mr. David Craig, 1.20.2000, William L. Mcdonald

Correspondence

William Lindsey McDonald's correspondence to Mr. David Craig of Knoxville, Tennessee concerning the historic Church Springs district, also known as Town Spring. The area is located between Pine and Court Streets and was the earliest source of water for Florence, Alabama when it was established in 1818.

Church Spring was the site of the first African American church in Florence, the Greater Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was established in 1895, and the first African American school in the area.

The historical marker for Church Spring and School can be accessed here.

Muscle Shoals: A Plan For The Use Of The United States Properties On The Tennessee Power By Private Industry For Of "The Manufacture Of Fertilizers And Other Useful Products", Muscle Shoals Commission, United States Government Printing Office Washington: 1931

Documents

A plan created by the Muscle Shoals commission for instituting a series of fertilizer production operations in the Tennessee Valley area. In addition to written analysis, the document contains multiple images, illustrations, charts, graphs, and maps of the area to illustrate the reasoning of the plan.

Although the plan was never fully brought to fruition, it represents a crucial piece of agricultural and infrastructural history in the Shoals, Alabama alongside existent history on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the development of the nitrate plants.