Latest news with #AlabamaHistoricalCommission
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Three affordable day trips from Birmingham to enjoy with the family this spring
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)– With spring break upon us, it's a great time to take a trip with the family. Here are three affordable day trips to enjoy the warmer weather with the family. Old Cahawba— Just outside of Selma, where the Cahaba and Alabama rivers meet, lies Alabama's oldest ghost town. Serving as the capital from 1819 to 1826, Cahawba was a thriving river town until falling into disrepair after the Civil War. Today, the grounds are managed by the Alabama Historical Commission as an archeological park. Visitors are free to explore the ruins, hike the nature trails, or bike around. The park is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 6 to 18. Orr Park— This 40-acre park in Montevallo is pleasant to walk around in, but it is notable for the artwork of Tim Tingle. In the past several decades, Tingle has been carving the trees in Orr Park into fantastical creatures and characters. Dubbed 'Tinglewood,' visitors can spot animals, faces, and various characters in the trees of the park. The park is open during daylight hours. Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge— Managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this stretch of the Cahaba River near West Blocton is free to enjoy. Visitors can hunt, fish, canoe, or hike more than six miles of trails. This includes the Piper trail, which was built into a former railbed and offers scenic views of the Cahaba River. The refuge is open during daylight hours. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City of Decatur creates GIS marker program for historically Black cemetery
DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — People can now learn more about a historically Black cemetery in Decatur, and possibly even their family members, thanks to a grant from the Alabama Historical Commission. The commission gave the City of Decatur the grant to help them establish a GIS marker program for the Magnolia-Sykes Cemetery. The program will allow people to search for grave markers online. 📲 to stay updated on the go. 📧 to have news sent to your inbox. Each accessible marker was tagged with a GIS code and entered into the database showing its exact location. When clicking one of the map's dots, the information listed on the marker, such as name, birth and death dates, are shown, along with photos of the actual grave marker. The system also allows you to search by a family member's name. According to the Decatur, Alabama Historic Preservation Commission, the private cemetery was built in response to the 1901 Alabama Constitution that declared Black people could no longer be buried with white people. J. J. Sykes, who co-owned an undertaking business, saw an opportunity and acquired land with his brother S. S. Sykes to create a burial ground for Black residents. At the time, the site was located outside the city limits. The site was originally called the Magnolia Cemetery because there were two magnolia trees on the property. Over the years, the cemetery's name has changed to Magnolia-Sykes and then Sykes Cemetery. It remained the primary burial ground for Black residents until 1965 when the Sterrs Memorial addition was added to the Decatur Cemetery. There is no cemetery plot map despite more than 800 grave markers on-site, making the GIS marker program necessary. To see the map on the Decatur's historic preservation page, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
