FLORENCE– Mayor Steve Holt said, “Florence has always been a City focused
on Education. From the school for children in 1820 on the John Coffee plantation and
others in town thereafter, to the Florence Female Synodical College established in 1847
and the University of North Alabama which moved to the City in 1855 from LaGrange,
this City was built on learning!”
With this history in mind, the City’s Bicentennial theme for the month of August is
Education.
Pat Burney, Bicentennial Committee Chair, announced that the community will have
the opportunity to tour the Archives at UNA’s Collier Library Monday-Friday,
August 27 – 31, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Also open to the public during the month
will be the Florence City Schools Memorabilia Room located at Burrell-Slater School.
Dates and times are: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, August 7-9 and 14-16,
from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition, the public is invited to join local historian Billy
Warren for a presentation entitled “The History of Education in Florence” which will
take place on Sunday, August 12, at 2:00 p.m., at the Florence-Lauderdale Public
Library.
Of course, we will have First Fridays on Friday, August 3, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Its
theme, appropriately, is Education!
The local schools will be added to the mix, as students are being provided with
informational packets from UNA History Professor, Dr. Carrie Barske. There are also
several area churches that will open their archives to the public including First
Presbyterian and Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian.
For a full list of Florence Bicentennial events in August, visit: https://florence200.org.
There are activities highlighting our rich heritage scheduled through December, 2018.
Bicentennial souvenir items are available for purchase online or at the Mayor’s Office,
the Florence-Lauderdale Tourism Office in McFarland Park, and the Shoals Chamber of
Commerce.
Media Release/Sandra Morgan/Executive Assistant to the Mayor
