Matthew Downs
THE SHOALS-The Alabama Association of Historians will host its annual meeting this year in conjunction with the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area and the University of North Alabama’s History Department, Friday-Saturday, Feb. 28-29, on UNA’s campus, in Florence.
“While this is the association’s annual meeting, it’s also a chance for the public to hear presentations and discussions on various historical topics,” said AAH president and MSNHA director Carrie Crawford. “We want people to attend our Friday night keynote address and our Saturday sessions so they can learn about the significant and valuable historical research happening throughout the state.”
Matthew Downs, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of history at the University of Mobile, will deliver the keynote presentation, ”Power for the People: Muscle Shoals, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the South’s New Deal,” Friday, 7 p.m., in the GUC Performance Center. Downs is the author of “Transforming the South: Federal Development in the Tennessee Valley, 1915-1960,” co-editor of “The American South and the Great War, 1914-1924” and editor of the “Alabama Review.”
The Friday night address and the Saturday sessions are free and open to the public. There is a charge for meals, including dinner Friday at 6 p.m. and lunch Saturday at noon. Buy meal tickets and check the conference schedule at https://www.alabamaassochistorians.org/events.
Media Release/Cathy Wood, media coordinator/Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area
