FLORENCE-The Tennessee Valley Historical Society will hold its Winter Quarterly Meeting on Sunday, 26 January 2014 at 2:30 p.m. in the Burrell Museum conference room located at 610 West College St., Florence, Alabama. Visitors may use South Cherokee Street for parking. The entrance to Burrell Museum is directly opposite St. Paul AME Church on South Cherokee St. in Florence.
This year’s Black History Month presentation guest speaker is Mrs. Anita Smith Cobb. Her presentation will take the audience on a
Anita Smith Cobb
journey of education institutions in northwest Alabama when opportunities and resources were limited for African Americans. Her initial education which began in The New Rock Church of God in Christ “As a one room make shift school,” evolved further after her great grandfather John Turnley provided land, built Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and with assistance from the 
Rosenwald Initiative oversaw construction of a school on the same property. This started a love of learning and going to college tradition. After completing Burrell School, and Talladega College she attended the University of Michigan where she obtained a double Master’ Degree in History and Education. Her interest in history and genealogy led her to search for buried Parker and Pride family members who were once part of the Thompson Plantation in Oakland, Alabama. With assistance from Mr. Robert (Bob) Torbert, (Lauderdale County Representative for the Alabama Historical Commission Cemetery Preservation Alliance), and Mr. Huston Cobb, family headstones, some whom were members of the Mosaic Templars of America (MTA), an African American fraternal organization were recovered from rural farmland cemetery properties and relocated at Mt. Zion AME Church’s cemetery in Rhodesville, Alabama.
Partner with TVHS and UNA in building the pride:
https://buildingthepride.com/tvhs/
The meeting is free to the public.
