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Greetings from Alabama: A Pictorial History in Vintage Postcards
with Dr. Chris Sawula
Sunday, June 18, 2:00 pm
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library
Dr. Chris Sawula will visit FLPL to discuss and share images from the book Greetings from Alabama: A Pictorial History in Vintage Postcards. Dr. Sawula is one of the editors for this book of postcards from Wade Hall’s extensive collection.
FLORENCE-The Florence-Lauderdale Public Library will host two Sunday afternoon programs in June that will explore Alabama history through images.
Book Talk/Signing: Forgotten Alabama with Glenn Wills
Sunday, June 4, 2:00 pm
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library
Photographer Glenn Wills will visit FLPL to discuss and share images from his photography book Forgotten Alabama.
In his book, Glenn Wills takes us on a journey across Alabama as he documents the remnants of Alabama’s past. Over the course of ten years, Glenn has visited all of Alabama’s 67 counties, logged 30,000 miles, and taken close to 15,000 photographs. Be it an old house, an abandoned store, a derelict bridge, or any number of other physical reminders of the past, all of these played a role in our lives at one point. Glenn felt the need to save those memories in his book Forgotten Alabama.
Glenn Wills grew up in Huntsville, AL. He has worked for WAAY-TV and WHNT-TV in Huntsville and WVTM-TV in Birmingham. For more information, call 256-764-6564, ext. 28.
Greetings from Alabama: A Pictorial History in Vintage Postcardswith Dr. Chris Sawula
Sunday, June 18, 2:00 pm
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library
Dr. Chris Sawula will visit FLPL to discuss and share images from the book Greetings from Alabama: A Pictorial History in Vintage Postcards. Dr. Sawula is one of the editors for this book of postcards from Wade Hall’s extensive collection.
Although he was a native of Bullock County, Alabama, Wade Hall — teacher, writer, poet, critic, interviewer, folklorist, and documentarian — spent most of his fifty-year career in Kentucky. But he was never emotionally far from his home as evidenced by his passion for collecting vintage Alabama postcards. In his lifetime he amassed 10,000, which he then graciously gave to the University of Alabama Libraries and Troy University in a large joint bequest that also included rare books, quilts, folk art, letters and more.
These postcards date from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century and offer a fascinating and diverse picture of the state. The meaning of postcards that could be purchased as a travel souvenir is largely forgotten today when cameras are commonplace. But the value of Hall’s stunning collection cannot be missed. The some 400 cards featured in Greetings from Alabama are revealing of scenes familiar and rare. From Birmingham’s Vulcan to Mobile’s Bellingrath Gardens, from Enterprise’s boll weevil monument to Huntsville’s rockets, from Helen Keller’s home to William Rufus King’s resting place, the scenes offer captivating glimpses of Alabama history.
Dr. Chris Sawula is the Director of Research and Academic Programs in the A.S. Williams III Americana Collection at the University of Alabama. For more information, call 256-764-6564, ext. 28.
