Untold Stories of Black Montevallo
Untold Stories of Black Montevallo
Originally featured in Montevallo's Chamber Chatter, our stories amplify the voices of African descendants in and around Montevallo. While some narratives recount darker moments, together they celebrate the dignity, pride, resourcefulness, kindness, and hospitality of the African American community. Read on to discover the untold stories that bring our town’s rich Black history to light.
These stories contribute to Montevallo’s African American Heritage Trail research.
Published monthly in Montevallo’s Chamber Chatter, we compile these stories annually in a booklet available at MLP-sponsored events. Each story is then archived on this webpage, enhanced by additional images, maps, and content.
You can access and download PDF’s of the yearly booklets below.
Search through the stories!
Sandlot Baseball: the Heartbeat of Black Communities
Nero and Lidia King: a tale of thrift, oats, and freedom in Montevallo, Alabama
Zilphey and Moses break for freedom
Runaway advertisements, so-called, can tell us a lot about the lives and experiences of persons who made the difficult decision to break for freedom. One newspaper ad tells a story in miniature of two freedomseekers whose journey north took them through Montevallo, Alabama or, as it was then called, "Wilson's Hill."
Photo Gallery: The start of the Montevallo African American Heritage Trail
Three markers for the Montevallo African American Heritage Trail, Ward Chapel AME Church, Shiloh Baptist Missionary Church, and Mason Hall, were unveiled on Sunday, October 20th.
Clarence E. Harrell and the sandlot game: a family remembers
Clarence E. Harrell, a beloved local baseball legend, is remembered for his incredible pitching skills and brief professional career. Known for his remarkable talent on the field, he also stood out for his intelligence and passion for singing. Clarence's story captures the spirit of sandlot baseball in central Alabama and the profound impact he had on his community.
Jack and Narcissus Shortridge: Remembering one of Montevallo's historic Black neighborhoods
The Intrepid William E. Shortridge, Leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham
William Eugene Shortridge, one of the fearless Civil Rights leaders from Alabama and director of the Shortridge Funeral Home in Ensley, played a crucial role in the Black Freedom Movement in Birmingham. His efforts in organizing protests, including the Children's Crusade, and raising funds helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and bring an end to segregation in the South.
Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church: Another Little-Told Tale of African American History in Alabama
The historic Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church on Selma Road, soon to be honored with a plaque from the Black Heritage Council, has been a cornerstone of our community since the 1890s. Known for its resilience and vibrant history, Shiloh played a key role in the Civil Rights era, hosting significant events and figures like Rev. A.D. King. Today, it stands as a testament to our rich heritage, featuring a stunning baptism mural by Deacon Ronnie McCary.
James Tolbert: voice of the community
James Tolbert, beloved WBYE radio host: A daughter remembers
If it's facts you want, they're in the obituary. James Tolbert passed away, age 75, in January 2014. He was a member of The Harvest Place Christian Church, Columbiana, a member of the Deacon's Ministry, a US Army Veteran, a lab technician at Blue Circle Cement Company, Calera.
Today he is widely remembered and still beloved as Brother J. T., for forty-two years the voice of the central Alabama Black community at WBYE 1370 AM broadcasting from its Calera studio on Highway 25.
The Ghosts of King House III: Uncle Frank, Edmund King, and a “signifyin’” peach tree
The Ghosts of King House II: Aunt Julia and that “little lean, slim place of er grave-yard”
The Ghosts of King House I: Uncle Ben’s “wonderful stories of ‘hants”
III. REMEMBERING SLAVERY: Sukey's Audacious Resistance and Resilience
II. REMEMBERING SLAVERY: Honoring The Names
I. REMEMBERING SLAVERY: The King Plantation
Finger impression on brick produced by slave labor for construction of Fort Pulaski in Georgia. From “Words Have Power,” National Park Service.
"Everybody is Somebody": Ward Chapel AME Church
Ward Chapel AME Church is Montevallo's oldest Black church and one of fifteen oldest AME churches in Alabama. It exemplifies African American cultural heritage and is one of countless Black churches in Alabama that built and strengthened post-Emancipation communities.
How the "little school" got built
The building itself, constructed perhaps in the early 1920s, was modest enough. It was a two-roomed clapboard structure like other such schoolhouses, nothing fancy, just a frame structure. But -- and here the story gets interesting -- it was built to bring a public education to black youngsters. A public education. This was huge! In the previous century it was against state law to teach people of color to read and write, and now the county was paying the salaries of its black teachers.
A CALL to Action!
We are looking for citizen volunteers to help tell the story of an important historic site in Montevallo, the "little school" on Island Street. This two-room wooden schoolhouse, which opened around 1924, was the first public school for Black children in Montevallo. It stood at the corner of Island and Bloch "alley" in a mostly Black community then known as Jacksonville. Black youngsters went to school there until 1939, when the county opened Almont Elementary School.
Called to Teach: The Legacy of Blanche Coger
Tough but loving, feared but beloved. Coger pushed students of all colors to learn to their fullest capacity. (After teaching in "negro" schools from 1934 to 1969, including Prentice High School, she was transferred in 1970 to the newly integrated high school in Montevallo.) Some of her Prentice students were inspired to go into education themselves. Two shared their thoughts on her shaping role in their lives.