Historic Tuscaloosa Lecture Series | 2024

Historic Tuscaloosa is excited to announce the return of its three-part lecture series, which explores the fundamentals and highlights broad aspects of heritage and historic preservation in Tuscaloosa.

This year’s lecture series will take place in Farrah Hall in Room 214 at the University of Alabama on July 25, August 22, and September 26. The series is not just about listening, but also about engaging. Each meeting includes interaction between participants and presenters through Q&A sessions at the end of each lecture, fostering a sense of community and shared learning.

Historic Tuscaloosa, formerly known as the Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society, is a non-profit organization that values the role of our local community in preserving our historical and cultural heritage. In our ongoing effort to engage and educate our community, we are thrilled to announce the return of our lecture series this year, offering a free and enriching experience to learn and expand one’s knowledge of our local history.

Beginning in July, the lectures will take place on the fourth Thursday of the month in room 214 in Farrah Hall at the University of Alabama. Lectures will start at 5:30 pm.

The series starts at 5:30 p.m. on July 25 with George Adair discussing his topic about the “Bryce Hospital Coal Mines.”

The series, sponsored by Historic Tuscaloosa, will continue at 5:30 p.m. on August 22 with Dr. Jennifer Feltman discussing “The Notre-Dame Restoration and Collaborative Research at UA.”

The final event will feature Dr. Sharony Green, who will discuss using the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion as a lab for University of Alabama student discoveries concerning our complicated shared past at 5:30 p.m. on September 26.

All the events in this exclusive series are free and open to the public. We eagerly anticipate the privilege of welcoming you to this enriching event.

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Historic Tuscaloosa will kick off its summertime lecture series on Thursday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. George Adair will present his lecture focusing on Byrce Hospital Coal Mines in room 214 in Farrah Hall at the University of Alabama. This event is open to the public and free of charge.

George Adair grew up in Tuscaloosa and graduated from the University of Alabama. His professional career encompassed positions in private industry and municipal government. He and his wife, Cynthia, returned to the Tuscaloosa area in 2017 after he retired as Director of Public Utilities for the Town of Wallingford, Connecticut. Although analysis and writing were important aspects of his professional employment, it was only after his retirement that he applied these skills to the investigation of Alabama history.

Although he had known about Bryce Hospital for most of his life – his family moved to Tuscaloosa in 1964 – he was not aware until recently that the Hospital had operated its own coal mines. He first heard about them from someone he met while walking with his grandson along the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk, near the area where one of the mine shafts was located. Searching through newspaper stories to learn more about the mines, he came upon reports of the 1901 disaster and the lawsuits that followed in its wake. Discovering that these events had not received any scholarly attention, he embarked upon the research for the article that is the subject of his talk.

“The Bryce Hospital Coal Mine Lawsuits” is Adair’s first work to appear in print. He has submitted a second article for publication and is conducting research for a third.

Lectures will begin at 5:30 pm, with a pre-lecture gathering at 5:00 pm. Admission is always free.