Historic Tuscaloosa will conclude its summertime lecture series on Thursday, September 25, at 5:30 p.m. Our speaker, Mr. John Allen, will present his lecture on “Virginia Tunstall Clay - the most fascinating woman in America” in room 38 in Lloyd Hall at the University of Alabama. This event is open to the public and free of charge.
Mr. Allen will discuss the life of Virginia Tunstall Clay, a woman whose legacy continues to echo through the streets of Tuscaloosa. Known as the “Belle of the Fifties,” Virginia was a symbol of the vanished Old South and a remarkable author and figure in American history. She spent her formative years in the historic Collier House and Battle-Friedman House—two local landmarks still standing today. Discover how her memoir, Belle of the Fifties, offers a rare and intimate portrait of Southern life before and after the Civil War. This presentation is a must for anyone interested in Southern heritage, women’s history, or the untold stories rooted in Tuscaloosa.
John Allen is a longtime local historian and community leader. He is a past president of the Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table and the Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society, serving during Alabama’s Bicentennial. John has presented at the Alabama Association of Historians at Jacksonville State University and the Alabama Historical Association in Mobile and Huntsville. He also chaired the committee establishing Huntsville’s tree ordinance, tree commission, and city arborist. A University of Alabama graduate, John retired as training manager of the Amana Corporation in Fayetteville, Tennessee. He served as a Boy Scout leader for 12 years. Originally from Tuscaloosa, he and his wife, a retired schoolteacher, have two grown children and two grandchildren.
Although lectures were held in the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion in past years, Historic Tuscaloosa is pleased to reveal that attendance has tripled over the past three years. To accommodate our guests, this will be the second year that our lecture series will take place on the University of Alabama campus.
Lectures will begin at 5:30 pm, with a pre-lecture gathering at 5:00 pm. Admission is always free.
For more information on the Lecture Series, follow our
Historic Tuscaloosa Facebook event page.
For questions concerning Tuscaloosa’s Preservation Society, contact the Historic Tuscaloosa office at (205) 758-2238 or by email at
info@historictuscaloosa.org.
HISTORIC TUSCALOOSA: Historic Tuscaloosa is a nonprofit organization that develops an appreciation and awareness of the city's historical and cultural heritage. Historic Tuscaloosa chronicles its rich history through its research archives, exhibits, and educational programs. For more information about Historic Tuscaloosa, please visit
www.historictuscaloosa.org and follow us at
www.facebook.com/HistoricTuscaloosa.
