The Schools

a small log church for Baptists of color. According to a historical marker for Needmore, the church was begun by “freedmen” moving to the new market town in the early 1870s:

“Freedmen moving to the new market town of Youngsville in the early 1870s occupied homes along a street they called Needmore Street. They relocated their house of worship from near the present junction of South Central Avenue and Cherokee Road to the Needmore neighborhood where Methodists and Baptists shared a building. Missionaries from the Methodist Episcopal Church formed a congregation in Alexander City and, in 1873, Bishop Gilbert Haven appointed Rev. George Scott pastor of the new church. In 1876 the church became a charter member for the Central Alabama Conference.

In 1895 the Bethel Baptist Church congregation constructed a separate house of worship. Great Bethel Baptist Church attained distinction in the 20th century for its religious and social outreach programs under the leadership of its pastor of 45 years, Rev. Milton Nunn.”

In August of 1894, the Presbyterians completed their organization and constructed a house of worship on the corner of Tallapoosa Street and Main Street. The building was completed just in time for a special Thanksgiving Day service in 1895. The Presbyterian Church was described by writer Jennie Lee Kelley as a “picturesque frame church.” It remained in its location until the congregation constructed a more “adequate and modern” building on the hill on Jefferson Street. The old church was remolded into an office building soon after. The Presbyterian Church was one of the remaining buildings after the 1902 fire that ravaged downtown Alexander City. The Methodist Church was a loss. According to Kelley, The Baptist Church offered for the Methodist congregation to worship with Baptists until they could rebuild. The Methodists starting rebuilding in 1903 off Green Street, where the First United Methodist Church’s Arbor Campus still sits.

According to Kelley’s writings, Catholics gathered in

The story continues on Page 12

Submitted photo The First Baptist Church of Alexander had humble beginnings. This is the first house of worship constructed by the Baptists in Alexander City.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALEXANDER CITY FOR 150 YEARS!

the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tifton at Lake Hills on Easter Sunday in 1945. They organized the city’s first Catholic church and named it St. Thomas. They later changed the name to St. John the Apostle. “Father Vincent Loeffler, the priest in charge of the parish and tremendously anxious to build a church, learned that a Catholic benefactor in a midwestern city was anxious to make a large contribution to a parish willing to build a church and name it St. John,” writes Kelley.

Father Loeffler obliged and a building on the corner of North Central Avenue and Parks Avenue was soon completed.

“We needed the church, and I don’t think St. Thomas would mind at all giving way to St. John for such a worthy purpose,” Father Loeffler explained once.

The end of World War II saw another faith begin in Alexander City. St. James Episcopal Church was organized with 14 charter members in 1946. They completed a church on South Central Avenue, where the congregation still meets today.

By 1974, when Kelley wrote the History of Alexander City, Alexander City was dotted with some 25 churches of various faiths.

“Some 25 churches of 8 or 10 different faiths call the townspeople to religious worship and service. And approximately fifteen cultural and service organizations meet regularly to pursue the various purposes for which they exist,” writes Kelley.

Submitted photo A historical marker erected by the Alabama Historical Association details part of the First United Methodist Church’s history since its founding in 1872.

Submitted photo The Presbyterian Church was the only building to survive the horrific fire of June 13, 1902. The old church was remolded into an office building soon after the congregation completed a new building on the hill on Jefferson Street. The building is still recognizable downtown.

The first official school for Alexander City began in 1887 by J.D. Dickson and J.M. Pearson. There were between 75 and 80 students enrolled in the school come September of 1887. According to the writings of Kelley, there were “few textbooks and no regular salary” for the teachers. The first courses offered were spelling, reading, writing, grammar, arithmetic, geography and history. Some advanced students were schooled in Latin, higher mathematics, music and science.

The grounds the school stood on faced some of the same battles that plagued the recently abandoned site for the new Benjamin Russell High School — rocky terrain.

“The grounds about the building were rough, rocky, gullied, and muddy in rainy weather,” writes Kelley. “Drinking water was from a spring some 300 yards away, drunk from a common gourd dipper…”

Students and teachers walked to school in that time, as there was no other means of transportation.

The next 60 years of that school bore the mark of J.M. Pearson. He taught three generations of students in that school building. Dickson also left his mark on the students. He was said to be a “military man” and he urged the wearing of uniforms in school. Most of the students did so. The boys had outfits of gray pants and the girls had outfits with beige skirts.

By 1903 the school’s enrollment grew to 180 students, still under the watchful eye of Pearson.

On Tuesday, June 16, 1909, the city gathered to watch the laying of the cornerstones of the Alexander City high School building. The building would be two stories tall, constructed of brick, with a large basement, several classrooms, a principal’s office, a large auditorium and “spacious corridors.”

The building was funded entirely by the residents of the city. The City of Alexander City donated the first $2,000. The rest was raised by businessmen and residents. The Froshin family donated money, as did the Russells and many more families.

According to Kelley’s records, the city managed to do this once more, nearly 50 years later, when the city built Benjamin Russell High School.

In September 1950, the city dedicated the newly finished Benjamin Russell High School. Two years after that the city built Laurel High School, which was built for Black students in the area. The two new schools were soon after integrated after the United States Supreme Court ruled segregated school systems were unconstitutional.

Pearson died in 1951, at the age of 89, after contributing over 60 years of his life to serving the students of Alexander City.

In the 1960s, the Alexander City State Junior College was built. The first iteration of the college was housed in the old Russell Hospital. Then a new campus was built where the country club once sat where modern-day Central Alabama Community College’s campus sits. The junior college also housed a trade school.

Now there are five schools in the Alexander City Schools district: Jim Pearson Elementary (named for J.M. Pearson), Stephens Elementary School, Radney Elementary School, Alexander City Middle School and Benjamin Russell High School.

The Benjamin Russell High School relocation project is currently on hold and the school system just recently named Dr. Beverly Price as interim superintendent.

Submitted photo On Tuesday, June 16, 1909, the city gathered to watch the laying of the cornerstones of the Alexander City high School building. The photo above shows that school once it was completed.

Submitted photo The graduating class of Alexander City High School in 1926.

The Friday the 13th Fire of 1902

STAFF REPORT

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There’s not many around who can remember it, but Jennie Lee Kelley can tell you all about it.

More than 100 years ago on Friday, June 13, 1902, a small fire started in downtown Alexander City. That small fire quickly consumed the entire downtown.

“The buildings were wood, so they gave way right away,” Kelley said. “It burned all across town.”

Kelley researched the history of Alexander City for about six months to compile a series of stories for the town’s 125th birthday in 1998. The history of Alexander City wouldn’t be complete without the Friday the 13th fire that destroyed downtown.

“I hadn’t even realized it was the anniversary,” Kelley said. “It’s been so long.”

The fire started on a hot, dry day in 1902 behind A.R. Robinson’s Machine Shop, which is near what is now the Alexander City Hall. Bob Saxon, who has also studied the history of the fire, said all that could be seen at first was a small flame.

Kelley said those who witnessed it, described the first few flames to be about the “size of a wagon.” It didn’t stay that way for long, though.

“It was really hot that day,” Saxon said. “The wind was blowing and most of the flames went South to North.”

At the time, all the buildings were made of wood and there were no firewalls to keep it contained to one building.

To make things worse, the city didn’t have a water system at that time, Saxon said.

“The fire was just completely out of hand,” he said.

By mid-afternoon, the city lay in ruins. More than 30 businesses in downtown were destroyed as were 13 residences.

It only took a few hours for the fire to destroy downtown. It would take a little longer to repair it, but those repairs started immediately.

Money from the two banks were moved to the homes of J.C. Maxwell and Ben Russell. Even though The Outlook’s press was damaged, the paper continued to publish. And the more than 100 yards of damaged railroad track was repaired in about three hours.

Businesses step up booths downtown giving the area a fair-like appearance, Kelley said.

In just a few short months, Alexander City had a new downtown.

Building codes and modern technology will likely prevent another Alexander City inferno destroying most of town.

The fire in 1902 had advantages a fire today doesn’t have — just about everything was made of wood and no water supply to put out a blaze. Today, a fire stands little chance of taking out downtown Alexander City. Design and construction materials make a difference in preventing the spread of fire and modern firefighting technology helps as well.

“Building codes didn’t exist in 1902,” Alexander City Fire Department chief Reese McAlister said. “Everything was made from wood and limited water and firefighting equipment just spelled doom.”

New building codes prevent fires from spreading. Just look at the building The Square is in. It burned in 1902 and was rebuilt. It burned again two decades ago but new building codes including masonry construction between buildings prevented the fire from spreading. ACFD was able to keep it contained and had firefighters received a call a few minutes earlier, they may have been able to make an internal attack on the blaze. The firewalls between buildings extend beyond the roof so if a building catches fire, it is more difficult for the fire to lap over the wall to the next building. Even roofs of commercial buildings are built in such a way now that sparks from a fire are less likely to start a fire on the roof of a building. Then most commercial buildings have fire suppressions systems — just look up in many buildings and parts of a sprinkler system are visible. The sprinklers are not just sitting there waiting for someone to charge them with water. Most are connected to heat and smoke detectors causing the sprinklers to suppress a fire long before most fires have done major damage.

McAlister said today’s firefighting efforts start well before any blaze would potentially start.

“There is a high priority on fire prevention education,” McAlister said. “We visit buildings to look for hazards and make recommendations about clearing boxes and other flammable things.”

Firefighters in Alexander City have an advantage in fighting fires that wasn’t available in 1902 — ready access to water. In 1902 a water works program had been authorized by city leaders but it wasn’t in place at the time of the fire. Today fire hydrants are everywhere and fire trucks are equipped with tanks. ACFD currently has three shifts of 14 firefighters and that doesn’t count part-time firefighters. There are also 10 firefighter/paramedic trained personnel in administration. The fire department operates two fire stations with three trucks and a ladder truck capable of putting water on a fire from 100 feet high.

“Training, equipment and water make all the difference in fighting a fire today,” McAlister said. “Turnout gear is expensive but it allows us to get closer to fire to put it out and save lives. Training helps us be ready and up to date on the newest and latest techniques. Having good access to hydrants is important too. The pumps on the trucks can put out 1,000 gallons per minute. While that amount of water is not always needed, it can be useful to help contain a larger fire and keep it from spreading.

“I’m not saying a 1902 fire won’t happen again, but the chances of it are very slim thanks to today’s technology in building codes and firefighting ability.”