July 5, 2009  "The Circumstances Surrounding the Creation of Houston County, Alabama"

 T. Larry Smith will discuss the state and local politicking that led to the Legislature chartering Alabama's youngest county, Houston, in 1903.

 In addition to being the official historian of Henry County, Smith is a sixth-generation resident of the county, author of 14 books of local history, and holds an MS from Auburn University.

July 12, 2009  “Outlaws of Alabama”

Dr. Alan Brown, Professor, Dept. of Languages and Literature, University of West Alabama will outline the careers of three notorious outlaws in 19^th century Alabama—Steve Renfroe, Rube Burrow, and Morris Slater (a.k.a. Railroad Bill).

He will discuss the folk tales and folk songs inspired by their lives and explain Alabamians’ fascination with outlaws

Sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation

ONE FREE Guest Pass to Park with Pre-Registration for Dr. Brown's program.

July 19, 2009  "The Encyclopedia of Alabama: All Things Alabama at Your Fingertips."

The Encyclopedia of Alabama is a comprehensive online reference work on the state’s history, culture, geography, and natural environment. It is available for free from any computer with Internet access.  Ultimately the EOA will be the "single-stop" reference work on Alabama.

This is particularly useful for teachers, students, and parents.  On April 15, 2009, the venerable and highly respected Library Journal recognized the Encyclopedia of Alabama's importance by naming it a "Best of Free Reference" for 2008.

Learn about this remarkable new Learn about this remarkable new tool and the ways it highlights the state's history and heritage from Laura Hill, EOA Communications Editor, and Dr. Jeff Jakeman, EOA Managing Editor.

July 26, 2009  "Preserving Alabama Graveyards"

Learn about cemetery preservation from Ted Urquhart, founding first vice president and county coordinator of the Alabama Cemetery Preservation Alliance, Inc. (ACPA). Urquhart is now President Emeritus of ACPA and continues his studies and travels in Alabama.

 He will pay particular attention to Alabama’s cemetery preservation laws.