Try to figure out something cool in Morgan County in a picture, and learn some history along the way!

“Where Am I?" is a new series of  fun and educational history lessons on Decatur, Alabama.  Decatur has massive history in ALL parts of the city!  Tune into Decatur Morgan County Tourism's Facebook Page where pictures of historical sites will be posted periodically. Try to guess where each picture is from the comforts of your home—a true brain teaser - or go on a scavenger hunt in your car. If you know the site, you can add your comment to the Facebook page and show off your smarts to your neighbors.  If you want to “look” for these sites, please stay in your car as you do so!  All of these pictures are taken from the health safety of a car, so can be readily seen without exiting the vehicle.  A picture will be posted on Facebook and this website first without information, and the information about the picture will be provided later on Facebook and on this website.  As a reminder, please stay SAFE, SEPARATE and SANITIZED. 

Thank you to David Breland, the City of Decatur's Director of Historical Sites and Events AND The City of Decatur Parks and Recreation for making this happen.

A Hero's Grave

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This is the memorial dedicated to the five hero doctors during the yellow fever epidemic of 1888 who gave their own lives to treat their fellow citizens.  This memorial is in the Decatur City Cemetery near the Washington Street entrance.

Take an Educated Guess

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This is part of the front of Austinville Elementary School, formerly Austinville High School.  Part of this building is the remaining portion of the old high school and part has been repurposed with newer construction for the elementary school.  The Austinville neighborhood is well over 100 years proving that significant portions of Decatur’s past are found in its western portions of the city. 

A Home on the Outskirts

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This iconic house is located on Danville Road.  I can remember as a small child that the town pretty much ended at 8th Street SW, but of course, Danville Road continued on to the South.  This house, which is today in the middle of the city, was actually on its outskirts of the town at that time! As a reminder, this is PRIVATE PROPERTY! Please stay on the street and do not enter the driveway.

A Church Designed by an Early African American Architect

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​This church is in Old Town in the NW quadrant of the city.  This is the First Missionary Baptist Church designed by Wallace A. Rayfield, a very significant early African-American architect who designed three churches in Decatur.

Foot Markers?

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These are gravestones (rare and very old) at the FOOT of a cemetery plot at the Decatur City Cemetery.

The Ultimate Man Cave

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This great unrestored Southern Railway caboose is located near the RR underpass Finley Dr. and Railroad St. This is private property! Please do not trespass!

The Railroad Trestle

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​Dry Creek separates the City Cemetery from much of Old Town. It is filled with water part of the year with much less water and lots of mud for the rest of the year. The trestle is near Washington St. NW, thus each of our "Where Am I?" historical teasers thus far have featured history in the western portions of the city!

The Tower Building

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​Both the Jones Building (1904) and the 701 Building also known as the Mutual Savings Life Insurance Building or the Tower Building because of the massive radio/TV/ communications tower on top (1954) are on Bank St. North WEST. Yep, that is not a misprint. While the RR tracks divide the city by East and West for most of the city, the dividing line in the business district of Old Decatur is Bank Street! Half of Bank St. is NE and half is NW. Railroad Street is totally in the NW. See the street sign below which is in front of Simp McGee's Restaurant. Bank and Lafayette NW. The old State Bank is technically in the NW.

Sterrs Boys and Girls Club

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This is the Eva Sterrs Boys and Girls Club on Vine Street NW. She was the publisher of the Guardian newspaper beginning about 1910. She and her husband were both community pioneers in healthcare, political leadership, and other endeavors. ​

The Teacher's House

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This beautiful home is at the corner of Memorial Drive and Moulton Street SW right across the street from NW quadrant of the City as Moulton Street is the north/south dividing line for most of the City. This the long - time home of Ethel Reinhart, a teacher at Decatur Junior High for many years.

Last Remaining Brick Kiln

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This landmark which is located in the area of Neher Street/Island Way in NW Decatur behind Ingalls Pavilion and next to the Brickyard landing Marina. This is the last remaining brick kiln of the once huge Alabama Brick and Tile Company which began operations here about 110 years ago. 

Battle Scars

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A rare picture of the birthplace of Stephen Decatur in Berlin MD. See the video on Decatur Parks and Recreation Facebook page giving his history and how "Rhodes Ferry" became "Decatur" in 1820.

Boys and Girls Club

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This is the 3rd Street Boys and Girls club in SW Decatur.

Design in Decatur 

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This was the first building used as a Morgan County Courthouse after the county seat was moved from Somerville to Decatur. It is at the corner of Oak and Cain Streets NE, thus our first "Where Am I?" outside of the western portions of the city. A great example of the successful historic preservation, the building is the headquarters of McComm Communications.

The Holy House

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​This house is indeed on Canal Street at Davis Street NE in Old Decatur. We know that this home has been picked up and moved to several different locations on and near Bank St. over the years. As it originally had neither indoor plumbing nor electricity, it would have been relatively easy to simply jack up and move. Many historians here agree that this building was once a church, possibly an early building of the First Methodist Church after the Civil War. Per the current owner of this, noted Alabama architectural historian Bob Gamble has studied this structure and believes parts/materials to be of immediate post - CW origin or possibly even antebellum. Quite a history! Great comments by viewers. BTW, published author Jonathan Baggs jumped in on this one! His opinion is very valuable as his marvelous book showing early and rare postcard images of the city contains numerous references to the architecture of Decatur.

Art Deco in Decatur 

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This is the glorious Fort Nash house on Oak St. NE. 

For Whom the Bell Tolls

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This is the bell tower of the Victorian sanctuary of first Baptist Church built about 1908. The former sanctuary is now the Stephenson Chapel. It is approximately 5 stories tall and looks very different as a "stand alone" structure as pictured instead of being a part of the entire sanctuary.

Roses are Red 

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This is the Lafayette Street Cemetery, Decatur's 1818 Cemetery. 

Victorian Charm

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This is the Chenault-Shelton home at the corner of Jackson St. and 8th Avenue SE. A truly grand Victorian Queen style, this is one of my personal favorite homes I have ever seen. Please see the comments for some great history on this beauty!

Cozy Craftsman

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This great craftsman home on Gordon Drive SE is the residence of Mark and Gay Maloney, community leaders and the President and First Lady of Rotary International.
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A Beautiful Place to Call Home

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The great Lyons-McNeill Apartments located on Lafayette St. at Ferry St. NE in Old Decatur. Built in 1929 by members of the same Lyons family who built and owned the Lyons Block of buildings on Bank St., the Lyons Hotel and more. These were among Decatur's first true apartment structures. Spanish Revival architecture - unusual in Decatur.

Stone House

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Thanks to local historians Phil Wirey and Barbara Kelly (Delano Conservancy) for some additional thoughts on this one! This truly iconic home was designed and build by Decatur area native and almost certainly first Alabama female architect Carolyn Cortner Smith for herself and her parents. She loved this Decatur home so much that she later designed and built for herself a very similar home in the Birmingham area where she worked for much of her career. Located in the 600 block of Grant Street SE, the "Where Am I" (23) house looks very much like an English country home with sandstone and a great deal of massive wood elements. These are materials "Carrie" loved and utilized in designing and building many of the structures in Delano Park and other buildings throughout the Southeast. Her favorite design was Tudor Revival. She designed and built an astounding more than 700 custom structures, primarily for wealthy individuals. Many of the finest homes in Birmingham and its suburbs including Mountain Brook are her work. Suburban Birmingham English Village in particular still proudly displays many examples of her genius. The now famous "Civitas" (Latin for "Community") statue in the English Village commercial district evokes her memory, her community spirit and her pioneering work as a female builder and architect. In an era before most women were in the organized work force, she was an architect who also owned and operated lumber companies and building construction entities. One of her most famous works was the design and rendering of "Milky Way Farms" for the Mars family (candy giants!) residents of Tennessee. She designed the former National Guard Armory in Decatur now Fort Decatur (Headquarters for Decatur Parks and Recreations - lots of sandstone in this one as well) and the Zeitler-Hill-McLain home in Mooresville, one of the most iconic structures in that historic and beautiful village. Carrie was especially community minded and active and was a leader in the Altrusa International Club, a powerful civic club during her lifetime. Born in 1894, she died in 1987 and is buried in the Decatur City Cemetery together with several members of her family.