RuralSWAlabama

The Harmony Club at Selma, AL (built 1909 as a social club, listed on the NRHP)

The Harmony Club is a Renaissance Revival three-story commercial building with a cast iron storefront. It was built in 1909 as a social club by Selma’s Jewish community. The club featured a restaurant, men’s lounge and huge ballroom. While the first fl …

The Selma Welcome Center at Selma, AL

If you are interested in visiting Selma, a good place to start is at the Selma Welcome Center located downtown at 132 Broad Street. The Welcome Center has a wonderful collection of area attractions. You can pick up brochures on each of Selma’s museums, …

Tremont High School at Selma, AL (built 1913, listed on the NRHP)

This building built in 1913 was Selma’s first High School. The 25,000 square foot structure has two full floors above ground, and a full basement. It was designed by William T. Warren from Birmingham, one of Alabama’s foremost architects. Tremont High …

Underwood Plantation Home at Pleasant Hill, AL (built ca. 1837, listed on the Alabama Register)

The Underwood Plantation Home, also known as “Black Thistle”, is a Greek Revival-style home that was built circa 1837 by the Greene Underwood Family. It was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on November 2, 1990. This house is loca …

Vaughan-Smitherman Museum at Selma, AL (built 1847)

This Greek Revival building is one of Selma’s most historic. It was built in 1847 by Selma’s Masonic Lodge #27 as a school for orphans and children of Masons. Through the years, it has also served as a Confederate hospital, the Dallas County Courthouse …

Walton Theater at Selma, AL (built ca. 1914, listed on the NRHP)

The Walton Theater opened for operation in 1914.  During the late 1940’s, in addition to running feature films and hosting vaudeville shows, the Walton staged local “Amateur Nights.”   A typical weekend night at the Walton would include a feature movie …

Weaver House, also referred to as The Castle, at Selma (built ca. 1868; listed on the NRHP)

This house, Gothic in design, is said to be a copy of a castle on the Rhine. William Weaver, a prominent landowner and son of one of Selma’s founders, built it in 1868. Located in what was once known as Weaver’s Grove, the home’s sand bricks were made …

Wesley Plattenburg House at Selma, AL (completed 1842)

The Wesley Plattenburg House is a historic house in Selma, AL. Featuring a unique combination of the Greek Revival and Italianate styles, it was completed in 1842 for Wesley Plattenburg.  Plattenburg was born on April 13, 1803 in Anne Arundel County, M …

White-Force Cottage at Selma, AL (built 1859, listed on the NRHP.)

This Italianate-style cottage is located beside the historic Sturdivant Hall in Selma, AL. It  was built in 1859 for Mr. and Mrs. Clement Billingslea White. Mrs. White was the former Martha Todd of Lexington, Kentucky, and a half-sister of Mary Todd Li …

William Rufus King Mausoleum in Selma’s Old Live Oak Cemetery

William Rufus King (1786-1853) was a founder of Selma, AL and Vice President of the United States. He is buried in Old Live Oak Cemetery at Selma. At his gravesite is a historical marker that contains the following details about the life of William Ruf …