Where Montevallo Road meets Cahaba Road in downtown Mountain Brook, this marker to one of the areas…read moremovers and shakers has its place. It reads: Will Franke (1889-1964) William Frederick Franke was a descendant of the earliest settlers of this area, including the Watkins, Byars and Acton families. He became one of the most important figures int he development of present day Mountain Brook. In the 1920's, Franke secured vast areas of land and, working with Jemison Realty, played an important part in developing it into Mountain Brook Estates, Mountain Brook Village, the Country Club of Birmingham and Mountain Brook Club. Franke was influential in securing Shades Valley's first telephone lines, sewer system, water system and modern roads. Franke played a key role in developing Jefferson County's first school system. He led the passage of county school tax and bond initiatives and organized the county into school districts. The resulting building program produced Shades Cahaba, Mountain Brook, Crestline, McElwain, Edgewood and many other schools. An instrumental figure in the growth of Canterbury United Methodist Church, Franke held virtually ever church leadership position open to laymen. Franke was a renowned genealogist and local historian. His research is preserved in the Will H. Franke Collection at Samford University.

A statue to remember the brave men who fought and died in World War I. It has a roll call for the…read moremen who died that were from the area and I found it interesting that they separated them as "Honor Roll World War" and "Honor Roll Colored World War". A sign of a different time.

Located in Debardeleben Park, about 2 blocks from the Bright Star Restaurant, is The Doughboy…read moreStatue which was originally dedicated in 1922 and is inscribed with the names of local World War I veterans. There are 2 plaques naming the servicemen who died while in service. It is a beautiful statue in the middle of the park which also has a huge bandstand and several benches to sit and enjoy the surroundings.

When I think of Five Points South, I always think of the famous Frank Fleming sculpture fountain!…read moreIt was installed in 1992 and is entitled "The Storyteller." It honors the life of pre-Columbian art dealer and anthropologist Malcolm McRae and was commissioned by his Mother, Jane. Jane had proposed dedicating a public garden in front of their church, Highlands Methodist Church at Five Points Circle, in his memory. With the encouragement of Cecil Roberts and Mayor Richard Arrington (and his assistant Ann Adams), her idea blossomed into a public commission for a sculptural fountain. The sculpture's Ram represents McRae. This area was incorporated as the Town of Highland in 1887, and today is lauded as a vibrant, retail, entertainment district, and a premier neighborhood and culinary destination. It is known for its annual St. Patrick's parade. I always thought 5 Points South was just the intersection of five streets at the sculptural fountain; however, it is more expansive than I knew! 5 Points' restaurants include Highlands Bar and Grill, Hot and Hot Fish Club, Bottega, Galley & Garden, and Ocean. I've enjoyed dining at Bottega, Hot and Hot, and Ocean. Zydeco is a fun 3-level concert venue and bar I've frequented over the years. In town for a special occasion, I got my hair blown out and styled in Five Points. There is a Historic Five Points Walking Tour that focuses on the historical and architectural nature of the area's temples, churches, apartment buildings, and more. It truly is a walkable part of Birmingham! You can download the brochure at https://fivepointsbham.com/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/walking-tour.pdf

This is a lovely landmark/venue! My friend and l were recently here to take a few photos for my…read morebirthday. It was perfect! This time of year, the fall foliage is amazing !! Unfortunately, I don't know the history on the Sibyl Temple but it offers amazing views and a nice atmosphere. I really enjoyed my first time here and will visit again during the warmer months!

The old rock school building is a historic landmark that is the home for Center Point City Hall…read more The building's exterior is beautiful and definitely has a lot of charm inside and out! It's easily accessible off of Center point Parkway and there is a parking lot available on the side as well as the front of the building. The inside still has the appearance of the former school but the space is well utilized to take on the day to day business of the city. I have attended a number of meetings/events at City Hall and I always enjoy them and learn so much!

On April 25 of last year, I read a lengthy article in the NY Times entitled "Scrap-Iron Elegy" by…read moreMichael Tortorello and it was accompanied by many photos. The article is about a somewhat elderly couple named Joe & Hilda Minter and the astounding number of fascinating sculptures that Mr. Minter has made out of scrap iron & other found objects, which occupy every single inch of space on their half-acre property. Some of the sculptures have strong political messages and Mr. Minter is quite a character. For lack of a better description, his work comes under the heading of Roadside Art (see my 9/30/12 review entitled M. T. Liggett [in Mullinville, KS] for another example). Last night I called the Minters (having obtained their phone number by looking them up on People Search [I don't want to list their number - but it's easy to obtain in that manner, and I do think it's polite to call ahead instead of just appearing at their front door]) and I made arrangements for us to visit late this morning. They left us to wander around at our leisure - and walking is very precarious, so watch where you step - and when we were finished, Mr. Minter joined us for awhile and we had quite a conversation. The article mentions the Minters' very constrained financial state, and we thought it was only fair to give them a donation after touring their extraordinary yard exhibit. Further, my husband bought a beautiful t-shirt designed by Mrs. Minter - and I bought a book that Mr. Minter wrote, which includes some photos. It took him many years to write the book and someone kindly helped him publish it. He inscribed it for us and it will serve as a wonderful memory. Mrs. Minter told us that their dream is to have a postal stamp showing one of Mr. Minter's sculptures. For a most unique and special experience, I highly recommend visiting the African Village in America (that's what Mr. Minter calls his yard show). (Update on 4/10/14): Yelp has inexplicably listed the Minters' phone number, although one digit is incorrect.

The second Annual Titusville Community Connection Black History Event…read moreWe came here for our 2nd annual community connection black history event and it was a blast. We had Titusville history, poetry, singers, artists, crafts, writers, chefs, dancers and even a cellist and more. We even danced. The event was sponsored by Shelia Tyson and the Titusville library. We went over time but finished before closing time for the library. Everyone gave good reviews for the event. I was on the organizing committee so looking forward to next year.

9/11 tribute located in downtown Birmingham in a adjacent parking lot/side walk area to what…read moreappears to be the science center. Me and my family was on a quick visit to Birmingham and was staying at the nearby Mariott and was walking to the civil rights sights of the downtown Birmingham area when we came across this. I honestly almost missed it. My daughter seen a bench ahead and went to go sit and rest when we noticed the bench had writing on it and then right in front of it was a replica of the twin towers. As with any memorial to that tragic day it is important to remember that frightful day and I used it as an opportunity to teach my kids about some history (something that can be taught plentiful not only in this city but over the next few blocks) Simple yet powerful tribute. Very nicely done.

This is a very small, put powerful tribute to the heroes of 9/11. It consist of a bench with an…read moreinscription on it that reads "This Garden is a Project of Keep Birmingham Beautiful Commission and the People of Birmingham In Memory of the Events of September 11, 2001 9-11", a two replica statues of the twin towers. One is more taller than the other. The top of the shorter one reads, "On September 11, 2001, Freedom Itself Was Attacked, In this Garden We Remember the Innocent, Honor the Brave..." The taller one continues the quote and reads, "...And Celebrate Liberty, We will Not Tire, We Will Not Falter, and We Will Not Fail. George W. Bush, President United States of America." The replica towers are the nicest part of the Garden. They are definitely eye catching. The area as a whole was trashed and seemed pretty neglected. It would have easily been a 4 star, maybe even 5, if they would have done a little up keep and maintenance. There is metered street parking available within a reasonable walking distance from the Garden. As an added bonus, parking is free after 5PM. It is a small spot and as with most memorials such as this one that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 10 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.