Enjoy two walking/driving tours that provide insight into the colorful history of Decatur, Alabama. Flourishing with rich history and enchanting architecture, both Old Decatur and Albany Historic Districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
View the tours online by choosing the Introduction, Old Decatur Historic District or Albany Historic District below.
These two podcasts showcase stories documented as part of a federal grant in 2023 that highlighted history of Decatur’s notable women and Black citizens.
The podcast on Carolyn Cortner Smith highlights the state’s first licensed female architect and her role in designing buildings in Delano Park (825 Gordon Street SE) and restoring the Old State Bank (925 Bank Street NE), now a city owned-museum. You can listen to Carolyn’s own voice as part of this podcast; we were able to locate taped oral interviews with her from the 1970s. Delano Park is located within New Decatur-Albany Residential National Register Historic District, and Old State Bank is individually listed on the National Register.
The podcast on First Missionary Baptist Church (233 Vine Street NW) explores the history of the landmark church. Located in the East Old Town National Register District, the church was a meeting place for early Civil Rights activists during the Decatur portion of the Scottsboro Boys trials held in the early 1930s.