Stuff: Telling the Story of Alabama’s First African-American Architect
All this week we’re taking a closer look at “Stuff” and what it means to us. Whether it’s priceless family heirlooms or just the day-to-day “what nots” that surround us, “Stuff” is everywhere. Nearly 20 years ago Bessemer resident Allen Durough found something in his barn that he thought was junk. But it turned out to be a life changing discovery related to Alabama’s first African American architect. A man by the name of Wallace Rayfield. Allen Durough tells his story to WBHM’s Tanya Ott.
Bessemer resident Allen Durough says he’s dedicated the rest of his life to educating the public about African American architect Wallace Rayfield.
Logan Ward (author of the book See You In 100 Years, which was featured on WBHM’s Tapestry) has an extensive profile of Wallace Rayfield and Allen Durough in this month’s issue of Preservation.
See a longer list of Wallace Rayfield-designed buildings on the Bham Wiki page.
She owed $7K due to a water leak. Her utility saw the signs but didn’t tell her
Birmingham Water Works flagged Claire Ahalt’s account for unusually high water use, but she did not find out until asking a utility worker weeks later.
City OK’s $5 million to help keep Birmingham-Southern College open
BSC President Daniel Coleman said in a statement that next he’ll ask Jefferson County to meet the city’s commitment, focus on private donors and reengage with state leaders to work on getting more funding.
A year after the Moody landfill fire: “We need just as much help now”
Around Thanksgiving a year ago a landfill near Moody caught fire blanketing the surrounding area with smoke. The fire burned for months before the Environmental Protection Agency covered the landfill with dirt to extinguish the flames, but there have been flare ups since. To understand what things are like now, we heard from one nearby resident.
Why trees are an environmental and health Swiss army knife
Cool Green Trees plants trees in under-resourced communities in the Birmingham area to help mitigate climate change and advance environmental justice initiatives.
A pro jiu-jitsu league is bringing grapplers from across the globe to a small city in Alabama
For acclaimed grappler Brandon Mccaghren, Decatur, Alabama, was the perfect place to grow the Professional Grappling Federation from idea to reality.
The flu is soaring in the South and rising elsewhere
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted new flu data on Friday, showing very high activity last week in Louisiana, and high activity in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico and South Carolina.
