Camp Sibert
World War II: 1942 - 1945
On 6/18/1942 the U.S. took possession of 36,300 acres in Etowah and adjoining St. Clair County to establish Alabama's first Chemical Warfare Center. The area was dedicated on 12/25/1942 and named for U.S. Army M/G William Luther Sibert, first Chief of Chemical Warfare Service and a native of Etowah County. The camp served as a Unit Training Center and a Replacement Training Center for the CWS and could accommodate up to 30,000 troops. Forty-seven percent of all CWS units of WW II were trained here. The camp was deactivated on 12/31/1945.
[2005: Attalla, AL Hwy 77 at Attalla City near mile marker 109.
33.99970 N 86.10921 W]
Emma Sansom
May 2, 1863. Here girl heroine led Forrest's men across Black Creek on way to capture Streight's raiders. This saved the rairlroad supplying Confederate Army of Tennessee.
[1952: US Hwy 431 (Meighan Ave.) at North 21st Street near mile marker 263 in Gadsden.
34.02412 N 86.03511 W ]
North Alabama Conference
The North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church was organized on this site in the Methodist Episcopal Church South, of Gadsden, Alabama, November 16, 1870 -- Bishop Robert Paine, presiding. The Centennial Convocation of the Conference was held here November 16, 1970 -- Bishop W. Kenneth Goodson, presiding.
[1970: South 5th Street @ Chestnut Avenue in Gadsden
34.01292 N 86.00545 W]
William Lewis Moore
(April 28, 1927 – April 23, 1963)
William Lewis Moore was a white postal worker raised by grandparents in rural Mississippi. He was a Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) member who staged lone protests against racial segregation. He was assassinated at this location during a 400-mile protest march from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, where he intended to deliver a letter to Governor Ross Barnett supporting civil rights. Five unsuccessful attempts to complete Moore’s march were made by civil rights activists. Hundreds, including actress Madeleine Sherwood, were arrested in the area, jailed, and sentenced to six months hard labor for "Endangering the Customs and Morals of the People of Alabama." The sentences were ultimately vacated. Folk singer Phil Ochs wrote a song in Moore’s honor. President John F. Kennedy called Moore’s murder an “outrageous crime” and Alabama Governor Wallace said it was a “dastardly act.”
Erected by the Etowah County Commission.
[U.S. Highway 11 North, near Attalla]