Freetown

Freetown (HMPKC)

Location: Gallion, AL 36742 Hale County
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Country: United States of America
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N 32° 29.608', W 87° 40.019'

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Inscription
Side A
In 1867 a group of African American men and women laid the foundations for Freetown. William, John, Albert, George, Richard, and Peter Collins; Susan and Lawrence Moore; Thomas Jeffries; the children of John Jeffries; and Louisa Conway and her children received over six hundred acres of land in the will of John Collins, a local planter who had migrated from Virginia to Alabama in 1837. The early residents included former slaves and free people of color.
Many of the men were skilled masons and carpenters,including Peter Lee and John Glascow who directed theconstruction of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Gallion. Freetown residents helped organize Bethlehem Baptist Church in 1867.

Side B

Freetown became a vibrant community and residents achieved local prominence. The settlement reached its peak in the 1920s as part of Allenville. Brown's general store established around 1910 became the major commercial center and social hub. Women from the community were among the first teachers in the area's African American schools. Some Freetown children received primary and secondary educationas boarding students at Selma University. The community's population declined after World War II as African Americans migrated to northern and southern cities. Residents and their descendants over time became skilled workers, professionals, and active members of communities elsewhere, while maintaining strong ties to Freetown.
Details
HM NumberHMPKC
Tags
Year Placed2004
Placed ByAlabama Historical Association
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, September 11th, 2014 at 7:33pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 437339 N 3595330
Decimal Degrees32.49346667, -87.66698333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 32° 29.608', W 87° 40.019'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds32° 29' 36.48" N, 87° 40' 1.14" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)334
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 200-298 Unnamed Road, Gallion AL 36742, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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