Selma, Alabama

[DruidCity]

Although small and poor, the town of 20,000 people packs a pretty good punch.

Selma is located about 50 miles west of Montgomery and 80 miles south/southeast of Tuscaloosa.

Here are the ruins of "Old Cahawba," Alabama's first permanent state capitol, a few miles from Selma :

The state capitol remained there only six years. The following details the demise of the town of Cahawba, located where the Cahaba River flows into the Alabama River: Old Cahawba

Traditionally, it is thought that Selma is located at the place where Hernando DeSoto met with Chief Tuskaloosa.

Selma's history is intertwined with two men named King. Fans of Seattle might note that King County, WA was named after the first of these men, then rededicated in honor of the second in the 1980s.

William Rufus DeVane King was born in NC, but planned and named the city of Selma. He briefly served as Vice-President of the United States, the only Alabamian ever to serve as either President or VP, and had a "controversial relationship" with James Buchanan.

Selma is probably best known today as a major scene of the Civil Rights movement, and Martin Luther King's march to Montgomery. That route is now officially designated as a National Historic Trail and an All-American Road:

http://www.nps.gov/semo/

http://pilgrimage.selmaalabama.com/pilgrihq.htm

Selma tourism

Some fairly well-known people with Selma connections:

Richard Scrushy, founder of HealthSouth corporation (born in Selma,

and in his youth, worked as a soda jerk there)

Kathryn Tucker Windham, well-known storyteller (lives in Selma)

Mia Hamm, professional soccer player (born in Selma)

Selma is home to three colleges : Wallace State Community College-Selma,

Concordia College-Selma, and Selma University.

None are especially large.

Several movies have filmed in Selma :

Film in Selma

[LSyd]

cool. another place i have to go visit in the next 3 years.

-

[Allan]

I had no idea Selma looked like that! I like the row of downtown buildings. It's nice to see that they still remain...in many cities (like my own) they have been torn down in favor of strip malls.

[Laseter]

Selma Looks nice, especially judging by the 2 dt shots . I used to really hate Selma, because my 5th grade teacher was from there and she was a horrible, evil woman . But I decided it was stupid to hate a city just because of one person though, so I no longer have negative feelings about selma.

[Southron]

That second pic, with the downtown commercial buildings, is pretty impressive for such a small city. Definitely going to have to take a trip over there soon.

[Fear of Heights]

That second pic, with the downtown commercial buildings, is pretty impressive for such a small city.

[Southron]

I took some pictures in Selma on a Sunday afternoon a couple of weekends ago.

Broad Street looking south toward the Edmund Pettus bridge

Broad Street looking north

[Southron]

Historic St. James Hotel (Jesse and Frank James stayed here while hiding from lawmen)

Old bridge tender's house behind the St. James

Edmund Pettus bridge from behind the St. James

Water Street intersects with Broad at the foot of the Edmund Pettus bridge

[Southron]

More from downtown

downtown grocery store

Dallas County courthouse

Federal building, formerly a post office

Performing arts center in an old theater

Dallas Academy, ca. 1880s public school

[Southron]

A few more from downtown:

Downtown churches

Ca. 1860s foundry

---

Sturdivant Hall, Selma's finest antebellum mansion

I'll post more from downtown residential neighborhoods later on.

[RON-E]

great pics! i have never been to selma, but deal with people on the phone there for business all the time. nice to see somewhere that i hear about all the time