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Florence City Schools

History of K12 Education in Florence

Superintendents of Florence City Schools

  1. James W. Morgan, Jr. – 1891-1892
  2. Henry C. Gilbert – 1892-1904
  3. Arthur F. Harmon – 1904-1906
  4. W.W. Hall – 1906-1907
  5. J.B. Lockhart – 1907-1913
  6. H.B. Norton – 1913-1916
  7. W.R. Harrison – 1916-1917
  8. F.T. Appleby – 1917-1932
  9. J.W. Powell – 1932-1958
  10. Rufus G. Hibbett – 1958-1966
  11. Joseph W. Blackston – 1966-1971
  12. Glen L. Farmer – 1971-1986
  13. Thomas N. Taylor – 1986 I don’t know his end date. He became very ill and was in a Birmingham hospital; his wife died at a hospital in Florence while he was in the Birmingham hospital. The Board installed Glen Farmer to complete Dr. Taylor’s term.
  14. Ed Barney – ?-June 2000
  15. Kendy Behrends – 2001-2010
  16. Janet Womack – 2010-2017
  17. The Honorable Jimmy Shaw! 2017 to Present

 

Florence falcon logo with Falcons script above image. 

Timeline of Florence City Schools

Florence was founded as a town in 1818. Florence City Schools, as an official school district, began in 1890. However, in the intervening years between 1818 and 1890, the citizens of Florence found ways to educate their children. Here is a brief history of education in those years:

1.    1820 - Coffee Family Plantation (near the intersection of today’s Cox Creek Parkway and Cloverdale Road) - James Lorance, Teacher
2.    1825 - South Cedar Street - Rev. Wall ( Episcopal minister), Teacher
3.    1830 - Instersection of Seminary and Tennessee Streets - Prof. Tinnon, Teacher
4.    1833 - Log cabin on South Pine Street (near the present City Hall auditorium) - Prof. Oliver, Teacher
1833 - Locust Dell Academy (site of Willingham Hall on UNA campus) - Caroline and Nicholas Hentz, Teachers
5.    1835 - Prepdom/Florence Male Academy, West Tombigbee Street
6.    1837 - Intersection of Pine Street/West Mobile Street - Miss James from Philadelphia, Teacher
    1837 - Northeast corner of Wilson Park - Mrs. Henderson from Scotland, Teacher
7.    1847 - Small brick building on lot dedicated by Cypress Land Company (future home of Patton School), College Street between Cherry and Chestnut Streets
8.    1861 - Sixth Ward School (Later, Brandon School) - East of the present Brandon Ministries Center building site
9.    1866 - Freedman’s Public School (for African American children), Church Springs M.E. Church (later, St. Paul AME Church) - Oscar Waring, Teacher
10.    1868 - High school opened in Weleyan Hall on UNA campus (lasted 5 years ) - Prof. W.D. Willis, Organizer
11.    1870 - Pine Street - Ann Stevens from Ireland, Teacher
12.    1871 - North end of Court Streer - Miss Mattie Ray, Teacher
13.    1872 - Home on North Wood Avenue (later the home of J.J. Mitchell) - Mrs. Susan Leigh (matron of Female Synodical College), Teacher
14.    1890- City Hall building (now a parking lot on Sixth Court Street) - Florence Institute (boys only), Prof. Alex S. Paxton, Teacher
15.    C.1903 - John F. Slater Elementary School (elementary, African-American students; funded by the City of Florence), Court Street
16.    1904 - Burrell Normal School (Funded by the American Missionary Association for grades 1-12), West College Street
In 1890, Florence City Schools began, with Prof. J.W. Morgan as the first Superintendent
1.    1891 - October opening of Patton School (named for Gov. Robert M. Patton who owned the Sweetwater Plantation) - College Street between Cherry and Chestnut Streets
    1891 - Fifth Ward School/Seven Points School - T.J. Bond, Teacher
    1891 - Sixth Ward School (East Florence) - T.B. Scruggs, Teacher
    1891 - Colored Public Free School (Court Street) - Young A. Wallace - Principal
2.    1899 - Brandon Elementary School (named for industrialist Charles M. Brandon)
3.    1914 - Florence High School, North Pine Street just north of West Tuscaloosa Street intersection
4.    1917 - Coffee High School (named for Captain Alexander Donelson Coffee and wife, Camilla Madding Coffee) - Jackson Highway (now Hermitage Drive)
5.    1921 - “Red Building” (a two-room frame structure) moved from Patton School to Coffee High School
1921 - Gilbert Elementary School (named for former superintendent H.C. Gilbert)
C.1921 - Pine Ridge School ( elementary African-American students), intersection of Veterans drive and Kirkman Street
6.    1936 - Florence Junior High School (formerly Burrell Normal) becomes part of Florence City Schools
7.    1937 - Burrell High School (formerly Burrell Normal) becomes part of Florence City Schools
8.    1947 - Second gymnasium added to Coffee High School campus
9.    1951 - New location of Coffee High School, North Cherry Street
    1951 - Former Coffee High School building renamed F.T. Appleby School in honor of former superintendent
    1951 -Weeden Elementary School (named for John D. Weeden, owner of adjacent Sweetwater Plantation), North Franklin Street (present location of Broadway Recreation Center) annexed from Lauderdale County Schools
    1951 - W.C. Handy Elementary School - West Irvine Avenue
10.    1952 - Burrell High School renamed to Burrell-Slater
11.    1954 - New location of Weeden School (Baldwin Street)
12.    1955 - Harlan Elementary School (named for Samuel Clay Harlan, former member of Board of Education and local industrialist), Norwood Boulevard
13.    1959 - Powell Elementary School (named for J.W. Powell, former Superintendent of Education), Tune Avenue
14.    1961 - New location of Burrell-Slater High School, Cherokee Street
1961 - Richards Elementary School, Riverview Drive
15.    1963 - Forest Hills Elementary School, Stovall Drive
16.    1966 - Bradshaw High School (named for Henry A. Bradshaw, former member of Board of Education), Bruin Drive (currently Bradshaw Drive)
17.    1980 - Hibbett School (named for Rufus G. Hibbett, former Superintendent of Education), Appleby Boulevard
18.    2004 - Florence High School (consolidation of Bradshaw High and Coffee High; located on Bradshaw High campus)