This photo shows the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum in Tuscaloosa.
In honor of Tuscaloosa’s bicentennial, the Warner Transportation Museum is hosting an exhibit focusing on the Civil War and Reconstruction in the city. The exhibit follows the later days of the Civil War and examines its impact on Tuscaloosa as well as the University of Alabama. It also explores the Reconstruction period and the resulting changes in Tuscaloosa’s culture.
Though there’s little sign of it today, in the final days of the Civil War, the University of Alabama was nearly destroyed by Union forces. At the time, the University was the state’s military school, acting as a training facility for young Confederate cadets, which made it a target in the conflict. On April 4th, 1865, General Croxton of the 6th Kentucky Cavalry gave the order to burn all public buildings on campus. Only Gorgas House, the president’s mansion, the observatory, and the round house survived.
The destruction wasn’t contained to campus buildings. Tuscaloosa’s resources weren’t limited to the training facilities of the university; the Black Warrior River also offered a strategic advantage. General Croxton ordered the Black Warrior River bridge to be burned, too, alongside thousands of bales of cotton, several warehouses, and two Confederate cannons. The war ended only days later, on April 9th, when Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.
Though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the official end of slavery in Tuscaloosa was heralded by the arrival of General Croxton. This opened up new opportunities for Tuscaloosa’s African American population. Horace King, an enslaved man who was freed by his owner in 1846, established his reputation as a skilled builder. He was also a member of the Alabama Legislature. In 1872 he bid for a contract to replace the Black Warrior River bridge that had been destroyed in the Civil War. King’s wooden bridge stood for ten years before it was replaced with an iron bridge in 1882.
For those interested in learning more about Tuscaloosa’s role in the conflicts of the time period, “Bank of the State Tuscaloosa Bicentennial Exhibit Series: Civil War and Reconstruction” will be open until February 1st at the Warner Transportation Museum.
The destruction wasn’t contained to campus buildings. Tuscaloosa’s resources weren’t limited to the training facilities of the university; the Black Warrior River also offered a strategic advantage. General Croxton ordered the Black Warrior River bridge to be burned, too, alongside thousands of bales of cotton, several warehouses, and two Confederate cannons. The war ended only days later, on April 9th, when Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.
Though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the official end of slavery in Tuscaloosa was heralded by the arrival of General Croxton. This opened up new opportunities for Tuscaloosa’s African American population. Horace King, an enslaved man who was freed by his owner in 1846, established his reputation as a skilled builder. He was also a member of the Alabama Legislature. In 1872 he bid for a contract to replace the Black Warrior River bridge that had been destroyed in the Civil War. King’s wooden bridge stood for ten years before it was replaced with an iron bridge in 1882.
For those interested in learning more about Tuscaloosa’s role in the conflicts of the time period, “Bank of the State Tuscaloosa Bicentennial Exhibit Series: Civil War and Reconstruction” will be open until February 1st at the Warner Transportation Museum.
About the Author
Lauren Collins is a junior majoring in English and minoring in General Business. She was born in Herndon, Virginia, and lived there until she began her degree at the University of Alabama. She is currently a resident advisor and a student intern at Alabama Heritage Magazine. Following graduation, Lauren hopes to attend graduate school to pursue an M.S. in management.
Additional Information
https://transportation.museums.ua.edu/about/ (About page for Warner Transportation Museum)
http://eoa.auburn.edu/article/h-1245 (Encyclopedia of Alabama entry for Horace King)
http://eoa.auburn.edu/article/h-1631 (Encyclopedia of Alabama entry for Reconstruction in Alabama)
http://eoa.auburn.edu/article/h-1245 (Encyclopedia of Alabama entry for Horace King)
http://eoa.auburn.edu/article/h-1631 (Encyclopedia of Alabama entry for Reconstruction in Alabama)
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