Tuscaloosa County Courthouse Dedication Program

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Title

Tuscaloosa County Courthouse Dedication Program

Subject

Tuscaloosa County (Ala.)

Description

The dedication program for the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse 1964 dedication.

Date

April 12, 1964

Contributor

Tuscaloosa Public Library

Type

Document

Identifier

2395

Coverage

Tuscaloosa County (AL)

Text

Our Thanks to Matthew W. Clinton for writing history of Tuscaloosa County and to John C. Pearson and Louis H. Anders for pictures (1-8) used in this brochure.
Tuscaloosa stands today on the brink of one of the greatest periods of growth and properity in its history. During the past year, business and industry moved, ahead, residential and commercial building was at an all-time high, personal income increased, and new schools were constructed in almost every section of the county.
     And with the dedication today of Tuscaloosa's new Courthouse, 1964 is off to a wonderful start and historians will record this year as a milestone in the history of the Druid City.
     This new Courthouse, the realization of a dream for many people in Tuscaloosa County, will stand as a monument to the leadership and foresight of the citizens and governmental leaders of this county.
       All Tuscaloosa County government agencies will make this building their new home and this new Courthouse will always be a reminder to the people of Tuscaloosa County of the things that can be accomplished when people join hands in a common cause.
       Towering on the skyline, the building will also tell visitors to this beauitful city and county that people who live here are progressive and ambitious.
      This building is hereby dedicated to the people of Tuscaloosa County, its citizens of today and future generations. May it ever be used in the pursuit of justice under God for all men.
                               Board of Revenue
                               David Cochrane, Chairman
                               John E. Walker
                               Truman S. Gray
                               John W. Foster
Tuscaloosa County History
  The first white settlers came to Tuscaloosa in 1816; Tuscaloosa County was created by the territorial legislature in 1818; and the town of Tuscaloosa was incorporated in 1819. These events made government necessary, and also required a building or several buildings in which to carry on the government.
     The earliest mention of a county courthouse in Tuscaloosa is found in an invitation issued to all white males twenty-one years of age and older and resdiding in Section 22, Township 21 South and Range 10 West, to meet at the courthouse for the purpose of electing commissioners to govern the town of Tuscaloosa. This meeting was called for a date in January, 1820. Therefore we know that there was a courthouse in Tuscaloosa at that date.
     The location of this early courthouse is not known. Dr. W.S. Wyman (180-1915), who was a professor at the University of Alabama for nearly half a century, in a newspaper article written in 1899, says: "I conjecture that it was a temporary structure of logs built on the lot which was afterwards designated as "Court Square". This was the lot on the north side of Broad Street, immediately opposite the present Washington Hotel." WAshington Hotel was at that time located on the southwest corner at the intersection of Broad Street and Twenty-second Avenue, the present location of the U.S. Post Office. It was the old Bell Tavern with a new name.
     Dr. Wyman's location of our first courthouse places i on the southwest corner at the intersection of Fourth Street and Twenty-second Avenue. Tuscaloosa was surveyed in the spring and summer of 1821 and the lots were numbered, beginning in the northeast corner of Section 22. On each block there were four lots. The block containing "Court Square" has its lots 104, 105 and 106. "Court Square" is not numbered. Therefore it seems evident that the fourth of a block designated as "Court Square" was reserved at a very early date.
     In 1821 the seat of justice was moved to the Masonic Hall. The location of the Masonic Hall is not certainly known, but records show that lot 204 was sold by the U.S. government to Rising Virture Lodge No. 4 on November 2, 1821, and that the Masons possessed the lot until 1836. Lot 2014 is on the southeast corner at the intersection of Greensboro Avenue and Sixth Street. It is the lot on which the Alston Building is now located. The county paid annual rent of $80 for the use of the Masonic Hall.
     The first county jail was built in 1818 by John Baker. The cost of the jail was $138 plus $10 for making the lock. The jail seems to have been insecure because, a short time later, $75 was paid for "repairing and making secure the door of said jail." During the first three years $240 was paid to guards who were paid one dollar per day.
     The location of this jail is a puzzle. William R. Smith in his Reminiscences, quotes for a record of 1818 as follows: "Prison bounds of Tuskaloosa County-Limits as follows: Commencing at the jail, thence running in a direct line to Lewin's including Lewin's houses: thence to J.V. Isbel's; from thence to John Read's, including Nash's cotton gin; to Powell's; thence to Lovel's tavern thence from across the lot to the jail." The document was signed "Abel Pennington, D.S." Smith took it for gratned that the initials stood for deputy sheriff. Thomas P. Clinton is our authority for locating one of the places mentioned in the description of the jail boundaries. He wrote that Lovel's tavern was on orn ear the northeast corner at the intersection of Broad Street and Greensboro Avenue. Smith says, "The jail was at the time located, was about in the center of what is now Market Sgreet (Greensboro Avenue), near Main (Broad Street)."
     In 1822, by a vote of the people of the county, the courthouse was located in Newtown, which is that part of Tuscaloosa was known as West End.
In 1819, the U.S. government made a grant of township of land (36 square miles) to the Conneticut Dead and Dumb Asylum (also called the American Asylum). The Connecticut institution appointed William H. Ely as their agent. Ely came to Alabama early in 1820 for the purposes of selecting the lands and selling them for the benefit of the Asylum.
     Ely selected four and one half sections of land lying to the south and west of Tuscaloosa. Since there was no bridge over the Warrior River at that time, Tuscaloosa was throughly boxed in on all sides excetp the east. As a result, Ely was a very unpopular man in Tuscaloosa.
     In January, 1821, Ely sold the lands of the Asylum to a group of a dozen men, who a short time later, executed a deed of partition, diving all of the lands among members of the group with the excepton of that part of Section 21 south of the Warrior River. On the fraction of a section reserved, the owners laid out a town which was incorporated under the name of Lower Part of tht Town of Tuscaloosa. This named proved too difficult and the town was soon called the Newtown of Tuscaloosa, and later was known as Newtown.
     The incorporators of Newtown could give a good title to lots and, since Tuscaloosa had not been surveyed when Newtown was incorporated, lots in Tuscaloosa were not ready for sale. As a consequence, Newtown grew more repidly than Tuscaloosa. Therefore the Newtown group were able to get eenough votes to move the courthouse to Newtown. In order to attract some votes from Tuscaloosa, thew Newtown incorporators located the courthouse on the edge of Newtown adjacent to Tuscaloosa.
    The Newtown courthouse was located west of West Margin Street of Tuscalooed (called East Street by the Newtown incorporators) and south of Tippencanoe Street. Today West Margin STreet is known as Thirty-second AVenue and Tippecanoe Street is called Sixth Street. Therefore, the courthouse was located west of Thirty-second Avenue between Sixth and Seventh Streets.
     William R. Smith describes the Newtown courthouse as a "handsome brick edifice" and DR. Wyman called it a "stately brick courthouse."
     The victory of the Newtown people was shortlived. In 1826 Tuscaloosa was made the state capital and, also in that year, Newtown was annexed to Tuscaloosa. In the same yar, the courthouse was moved back to "old town". The Newtown courthouse was destroyed by a tornado in 1842. Bricks from the old edifice were used in the vicinity for pillars and chimneys to houses.
      The county jajil was also located in Newtown. It was situated on lot 91 of the Newtown survey. Lot 91 is located on the northwest corner at the intersection of Fifth Street and Thirty-fourth Avenue. Smith describes the jail as a "large brick edifice."
      Dr. Wyman states that both the courthouse and jail located in Newton probaly were furnished free of cost to the county as there was no record of the county paying for the buildings.
     In 1826 the seat of justice was moved back to Tuscaloosa and was located temporarily in Peter Donaldson's hotel. Donaldson was proprietor of the Bell Tavern in 1829. In that yaer, says Smith, "George STarr advertises the Bell Tavern (then occupied by Col. Peter Donaldson) for sale, and states the figure at $8,000." The Bell TAvern was later called WAshington Hoel and was located on the lot where the U.S. Post Office is now located. But there is evidence that, at a different time, Donaldson was the proprietor  of Washington Hall, which was situated on the lot where the First National Bank is now located.
      In 1830 a two-story brick courthouse was built on the northwest corner at the intersection of Market (Greensboro Avenue) and Union (Seventh) Streets, in other words, on the corner now occupied by the Allen and Jemison Company. It was paid for by a
special tax levied for three years, and the cost was $2,478. Edwin Sharpe was the builder; John S. Fitch was paid $25 for drawing the plans; and Pleasant Wilson was paid $15 for legal services.
      In 1845 the courthouse was moved to the southeast corner at the intersection of Greensboro Avenue and Sixth Street (the corner on which the Alson Building is now located). The purchase price was $4,000 which was to be paid from a special fund derived from the sales of runaway slaves and estrays. In 1846 the town of Tuscaloosa was permitted to erect a tower at the west end of the courthouse, and on top of the tower, was placed a large clock, the ownership of which was retained by the town.
     The location of the jail between the time of the removal of the time of the removal of the courthouse back to the "Old Town" (about 1826 and 1847 is difficult  to determine. One record says that a jail was constructed on lot  168 and it costed $403.87. But an examination of the titles to lot 168 does not show that Tuscaloosa County ever owned that lot. An old map ofTuscaloosa designates that lot on the southwest corner at the intersection of Seventh Street and Twenty-second Avenue  by the word "Jail." Newer maps designate  the lot refrred to as lot 268. A deed conveying that lot from Tuscaloosa County to Benjamin Quarles and dated September 18, 1858 describes the lot  on the southwest corner of Union (Seventh STreet) and Madison (Twenty-second Avenue) Streets in the City of Tuscaloosa on which stands the house fromerly erected by said county and used by it as the county jail..." The lot was sold for $600. Since the difference in the number of the lots is exactly 100 it is possible that 1868 was inadvertently written for 268 and that jail was built on lot 268 in 1847.
     The order to sell the lot was approved by the Court of County Commissioners at a session called for that purpose. At that time At that time Moses McGuire was the Probate Judge and members of the commission were Calaway H. Gray, John Sanders Jr., Jonathan Shirley, and Benjamin Blackburn Jr.
     In 1856 a jail was built on the southwest corner at the intersection of Sixth Street and Twenty-eighth Avenue. This location places the jail south of and across the street from the old Capitol Building. The jail was erected by William B. Robertson  and the cost to the county was $8,029.40. This brick building still stands and is owned and used by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
      In 1890 a new jail was built and , at last, the courthouse and jail were located on the same lot (the Alston Building Corner). The Pauley Jail Building and Manufacturing Company of St. Luis built the jail at a cost of $11,000. AT that time Newberne H. Brown was Probate Judge and James White, A. Cline, J.D. Blocker, and M.C. Thomas were county commissioners. By the time the jail was completed in 1891, W.G. Cochrane was Probate Judge.
     In order to provide room for the jajil, the jury-rooms, situated at the east end of the courthouse were torn down and rebuilt on a smaller scale. This action left a space of 48 feet between the courthouse and the lot on which  J.S. Hanley lived. The county bought 11 feet of lot 204 from Hanley, which made the dimensions of the lot  132 feet (on Greensboro Avenue) and 150 feet  (on Sixth Street).
     Tuscaloosa was becoming modern and the new jail had electric lights, running water, and sewage. A bill for electric lights for the jail, paid in 1891, amounted to $6.15, and an agreement was made with W.T. McCormack, Superintendent  of Tuscaloosa Water Works, by which water would be furnished to the jail for $30 per quarter.
    A Board fence seven feet high was placed around the jail and two strands of bared wire were placed above the boards.
     James R. Maxwell, in his Autobiography of James R. Maxwell, describes this courthouse as follows: "on the northwest corner of this square was the old county courthouse of brick with its tower in front touching the sidewal, containing the stairways up to the second-floor court room, and Masonic Hall above same, in the third story, and up into the clock towere that capped the whole.
      In the 1850's Mrs. Barbar Little's school was on the corner south of the courthouse. between the courthouse and the property jof the Little's was the brick office of the probate judge and rooms and vaults for county records.
      In April, 1892, Mrs. Sue Garner and others were allowed, free of charge, the use of the old jail (near the Capitol Building) as a girls' reformatory. In 1919 title to the property to John J. Neilson.
       The courthouse which stood on the Alston Building site served the county for a period of 52 years. It it were held court, political meetings, meetings to promote railroads, water works and other improvements. In the court room, in 18901, the followers of H.B. Foster persuaded a large group of Negroes to remain all night, and the following morning, marched them across the street to the City Hall where they voted for Foster. Foster won the race for may or W.C. Jemison who had been mayor of period of ten years. (and who was to serve four more years after Foster).
       But time and use took their toll and the old courthouse and jail were no longer considered satisfactory.
     On September 4, 1906, the Commissioners Court of Tuscaloosa County ordered an election for November 6 to decide the question of building a new courthouse. It was proposed that the county would issue $75,000 of bonds to matrue in 25 years and bear interest not to exceed 5%. Notice of the election was advertised in the West Alabama Breeze, a weekly newspaper. The election resulted in 1,106 votes being cast in favor of the proposition  and 215 against it.
      On December 7 the Commissioners ordered that the old courthouse property be sold. On January 9, 1907, at a public auction, the land on which stood the courthouse and probate judge's office was sold to F.W. Monnish, Daniel Collier and H.B. Foster for $22,275, of which $5,568.75 was received in cash. The remainder was to be paid within thirty days after the date of delivery or possession of the new courthouse. The deferred payment was to bear no interest. The county was to have use of the old courthouse until the new one was ready. It was agreed that the new courthouse would be ready for use not more than two years from January 2, 1907.
      The question of a location for the new courthouse remained to be settled. Various sites were proposed- the Little property on the corner south of the old courthouse lot 201 on the opposite corner of the block on which the courthouse stood, a site at ther brow of the river hill, the old Capitol site, and the site on which the courthouse was then located.
      Frank S. Moody favored building the jail on the top story of a building to be used as a courthouse and jail. Dr. James T. Searcy, R. J. Hargrove, and Robison Brown wrote letters to the Times-Gazette in favor of Moody's proposal. One who signed his letter "Business Man" opposed the idea. He feared the consequences if a fire should burn the courthouse; and he argued that the steel cages of the jail would require thicker walls for the building, resulting in increased cost.
     One correspondent broke out in rhyme, as follows: Give us a courthouse Without it we are lost, Give us a courthouse, Regardless of cost.  O, give us a courthouse, Regardless of rhyme, We've used the old one An indefinite time."
      Members of the Tuscaloosa Historical Society speculated on the location of the first courthouse of the county. Their knowledge seems to have been about the same we now regarding the early
seats for justice. They deplored the fact that plans for the new courthouse would not include use of the town clock which had been part of the old courthouse. (The clock was given back to the City of Tuscaloosa and was placed in the belfry of the City Hall.)
     On January 3, 1907, the County Commissioners voted to offer $12,000 for the corner north of the First Baptist Church, proved that there was no objection on the part of the members of the church. On January 23 the commissioners, after voting against the locations on the brow of the river hill and on lot 202, accepted the proposition of the Maxwell brothers (Fred R., Will N., Luther H., and Thomas D.) and purchased the east half of lot 257 and all of lot 260 for $18,500. Commissioner M.B. Scott of the Third District, made the motion to accept the Maxwell's proposition, and Commisioner R.E. Hobson of the First District seconded the motion. Commissioner J.W. Robertson of the Scond District voted for the proposition and Commissioner W.N. Lunceford of the Fourth District voted against it. Lunceford thought the purchase price was to high. Judge of Probate, James C. Brown presided at the meeting. A few days later the Board of Public Works, composed of George A. Searcy, G.W. Christian, and W.S. Patton, ratified the action of the Commissioners. (In March all of the members of Board of Public Works resigned. All three memberssaid that their own businesses required their full attention. Named to take their places were H.T. Burks, M.B. Thompson, and H.P. Walker.)
     The site for the new courthouse and jail had been the residence lot of John Maxwell, father of Thomas, John, Robert, and Richard Maxwell, and grandfather of the sellers of the lot.
      After hearing a number of architects, the Commissioners voted to accept the plans of W.E. Spinks of Birmingham. Spinks was to be paid 5% of the total cost of the courthouse for drawing the plans and superintending the work.
     The Commissioners voted to receive bids for $75,000 of bonds to hear 4 1/2% interest. Two months later all bids were rejected and the bonds were again offered with the interest rate changed to 5%. The offer of Seasongood and Mayer, of Cincinnati, was accepted.  In May the contract for building the courthouse was awarded  to Carrigan and Lynn, of Birmingham. The contract price was $90,000 and work was to be completed  by August 31, 1908.
     The contractors met their obilgations and, at a joint meeting of the Commissioners and the Board of Public Works, held on August 8, 1908, the courthouse was accepted and the last payments authorized.
     The boulder which was placed on the courthouse lawn and which reminds us that our town, county, and river are probably named Tuscaloosa in memory of the Choctaw Chief who opposed DeSototo in 1540, was given to us by the Colonial Dames of America. On February 11, 1907, at Mobile, the Alabama department appopriated $150 toward the purchase of the boulder. The first site suggested for the boulder on on the Stafford School grounds but, after futher consideration, it seemed more appropriate to place the memorial in front of the courthouse. The same stone has been placed in front of our new courthouse.
      On October 8, 1909, a contract for building a jail was signed. The firm of F. M. Dotson and Company agreed to build the jail for $30,000 and to complete the buildings by June 1, 1910. The court of commissioners was composed of A.B. Clements, R.H. Williams, H.T. Burks, and J.H. Nelson. James C. Brown was Probate Judge. Benjamin B. Smith and D. Weatherly Carter were architects. Land on which the jail was built was purchased from E.N.C. Snow for $10,000. P.P. Pool, Acting Chairman of the Board of Public Works, approved the contract for building of the jail.
The new jail had three stories. The first floor had two entrances- one on the north and one of the east side (toward the Courthouse). The eastern entrance opened into the "booking office". The rest of the first floor was divided into living quarters for the jailer and his family, and a kitche. Leading out of the office and ascending to the second story were the stairs, at the top of which was steel cage for condemned prisoners. In the ceiling of the second story was an iron ring to which the executioner's rope was tied. The condemned one was dropped through a trap door down int the office below. One two executions took place in the jail.
     On May 16, 1910 the old jail property near the old State Capitol Building and the jail property on lot 204 (Alston Building) were sold at auction. W.H. Alston bought the lot 204 property for $13,050. Later he transferred his rights to L. Rosenfeld who built his store there. John J. Neilson bought the other lot.
     Now we are building a new courthouse and a new jail. In August, 1955 the Probate Judge and the Board of Revenue entered into preliminary negotiationswith architect Charles McCauley of Birmingham for plans and specifications for the new building.
    On November 6, 1956, the voters of Alabama adopted Amendment CXV to the State Constitution. The amendment proved that the governing body of Tuscaloosa County be authorized to issue bonds up to $2,500,000 if the voters of Tuscaloosa Countyvoted in favor of it. No special election was required if a majority of those voting on the amendment in Tuscaloosa County voted in favor of the amendment. Such was the case. In Tuscaloosa County 6,562 votes were cast in favor of the amendment and 4,004 against it.
     But the constitutionality of the amendment was questioned. In several counties advertising the proposed amendment did not meet technical requirements of the law. H.H. ("Bene") Mize, County Attorney, advised the Board of Revenue that the constitutionality of the amendment should be tested. Attorney Alfred Rose, a former resident of Tuscaloosa and now a resident of Birmingham, was employed to give an opinion and to conduct the test of constitutionality for Tuscaloosa County. A friendly suit between S.G. Swaim, represented by the law firm of Ward and WArd, and Tuscaloosa County was instituted. The Supreme Court ruled that the amendment had been legally adopted. The purpose of the suit was to remove any doubt as to the validity of the bonds to be sold pursuant to the Amendment and thus make them more marketable.
     At that time Chester Walker was Judge of Probate; Charles Allen, Grady Breland, and John E. Waler were members of the Board of Revenue; and H.D. Whitson, clerk.
     Harder to settle was the question of the location of the courthouse and jail.
       Minutes of the Board of Revenue, for January 22, 1957, show that Probate Judge Walker sent a letter to Rufus Bealle, Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, relative to locating the building on the site of the old Capitol Building (northo of Sixth Street and west of Twenty-eighth Avenue), which has been owned by the University of Alabama to be used for educational purposes. The act provided that, if the building were not used for educational purposes, the property would revert to the state. The building was burned in 1923 and, in 1927, an amendment to the original act confirmed the University's title to the land.)
      In August, 1958 a resolution providing for the purchase of lots 258 and 259 (the south half of the block on which the courthouse was located) from Henry A. Snow, james S. Snow, and Mrs. Annie Ross Snow Dee for $242,000 was adopted. A.C. Parker and Son were paid $528 for making a contour map of the property on which the old courthouse was located.
     In Mary, 1959 the Board received from the Citizen's Development Committee a letter advocating the location of the building on the old Capitol grounds as part of a Civic Center. The letter was signed by J. Oviatt Bowers, Frank Moody, and Jas. W. Beard. On the same date a resolution providing for the erection of the courthouse and jail on the present site was defeated by a tie vote--Board members John E. Walker and Truman S. Gray voting for it and Probate Judge David M. Cochrane and member Grady Breland voting against it.
     On March 14, 1961, addresses favoring the Capitol site and civic center were made before the Board fy J. Oviatt, Bowers, Owen Meredith, Jr., Clemson Duckworth, M.H. Wilbourne, R.H. McConnell, Cliff Armstrong, L.H. Anders, Nelson Campbell, Mrs. William D. Partlow, mrs. Memnon Tierce, John Caldwell, James Reynolds, and John C. Dill, representing business, labor, building and other interests. Marshall Neilson spoke in opposition to the civic center project. AFter the speeches were made a motion to build the courthouse and jail on the present sites was introduced. Walker, Gray, and a new member of the Board, John W. Foster, voted for the motion and Judge Cochrane voted against it.
     (The Tuscaloosa Civic Center Project was first proposed by Hal McCall, Director of the Fedeal Housing Authority in Tuscaloosa. It would have required the clearing of both sides of Broad Street from Twenty-fifth Avenue westward to includ the Capitol site. Federal, County, and City public buildings were to have been built in the Cetner. Later Sixth and Seventh Streets as far west as the G.M. and O. tracks were included. After the resale of the property the U.S. government was to bear the major part of the loss, if there were any. However, the people of Tuscaloosa voted against a tax to pay the City's part and the project was abandoned.)
     In February, 1962 the Board voted in favor of leasing the McLester Hotel property from the First Federal Savings and Loan Association, and on April 24, designated the McLester Building and the building on the corner  southwest  of the cold courthouse as the official offices of Tuscaloosa County. (The McLester Hotel had been built in 1887 by the heirs of Richard McLester. It was operated by members of the Snow family until its purchase by the savings and loan company.)
     A contract for the demolition of the old courthouse was made with the Loftis Wrecking Company. The agreed price was $48,00 to be paid to Tuscaloosa County by Loftis Wrecking Company.
     The Board of Revenue then proceeded  with the sale of the bonds as authorized from February 1, 1962. Maturity dates begin in 1965 and extend through 1992. The bonds were sold to Hugo Marx and Company; Berney Perry and Company, Inc.; Watkins, Morrow and Company; Cumberland Securities Corporation; and Shields and Company and Associaties. They bear an average interest rate of 3.583842.
     After competitive bids were received and opened, the contract for building the courthouse and the jail was let to the Daniel Construction Company. The contract price was $2,482,500 but, after some revisions, was reduced to $2,462,003.86. A contract for jail equipment was made wit the Decatur Iron and Steel Company, the cost being $89,390. A contract was signed with the Otis Electric Company, by which  the company agreed to install the needed elevators for $118,931. The architect's fee will amount to $120,000. The total of the three contracts and the architect's fee is approximately $2,790,324.86. Cost of furniture for the buildings and a few additions due to changes made in the cost of construction are expected to make the total cost about $3,000,000.
     The architect, Charles McCauley, is to receive 4% to 6% of the total cost of building. The rate
decreases as the cost of building increases. Since the total cost of building approaches $3,000,000, the architect's fee will be a little more than 4% of the cost of the building. For this amount he has furnished plans for the buildings and is exercising general supervision over construction.
     On September, 1962 occurred the ground-breaking ceremony with Bruce Shelton former publisher of the Tuscaloosa News presiding. On June 5, 1963 the cornerstone was laid. In the vault of the cornerstone were placed newspapers, articles and documents of historical interest, information about Tuscaloosa and Tuscaloosa County, a few coins, and many other things which should be of interest when the courthouse is eventually torn down. In this respect we have been more thoughtful than the builders  of 1907 were. On a hot summer day, when the old courthouse was being dismantled, a group of interested spectators waited for several hours while the derrick lifted stone after stone until, finally, the cornerstone was reached and lifted. There was space on the underside of the cornerstone for materials of a by-gone day, but to our keen disappointment, there was not one thing in it.
     From the old courthouse have been saved the statues of the two maids representing Agriculture and Minerals, the Chief Tushkaloosa monument, and the memorial to the World War II servicemen who gave their lives in defense of their country.
     Through almost a century and a half Tuscaloosa County has progressed from a log hut courthouse to the magnificent structure which we dedicate in 1964. Betweeen the two, our ancestors built a number of edifices, "each new temple nobler than the last."
     It has been said that a people who care not for their past has no future. Tuscaloosa County stands ready to be judged by that standard and with that thought in mind, offers to future generations this record of past courthouse and jails.
                         BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books:
Clinton, M.W., Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Its Early Days, 
1816-1865. The Zonta Club. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1958. P. 27, 28, 44, 95
Maxwell, James R., Autobiography of James R. Maxwell. Greenberg, New York. 1926. P. 36
Smith, William R., Reminiscences of a Long Life. The author. Washington, D.C. 1889 P. 24, 25, 29.
Periodicals
Tuscaloosa Times-Gazette Weekly, Jan. 2,9,16,23,30, Feb. 27, Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 17, Aug. 14, 1907.
Tuscaloosa Weekly Record, Aug. 8, 1908.
Wyman, William Stokes, "The Beginning of Tuscaloosa and Newtown", Tuscaloosa Times, May 12, 1899.
Primary Sources:
Act of the Legislature of Alabama, 1851-52, P 55; 1927, P. 56.
Map of Newtown Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. From a copy of the original owned by Mrs. C.E. Perkins. Traced by City Engineer's Office, June 30, 1952.
Map of Tuskaloosa, Ala. Copy of blueprint received from Dept. of Interior with their letter dated April 28, 1908. City Engineer's Office, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Minutes of the Board of Revenue of Tuscaloosa County, Aug. 9, Sept. 6, 1955; Dec. 18, 1956; Jan. 22, 26, 1957; Aug. 12, Dec.9, 30, 1958; Mar. 24, Apr. 14, May 5, 12, 1959; Feb. 28, Mar. 14, 1961; Apr. 10, May 30, Aug. 23, Sept. 11, 1962; Feb. 12, Mar. 5, June 4, 28, July 23, Aug. 20, 1963.
Minutes of the Commissioners Court of Tuscaloosa County, May 12, Aug. 11, Oct. 1,15, 1890; May 14, July 3, 17, 1891; Aug 11, 1892; Apr. 6, 1893; Sept. 3, 4, Nov. 13, Dec. 7, 1906; Jan. 3,8,9,23,29,30, Feb. 8, Mar. 15, Apr.2,9, May 23,31, 1907; Aug.1, 1908; Oct. 8,23,1909; May 17, 1910
Interviews
Cochrane, David M. Judge of Probate, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
Johnston, George D. Clerk in Tax Assessor's Office; former Tax Assessor for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
Mize, H.H. Attorney for Tuscaloosa County, Ala.
Whitson, H.D., Clerk for the Board of Revenue for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
Wright, Reuben H., Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Alabama; ; Judge of the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
               PRAYER OFFERED AT LAYING OF CORNERSTONE
                                 JUNE 5, 1963

"     Our heavenly Father we offer our praise to Thee. Thou art the God and Father of all. We are grateful for the priviledge of living in this favored place of Thy creation. Make us worthy and appreciative of our heritage. Keep us teachable in the ways that make for immortality. Enlarge our minds to world citizenship, and give us place in the family of God.
     We are thankful for the privilege of living in this revolutionary time when the minds of men are conceiving a new world- when old standards are being tried by a new intelligence, old customs being tested in the crucible of Christian conscience and old axioms are being challenged by daring men. In patience Thou are standing within the shadows keeping watch over it all. Save us, we pray, from the hurtful folly of hurried judgements and direct us in the paths that lead to ultimate peace and prosperity. Give us teh strength to live by principles from within and not from pressures without.
     We are thankful for this beautiful new building which speaks in concrete fashion of the enlightenment and progress of Thy people. We recognize our debt to those who planned, to the man that designed and the toiling hands that blesses without burdening. Guide us in the election of officials who shall exercise authority in this house. Sustain them with wisdom and purity of character as they fight for freedom, condemn corruption, spurn selfishness and build merited confidence in government and give new hope to the governed. give them teh will to administer honesty, judge in righteousness and execute the laws with honor. We know Thy word is true, "When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice." We pray that this building will stand for many years to come, expressing the sanity, unity and well-ordered society of Tuscaloosa County and City.
             In humility we make our prayer, Amen."

                                    J.H. Chitwood
                                    Pastor, First Methodist Church

DEDICATION PROGRAM
Tuscaloosa County Courthouse and Jail
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, THE TWELFTH OF APRIL
NINETEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR
AT THREE O'CLOCK


Music Furnished by

TUSCALOOSA COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BAND
John Ed Reynolds, Director

MASTER OF CEREMONIES
JUDGE DAVID M. COCHRANE
Chairman, Tuscaloosa County Board of Revenue

INVOCATION
DR. BRONNIE E. NICHOLS
Pastor, Forest Lake Baptist Church

INTRODUCTION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS
AND SPECIAL GUESTS
JUDGE DAVID M. COCHRANE

SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO
RYAN W. DEGRAFFENRIED
E.W. SKIDMORE
A.K. CALLAHAN



INTRODUCTION OF GUEST SPEAKER
FRED NICOL
President, Tuscaloosa County Bar Association

ADDRESS
HONORABLE, GEORGE C. WALLACE
Governor, State of Alabama

BENEDICTION
REVEREND ROBERT R. COOK
Pastor, Christ Episcopal Church

RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY
MISS MARTHA SHAMBLIN
Granddaughter of John E. Walker
MISS LINDA GRAY
Daughter of Truman S. Gray Sr.
ANDREW THOMAS FOSTER
Son of John W. Foster

USHERS
Cheerleaders of Brookwood High School
Northside High School and Holt High School
PROBATE COURT JUDGE
DAVID M. COCHRANE (1911-1975)
    Probate Judge David Cochrane is a native of Tuscaloosa and has lived here all of his life. He attended public schools in Tuscaloosa and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. He holds an AB degree and is also a graduate of the University's Law School.
     Judge Cochrane has served Tuscaloosa County as its Probate Judge for the past five years, having been elected to a six-year term in 1958.
     He began his professional career in Tuscaloosa in 1938 when he began the practice of law. He remained in private law practice until 1948 when he entered business as the Cochrane Tractor Implement Company.
     After eight years in private business, Judge Cochrane joined the sales staff of Pritchett-Moore, INc., handling real estate and insurance.
     He left Pritchett-Moore in 1958 when he was elected as Probate Judge of Tuscaloosa County, an office he has held since that time. In addition to his regular duties, Judge Cochrane serves as an ex-officiio chairman of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Revenue.
     A member of the Episcopal Church, Judge Cochrane is a member of the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club. He has served as president of the Exchange Club. Judge Cochrane is married and the father of two children.
     The Probate Judge's Office handles the probation of estates along with adoption and real estate records.
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BOARD OF REVENUE
JOHN E. WALKER (1891-1973)

     The veteran member of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Revenue is John E. Walker. He has seved on the Board of Revenue for the past 23 years, having been elected six times.
     Born new New Lexington and educated in public schools in that area, Mr. Walker served in the U.S. Army during World War I.
     As a member of the Board of Revenue, he is over District Three, the northern part of Tuscaloosa County. He is one of three members of the Board of Revenue who direct the government affairs of Tuscaloosa County.
     In additon to his work with the Board of REvenue, Mr. Walker has been engaged in other private business for many years. He still engages in farming and through the years has been involved in saw milling and ginning operations. Mr. Walker also deals in real estate.
     He is married to the former Cora Gilliam of Tuscaloosa County and is the father of four children.
     Mr. Walker is a member of the Salem Baptist Church and a member of Civitan International. He also holds membership in the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
     At the end of this year, Mr. Walker will have completed six terms in office as a member of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Revenue and will have been in office for 24 years.
BOARD OF REVENUE
TRUMAN S. GRAY (1908-1987)
     Truman Gray has been working for Tuscaloosa County for more than 28 years and is now in his seventh years as a member of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Revenue.
     He began his work as an employee of Tuscaloosa County at an early age, working on maintenance crews and since he started he has worked in almost every job the county has had to offer through the years.
     He did not become a member of the Board of Revenue until 1956 when he successfully completed his first political campaign. He was re-elected in 1960 and is now in the last year of his second term. Only one other man, John E. Walker has served on the Tuscaloosa County Board of Revenue londer than Mr. Gray. John Foster, the third member of the Board of Revenue is now in his first term in office.
     Born in Tuscaloosa County and reared in the Mt. Olive Community, Mr. Gray attended Tuscaloosa County Schools. He began working for the county after finishing school and has devoted his life to working for Tuscaloosa County.
     Mr. Gray is married to the former Iola Shirley, also a Tuscaloosa County native, and they have five children.
     He is a member of Northwood Hills Baptist Church. In professional circles, Mr. Grey is a member of the Alabama Association of County Commissioners.
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BOARD OF REVENUE
JOHN W. FOSTER (1927-2012)
     The newest member of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Revenue, but a man with a long history of active participation in local civic, religious and governmental affairs is John W. Foster.
     Mr. Foster, who was born in Coaling and still makes his home there, was elected to the Board of Revenue in the last election.
     He is over District Two in Tuscaloosa County which covers most of the southeastern area of the county. District Two covers almost the entire area outside the city limits southeast of the Warrior River.
     Mr. Foster attended Tuscaloosa County public schools and graduated from Brookwood High. After graduation, he attended the University of Alabama.
     He served in the United States Navy for two years in World War II and returned to Tuscaloosa to manage the Foster Grocery Store in Coaling. He entered the grocery business in 1947 and still operates the store, although he is required  to spend the majority of his time with the affairs of county government.
     Married to the former Hattie Ruth Limbaugh of Childersburg, Mr. Foster is the father of four children.
     He has served as a member of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education for almost six years. Mr. Foster is also an active in church affairs. He is a deacon of the Coaling Baptist Church, a Mason and a Shriner. He is also a member of the Tuscaloosa County Farm Bureau and the Tuscaloosa County Cattleman's Association.
CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE
W.C. WARREN (1887-1973)

    The dean among the Circuit Judges in Tuscaloosa County is W.C. Warren who has been on the bench since 1940. He was elected as a Circuit Court Judge in 1940, took office in January of 1941, and has served continuously since that time.
     A native of Sulphur Springs and a graduate of public schools in that area, Judge Warren graduated from the University of Alabama Law School in 1925.
     He entered private law practice in Tuscaloosa after graduating from the University and in 1926 he entered politics. Judge Warren was elected to the Alabama Senate in 1926 and served two terms. After completing his second term in 1934, he decided not to run for that office again.
     IN 1940, he entered his next political race and was elected to the circuit judgeship which he still holds.
     Judge Warren is married to the former Anabel Rice of DeKalb Count and now observed his 51st wedding anniversary. Judge and Mrs. Warren have four children.
     He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Tuscaloosa Civitan Club where he has served as a past president, a past district governor and a past Judge Advocate of Civitan International.
     He is a member of Trinity Methodist Church, the Alabama Association of Circuit Judges, a Mason and a trustee of the Caraway Methodist Hospital in Birmingham.
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CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE
REUBEN H. WRIGHT (1890-1964)


    Reuben H. Wright, Circuit Judge, is a Presbyterian, Mason, overseas Veteran of World War I, Past President Tuscaloosa Bar Association, Past President Alabama Circuit Judges Association, Past President Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce, Past Post Commander Tuscaloosa Post American Legion, former trial attorney for City of Tuscaloosa, former County Attorney of Tuscaloosa County and for 30 years was a member and President of the Board of Education of the City of Tuscaloosa.
     As a lawyer he drew his clientel from all walks of life and his services were sought on one side or the other in practically every important case in the Tuscaloosa Courts. All agree that he has an enviable reputation as a lawyer and that his life at the bar was most successful.
     Judge Wright has had many worthwhile and commendable civic interest in Tuscaloosa and Tuscaloosa County. In recognition of these civic interest and activities Judge Wright in 1956 was voted the Good Citizenship Award which is annually awarded  to that Citizen of Tuscaloosa County who has rendered outstanding  and conspicuous civic service.
     Judge Wright has always had an abiding genuine interest in education and his service on the Board of Education was certainly productive of noteworthy and outstanding results. No small part of Tuscaloosa's fine school system is due to the generous contribution of the time, energy, thought and influence of Judge Wright.
     As a Judge, his intergrity, fairness, and impartiality, his judicial temperament and unfailing good manners and courtesy, and his ability to dispatch the business of the Court with genuine satisfaction to all, Judge Wright is universally acclaimed as one of the top trial judges of Alabama.
CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE
JAMES D. BUCK (1916-1984) 
     Circuit Judge James D. Buck took office as Circuit Judge No.3 after the general election in November 1960. This division of the Circuit Court was created by a special act of the Alabama Legislature. It has as its primary fucntion, divorce, annulment, custody of children, desertion and non-support, paternity, and all delinquency and child neglect cases involving support, education, medical, or other necessary care; and all cases against adults charged with contributing to the neglect or deliquency of children.
     The handling of cases by this Court is characterized by individualized treatment, with emphasis on rehabilitation, re-education and prevention.
     Judge Buck is a graduate of the University School of Law and is the father of three children. He is President of the Tuscaloosa High P.T.A., a trustee of the YMCA, and ia director of the Salvation Army, and chiarman of the Youth Comittee of each organization. Judge Buck is a director of the Community Council and the Tuscaloosa Family Counselling Service; Secretary-Treasurer  of the Alabama Circuity Judges Association, a past president of the Alabama Juvenile Court Judges, the Druid Civitan Club and the Alberta PTA. He is a member of the Episcopal Church.
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INFERIOR COURT JUDGE
HENRY J. MAYFIELD (1906-1985)

     Judge Henry J. Mayfield was appointed Judge of the Inferior Court of Tuscaloosa County in 1960 to fill the unexpired term of Judge James D. Buck. Judge Buck was elevated to the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County.
     Judge Mayfield was nominated without opposition in 1962 and was elected to a full term. Since he entered office for the first time in 1960, appoximately 12,000 civil cases have been handled by the Court.
     The Inferior Court of Tuscaloosa County was established by an act of the legislature in 1927. The Court has jurisdiction over all civil cases in Tuscaloosa County where the amount of controversy does not exceed $300. It does not have jurisdiction over cases involving workmen's compensation, libel, slander, assault and battery, ejectment or actions in the nature of ejectment.
     The Inferior Court has concurrent jurisdiction with the Justice of the Peace in civil actions where the amount in controversy does not exceed $100. The Court has general jurisdiction in all criminal cases involving misdemeanors and conducts preliminary examinations in such cases. 
     Judge Mayfield is a native of Tuscaloosa County and received his law degree at the University of Alabama in 1930. He is a past member of the Tuscaloosa County Welfare Board and was elected as a delegate to Democratic Convention in Philadelphia in 1948. He is now serving his third term as the Alabama Democratic Executive Committee. Judge Mayfield is a member of the First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa.
TAX COLLECTOR
JAMES R. MAXWELL (1905-1976)

     Mr. James R. Maxwell, Tax Collector, was one of six brothers and son of the late Charles R. and Julia Bell Maxwell of Northport. He was born and reared in Northport and attended the Northport schools graduating from Northport High School which later became Tuscaloosa County High School. He attended the University of Alabama where he studied accounting. He was associated with his brothers in the Service Station business until he offered for public office.
     He assumed the duites of Tax Collector on October first 1949 and has served in this capacity since. During his tenure the County has experienced remarkable growth and the amount of funds passing through the office has more than doubled.
     He has served in many Civic and fraternal capacities. He is a member of the Northport Methodist Church and has served as Sunday School Superintendent, Teacher and is now serving on the Offical Board. He served as chairman of the Northport Park Board, as Alderman of the City of Northport, School trustee and President of Northport Civic Club. He served as Master of Rising Virtue Lodge, presidnet of the Tuscaloosa Shrine Club and is at present a Representative to the Imperial Council of the Shrine of North America. He is Past President of the Association of Tax Asessors & Tax Collectors of Alabama. During 1960 he served as president of the Tuscaloosa Kiwanis Club.
     He married Frances Deason of Northport and is the father of two daughters, Mrs. Les Brock of Panama City, Florida and Mrs. Hayes Stephens of Birmingham. Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell have four grandchildren. Angela and Jim Brock and Richie and Phillip Stephens.
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TAX ASSESSOR
FESTUS M. SHAMBLIN (1900-1964)
    Festus M. Shamblin succeeded George D. Johnston as Tax Assessor of Tuscaloosa County in 1939 and has been in office continuously since that time.
     Born in Coker, Mr. Shamblin attended Tuscaloosa public schools and the University of Alabama. He graduated from the University in 1926 with an AB Degree and became a coach and teacher in Etowah County.
     He later returned to Tuscaloosa and was named chief deputy with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department, a position he held for four years. He was then elected Tuscaloosa County Sheriff. After a four-year term as sheriff, Mr. Shamblin began his work as Tuscaloosa County Tax Asessor in 1939.
     His wife is the former Melba Prince of Tennessee and they are parents of one child.
     Mr. Shamblin is a memberof the Shrine Club, a Mason and a member of the First Baptist Church. He is alao of the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club.
     In professional cirlces, Mr. Shamblin is a member and past president of the Alabama Tax Assessors and Collectors Association.
     The Tax Asessor's office abstracts and calculates all assessments for ad valorem taxes on real and personal property. Its records are audited annually by the Alabama State Auditors and a report is made to the public on all tax collections.
CIRCUIT SOLICITOR
FRED W. NICOL (1910-1983)
     Fred W. Nicol is Circuit Solicitor for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Alabama, which is composed of Tuscaloosa County only. The office of Circuit Solicitor is a State elective office, with a term of four years. The name "Circuit Solicitor" is peculiar to the State of Alabama. Usually the office is designated as "District Attorney" or "States Attorney."
     The principal duties of the Circuit Solicitor are to prosecute in criminal felony cases, for the state. He is charged also with the responsibility of preparing cases for presentation to the Grand Jury. This body must indict or make a formal charge in all felony charges before the case can be submitted to the Petit Jury to determine guilt or innocence. The Tuscaloosa County Grand Jury investigates about six hundred felony cases each year. The Circuit Solicitor works with all law enforcement agencies in the county in preparation to the Grand Jury.
     Mr. Nicol, a native of Tuscaloosa, was first elected to office in 1958. He is now serving his second term. Presently, Louis Lackey and William J. Foster are Deputy Circuit Solicitors, appointed by the Circuit Solicitor to assist in handling the work of this office pending in three Circuit Courts and in the Inferior Court of Tuscaloosa County.
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TUSCALOOSA CO. SHERIFF
NATHAN CHISM (1910-1980)
     Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Nathan Chism is currently serving his third term in office. He was elected in 1955 and has been in office since that time.
     A native of Tuscaloosa County, Sheriff Chism is married and the father of two children. HIs wife is the former Julia Braughton.
     The department which Chism heads has a staff of almost 25 persons. In addition to the sheriff, there is a chief deputy, four deputies for criminal work, two for serving warrants, one investigator and one identification officer, four jailors, 12 deputies for patrol work, three clerks and a radio operator.
     The work of the deputies on patrol includes serving civil papers, transferring inmates to different institutions, returning wanted prisoners from other states, delivering eviction notices, election, collection on execution, and summoning of all jurors.
     All employees are used for both criminal and civil work at verious times. Cars are on duty patroling the county or serving papers 24 hours a day, seven days per week. More than 25,000 papers are served each year.
     Sheriff Chism is a member of the Northport Baptist Church, the Lions Club, the Farm Bureau, the Alabama Cattleman's Association, the Alabama Sheriff's Association and the Peace Officers Association.
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
MRS. DORIS TURNER (1933-2004)
     Mrs. Doris Turner, Circuit Clerk of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, is a native of Tuscaloosa and attended local schools. She graduated from Tuscaloosa High School in 1952 and began working in the office of the Circuit Clerk in 1953.
     Mrs. Turner was appointed Circuit Clerk in 1962 by Circuit Judge W.C. Warren, presiding judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit. However, the office of Circuit Clerk is an elective one and Mrs. Turner must run for re-election if she is to remain in office.
     She is the wife of Johnny Mac Turner, an employee of the Central Foundry Company. They have two children. Mrs. Turner is a member of the Southside Baptist Church, the Tuscaloosa Business and Professional Women's Club and the Alabama Association of Circuit Court Clerks and Registers.
     The Circuit Clerk is to attend sessions of court with all papers necessary for the court and to administer all oaths and take all affidavits in relation to the business of the court. The Clerk is also required to issue all summons, subpoenas, writs, executions and other processes ordered by the court.
     Among the other duties of the Clerk are to certify and render to the County Board of Revenue and the State Comptroller at the end of the month all monies collected during the moth and to pay the amounts due to the custodian of the governing body. The clerk is also required  to make reports to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court twice a year concerning all cases pending or disposed of by the court.
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INFERIOR COURT CLERK
MRS. SADIE DAVIS (1910-2002)
     In 1953 the office of Clerk of the Inferior Court was created by a special act of the Alabama Legislature. Mrs. Sadie Davis was named to the position and has served continuously since that time.
     When the Inferior Court was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1927, the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County was the ex-officio Clerk of the Inferior Court.
     By a special act of the Legislature in 1953, a special bill was passed separating the two offices due to the heavy amount of work. This was the beginning of the office of Clerk of the Inferior Court.
     Mrs. Sadie Davis was appointed Clerk of the Inferior Court by the late Judge Eugene Bailey. She had served in the Circuit Clerk's office from 1940 until her new appointment in 1953.
     The Inferior Court has jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases. Its sivil jurisdiction is limited to cases not exceeding $300. Its criminal jurisdiction covers all misdeameanors and it is also empowered to hold preliminary hearings on felonies. Approximately 6,000 cases are handled by the Inferior Court each year.
     Mrs. Davis is a native of Tallapoosa County and is the wife of Major L. Davis. They have one son, William J. Davis who is a frehman at the University of Alabama. Mrs. Davis is a member of the First Baptist Church and the Tuscaloosa BPW Club.
REGISTER IN CHANCERY
CHRISTINE P. REYNOLDS (1923-1967)
     Christine P. Reynolds was appointed Register in Chancery by Circuit Judge W.C. Warren, in 1959 and became the first woman in history to hold the position in Tuscaloosa County.
     She is the daughter of Sheriff R.C. Parker and Alma McAteer Parker.
     Mrs. Reynolds was the deputy register for three years under W. Tunsall Searcy. She became Register in Chancery in 1959 and has held the position ever since.
     A native of Tuscaloosa County and a graduate of the University of Alabama. Mrs. Reynolds is a member of the First Methodist Church, the League of Women Voters, the Queen City Business and Professional Women's Club, vice-president of the Alabama Association of Circuit Clerks and Registers, a member of the Alumni Association of the University of Alabama, the Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce and the Tuscaloosa Racquet Club.
     As Register, Mrs. Reynolds is authorized to adminster oaths, issue subpoenaes, order publications, grant decrees, hear exceptions to bills of complaints, answers and reports, issue attachments and order property taken into custody by the sheriff. She is authorized to hold hearings and determine special findings of facts, unless otherwise ordered by a circuit judge.
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LICENSE COMMISSIONER
R.B. BERRY (1919-1979)
     Serving for the past two years as the Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner is R.B. Berry, a native of Tuscaloosa County and a graduate of the University of Alabama.
     The office of the Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner was created by an act of the Alabama Legislature in 1961. The act combined a portion of the duties of tax assessor, the tax collector and the probate judge.
     The office which Berry heads handles ad valorem tax assessments and collections for all mothor vehicles and issues tags. IN addition, all business, privilege and professional licenses, along with fishing, hunting, boat registrations, and drivers licenses and permits are issues by the License Commissioner's office.
     Berry was approved by the Tuscaloosa County Civil Service Board and appointed to the post by the Tuscaloosa County Board of Revenue in 1962. He had worked as an insurance claims adjuster before accepting the county office.
     Married to the former Lanora Roberts of Lamar County, Berry attends the Holt Methodist Church and is a member of the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club. He is also a member of the Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce, the Elks, the Masons and a Shriner.
     In addition to Berry, there are six permanent employees in the License Commissioner's office. They are Mrs. Velma Hosey, chief clerk, Mrs. Evelyn Brown, Mrs. Lois Kennedy, Mrs. Beatrice Fowler, Mrs. Beth House, and Mrs. Helen Campbell.