Source Collection
University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections, William Lindsey McDonald Collection, Box 1: Biographical, Folder 1.5: City Historian – Correspondence, Collier Library.
Description
A list of suggested historical headlines of the Shoals, Alabama compiled by William Lindsey McDonald for the Times Daily.
The document is faded and difficult to read, so it has been transcribed below.
Suggested Historical Headlines for Times Daily
Probable Date (+/- days): Historical Event Described
May 10, 1915: Congressional visit to Muscle Shoals for feasibility study of construction of Wilson and Wheeler Dams
April 1918: Work begins on Wilson Dam
Dec. 3-5, 1921: Henry Ford and Thomas Edison visit Florence
Dec. 9, 1921: Florence Times ran account of Ford's visit
Nov. 10, 1898: Muscle Shoals Canal opens for navigation
May 18, 1933: TVA Act signed by President Roosevelt
Dec. 18, 1919: General Pershing visits Muscle Shoals
Dec. 27, 1894: Historic Lauderdale Hotel burns in Florence
Feb. 1893: Historic Sheffield Hotel opens its doors for business
June 13, 1948: Sheffield Hotel burns
Aug. 1893: Cherry Cotton Mill goes on stream
May 15, 1904: First street car arrives at Tuscumbia
July 2, 1904: First street car crosses river to Florence
Feb. 3, 1933: Last street car crosses river to Sheffield
June 3, 1911: Confederate monument unveiled at Tuscumbia
Feb. 28, 1916: President Wilson signs Defense Act authorizing construction of Wilson Dam and Nitrate Facilities at Muscle Shoals
Aug. 1917: Announcement that Nitrate Plant 1 ($5 million) awarded to Muscle Shoals
June 1921: First visit to area by Henry Ford
Sept. 1917: Announcement that Nitrate Plant No. 2 ($15 million) and Wilson Dam awarded to Muscle Shoals
Jan./Feb. 1918: Construction starts on Nitrate Plant Facilities
Aug. 1918: Peak employment at Nitrate Plants hits 19,300
Jan. 21, 1933: President Roosevelt visits Muscle Shoals
July 1921: Henry Ford makes offer to buy Nitrate Facilities and lease Wilson Dam
Mar 1928: Norris Bill passes by Congress (Muscle Shoals Nitrate Facilities and Wilson Dam utilization)
Aug. 1902: Southern Railroad opens district shops at Sheffield
Oct. 4, 1917: Construction begins on Plant No. 1 nitrate facility
Dec. 19, 1917: Construction begins on Plant No. 2 nitrate facility
Sept.16 1918: First production run at Plant No. 1 nitrate facility
Oct. 28, 1918: First production run at Plant No. 2 nitrate facility
Jan. 15, 1918: Tennessee River freezes over (temperature drops to -13°)
June 1918: First visit to area by Henry Ford
Nov. 21, 1933: Work begins on Wheeler Dam
Jan. 7, 1941: Toll charges eliminated at O'Neal Bridge
May 16, 1963: President John F. Kennedy visits
Jan. 17, 1985: Completion of Tenn-Tom Waterway
Date Created
10-14-2026
Date
1893-1985
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
McDonald, William L., "Suggested Historical Headlines for Times Daily" (2026). Correspondence. 19.
https://roar.una.edu/mcdonald_letters/19
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