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Farming For A Better Future, page 142

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white men, African Americans were employed at low level positions. According to the National Register nomination form, workers of color were given “menial tasks” and were segregated from the white workers. Though a community for the workers sprung up on the east side of town complete with stores and churches, not all were open to African Americans. There were four churches for white workers in the vicinity, but only one church for African Americans, located far from the community. Florence Wagon Works continued to operate through the 1930s and the construction of Wilson Dam, but it could not survive the coming of the automobile and closed in 1941. Other industrial companies to join Florence Wagon Works at the turn of the century were: Tennessee Valley Fertilizer Company (1897), Bellamy Planing Mill (1901), Florence Ice and Coal Company (1902), Ashcraft Cotton Mills (1899), North Alabama Furnace (1889), Philadelphia Furnace (1888), Cherry Cotton Mills (1883), Charles A. Sullivan Store (1893), among others. TVA and World War II brought more changes (Above) Excerpt from 1921 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of African American Churches along East Alabama Street, Highlighted (University of Alabama, Historical Map Collection, Online) (Below) Map of Residents of Florence in 1968. Red Dots are White Residents and Black Dots are African American Residents (Florence African American Heritage Project via Facebook.com) KEY (Above) Aerial Photograph of West Florence, Canaan Neighborhood, 1949 (University of Alabama, Historical Map Collection, Online) (Right) Excerpt of 1948 City Zoning Map of Florence with the African American Neighborhood Highlighted. Note Indication of a “Local Business District” Where Someone has Written “Negro” (University of North Alabama, Collier Library, Archives & Special Collections) to Florence. In the 20th century, Florence continued to pull away from agriculture, then industry until commercial industries and education were its main providers. Canaan, the historically African American neighborhood of Florence, is located west of downtown. The area is still predominately African American and is roughly bound by West College Street to the south, Pine Street to the east, B COMMUNITIES CEMETERIES CHURCHES B PLANTATIONS B SCHOOLS - (4670)    

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