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Farming For A Better Future, page 307
Lucas, Cain, and Orr. Interestingly, eight of the 25 African American landowners in the area in 1930 were families reviewed by the TVA for relocation. All but one of them moved to another farm in the same area and retained ownership. By 1940, there were 11 landowners in the area who had been relocated by the TVA and retained ownership instead of selling their land and renting a new property.
Denson Cemetery
Located south of Tanners Crossroads at the corner of Stewart Road and George Washington Street, is the Denson Cemetery, also known as the Denson-Malone Cemetery. This cemetery can be confused as the “Solomons Temple Cemetery,” as on some topographic maps the label for the church, known as Solomons Temple, which is just west of the cemetery, appears to apply to the cemetery itself, which is simply labeled “Cem.”
This cemetery has about 45 burials. Besides Denson, there are members of the Farrar, Hardy, and Malone families. The earliest interment is Hester Reed Denson (1837-1910). The cemetery is still in use.
(Below) 1963 USGS/TVA Topographic Map of Tanner, Tanner, Alabama Quadrangle
Blue Ridge School (Rosenwald)
The Rosenwald School in Tanner has also been called the Tanner School, Blue Ridge School, or Alabama Blue Ridge Academy. It was a two-teacher schoolhouse built under the guidance of the Tuskegee Institute for a cost of $1,500. A total of $500 each was contributed from the African American community, the county, and the Rosenwald fund. The school had an outdoor privy, a bucket for drinking water, and a large coal-burning stove for heat.
The school was organized by Mr. Lewis Townsend, Mr. Henry Garret, Mr. Meredith Townsend, and Mr. Tom Lane. The first classes were held in the Masonic Hall.
307 - LIMESTONE
Mrs. Ollie Townsend was the first teacher.
The Blue Ridge School gained its first building in 1917, which was placed on a two-acre lot purchased from Mrs. Sophie Redus. This building burned in 1919 and a replacement was built using the Rosenwald Fund in 1929-1930.
(Above) Photograph of Blue Ridge School in 1930s with Students in Front (Fisk University - Rosenwald Foundation) (Right) Image of Class in Front of Blue Ridge School, Date Unknown (Retro Glances, 1947) - (4835)