Alabama City Library
National Register of Historic Places

Alabama City Library

Gadsden, Etowah County, Alabama
Listed
December 27, 1974
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
74000410

About this property

The Howard Gardner Nichols Memorial Library is a historic building in Gadsden, Alabama, United States. The library was built in 1902 by the Nichols family, owners of the Dwight Manufacturing Company. It is named in honor of their son, who was badly injured while supervising the construction of the company's mill in what was then Alabama City. He died several days later. The library is the home of NEAGS, the NorthEast Alabama Genealogical Society, and houses over 5,000 family files as well as family books and many references for the counties in northeast Alabama. Also found are Civil War and Revolutionary War references as well as books on genealogy and history of states close to Alabama. The building housed the first lending library in the state of Alabama. At one time it was a day care center for the mill workers' children. It also was a lawyer's office. Now the library is solely owned by NEAGS, dedicated to genealogy research. The building is similar in scale to the mill workers' houses that surround it, but its location on a corner lot and blend of Classical Revival and Victorian design make it a focal point of the neighborhood. It has a steeply pitched hip roof with deep, bracketed eaves. The façade is anchored by a semi-circular portico supported by six Ionic columns, flanked by windows with lancet arched upper sashes. It was purchased and restored in 1973 by the NorthEast Alabama Genealogical Society. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Location

1 Cabot Ave.
Gadsden, Etowah County, Alabama
34.02566, -86.04117

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
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Nearby Historic Sites

Alabama City Wall Street Historic District
Industrial
0.5 mi
Noojin House and Bellevue-Mineral Springs Hotel Site
Industrial
1.2 mi
Forrest Cemetery Chapel and Comfort Station
Civil War
1.3 mi
Turrentine Historic District
Civil War
1.5 mi
Eleventh Street School
Industrial
1.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Alabama City Library listed on the National Register?

Alabama City Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 1974.

What type of historic resource is Alabama City Library?

Alabama City Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Alabama City Library?

The period of significance for Alabama City Library is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1902.

Can I research the history near Alabama City Library?

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