Location: Auditorium, Downtown Huntsville Library (915 Monroe Street)
Time: 2:00-4:00 p.m.
For the Summer Meeting, join us for a discussion examining the roles, experiences, and lasting impact of Black Americans in the Civil War.
Meet the Presenters
Peggy Towns
Peggy Towns
Peggy Allen Towns is a local historian of African American history. A native of Decatur, Alabama, her passion is preserving the voices and legacy of African Americans. She lectures and facilitates workshops on genealogy, local people and historical places. She is dedicated to identifying historic places, and as a result of her efforts, several sites have been listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage and the National Register of Historic Places.
Peggy has done extensive research documenting her family’s history, which led to the discovery of a relative who served with the 110th United States Colored Infantry and the writing of her first book, “Duty Driven: The Plight of North Alabama’s African Americans During the Civil War.” Her second book “Scottsboro Unmasked. Decatur’s Story” is based on the Scottsboro Boys trials. It is the first of its genre’ to tell how this two landmark Supreme Court ruling case impacted locals in Decatur, the site for all trials but the first.
Jordan Collier
Jordan Collier
Jordan Collier is a native of the Shoals, a 2015 graduate of the University of Alabama, and currently the Collections Manager for Florence Arts and Museums.
Jordan hosts a podcast and social media pages called “Historical Insights with Jordan Collier,” through which he eyewitness accounts to explore and revive events of the past. He has written extensively for the Florence Arts and Museums, the Muscle Shoals Heritage Area, and the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library.
Gary Burke
Gary Burke
Gary Burke is a U.S. Colored Troops living history professional, with more than 15 years of experience researching and portraying a USCT soldier. He has served on the boards for three Civil War sites in Nashville, TN.
Gary is the descendant of Pvt. Peter Bailey of the 17th Regiment USCT, who fought in the Battle of Nashville on December 15-16, 1864. He is a passionate preservationist and advocate of African American Civil War history.