Members of the Gardendale Historical Society unveil the marker for John Belcher Cemetery in October. From left is former Gardendale Mayor Kenny Clemons, Bernie Belcher, and society members Patsy Duncan and Kermit Dooley.

By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



Even though it is only 3 years old, one group represents decades of history in the Gardendale area.

The Gardendale Historical Society Inc. is celebrating its third birthday on Jan. 17 with a party at the Gardendale-Martha Moore Public Library.

The public is invited to the 10 a.m. gathering to learn more about the society. Officers in the group are not so secretive about hoping to draw in new members through the event.

“Everybody should be interested in the history of the city that they live in so they can be proud of their city,” said Mary Taylor, president of the Gardendale Historical Society. “Gardendale has a rich cultural history.”

The group also needs new members for more practical reasons, like to increase the operating budget and to get a bulk mailing permit. Taylor said the post office requires 200 people on a mailing list in order to issue a bulk mailing permit.

The society currently has about 75 members.

“We’ve got several new plans and new projects for this year, and we just need some help with them,” said Taylor.

Some ongoing projects include getting more cemeteries in Gardendale listed on historic registers and getting historic signs for Fieldstown Road.

Within the past year, the society has been responsible for getting signs placed throughout Gardendale to mark the historic Stouts Road and getting a historic marker at Belcher Cemetery on Snow Rogers Road.

The past few months has also seen the society playing a role in helping preserve the former Friendship United Methodist Church building and cemetery, which the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church had considered closing.

One of the society’s ongoing projects is the interviewing of senior citizens about the history of Gardendale, formerly called Jugtown.

Kermit Dooley, second vice president of the Gardendale Historical Society, said those recorded interviews will be sent to Montgomery and will eventually be a part of the state archives.

The project is part of the Alabama Department of Tourism’s “Year of Small Towns and Downtowns.”

Future endeavors for the Gardendale Historical Society include expanding to surrounding towns and perhaps even a name change to be more inclusive of outlying areas.

“Anything you can think of that pertains to history, we’re going to work on it,” said Taylor.

The society provides speakers for various venues, including schools, assisted living facilities and civic meetings.

In addition, the group is always seeking speakers for its own monthly meetings, which are held every third Saturday, 10 a.m., at the Gardendale-Martha Moore Public Library.

Joining the Gardendale Historical Society costs $10 a year for individuals, $8 a year for students and $15 a year for families.

For more information, call Dooley at 631-5662, Taylor at 631-3079 or first vice president Doris Ragsdale Hopper at 631-4839.