Tuscumbia in Colbert County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Gov. Robert Burns Lindsay / Maud McKnight Lindsay

Gov. Robert Burns Lindsay - Front side image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Billy Clemmons, July 28, 2023

1. Gov. Robert Burns Lindsay - Front side

Inscription.

Gov. Robert Burns Lindsay, also, Maud McKnight Lindsay. . Gov. Robert Burns Lindsay July 4, 1824 - February 13, 1902. A native of Lochmaben, Scotland, Robert Burns Lindsay was Alabama's only foreign-born governor. He immigrated to North Carolina in 1844 and relocated to Tuscumbia in 1849, where he worked as a teacher and read law, obtaining admittance to the Alabama Bar in 1852. The following year, residents of Franklin County elected him to the Alabama House of Representatives. In 1854, Lindsay married Sarah Miller Winston, sister to John Anthony Winston, who served as governor from 1853 to 1857. The couple had nine children, four of whom survived to adulthood, among them educator and author Maud McKnight Lindsay (see other side). In 1857, Lindsay won election to the Alabama Senate. In 1861, he joined Col. Philip D. Roddey's Fourth Alabama Cavalry, CSA. At war's end, voters returned him to the Alabama Senate. In 1870, Lindsay became the first Democrat elected governor of Alabama since the end of the Civil War. His turbulent two-year term in office amidst Reconstruction was beset by economic and political difficulties, compounded by the failure of a state-supported railroad venture. Declining to run for reelection in 1872, Lindsay returned to Tuscumbia, where he continued a limited law practice, hampered by ill health, until his death., Maud McKnight Lindsay May 13, 1874 - May 30, 1941. Internationally known educator and author Maud McKnight Lindsay was born at this home, then a frame structure, in 1874. She was the daughter of Gov. Robert B. Lindsay (see other side) and Sarah M. Winston Lindsay. In 1898, after working in a private kindergarten in Tuscumbia, "Miss Maud" crossed social barriers and established Alabama's first free kindergarten program in the working-class cotton mill district of East Florence. She remained teacher and principal of the school for more than four decades. In 1900, Milton Bradley Company published Lindsay's first book, Mother Stories. She subsequently authored sixteen additional works, many of them reflections of her childhood experiences in Alabama. Although she had no formal higher education, Lindsay became a sought-after speaker. She lectured on the art of storytelling at New York University. Rebuffing many offers to teach elsewhere, including an invitation from renowned Italian educator Maria Montessori, Lindsay chose to remain in Alabama. She was described by her childhood friend Helen Keller as "one of the truly progressive women of the southland, an example of Alabama's true wealth and greatness." Lindsay was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1995.

Gov. Robert Burns Lindsay
July 4, 1824 - February 13, 1902 A native of Lochmaben, Scotland, Robert Burns Lindsay was Alabama's only foreign-born governor. He immigrated to North Carolina in 1844 and relocated to Tuscumbia in 1849, where he worked as a teacher and read law, obtaining admittance to the Alabama Bar in 1852. The following year, residents of Franklin County elected him to the Alabama House of Representatives. In 1854, Lindsay married Sarah Miller Winston, sister to John Anthony Winston, who served as governor from 1853 to 1857. The couple had nine children, four of whom survived to adulthood, among them educator and author Maud McKnight Lindsay (see other side). In 1857, Lindsay won election to the Alabama Senate. In 1861, he joined Col. Philip D. Roddey's Fourth Alabama Cavalry, CSA. At war's end, voters returned him to the Alabama Senate. In 1870, Lindsay became the first Democrat elected governor of Alabama since the end of the Civil War. His turbulent two-year term in office amidst Reconstruction was beset by economic and political difficulties, compounded by the failure of a state-supported railroad venture. Declining to run for reelection in 1872, Lindsay returned to Tuscumbia, where he continued a limited law practice, hampered by ill health, until his death.

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McKnight Lindsay
May 13, 1874 - May 30, 1941 Internationally known educator and author Maud McKnight Lindsay was born at this home, then a frame structure, in 1874. She was the daughter of Gov. Robert B. Lindsay (see other side) and Sarah M. Winston Lindsay. In 1898, after working in a private kindergarten in Tuscumbia, "Miss Maud" crossed social barriers and established Alabama's first free kindergarten program in the working-class cotton mill district of East Florence. She remained teacher and principal of the school for more than four decades. In 1900, Milton Bradley Company published Lindsay's first book, Mother Stories. She subsequently authored sixteen additional works, many of them reflections of her childhood experiences in Alabama. Although she had no formal higher education, Lindsay became a sought-after speaker. She lectured on the art of storytelling at New York University. Rebuffing many offers to teach elsewhere, including an invitation from renowned Italian educator Maria Montessori, Lindsay chose to remain in Alabama. She was described by her childhood friend Helen Keller as "one of the truly progressive women of the southland, an example of Alabama's true wealth and greatness." Lindsay was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1995.

Erected 2022 by Maud Lindsay Study Club and the

Maud McKnight Lindsay - Reverse Side image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Billy Clemmons, July 28, 2023

2. Maud McKnight Lindsay - Reverse Side

Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation and Alabama Historical Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • War, US Civil • Women. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1844.

Location. 34° 44.203′ N, 87° 42.201′ W. Marker is in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in Colbert County. Marker is at the intersection of North Main Street and East 1st Street, on the right when traveling north on North Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500 N Main St, Tuscumbia AL 35674, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Yellow Fever Epidemic 1878 / The 31 Victims of Yellow Fever Who died in Tuscumbia (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ethel Davis Plaza (about 600 feet away); William Winston Home (about 700 feet away); Ivy Green (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Purple Heart / Military Order of the Purple Heart (approx. 0.2 miles away); Colbert County Persian Gulf War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Colbert County World War II Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Colbert County Gulf War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tuscumbia.

The south view of the marker and house from across the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Billy Clemmons, August 7, 2023

3. The south view of the marker and house from across the street

The north view of the marker along the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Billy Clemmons, August 7, 2023

4. The north view of the marker along the street

Credits. This page was last revised on August 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2023, by Billy Clemmons of Florence, Alabama. This page has been viewed 127 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 29, 2023, by Billy Clemmons of Florence, Alabama. 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 7, 2023, by Billy Clemmons of Florence, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.