December 7, 2025

Vandalized Alabama historical marker honoring Black heritage replaced – AL.com

An African American heritage historical marker that was destroyed last month in Decatur has been replaced, according to an announcement from local historian Peggy Towns.
“Thrilled to see the Old Town African American Heritage marker back up,” Towns wrote Tuesday in a post to Facebook.
“Thank you Mayor [Tab] Bowling for all your assistance.”
Thrilled to see the Old Town African American Heritage marker back up. Thank you Mayor Bowling for all your…
The Decatur Preservation Society previously said the marker would cost thousands of dollars to replace and could take up to a year to do.
Efforts to reach city representatives about the quick replacement were not immediately successful.
Towns led the effort to place the original marker in 2016 to “call attention to the significant contributions the Old Town community had on Decatur,” she said previously.
Established in the early 1900s, Old Town is Decatur’s oldest property continuously occupied by African Americans, according to Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area.
In 2012 the neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Decatur Police continue to investigate the marker’s destruction, and the tire tracks found near the site last month.
Anyone who may have information has been asked to contact the Decatur Police Department at 256-341-4660.
“If you see something, please say something, whether unintentional or not,” Towns wrote this week.
The city has not published any updates on the National Votes for Women Trail marker that was also destroyed after being struck by a commercial vehicle last month.

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