June 10, 2021

At the most recent Florence Council Work Session, Architect Calvin Durham presented the new City Hall Building plans, including two parking decks. One will adjoin the new City Hall Building providing safe parking and commute for employees. The second lot will be located at the Tombigbee and Pine Street intersection.

The picture below is a rendering presented by Architect Calvin Durham.

New Business – Now Open

Florence Xpress Pharmacy

2908 Mall Rd.

256-962-4251

Florence Xpress Pharmacy is located at 2908 Mall Road next to the new Florence Foot Center. Prescription medication is prepared and dispensed, and vaccinations are administered on-site. Patients can contact Florence Xpress Pharmacy at 256-962-4251.

Dr. A.D. Bellamy moved from Atlanta to Florence in 1889 to become the president of a new company known as the Florence Wagon Works. Located on the east side of Florence on acreage near the Tennessee River between Main and Spurr Streets, this impressive industrial plant quickly became an economic driver in the city. By 1904, there were 175 employees in jobs that paid well, along with a large number of support workers such as loggers and cutters. These numbers remained fairly constant until the eventual closure of the company in 1941, when motorized trucks eventually rendered wagons obsolete. At its peak, the plant was producing upwards of 15,000 wagons of various types per year and shipping them via barge, rail and boat all over the United States and into other countries. Many examples of the wagons still exist and have been faithfully restored by devoted craftsmen. One sits proudly in the rear yard at Pope's Tavern Museum. The Wagon Works site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996; a historical marker is situated on the south side of Veterans Drive near its intersection with Spurr Street.

Billy Warren, City Historian

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