Peggy Towns
I grew up in Old Town, Decatur, Alabama’s oldest neighborhood. It is unique in so many ways and has an amazing history.
During the Civil War, the 106th United States Colored Infantry (USCI) organized in this area; it was the first of only two African American regiments raised in Alabama. A predominately black community, the first Black Alderman lived here; as well as the first African American physician and surgeon, W. E. Sterrs. Dr. Sterrr’s established the first hospital in the city. During the infamous Scottsboro Boys Trials the men of Old Town testified that they met qualifications to serve as jurors, which later resulted in a landmark United States Supreme Court ruling. The only accredited high school for black students was located in this community and provided not only an education, but cultural, social, and political skills as well. The oldest historical African American congregations continue to worship in this once bustling neighborhood. During segregation Old Town’s Vine Street business district was a thriving commercial core. Successful neighborhood businessmen provided numerous services for people of color.
Dear to my heart, it is also a place of countless happy memories; my parents brought me home from the hospital to our 722 Church Street home. I went to school here. I also attended church in this neighborhood, where my trail-blazing grandmother was the first woman of color to pastor and preach in the county and surrounding areas. I was baptized here, and my daughter was born in Old Town. Older now, as I reflect on the place I was reared; strong family values, caring neighbors, concerned teachers, political movements, cultural activities and more, I see how the close knit community shaped me into the person I am today. These are just a few things that make the community that I grew up in special to me.
