Historic Tuscaloosa showcases local lore through postcards

By WVUA 23 News Student Reporter Nick Balenger

Historic Tuscaloosa is spending this summer spreading knowledge about how T-Town came around. On Thursday, the organization hosted its second in a four-part summer lecture series.

Thursday’s topic? Tuscaloosa-area postcards published from the 1930s and 1940s.

Event speaker James Barksdale showed 170 postcards from that time, many showcasing homes or government buildings. Several others focused on the University of Alabama campus, and what was then Denny Stadium.

“There is a group of people, like everything else, that collects postcards,” Barksdale said. “And I assume some collect modern postcards, some collect specific old postcards. It just depends, like all collectors. There’s so many variations. ”

Barksdale said he’s among several avid local postcard collectors. The Mobile native said moved to Tuscaloosa 30 years ago, and he immediately fell in love with its history.

The next Historic Tuscaloosa summer lecture is happening Aug. 24, with John Allen presenting a talk about the 1926 University of Alabama Rose Bowl. You can learn more about that event or register right here.