Historic Tuscaloosa Lecture Series To Begin With Talk On Bryce Hospital Coal Mine

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Historic Tuscaloosa on Tuesday announced plans to kick off its summertime lecture series on Thursday, July 25, with Gerald Adair presenting a lecture on the Bryce Hospital Coal Mines.

Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.

The first installment of the lecture series is free to the public and will be held at 5:30 p.m. in room 214 of Farrah Hall at the University of Alabama.

Adair, a Tuscaloosa native who graduated from the University of Alabama, has had a professional career encompassing positions in private industry and municipal government.

He and his wife returned to Tuscaloosa in 2017 after he retired as director of Public Utilities for the Town of Wallingford, Connecticut. In retirement, he then applied his keen skills to researching Alabama history.

Indeed, Historic Tuscaloosa says Adair first heard about the coal mines operated by Bryce Hospital from someone he met while walking with his grandson along the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk, near the area where one of the mine shafts was located.

Adair then searched newspaper archives researching the mines and learned about the 1901 disaster and the lawsuits that resulted.

The accident occurred at the River Road mining site on Feb. 20 1901, when 13 miners were buried alive. The mine was never reopened following the accident.

“The Bryce Hospital Coal Mine Lawsuits” is Adair’s first work to appear in print but he has reportedly submitted a second article for publication and is conducting research for a third.

Historic Tuscaloosa has previously held its lectures in the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion in past years but due to growing attendance over the past three years the nonprofit decided to relocate this year's lectures to the University of Alabama campus.

Click here for more from Historic Tuscaloosa and to learn about future events.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com