This Week In Tuscaloosa History: July 8-14

Editor's Note: While we do plan to relaunch our 'Memory of the Week' series soon, we thought we'd toy around with a separate historical feature series focusing on the biggest stories from Tuscaloosa's history that occurred each week.

In the meantime, if you're a local business with deep roots and history, we'd love for you to sponsor our 'Memory of the Week' series. Those with suggestions or interested in becoming a sponsor can email me at ryan.phillips@patch.com for a quote on rates.

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Here's a look at some of the biggest headlines through the years for the week of July 8-14.

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July 11, 1934 — The Tuscaloosa County Relief Association approved the completion of the Tuscaloosa Municipal Airport, with a total of $19,000 in labor and materials allocated for the project. Roughly 100 men were expected to work on the construction of the airport.

July 12, 1949 — Several Tuscaloosa firemen were treated for smoke inhalation after battling a fire at the Fisher Brother's Lumber Company's planer mill on Greensboro Road. The damage caused by the large blaze was estimated to have been $80,000 — roughly $1 million when adjusted for inflation by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

July 10, 1954 — Federal agents testified that Northport Police Chief Theron Dyer accepted $50 as a "payoff" to provide protection from arrest for moonshiners. Dyer was arrested on conspiracy to violate internal revenue law after he accepted the bribe in the presence of two undercover federal agents and a cafe operator in Northport.

July 8, 1964 — Small groups of young Black people were reportedly refused service at 10 different restaurants and snack bars in Tuscaloosa as they worked to test the public accommodations section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Traveling in groups of four to seven, the young people were only able to get service at the Toddle House on University Avenue. In another example, the groups found the door locked at Ed's Drive-In in Tuscaloosa's West End, despite seeing white customers eating inside.

July 11, 1974 — The Tuscaloosa City Commission, the precursor of the Tuscaloosa City Council, voted to consolidate its jail operations with the county following a 60-day trial period. At the time, the city paid the county $1 per inmate for booking and 60 cents a day for meals.

July 11, 1984 — Former state lawmaker Edward "Big Ed" Robertson defeated two incumbent Northport councilmen to win the city's mayoral race without a runoff. Robertson scored big wins in all of the city's voting precincts, carrying 64.6% of the vote in a race that saw him defeat Richard N. "Dick" Looser and Robert N. "Jack" Hobson to succeed retiring Mayor Frank "Red" Manderson.

July 10, 1994 — After opening its $16.5 million outpatient center in March 1993, DCH Health System dedicated the facility as the Sam M. Phelps Outpatient Center to honor the 18 years in which Phelps had served as chairman of the DCH Healthcare Authority.

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