UA Hollowed Grounds
"The Hallowed Grounds Project explores the history of race, slavery, and memory at the University of Alabama and the post-emancipation developments in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This ongoing scholarly project seeks to make accessible visualizations, transcriptions, primary sources, and other materials for understanding the history of slavery at the University of Alabama and its legacy."
- Dr. Hilary N. Green, PhD
The President's Mansion
Built just seven years after the opening of the university, the President's Mansion has not only been the home of the head of the school, but also many enslaved persons who served in the household. The original slave quarters are still in place and are currently used for storage. It is interesting that these small "homes" around the mansion housed those who belonged to the President and others that he may have rented for different events, but now are simply used for storage. They store a great amount of history and their presence should not be taken lightly. A common first thought would be to tear them down and build memorial sites, but it seems to be more impactful to maintain their integrity and have them as constant reminder of the foundations of this university.
Marr's Spring
As the original water source of the university, Marr's Spring holds great significance as the water had to get from point A to point B somehow. Now a relaxing place on campus to decompress and get away, Marr's Spring was a work place for many of the enslaved persons at the university who had to collect and carry water to academic buildings, dorms, and eventually barracks. It is baffling to think that slaves had to carry and serve water to soldiers fighting for them to remain enslaved. Marr's Spring road is on quite a steep hill and it is tough to be faced with the fact that slaves had to carry buckets of water to all areas of campus no matter the heat or cold. This reality begs the question: Would any of us be able to withstand this grueling work?