Monuments and Memorials Walking Tour

Academic Mall

The T-shaped lawn area at the heart of the campus is lined both on the South and North sides by academic buildings. There are several features on the Mall with the most imposing being the Equinox. This 20-foot high sculpture was erected in 1974 and is situated at the center of the Academic Mall. Other elements on the Mall include benches, trees, and a time capsule that was buried in 1974 during the University’s centennial celebration.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Engraved Stone (2001)

The granite engraved stone entitled, “75 Years Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 1936-2001,” is located in front of Friendship Manor, which served as the president’s house between 1919 and 1970. The engraved stone celebrates the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Beta Nu Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority on the campus of Alabama State University.

Memorial Bell

The bell, which is located east of the Academic Mall directly in front of the Levi Watkins Learning Center, was initially rung to mark the beginning and end of class at the State Normal School in Marion, Alabama. In 1887, the bell was moved to Montgomery and mounted in the original 1890 Tullibody Hall. Similar to the way it was used in Marion, in Montgomery the bell was also rung to mark the start and end of classes. Eventually, the bell became a recognized timepiece for the surrounding community. In 1904, a fire in Tullibody Hall damaged the bell.

In a State Normal Courier article, F. Douglass Adair wrote that when “the large bell was put out of commission by the fire,” another bell was presented to the school by the Plasterers, Brick Masons, and Carpenters Union. When a new brick building replaced the old wood frame Tullibody Hall in 1906, the bell again tolled on campus. In 1928, after two decades the bell was removed from atop Tullibody Hall. It was replaced by an automatic chime.

The Brittain Reading Room (1985)

Named in honor of Dr. Joseph Matt Brittain, the Brittain Reading Room is located on the second floor of Beverly Hall and pays homage to the career of this distinguished history professor. At ASU Dr. Brittain spent seventeen years as a Professor of History and in 1960 he became chair of the History and Political Science Department.

The Equinox (1974)

In 1974, as part of the University’s centennial celebration, Larry Godwin with the help of several ASU students erected a sculpture at the center of the academic mall. The Equinox is intended to serve as a tribute to the contributions African-Americans made to the nation. Designed and built by artist-in-residence Larry Godwin, the title Equinox was selected to highlight the phenomena of the sun’s passage across the equator. However, the sculpture is sometimes referred to as the “whiplash sidewalk.” According to the designer; “the Equinox, in its surprise emergence from ordinary, commonly accepted forms will spark within the viewer a new sense of awareness to the aesthetic potential in one’s total environment.” This reinforced concrete and aluminum structure cover a 50’ by 50’ area with the central loop curling 24’ above the brick terrace. Situated around the sculpture are four small monuments that serve as tributes. A tribute I am to “Martin Luther King, Jr. and all freedom lovers who amplified the courage of Rosa Parks and wrought from all Americans the fruits of the Civil Rights Movement.” Tribute II is to “Ruby Jackson Gainer and all other Alabama Black educators who in the struggle for racial equality and equity lost teaching positions but retained their honor.” Tribute III is to “William Burns Paterson, Harper Councill Trenholm, Levi Watkins and all others whose labors transformed Lincoln School at Marion into Alabama State University.” Tribute IV is to “Blacks who as slaves, free persons, and patriots labored and died that our great nation of the bicentennial year might have evolved from the American Revolution.”

1963 Student Government Memorial

Located outside of Kilby Hall, this four-foot-high granite monument was erected by the College Council (now called the Student Government Association). The rectangular monument bears the names of two students, Leon Howard (representing the College Council, or students who resided on the ASU campus) and Joseph Lacey (representing the Day Council or students who lived off campus). On the third side of the monument, there is a quote by Frank N. W. Jones with the words “Education Makes People Easy to Lead, But Difficult to Drive, Easy to Govern, But Impossible to Enslave.” A sundial is affixed to the top of the monument with the inscription “Grow Old Along With Me, The Best Is Yet To Be.”

The Ollie L. Brown Afro-American Heritage Collection (1974)

Over a forty year period, Ollie Lee Brown, librarian and avid book collector, amassed an assemblage of African-American books. Brown integrated her own collection into the general library holdings thereby significantly enriching the University’s African-American related titles. The Ollie L. Brown Afro-American Heritage Collection forms the core of the African-American books in the Special Collections are of the Levi Watkins Learning Center.

Thelma Rice Plaza

Situated between William Hooper Councill Hall and William Burns Paterson Hall, the Thelma Rice Plaza was constructed on the West side of the Academic Mall in 1981. The Thelma Rice Plaza features two beds for shrubs, a flagpole, and walkways. The Thelma Rice Plaza is named in honor of Thelma Austin Rice, a 1937 ASU alumna who taught mathematics for forty-two years at ASU’s Mobile branch and the Montgomery campus. The reach of Thelma Austin Rice spanned the breadth of campus life, from freshman orientation to serving as Chair of the Department of Mathematics. On campus Rice was active as student advisor to several organizations, including several honor societies, sororities, book clubs, and thirty years as advisor to the yearbook staff. Over time students began referring to her as “Mama Rice,” a title she came to appreciate and embrace. Thelma Rice spent long hours on campus and came to know many of the students by name. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s Rice was known for enforcing the traditional Black college code that required female students wear only dresses, skirts, and leather shoes to class. She helped enforce the tradition that female students were in the residence halls by 9 p.m., that they never smoked, and that they did not ride in cars on or off campus without permission.

Theresa Elaine Hill Cannon Marker

An engraved granite memorial honoring Theresa Elaine Hill Cannon is located on the east side of George Washington Trenholm Hall. While Cannon began teaching at ASU in 1977, by 1984 she took time off to study in several West African countries as a Fulbright Scholar. Upon returning to ASU, Cannon continued teaching history and humanities while serving as advisor to both the SGA and the Hornet Tribune.

Third Movement Sculpture (c.1977)

This abstract eight-foot tall bronze sculpture is entitled “Third Movement” and was created under advisor Larry Godwin by ASU students Bernice Washington, Larry Thornton, James E. Tatum. The sculpture is located atop an outdoor patio on the south side of Tullibody Hall.

The Time Capsule (1974)

The time capsule at ASU was buried in 1974 and contains 121 historical artifacts reflecting the period between the University’s founding and 1974. As part of the University’s centennial celebration, this hermetically sealed sarcophagus was partially buried on the Academic Mall between William H. Councill and H. Councill Trenholm Halls. The capsule was placed in the ground in 1974 and was scheduled to be unearthed fifty years later in 2024. The opening of the time capsule was set to correspond to the 150th sesquicentennial of ASU. However, after placement of the time capsule, ASU officially moved its founding date from 1874 to 1867. Hence, the University celebrated its 150th sesquicentennial in 2017. The time capsule, however, is still scheduled for a 2024 unveiling.

Govan Lounge (1963)

ASU dedicated Govan Faculty Lounge in Councill Hall in recognition of a gift from Susie Johnson Govan. The lounge was established upon the death of this ASU alumna. Govan was an educator, she was a Jeanes Supervisor for the Alabama State Department of Education, and she taught at ASU.

Rosa Parks Monument (2006)

ASU and the Women of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) erected this monument at the corner of South Jackson Street and North University Drive on the campus of ASU. The monument is located just outside Tullibody Hall, which is the previous site of the Alabama State College Laboratory High School from which Rosa Parks graduated in 1933. The black granite monument is topped by a bust of Rosa Parks. It was dedicated on April 23, 2006, and includes Rosa Park’s name engraved at the top, and at the bottom, the engraving reads: “She sat down, so we can stand up.