Forgotten Alabama
Presenter Glenn Wills
The Summer program of CVHS will be held virtually on July 24th, at 3:00 PM (EDT). Our presenter will be Glenn Wills. Mr. Wills is one of the founding administrators of the Facebook page “Forgotten AlabamaTM”. This page was purposefully created for Facebook users to post photographs of various places in the State of Alabama that are now in states of disrepair or neglect. “Forgotten AlabamaTM” is one of the largest, most interactive pages of its kind on Facebook, with over 284,600 members as of June 2022.
While born out of state, Glenn Wills has spent nearly all his life in Alabama (his mother being a native of Lee County). He grew up in Huntsville, AL, attending S.R. Butler High School and later graduating from the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He then went on to work in the media industry in Birmingham (originally as a part-time tape editor and later a videographer). Eventually, he was hired by the local NBC-affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama, as a satellite truck engineer. As these trucks frequently traveled throughout the state, Glenn spent a lot of time getting acquainted with the architecture and scenery of the entire state (both rural and urban areas). It was his appreciation and concern for the many dilapidated and neglected buildings that he encountered in these travels that gave him the idea to create a Facebook page to encourage their restoration, preservation, and appreciation.
The page that is now “Forgotten AlabamaTM” was originally founded as a “fan page” in 2013. By September of 2014, however, Wills modified it to a “group page”, which now anyone on Facebook can join. The page currently has over 284,600 members (as of mid-June 2020). It is the largest Facebook group of its genre in the entire United States. The page has a group of administrators who oversee membership and review all submitted posts. Users can upload pictures of any ruined or neglected historical landmark in Alabama (pending administrator approval).
In addition to his management of the Facebook page, Mr. Wills is also the author of several books. His published books (in order) include Forgotten Alabama (Strange Wonderful Bird Press, 2016), More Forgotten Alabama (Strange Wonderful Bird Press, 2017 OoS), and 200 Years of Forgotten Alabama (Blue Rooster Press, 2019). He is currently finishing a fourth book entitled Finding Forgotten Alabama, to be released by Blue Rooster Press in August of this year.
Our virtual presentation will last approximately one hour (with Glenn’s power points lasting approximately 45 to 50 minutes). He often presents to different groups and organizations throughout Alabama and usually focuses specifically on the area in which he is presenting. For this presentation, Glenn is especially knowledgeable about this area. His mother is an Auburn native, and much of her family came from Lee and Chambers County.
Join us for this very informative and interesting presentation on July 24th.
To attend this virtual meeting email ccpowers02@gmail.com prior to 12:00 PM noon (EDT) on Sunday, July 24th. You will then be sent the Zoom link with instructions regarding how to join the meeting.