Photo courtesy of Samford University.
A 50th anniversary bulletin for Union Baptist Church from 1937.
In 2019, Samford University students conducted a History Harvest for the Rosedale community in Homewood. Rosedale residents were invited to bring their stories and memorabilia to document the area’s development.
One resident, Anna Marie Smith, brought a 50th anniversary bulletin for Union Baptist Church from 1937. Smith told her interviewer, Shae Corey, that she was a third-generation attendee of the church.
Corey asked about the role of churches in the Rosedale community, to which Smith responded, “At my time, they were very important. Because you have to remember, people lived in the community, they went to the churches in the community. So, you walked to church, you walked to choir rehearsal, you walked to vacation Bible school…. And the people that lived in the community were very proud of the community, took care of it, pride in what it looked like, pride in the way it was kept.”
In their research, the students concluded that churches like Union Baptist were a pillar of solidarity in times of unrest and provided a place of peace for Rosedale residents.
