Deqah and Vanessa chat with Lori Gonzalez and Tyrell Anderson from the ⁠Decay Devils⁠, an organization that started as a group of friends in Gary, Indiana who loved playing in abandoned buildings. They then started making some noise—posting on Instagram, starting a nonprofit, organizing community events—and gaining notice from the public and “big money” people. In this episode they dish on the trials and tribulations, ups and downs, they've faced trying to preserve Gary’s Union Station. For anyone working in nonprofits, partially in the areas of preservation and community-engagement, this episode is a MUST-listen!

Credits:

Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk. This episode was edited by Skyler Ficklin, Deqah, and Vanessa and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Thanks again to Lori Gonzalez and Tyrell Anderson.

Urban Roots is a product of Urbanist Media, a non-profit dedicated to community preservation. You can make a tax-deductible donation to us via Venmo or Paypal.

Follow us on IG at urbanrootsculture. Drop us an email urbanrootspodcast@gmail.com

Throughout its history, Decatur, Alabama has produced a number of unapologetically bold, creative, and “difficult” women who weren’t afraid to break the mold. In this episode, we’ll tell you the story of one of them: Carolyn Cortner Smith, believed to be the first licensed female architect in the state of Alabama.

Carolyn was born at a time when Southern women were expected to be gentile, acquiescent, amenable. Carolyn…wasn’t. As a young girl growing up in 1900s Decatur, Carolyn would assemble lean-tos in the backyard; she was mesmerized by the idea of building. In 1913, she was rejected from three architecture schools, in all likelihood because she was a woman. Nevertheless, Carolyn persevered — believing she would become the architect she knew she meant to be. By the time she was 40, in 1934, she owned and ran a lumbermill company, had designed/built multiple houses in her signature stone style, and was tapped by the City of Decatur to oversee some significant projects: the restoration of the Old State Bank, one of Decatur’s most treasured buildings, and the rehabilitation of City Park (now Delano Park) into a family-friendly area for recreation. Today, Delano Park’s structures have been beloved by generations of Decaturites, and yet too few people know of Carolyn’s struggles, accomplishments, and gifts to her hometown.

Guests in this episode:

• Barbara Kelly (Delano Park Conservancy)

• Norman Kent Johnson

The oral histories of Carolyn Cortner Smith you heard throughout this episode were courtesy of the Alabama Historical Commission. You can access these recordings via the Shelby County Museum & Archives website.

Thanks to Caroline Swope and the City of Decatur who made this episode possible. This material was produced with assistance from the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.

Barbara Kelly is part of the non-profit Delano Park Conservancy; you can learn more about them, and their mission to preserve Delano Park, at their website.

Credits

Urban Roots is a podcast from Urbanist Media. Your hosts are Vanessa Quirk and Deqah Hussein-Wetzel. This episode was written and executive produced by Vanessa Quirk, with support from Deqah Hussein Wetzel. It was edited and mixed by Andrew Callaway. Music by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Editorial support from Andrew Callaway.

The city of Decatur, Alabama is home to many historic Black churches, including one with a particularly rich history: First Missionary Baptist Church, in Old Town, the city’s predominantly Black neighborhood. Designed by one of the first African American architects, Wallace Rayfield, the church has — from its post-Civil War beginnings — been a cornerstone of Decatur’s African American community. During the segregation era, it was particularly vibrant, hosting hundreds of congregants, including many teachers, and taking an active stance in the Civil Rights movement.

However, de-segregation, and the decades of disinvestment that followed, have taken their toll on Decatur’s Black neighborhood of Old Town — and First Mission Baptist is no exception. Today, this historic property is struggling to stay afloat. But its congregation, and dedicated leader, Pastor Daylan Woodall, see that the church matters today more than ever — and are determined to make sure this important piece of Decatur history has a future. This episode not only features the voices of Pastor Woodall and his congregants but also Ms. Frances Tate — of Celebrating Early Old Town with Art and the imminent Scottsboro Boys Museum — and relies on the historical research of Peggy Towns.

Guests in this episode:

• Frances Tate

• Pastor Daylan Woodall

• Stephanie Gray

• Mary Lou Kelly

• Brenda Smith

• Nella Fletcher

• Lester Fletcher

Thanks to Caroline Swope and the City of Decatur who made this episode possible. This material was produced with assistance from the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.

Also thanks to Peggy Towns, whose tour around Old Town and book, Scottboro Unmasked, gave us crucial context for this episode.

The non-profit Miss Frances Tate is a part of is called Celebrating Early Old Town with Art (CEOTA). The CEOTA board is currently developing the Decatur Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum. If you’d like to learn more or get involved, visit www.sbcmuseum.org

Credits
Urban Roots is a podcast from Urbanist Media. Your hosts are Vanessa Quirk and Deqah Hussein-Wetzel. This episode was written and executive produced by Vanessa Quirk, with support from Deqah Hussein Wetzel. It was edited and mixed by Andrew Callaway. Music by Adaam James Levin-Areddy. Editorial support from Francis Ramirez O-Shea of Alta Gracia Media and recording help from Alexander Richey.