Local historian and author Mary Ann Neeley provides some fascinating details about the heart of the city.

The Original Freeney's Tavern circa 1821	The Alabama River circa 1907	Court Square Commerce St. circa 1874

“Montgomery was a wholesale center for Central Alabama with both the river and the railroad. From very early on in the 19th Century, Montgomery was the distribution point,” states Neeley. Riverboats would bring goods down the river, and the trains enhanced our authority to have more goods coming into the city. Trains would come directly into Alley Station and load and unload goods. Commerce Street was a busy, busy place according to Neeley.

Today, Commerce Street is being brought back to life. Instead of cargo trains rolling through the Alley Station, pedestrians stroll through the streets and dine at restaurants or mingle at area entertainment venues.

“The key to a vibrant community is vibrant people doing something worthwhile. It creates a vitality and energy,” Neeley says.

Of course, the development of downtown Montgomery has not happened over night. Preservation of the city’s historic buildings is an ongoing process, with much restoration still needed. It takes time to make things happen. Neeley recounts that it wasn’t until the late 1970s with the passage of the historic preservation tax credit that many projects began. Of course, the impact of Riverwalk Stadium and the Montgomery Biscuits has helped fuel development in the past few years. “One successful entity encourages another,” says Neeley.

The history of Montgomery really comes alive when you consider the important landmarks of today’s downtown as they relate to the past. Neeley says, “History doesn’t repeat itself, people do.” Take a closer look at the story behind t he Renaissance Hotel on the next page and history becomes alive.

The first brick building in Montgomery was built in 1821 by Clement Freeney. The building was often referred to as Freeney’s Tavern, or the LaFayette House. It played host to the Grand Ball when Marquis de LaFayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, paid a visit in 1825 and reserved a large room upstairs for a celebration. The building also hosted the city’s first theatrical performances, and offered travelers accommodations and private rooms. It had a bell tower, which served as a primary mode of communication for the bustling city. The bell would ring to sound an alarm, toll the time of day, and invite people in for food and drinks.

Today, a replica of the original 1821 bell hangs at the Exchange Tavern and rings every day at 5:00 p.m. inviting people to the same activities that Freeney’s did over 189 years ago.

Mary Ann Neeley is a historian, preservationist, author, and former educator. She earned a degree in history at Huntingdon College and was a teacher before becoming director of the Landmarks Foundation. She has written and edited several books on local history including her latest book published in April 2010, The Works of Matthew Blue, Montgomery’s First Historian.