Birmingham Public Library Archives

Booker T. Washington and the Shiloh Baptist Church Tragedy

People came early to Shiloh Baptist Church on the evening of September 19, 1902. The National Baptist Convention, an African American organization, was holding its annual meeting in Birmingham, and 2,000 delegates were present from several states. The featured speaker on this night was Booker T. Washington. As Washington finished his talk two men began to argue over a seat on the stage. A woman nearby yelled, “Fight!” Many in the crowded and noisy sanctuary mistook “Fight!” for “Fire!” and people in the rear of the church scrambled for the door. One hundred and twenty people were trampled to death in the stampede. Read more about this tragedy in the Winter 2010 issue of Alabama Heritage magazine and by visiting the Birmingham Public Library’s digital collections. For more information, contact Jim Baggett.

Alabama Illustrated: Engravings from 19th-Century Newspapers

a new book and exhibit by

the Birmingham Public Library Archives

Order your copy here!

Click here to see images and read newspaper articles featured in the exhibition.

From the 1850s to the 1890s, more than 250 engraved images of Alabama were published in national and international papers. The images included here are typical of those published for many places. They include portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and events such as storms, parades,

sports and work. For more information on the traveling exhibition,

please contact Jim Baggett