Folklore Center Tour Highlights 2021
Built in 1840
About The Center
The Hoover Historical Society Folklore Center is located on the campus of Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama. The cabin and site feature period furnishings, equipment, and construction wherever possible. The log cabin is the oldest structure in the City of Hoover.
The Folklore Center buildings and grounds were dedicated on November 9, 1997, to help children learn about the pioneer past of Alabama. The curriculum correlates with the Alabama Course of Study. Students learn about the lifestyle of our ancestors in the 19th century.
Thank you notes from some of the students that have visited the Folklore Center
Stinson Ole Place
The focal point of The Folklore Center is the authentic two-story house of hand-hewn logs known as the Stinson Ole Place.
The house originally stood in rural Shelby County off Highway 25 between Columbiana and Wilsonville, Alabama, on a wooden plank road called the Columbiana Turnpike. The turnpike was the route for the stagecoach line from Georgia through Alabama.
Built in the 1840s by the Hugh Acey Mack Stinson family, it served as the home for at least three generations of Stinsons until 1946.
Under the leadership of Jack Crouch and Charles Shelby, the house was dismantled, log by log, and rebuilt on the Bluff Park Elementary School campus. The house has half-dove-tailed notches and each log had to be reassembled exactly as it was found.
Household Items
The house was furnished with items donated by members of the Hoover Historical Society and by funding provided by the City of Hoover. Inside the house are authentic items including cooking utensils, a spinning wheel, pottery, a churn, quilts, tools, rope beds and rocking chairs.
Outbuildings
The Folklore Center has a number of interesting outbuildings and structures. There is an outhouse, watering trough, spring house, plumping mill, smoke house, corn crib and small barn. The house is surrounded by a split rail fence and a boot serves as a rural mail box.
Grounds
A swept yard, herb garden and grassy area complete the fenced area.
More Information & Reservations
For more information or to schedule a tour/visit, contact the Hoover Historical Society at 205-739-7316 or by e-mail info@hooverhistoricalsociety.org. The Society’s headquarters and library are located at the Public Safety Center, 2020 Valleydale Road #108, Hoover, AL 35244.
Click here to download the Folklore Center Field Trip – Teacher Notebook in PDF format. The notebook is packed full of fun historical tips and games that will help the students before and after your field trip.
