Portersville Revival Group

Booker T. Washington and Alabama's French Coast
Submitted by Barbara Holley Reid

Coden along Alabama's French Coast provided a much-needed retreat for Booker T. Washington. Washington and several other Tuskegee Administrators vacationed regularly in Coden. A trip to Coden was one of Washington’s last personal visits prior to his death in 1915. See James Neyland, Booker T. Washington, (Melrose Square Publishers, Los Angeles, 1992).

Washington was a personal friend of Clarence and Josephine Allen. The Allen’s maintained a home on the corner of Shell Bank Road (now known as Henry Johnson Road) and County Road (now known as Hemley Road) in Coden. Ms. Allen was an admired local educator. Mr. Allen was a well known businessman and civic leader. Paulette Horton - Davis chronicles the achievements of these two very significant individuals in her work, The Avenue...The Place, The People, The Memories (Buck Publishing, Mobile, Al. 1991).

Washington was an avid angler. Several photos of Washington and Clarence Allen fishing in the waters of Portersville Bay can be found in the Photographic Archives of the University of South, Alabama. In his own writings, Washington described Coden as “A paradise of fish and seafood”.

One of the first African - American schools in the region was located in Coden. Although it origins have not been adequately explored, it was known for the premier education given to local children... It can only be surmised that with the regional interest of Washington and Josephine Allen, two of the nations’ most outstanding educators, that therein influence was profound on the school and its students. Ms. Allen also provide music lesson to local children and several current residents of Coden took lesson form her at her home in Coden.

A 1966 highway map of Coden pinpoints the location of the former Allen home. It may have later burned. Around 1990, the Gulf Stream Pipeline Corridor was extended through the site without archeological study. Based upon the presence of a non-native Palm tree and the placement of two Magnolia trees, portions of the site may remain intact. Due to the relationship of the site to the Allens and Washington, individuals of great significance in southern history, this site would have been eligible for the National Register of Historic Places except for its destruction. Hopefully with awareness of the importance of this site, a historical marker will some day be placed thereon.