By Torey Badar
MSNHA graduate student
Note: This is the first in a series of blog posts about the “Sallie Independence Foster Collection, 1835-1889,” at the University of North Alabama Archives & Special Collections, part of Collier Library. Torey Badar is a public-history graduate student at UNA. Information in this post comes from the UNA Archives.
George Washington Foster was born on Nov. 28, 1806, in Nashville. He later became a successful industrialist and planter in the Florence area. His home — now known as Rogers Hall — was built in 1854 at 500 N. Court St. in Florence. It’s one of the oldest buildings on the University of North Alabama campus.
During Foster’s lifetime, he made a great contribution to the Florence community. He donated $10,000 to UNA, which was known as Florence Wesleyan University at the time. This donation largely contributed to the construction of Wesleyan Hall, another building on UNA’s campus which was completed in 1856. Foster had seven children. Two of his children, Watkins and George Washington Jr., served in the Civil War. During their military service, they wrote letters to home describing life in the war. These letters, along with other information about the Foster family, are maintained at UNA’s Archives and Special Collections.
Check back next week for another look at UNA’s Foster family collection.
Photo by Torey Badar
