Brown Bag Lunch—Alabama Bound Fall Series Presents Mary Ann Neeley

The Works of Matthew Blue, Montgomery’s First Historian, is a landmark volume about the early days of Montgomery, Alabama. Painstakingly researched, edited, and annotated by local historian Mary Ann Neeley, The Works of Matthew Blue is ten years in the making.

The 1878 City Directory of Montgomery, Alabama, included “A Brief History of Montgomery,” consisting of a “narrative” and a series of “events.” Compiled by Matthew Powers Blue, whose family was among Montgomery’s first settlers, this was the earliest published history of a city which had already served as the center of Deep South cotton culture and as the first capital of the Confederacy. "The Works of Matthew Blue" makes available Blue’s other writings about early churches and the genealogy of the colorful Blue family, plus features a Civil War diary by Blue’s sister, Ellen. This new volume includes 183 nineteenth-century photographs and maps; a detailed index; and a profile of Matthew Blue, written by Ms. Neeley.

Join us as Mary Ann Neeley discusses the history of Montgomery and the how this book came together. Wednesday, September 15, noon.

Feed your body and mind at BPL's Brown Bag Lunch programs. You bring the lunch and we'll bring the drinks. Wednesdays at noon in the Arrington Auditorium located on the 4th floor of the Linn-Henley Research Library, 2100 Park Place.