BPL Hosting Ballard House Conversation Project Signups June 19-24

The Ballard House Project, Inc. is partnering with the Birmingham Public Library as it seeks people willing to share personal stories about Birmingham’s historic past.

The Central Library and four regional libraries across the city will host sign-ups for residents willing to participate beginning Monday, June 19, through Friday, 24, 2017.

“We are gathering people across the metro area to record community conversations about Birmingham’s historic past,” said Majella Hamilton of the Ballard House Project. “Our community was built with the hard work, sacrifice, and legacy of people from all walks of life and backgrounds. It’s time we learn more about them.”

The sign-up schedule is as follows:
Monday, June 19, North Birmingham Regional Branch Library, 4:00-7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 20, Five Points West Regional Branch Library, 4:00-7:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 22, Springville Road Regional Branch Library, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Friday, June 23, Central Library, 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 24, Avondale Regional Branch Library, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

For more information, go to www.ballardhouseproject.org or call 205-731-2000.

The Ballard House in the Birmingham civil rights district downtown, is a cultural and educational space dedicated to celebrating people, places and events from Birmingham’s past and inspiring citizens of today. “Our goal is to bridge our present with our past,” Hamilton said.

The Ballard House
1420 7th Ave N, Birmingham, AL

The Ballard House was built in 1940 by Dr. Edward Ballard, a prominent Birmingham doctor in the 1920s. Hamilton’s husband, Herschell Hamilton, is the son of the late Dr. Herschell Hamilton Sr., who upon moving to Birmingham in 1958 became the first board-certified African American surgeon in the city. Dr. Hamilton became known as the “dog-bite doctor” for providing free medical care, including surgery for several foot soldiers and activists injured during the 1960s civil rights movement. He was the personal physician for Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and also treated Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Hamilton’s office was located inside the Ballard House, and he spent much of his 43 years of medical practice there. Hamilton’s family established the Herschell Lee Hamilton Endowed Medical Scholarship in his honor during the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement in Birmingham.