The Shades Cahaba Owl has had a very interesting life. It first appeared when Shades Cahaba High School was built in 1920. It stood watch over the front entrance as “a symbol of learning to all who enter here.” It stayed there until the end of high school in 1949 and then it disappeared. No one seemed to know where it was. It wasn’t until almost 30 years later that the owl appeared again to take its place on top of the roof to look over all the elementary students who entered its doors.
Why did the owl leave? Where did the owl go? How did it get back to Shades Cahaba Elementary School? All these questions and more are answered in this edition of the Shades Cahaba Oral History Podcast.
I’d like to give special thanks to the following people who helped me piece together this episode: Sheryl Summe, Laura Estes, Herb Griffin, Bill Cleveland, and Dale Turnbough. I also want to thank friends from Facebook who gave me stories and information in my search for the story of the owl.
See the banner created for the 100th Anniversary Celebration at Shades Cahaba Elementary.
