Classes started at Shades Cahaba High School on September 19, 1920 and the school has continuously served students in Homewood for the past 100 years. This project was started to record the memories of those that attended and worked at Shades Cahaba and those that just have a great story to tell.
The Book
To celebrate the centennial of Shades Cahaba, I produced 23 podcast episodes and various blog posts covering the history of the school, the community and Homewood creating it’s own school system, all of which are in this website. I used these stories and interviews to write the book Shades Cahaba: The First 100 Years which is on sale now. Hardback, paperback and Kindle versions are available at Amazon.com. A paperback version is available at Bookshop.org and an electronic version at Apple Books.
If you are a bookstore and would like to place this book in your store, it is now available to order through IngramSpark.
Episodes
Listen to the stories told by those who went to Shades Cahaba. Teachers, students, staff and parents. The school means something a little different to each person. Visit the Episodes Page for more content.
Show Host
My name is Shawn Wright and I attend Shades Cahaba Elementary from 1970 through 1974. My first year was in Mrs. Lemmon’s 2nd grade class. Both of my children have attend Shades Cahaba and my youngest “graduated” during Shades Cahaba’s 100th year. You can find out more about me at ShawnWright.net.
Blog Posts
Rosedale School
Community leader and educator B.M. Montgomery established a school for black children in the 1920s in Rosedale Park. They initially met in Montgomery’s home. Sometimes in the 1930s a wooden building was built up on the hill in the northeastern section of the...
Hall-Kent Elementary School
Oak Grove, what we now know as West Homewood, was annexed into the city of Homewood in 1955. This brought Hall-Kent Elementary into the Homewood Family of schools. Schools in this area go all the way back to the 19th century and includes the Zelosophian Academy which...
Edgewood Elementary School
The community of Edgewood became a full-fledge town in 1920 and soon after, leaders decided they needed their own school. Six acres of land just off Broadway was purchased and the town deeded five of the acres to the Jefferson County Board of Education in 1924. Before...
The Underpass
I shot this video around 2010 with my new iPhone 4. The video was terrific back then. I shared it on the Facebook page “I went to Shades Cahaba when the main entrance was on Hollywood Blvd.” There was a tremendous response from Shades Cahaba alumni. I thought you might like to see the Underpass.