Linton’s Barbershop Plaza Dedicated To A True Hero Near Downtown Tuscaloosa
A hero is made when circumstances call for someone to step forward, often in the face of danger. That is how Reverend Thomas Linton became a central figure in Tuscaloosa's civil rights struggle. His barbershop, located on the spot where downtown ended and West End began, became a historic landmark because he answered the call and told the story.
Today, the ribbon was cut for the new Linton's Barbershop Plaza, honoring the man who made a difference in individual lives and the city's civil rights legacy. For four decades you could walk into Linton's barbershop and be surrounded by history in pictures and newspaper articles on the walls. Pictures that reflected critical events, moments and the people who were involved in them.
But the history of that barbershop isn't just displayed on the walls, it actually took place there.
When Autherine Lucy Foster became the first African American student to enroll at the University of Alabama in February 1956, she was confronted by a violent mob of white citizens and students. In that dangerous situation, pelted with stones, garbage, and eggs, Lucy retreated to that innocuous looking shop with a barber pole in front. Linton provided Lucy with safety and shelter in his business. He even arranged safe transportation home for her.
"Too often, we see efforts to overlook or forget the history that helped shape our country," Mayor Walt Maddox said at today's ribbon cutting. "The City of Tuscaloosa has chosen to stand in the gap. We are committed to remembering our history, celebrating it and ensuring its lessons endure. By honoring our history, we honor the people who changed our community for the better. Reverend Linton's legacy continues to make Tuscaloosa stronger, and today we celebrate that."
Linton’s Barbershop Plaza features an art installation by renowned artist Caleb O’Connor representing the barbershop with a relief of Reverend Linton. The $1.4 million Elevate Tuscaloosa investment also includes story panels detailing major milestones in Tuscaloosa’s Civil Rights history, and a central walkway with a timeline.
"This is step one towards making a bigger statement here in Tuscaloosa, having a place where we can show all of the things Reverend Linton collected that talked about the movement, but also talked about the history of Tuscaloosa," remarked Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History & Reconciliation Foundation Co-President Tim Lewis.
When Rev. Linton passed into history six years ago at the age of 88, he died a hero, a man who saw a need and fulfilled it throughout his life.