The Commons (Tuscumbia, Alabama)

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Tuscumbia takes pride in its Commons, which is mostly grassy ring, sometimes as much as 300 feet wide, that was laid out all the way around the city when the city was originally platted in 1817. This wide swatch of land was dedicated to the public and it is identified only for public use are permitted within it. Today the Tennessee Valley Art Center and Museum, Helen Keller Public Library, Deshler High School’s stadium, the field house and the
Shoals regional center for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) are all located within it. The Commons thus links the historic home of the legendary champion of the hearing-and sight-impaired with a modern facility offering services to those same clients. The Commons, developed as public open space completely encircling the old original city. It is very rare if not unique within the entire southeast United States. It is an exemplary piece of early American town planning. For most of its length around the city, it remains a peaceful element of open space, forever available for everyone’s enjoyment.