Sheffield

The city is known as the “Center of the Shoals” and has unique homes and a proud history.

Rock ‘n roll music, among other forms of music, still maintains a fondness for Sheffield and the surrounding areas in Colbert and Lauderdale counties.

Some of the top performers in the industry recorded No. 1 hits at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio on Jackson Highway.

The studio was even featured on the cover of Cher’s “3614 Jackson Highway” album.

Sheffield features three historic districts, with antebellum and Victorian-era homes and buildings – all of which are a source of great pride for residents. You can take a stroll into the past as you walk by numerous Colonial Revival and Late Gothic Revival homes. Some are on display during the “Holiday Tour of Homes” in December.

The Village One neighborhood is also historic and one of Sheffield’s most unique neighborhoods. The subdivision was built in 1918 by the federal government to house employees at nearby Nitrate Plant No. 1, which was constructed shortly after the United States entered World War I. Village One has 85 bungalows, a school house and officers barracks. The bungalows are now owned by residents and still bear the red tile roof and stucco exterior appearance of the past. The street was designed in the shape of the Liberty Bell, adding to the unique atmosphere.

The Ritz Theater is another historic landmark in Sheffield. It was built in the 1920’s as a silent movie house. It was renovated a short time late to accommodate talkies.

The Ritz, which is on Third Street in downtown Sheffield, was recently restored to its original form and is now home to a community theater group.

Sheffield also boasts quick access to Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee River.

Riverfront Park, which has a boat launch, fishing piers, picnic tables and other amenities, is a favorite spot for anglers and family outings.
History

The city was incorporated in 1885, but it’s roots actually were planted 70 years earlier when Gen. Andrew Jackson and his troops passed through on their way to the Battle of New Orleans. Following the Military Road, they crossed the Tennessee River and entered into what is now Sheffield. In fact, their crossing point is still known as Jackson Hollow.

When Jackson and his troops returned in 1817, they camped on the bluff overlooking the river. Jackson liked the area so much that he recommended a few months later that a township should be formed where Military Road crossed the river.

The U.S. secretary of war laid out a town precisely at that point and gave it the name York Bluff. Jackson purchased a huge amount of land in 1818 and even suggested that the area would be an ideal site for the national capital.

Sheffield was incorporated in 1888 and took on the name of its sister city, Sheffield, England.

The city earned worldwide notoriety in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s for its innovative work in the music industry as rock ‘n roll began. Many top songwriters were attracted to the Jackson Highway Studio where top-selling records seemed to be produced in rapid fire.