Leeds City Schools Partners with Leeds Historical Society for Immersive Local History Field Trip

Leeds, Alabama — April 2025 – Leeds City Schools and the Leeds Historical Society have teamed up to offer fourth grade students an unforgettable hands-on history experience, bringing the story of their hometown to life through a three-day immersive field trip across key historic sites.

As part of the Alabama fourth grade social studies curriculum, all seven fourth grade classes at Leeds Elementary School are participating in this unique local history tour, designed to help students connect with the evolution of the area—from Native American hunting grounds to the incorporation of the City of Leeds on April 27, 1887.

Each day, students travel to three significant historical sites, accompanied by guides and costumed reenactors portraying real people from Leeds’ past:

• Mt. Hebron Baptist Church – Students meet Hezekiah Balch Moor, portrayed by none other than Leeds City Schools Superintendent John Moore, who is a direct descendant of Moor. He tells the story of early settlers arriving after the Creek War and establishing one of the region’s earliest churches.

• The J.W. Bass House – Ruteria Bass welcomes students into her family home and shares stories of daily life in the post-Civil War era, community growth, and her husband’s role in founding the town and its first school.

• The Georgia Pacific Railway Depot – J.B. Elliott, known as the "Duke of Leeds," describes the arrival of the railroad and how it transformed Leeds into a thriving industrial hub.

While riding between sites, students learn how the Upper Cahaba Valley was once a ceremonial ground and hunting trail for the Creek, Cherokee, and Chickasaw tribes, and later became a vital route for stagecoaches, settlers, and commerce. Stops along the way include views of Rowan Oaks, Henry Little’s log cabin site, and early community landmarks.

“This is history students can walk through, listen to, and imagine,” said Mary Beth Lochridge, F.A.C.E. Coordinator for Leeds City Schools. “They’re not just learning names and dates—they’re seeing how the story of Leeds was shaped by the choices of real people, some of whom they’re even related to.”

The Leeds Historical Society supports the event by providing volunteers, costumes, historic settings, and museum access. The tour culminates with an invitation for students and families to attend the 138th Birthday Celebration of the City of Leeds on Sunday, April 27, 2025, from 2:00–4:00 PM at the Bass House Museum, 1129 Montevallo Road. The celebration will include guided tours, special exhibits, and refreshments.

“This partnership shows how schools and community organizations can work together to make history come alive,” said Superintendent Moore. “And for our students, it’s a powerful reminder that their story is part of a much bigger one.”