from the Thursday, June 22 WVUA 10 o'clock NEWSCAST:

"I want to show people how they can use that map to learn everything they want to know about Tuscaloosa, not from 1887 but from 1821 until 2023 because the street grid on that map is unchanged since 1821." ~ Robert Register

"Register's lecture consisted of the history of the state, the first sale of land in Tuscaloosa and what has changed since. Register's knowledge of details pertaining to the map is unmatched. He shared information of who lived in each house and what businesses used to be here." ~ Nick Ballenger of WVUA-TV

"I know Robert Register who probably knows as much about Tuscaloosa history as anyone in Tuscaloosa." ~ Brock Jones, member of Historic Tuscaloosa

 

 Robert Register TUSCALOOSA NEWS editorial from 2012: https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/2012/04/08/my-turn-war-of-1812s-results-are-tangible-for-tuscaloosa/29899017007/

TUSCALOOSA | I get some really funny looks when I tell my fellow Tuscaloosans how ready I am to celebrate the War of 1812 Bicentennial beginning this month. Some of them probably wonder, “When are you going get a life?”

I can understand how they feel. The city of Tuscaloosa didn’t even exist in 1812, so why should anyone here care about a war that was fought 200 years ago for God-knows-what reason with an outcome that resulted in God-knows-what?

There are some really good reasons that we should be celebrating. The War of 1812’s significance for Tuscaloosa is enormous. What happened in that war impacts every one of us every moment of our lives.

For right or wrong, the War of 1812 is the only reason there’s not a big “No Trespassing” sign over this entire region of the country. It resulted in treaties that tore millions of acres of land away from the Indians, and every square inch of Tuscaloosa is built upon that land.

Not only that, most of the land granted to charter the University of Alabama in 1819 came from the land the Indians lost when they were conquered in the war. All of the privileges that come with living in Tuscaloosa originate in the events that occurred during the War, which began 200 years ago in June.

As a consequence of the War of 1812, all the land within the present day boundaries of Alabama came under American dominion. The rush of settlers who

flooded this choice land that the Indians lost after their crushing defeat found a ready world-market for their production via the port of Mobile.

In 1813, during the course of the war, the United States acquired Mobile. It grew from being a small town into one of the largest ports in the country. The only permanent exchange of territory as a consequence of the war was the U.S. acquisition of Mobile County south of the 31st parallel.

From its earliest days, Tuscaloosa’s geographical importance has rested upon its place as the northern head of navigation for the port of Mobile.

The bloodless conquest of Mobile by the U.S. Army in 1813 opened the Black Warrior River valley to international commerce for the first time. As a result, Tuscaloosa traces its maritime traditions to the navigation of the Black Warrior.

One of the main causes of the war was the problem of maintaining the rights of Americans on the high seas. Prior to the war, thousands of American seamen were kidnapped, imprisoned, and forced to work on British ships. The War of 1812 ended this practice and opened up the Gulf Coast to American commerce for the first time.

This month, Tuscaloosa citizens have a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the tall ships that ruled the world during those times. The national bicentennial celebration kicks off in New Orleans this month with NOLA Navy Week, April 17-22.

For information, visit http://nolanavyweek.com/NOLA. Navy Week is the first of six tall ship regattas planned this spring and summer by OPSAIL — visit www.opsail.org for information.

Robert Register is a resident of Tuscaloosa.