A historical marker will be erected to honor Decatur's famed Black healer.
Updated: Jul. 18, 2024, 8:36 a.m.Morgan County ArchivesLeRoy Ellis Jr. of Decatur remembers a shiny new 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air with horns attached to its fender, a chauffer behind the wheel and “Miss Daisy” cozily situated in the back.
A metal sign, brick-red in color, is stored in the Morgan County Archives, awaiting its placement in Decatur to honor one of its most interesting and best-known Black community leaders. The marker, made possible through the Alabama Folklife Foundation and a grant from the, tells, briefly, of an African American woman who was at once revered and misunderstood:
Ellis said even though he was young when the woman he knew as “Miss Daisy” died, he has vivid memories of her. For example, he said Nolan was not allowed to blow her car horns in Decatur city limits because they were so loud, like “a truck horn.” People contacted Nolan from across the country to ask for help, Ellis said. If someone asked for help keeping their husband from straying, for example, Nolan would ask the caller to mail her an item owned by the man and, somehow, create a “spell” to keep him at home.
Soon, Old Town bustled with grocery stores, diners, shops and even dance halls, with numerous minority-owned businesses on Bank Street and west of the railroad on Vine Street. Weathered shacks disappeared and the residential district bloomed with wood-frame and red-brick houses. The neighborhood is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Peggy Towns, an author and Old Town historian, lived next door to Nolan on Church Street as a girl. “Many people would knock at our door during the night looking for Mrs. Daisy,” she said. Athe highest schooling Nolan completed was first grade and listed no occupation, yet Nolan wore many hats, including as owner of the Cotton Club on Cain Street in Decatur.
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