Join retired assistant director Debbie Pendleton as she presents, “Debunking the Alabama Christmas Myth.”
For generations, many have believed that Alabama was the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday in 1836. Pendleton recounts the research of ADAH staff as they discovered Alabama did not recognize Christmas as a bank holiday until 1848, ten years after Louisiana had declared it a “day of public rest” on March 7, 1838 (to see the source of the Louisiana claim, visit: bit.ly/3uwFyLP). Even if Alabama was not the first to declare Christmas a state holiday, the ADAH staff wish you a happy holiday season!
Archives/Five is a short (5 minutes or less) series about the collections at the Alabama Department of Archives & History. Help support programs like Archives/Five at friendsofthealabamaarchives.org.