Who is Miss Julia?
By: Martha Shirley
Julia Strudwick Tutwiler
Born August 15, 1841, Tuscaloosa, AL
Died March 24, 1916, Birmingham, AL
Julia Tutwiler, or "Miss Julia" began her academic career in Tuscaloosa,
Alabama in 1876 when she joined the Tuscaloosa Female College faculty.1
She was appointed, in 1881, as the co-principal of Livingston Female
Academy. In 1890 she became President and remained in that position
until 1910. Miss Tutwiler was instrumental in getting women admitted to
The University of Alabama and with establishing the Alabama Girls Industrial Institute,
which is now the University of Montevallo. Miss Tutwiler was truly
dedicated to education in Alabama and the advancement of women. In
addition to the many important activities she was involved in, she wrote
children's stories and "Alabama", the State Song.2
To learn more about Miss Julia, visit the Alabama Room here in the Julia
Tutwiler Library and browse through some of our books, including Dr. Lyon's Julia
Tutwiler, Anne Gary Pannell's Julia S. Tutwiler and Social Progress in
Alabama, or Mildred Griffin Yelverton's, They also served: twenty-five
remarkable Alabama Women.
While you are visiting you can see Miss Tutwiler's portrait in a place of
honor here at the library. It is believed by many that if you are in the
library late at night, and are very quiet and still, you might just get to meet
this great lady!
1 Encyclopedia Britannica
2 Dr. Ralph M. Lyon, Julia Tutwiler, Livingston Bicentennial
Commission No. 2.
