On this day in Alabama history: Maud McKnight Lindsay died
Educator and author Maud McKnight Lindsay (1874-1941) founded Alabama's first free kindergarten in 1898 and wrote several books of poetry and children's stories. Her father was Robert Burns Lindsay, who served as governor of Alabama from 1870-72. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame)
May 30, 1941
Maud McKnight Lindsay was the daughter of Robert Burns Lindsay, the only foreign-born governor of Alabama. (Robert Burns Lindsay emigrated from Scotland at the age of 20 and became Alabama’s governor in 1870.) Maud Lindsay, born in Tuscumbia, also was a childhood friend of Helen Keller. Although Lindsay had no formal higher education, she became interested in teaching kindergarten. After she worked as a music teacher in a private kindergarten in Tuscumbia, Lindsay in 1898 opened a free kindergarten. The Maud Lindsay Free Kindergarten, as it is now known, still operates in Florence. Lindsay, who devoted her life to teaching and writing, died on this day in 1941.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
