By Phoebe Donald Robinson / Community Columnist
The town of Harpersville is hosting “Harpersville Day” on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The family friendly day has been planned by City Clerk Stacy Walkup in conjunction with the Harpersville Beautification Board, Gwen Valenti chair. The event is sponsored by South Shelby Chamber of Commerce, Alabama Cooperative Extension Center, Merrell Brothers, DeLoach, Barber and Caspers C.P.A., Russell Building Supply, South Central Steel, Shelby County Reporter and other local businesses.
The day will begin with a Zumba class at the Harpersville Town Hall at 9 a.m. followed by a historical tour led by Mayor Theoangelo Perkins at 10 a.m. At 12:30 p.m., local veterans will be recognized followed by the announcement of the winners of the hay bale decorating contest. In addition, there will be vendors, food, children’s activities and car show.
Harpersville, originally called Big Springs, is one of the oldest communities in Shelby County which was settled after the War of 1812 before Alabama was a state. The beautiful farm land, abundance of creeks and water invited setters to the area. Some of the earliest pioneers were teacher William Webb Harper from whom the town is named, land owner John White Kidd, and store owners James McGraw and Tom Martin. The community continued to thrive after U.S. 280, known also as the Florida Short Route, was built in 1925.
The Harpersville Garden of Memories Cemetery also known as the Harpersville City Cemetery is the final resting place of Revolutionary War Patriot William Jennings 1761-1840. Many of the oldest gravestones in this historic cemetery were destroyed in the tornado of 1964. The town was incorporated on March  17, 1944, with J. W. Donahoo as its first mayor.
In February 2009 the Harpersville Heritage Area was named to the Alabama Register of Landmarks Heritage by the Alabama Historical Commission. Included in the area are: Chancellor Home circa 1935; Old Rock House circa 1835, the only surviving early stone dwelling in Alabama; Klein-Wallace Home circa 1841; and Scott-Bradford Home. The Chancellor and Rock houses are also on the National Register of Historic Places.