FLORENCE —It’s been the dream of several people for years, but today the Florence City Schools Memorabilia room became a reality.

Housed at Burrell Slater School in west Florence, the room was dedicated today to the preservation of Florence schools historical documentation and memorabilia.

After a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m., school system officials, city dignitaries and alumni organizers from Coffee and Bradshaw high schools opened the room for the first time for viewing. The facility will initially allow scheduled (public) appointments with the goal of establishing set hours in the near future, organizers said.

Items displayed in the room cover the period from the beginning of the Florence school district in 1890 until consolidation of its two high schools in 2004.

Display cases and shelving hold everything from trophies and old band uniforms to yearbooks, scrapbooks and award plaques.

There’s a 1932 Coffee football bearing the name of coach Rufus Hibbett, while across the aisle is a 1924 First State High School Home Economics plaque presented by the Birmingham News.

“This room is a work in progress as we continue to add artifacts,” said Florence City Schools Curriculum Director Billy Ray Warren who spearheaded the project to create a memorabilia room. “I want people to leave here with the full knowledge that this community has always been a huge supporter of public education.”

Lisa Singleton-Rickman can be reached at 256-740-5735 or lisa.singleton-rickman@TimesDaily.com.