General

Deibert Park

Today’s blog post will highlight Diebert Park in Florence, Alabama (USA). The featured image showing one of several ponds was taken at the park several years ago.

Deibert Park in Florence, Alabama has a rich history. The land was originally part of an antebellum plantation owned by Judge Sidney Cherry Posey. His heirs sold his farm in 1875 to Charles Posey who had worked the fields as a slave. Charles and his wife Amcy divided up the land among their heirs and the settlement became known as Posey. They even build a schoolhouse on the property for both their own children and other children in the community.

In 1952 Dr. Kirk R. and Lillian Cook-Deibert purchased 170 acres calling it Rolling Acres Stock Farm. Originally Lillian planned on raising cattle but instead built a horse breeding business and gave riding lessons to local children.

An early morning electrical fire in 1990 destroyed the stables, killing 30 horses. Mrs. Deibert was too heartbroken from losing her beloved animals to reopen the business.

The Deiberts decided to create a life estate in which they were permitted to live on the property until their deaths and then the land would be donated to the City Of Florence. Sometime after Dr. Deibert’s death in 1993, Lillian Cook-Deibert disclaimed her life estate in order for the city to develop the park. The only requirement made on the city was that the land would never be used for commercial development and would always be used as a park for the citizens of Florence.

The city made good on that commitment and the park was dedicated in 2000. Mrs. Deibert would often sit on her patio and enjoy watching the local children picnic or walk along the now paved paths throughout the park.

When she died in 2011, Lillian Cook-Deibert was laid to rest on the property. A horse-drawn hearse carried her to the site where she was buried alongside the mares, colts and purebred Arabian stallions that perished in the 1990 fire.

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