The soles of Keelan Adams’ shoes are well worn from the streets of Montgomery.
On many mornings, you can find him walking around downtown, sharing passionately about the history of the area — where it’s been, where it is now and where it’s headed.
It’s a story he can’t help but share.
That’s why Adams founded Montgomery Deep History, a company that offers walking tours and seminars about the history of Alabama’s capital city and how it fits into the greater history of the state and the nation. He presents it in a way that provides “a roadmap for healing.”
To him, it pairs well with his other role — associate pastor of Flatline Church at Chisholm. As a pastor, he’s constantly trying to lead people to the healing power of the gospel, where people can be made right with God and unified with each other in the family of God through the blood of Jesus.
And as a pastor, he’s also a historian.
‘Anchored in truth’
“Every pastor is a historian to some degree because of their studies,” Adams said. “Already having a historical background in Scripture helps me to tell the story of Montgomery in an informed way anchored in truth.”
Montgomery is a city that sits “at the crossroads of history,” according to writings on the Montgomery Deep History website by pastor and author Alan Cross. The artistic fountain in Court Square is “arguably one of the most important pieces of historical real estate in America.”
Or, as Adams puts it, every square inch of that area is “packed with history.”
For the past two years, he’s been walking school groups, church groups and individuals around downtown Montgomery, sharing the stories of the Muskogee (Creek) Indians, early European settlers, forced slave migrations, the lead-up to the Civil War and how religion interacts with all of that, including a little-known Charles Spurgeon incident. He also shares his personal story of how his own family came to be in the area.
And that fountain — that’s where it all comes together. It was the site of the largest slave market in America from 1850 to 1865.
Adams said humanity’s story is one of brokenness, starting all the way back with the history of what happened in the Garden of Eden with original sin. That brokenness shows up in the history of the city he calls home.
But Adams is part of a growing group of Montgomery residents working toward healing and unity. It’s becoming part of the fabric of the Church’s story in the city and beyond. (TAB Media tells some of this story in its Stories podcast, season 2 — the Flatline story. See link below.)
And his tour — it’s aimed at being a piece of that puzzle, helping each other look at the past, where religion went wrong and how it can go right, Adams said. It’s aimed at helping people of different backgrounds find healing and forgiveness.
“We’re seeing a spark of hope,” he said.
For more information, visit montgomerydeephistory.com.
You can get a small sampling of what it’s like to go on a walk with Keelan Adams on Season 2 of the Stories podcast, available now at tabonline.org/stories.
The serial-style podcast tells the story of three Montgomery-area churches — an aging church, a sending church and a new church plant — that are locking arms to reach their community across racial lines. Not only that — they’re becoming family.
All three episodes are available now wherever you get your podcasts.
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