Virgil Allen Howard, born in South Carolina in 1859, came to Alabama in 1884 seeking employment with the Alabama Waterworks. He married Ollie Grace Hogan on July 15, 1903, and they made their first home in Gardendale on property they purchased on Old Mount Olive Road. The Howards later bought land on Main Street and became active members of Gardendale’s First Baptist Church. Howard served as Justice of the Peace for 18 years and was a trustee for the Gardendale School. Virgil Allen Howard died in 1955 and Grace Hogan Howard died in 1963. Their descendants continue to live in Gardendale and contribute to its growth. The Howard Homeplace is now the site of the Gardendale Civic Center Complex.