Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Alabama Photos of the Day: Sibyl Pool


Sibyl Pool was born October 7, 1901, in Birmingham but grew up in Linden in Marengo County. She attended what is now the University of Montevallo in 1920 and 1921, then taught at Linden High School for two years. 

 Around 1923 her father Benjamin Pool became tax assessor in Marengo County, and by the 1930's she had followed him into public service. Pool  managed the Marengo County Farm Bureau and served as secretary at the Linden Chamber of Commerce. In 1936 she became clerk for Clint Harrison, a state representative from Marengo County. When he resigned to take another post, the county Democratic Executive Committee appointed Pool to fill out his term; she was the second woman to serve in the state house of representatives. 

 She was elected to the post in 1938 and re-elected in 1942 but left in 1944 when Governor Chauncey Sparks appointed her to fill the remaining two years of Howell Turner's term as Secretary of State. He had resigned for another position. Pool had been a member of several committees during her time in the state house, but otherwise kept a low profile. She introduced no legislation and did not debate other members. Another woman was not elected to the state house until 1962.

 In 1946 Pool ran for a full term in the office of Secretary of State, won 63 of the state's 67 counties and thus became the first woman in Alabama history to win statewide political office. In 1950 she ran a successful campaign for State Treasurer. Although she considered running for higher office, she decided on a Public Service Commission post. Elected in 1955, she served 16 years as an associate member. 

 Upon retirement Pool settled on her cattle ranch in Linden; she died of a stroke on Halloween, 1973. Because of her ground-breaking 34-year career in state politics, she was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 2001. She never married. 

You can watch a brief film about Poole from the Alabama Department of Archives here. 


The article by Joanne Varner Hawks, "A Select Few: Alabama's Women Legislators, 1922-1983" in the Alabama Review July 1985 38(3): 175-201 includes discussion of Pool's life and career. 





Sibyl Pool in 1938

Photo by Cranshaw of the Birmingham News

Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History





Sibyl Pool ca. 1963
At this time she was serving on the Alabama Public Service Commission.

Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History 





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Saturday, July 27, 2019

Alabama History & Culture News: July 27 edition






For a number of years I've been posting links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles in the "alabamahistory" group at Yahoo!Groups. Most of the articles are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio websites. You can subscribe to the emails there if you wish; I send out two or three a week along with relevant meeting announcements and so forth. 

Here's the latest batch:

Tallulah! Talking About One of Alabama's Most Celebrated Performers!
Her book, “Shot in Alabama: A History of Photography in a Deep South State, 1839-1941” was published in 2014 by the University of Alabama Press.



Alabama files legal action to help protect the Clotilda
The Alabama Historical Commission filed a legal action in Mobile federal court Friday that it said would help the state preserve the Clotilda – the last ...

Alabama moves to protect the Clotilda, believed to be the last ship to bring slaves to the US
The Alabama Historical Commission filed a claim under admiralty, or maritime law, in US District Court in Mobile. The claim will ensure that the ...

Alabama files claim to protect the last known ship to bring slaves to the US
The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) and the State Historic Preservation Office filed an admiralty claim — part of maritime law — in the U.S. ...

On this day in Alabama history: Architect William Poole was born
Architect William Poole was born on this day in Leeds. Poole studied engineering at the University of Alabama for two years, then transferred to ...


On this day in Alabama history: Camp McClellan was established in east Alabama
Shortly after the United States entered World War I, the War Department established Camp McClellan as a rapid mobilization base and permanent ...


Pleasant Hill Baptist Church celebrates 200 years of ministry
Jerrol Hare presented the Washington Baptist Association church with a commemorative plaque on behalf of the Alabama Baptist Historical ...


Historical society to meet Sunday
She will be transporting her audience to the legacy of Julius Rosenwald and the schools he helped build on the back roads of Alabama 100 years ago ...

Mobile jazz festival rocks museum with lively opener
The building housing the History Museum of Mobile has seen a lot -- it was built as a city hall in the 1850s -- but it's probably safe to say it has never ...


On this day in Alabama history: Sparkman named Adlai Stevenson's running mate
On this day, U.S. Sen. John Sparkman of Alabama was named the Democratic vice presidential running mate of Adlai Stevenson. The Democratic ...

Alabama Shakespeare Festival Announces 2019-2020 Schedule
In 1950s Montgomery, Alabama, a fight over a controversial children's book – in which a black rabbit marries a white rabbit – pits one courageous ...


I recently visited Alabama and took a Cook's tour of some of the major ... My Hank Williams' homage ended at his gravesite in Oakwood Cemetery.



(WSFA) - The Cemetery Preservation Group has launched its efforts in Selma. The non-profit, with ... They were told she had no family left in Alabama.


Jackson County Historical Association to meet Sunday
Jackson County Historical Association to meet Sunday ... He was for ten years a history faculty member at the University of Alabama Huntsville, ...

Homewood's 'Pink House' closer to demolition?
Those trying to protect and preserve Homewood's iconic “Pink House,” which was put on the Alabama Historical Commission's Places in Peril in May, ...

Jazz festival's Evening of Poetry Thursday in Mobile
Billed as an Evening of Poetry and Jazz, the event starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at the HistoryMuseum of Mobile. Featured speakers include ...


Documentary about Richard Arrington Jr. to premiere at the Sidewalk Film Festival
So now, in turn, the largest Alabama film festival is giving back to these historic leaders of the largest city in Alabama.” Now in its 21st year, ...


Vulcan to be 2021 Birmingham World Games mascot
Officials also announced Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama as a ... games and education about the history and culture of some of the countries ...

BCRI Youth Tour Alabama African American Heritage Sites
While recent history focuses on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, these institutions have been dedicated to improving the quality of ...

On this day in Alabama history: New York Yankees honored Mel Allen
The New York Yankees dedicated a plaque on this day in memory of Birmingham-born sports announcer Mel Allen for Monument Park at Yankee ...


A special bicentennial exhibition of Alabama's history is on display
A special exhibit of Alabama's history is part of the bicentennial celebration. The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) has published a ...

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Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Alabama History & Culture News: July 24 edition





For a number of years I've been posting links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles in the "alabamahistory" group at Yahoo!Groups. Most of the articles are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio websites. You can subscribe to the emails there if you wish; I send out two or three a week along with relevant meeting announcements and so forth. 

Here's the latest batch:

Alabama Legacy Moment: Wilson Pickett
Alabama Public Television is producing a series of videos titled “Alabama Legacy Moments” that offer a quick history of the people, places and stories ...

Alabama Bicentennial Exhibit open in Moulton until Saturday
The exhibit, which opened at the historic Moulton Middle School gym on July 8, features interactive displays detailing key events throughout Alabama ...

On this day in Alabama history: Pro football player Bill Yearby was born
Pro football player Bill Yearby was born in Birmingham on this day. Born William M. Yearby, he was an All-American defensive tackle for the University ...


Opelika's Museum of East Alabama to celebrate 30th anniversary Aug. 20
Located at the site of the old Clement Hotel on 9th Street in downtown Opelika, the Museum of East Alabama will celebrate its 30th anniversary Aug.


History unfolds at the Pea River Historical Society
The collection at the Pea River Historical Society had at one time included a book written by retired Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Alma ...

Alabama approaches 97th anniversary of the first woman elected into the State Legislature
In 1977, she was featured alongside 25 other women in “Faces and Voices of Alabama Women,” a historical exhibit that is now permanently on ...

Transforming Birmingham with Feminist Books
Lodestar Books served the local feminist community in Birmingham, Alabama for almost 20 years—from 1983 to 2002. Willis and Lyle are now ...


On this day in Alabama history: Alabama Farmers Market opened on Finley Avenue
The Jefferson County Truck Growers Association opened the Alabama Farmers Market in Birmingham's Acipco-Finley neighborhood on this day in ...


Ancient Cave in Alabama Holds Secrets of the Cherokee Tribe
Ancient Cave in Alabama Holds Secrets of the Cherokee Tribe ... Beneath the vandalism on the walls, she saw a history that must be preserved.



Nestled in shade, adjacent to a cemetery that predates it, sitting atop a knoll above a verdant ravine that careens toward lakes Nicol and Harris, the log ...


Apollo's legacy: A quiet corner of Alabama haunted by Nazi Germany
Scientists who developed rockets for Third Reich later designed spacecraft for US; their descendants, and history, remain in small city of Huntsville.


On this day in Alabama history: Walter William Bankhead was born
Walter William Bankhead, a businessman whose grandfather, father and uncle served many years in elected office but whose own time in Congress ...

Op-Ed: The Clotilda is the only American slave ship ever found. It needs to be preserved.
The ship is an artifact of international historical significance. But I worry that my home state of Alabama — which owns the wreck and will control what ...

Alabama comic book writer's female Thor hammers way to big screen
You may know the hammer, but if you're not familiar with the work of a certain Alabama native you may be surprised by who's swinging it in Marvel ...



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Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Goodbye to Kai's Koffee in Pelham

Our favorite coffee shop in Pelham, or anywhere really, closed on July 19. We started going to Kai's Koffee at it's first location in the city and followed them to the new one on US 31 across from the post office. We've spent many pleasant hours there since then downing excellent coffee and other drinks and eating scones, muffins or wraps. 

 All things must pass, but we'll miss the place....a few photos and more comments are below. The photos, taken between November 2014 and July 2019 are in roughly reverse chronological order.

 Buck Creek Coffee opened in the location on July 23. We'll be giving them a try and wish them success! Stacie Mullins will remain as manager of the shop.  


UPDATE: The Shelby County Reporter published an article 2 Sept 2021 noting that the shop had moved to another location in that same retail strip in Pelham.





In July 2015 I posted a piece on "Ghostly Signs of Pelham's Video Past"  that included the image below. That slot was eventually covered up by the sign shown above. 

















Dianne brought one of her coffee plants to the shop; it's even produced a few beans!



The coffee plant will have a new home at KTL Insurance next door. 



Here's the coffee plant in November 2016. 



Part of the decor of the shop included many humorous signs related to coffee. 






















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Saturday, July 20, 2019

Alabama History & Culture News: July 20 edition



For a number of years I've been posting links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles to the "alabamahistory" group at Yahoo!Groups. Most of the articles are from newspapers, with others from magazines and tv and radio websites. You can subscribe to the emails there if you wish; I send out two or three a week along with relevant meeting announcements and so forth. 

Here's the latest batch:
Alabama author to write second book on Neil Armstrong
The Alabama author who wrote the biography of Neil Armstrong adapted last year into a major motion picture is wrapping up a second book about the ...


On this day in Alabama history: Apollo 11 lands on moon with Alabama boost
In a voyage that began with rockets developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, man landed on the moon. The Saturn V booster ...

ASU Celebrates Anniversary at Historical Birthplace in Marion
From the West Alabama Newsroom–. Alabama State University commemorates its 152nd birthday — with a pilgrimage to it's historical birthplace in ...


Apollo's legacy: A quiet corner of Alabama that is forever Germany
Apollo's legacy: A quiet corner of Alabama that is forever Germany ... Local NASA historian Brain Odom calls it the "Huntsville school of history."



On this day in Alabama history: Businessman John Harbert III was born
John Murdoch Harbert III was born in Greenville, Mississippi, and his family moved to Birmingham when he was a child. After serving in World War II, ...


NEW BOOK DETAILS HISTORY OF AMERICA'S BLACK BANKS AMID CURRENT DECLINE OF ...
Three banks are prominently featured, the True Reformers Bank (Virginia), Capital Savings Bank (Washington, D.C.) and the Alabama Penny Savings ...

Before Chappaquiddick, Mary Jo Kopechne inspired students in Alabama
Author and historian William Kashatus, who is writing a book about Kopechne, said she drew inspiration from John F. Kennedy's message of “ask what ..

UAH made Alabama more 'attractive' nationally, von Braun said
John Patterson, who was Alabama's governor in 1961, said it was a ... Von Braun's speech in Montgomery is a legendary part of Huntsville's history.

'Very stern and very fair:' Former Alabama State coach Houston Markham Jr. left clear legacy
Markham, the winningest coach in Alabama State football history, died Wednesday morning with loved ones by his side. He coached the Hornets from ...

Former Alabama State football coach Houston Markham passes away
Houston Markham Jr., the winningest head coach in Alabama State football history died Wednesday with loved ones by his side, according to an ...

Centuries-old Alabama cave on the Trail of Tears may contain secrets of Cherokee tribe
Manitou Cave contains recorded history history people first hear about in classrooms. We learn about the Trail of Tears, and that President Andrew ...

On this day in Alabama history: Camp McClellan was established in east Alabama
More than 27,000 men were training at the east Alabama base by the end of 1917. Camp McClellan was originally named in honor of U.S. Army Maj.


University of Alabama in Huntsville restoring historic audio recordings of Apollo program
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is restoring old recordings from the Apollo program that were starting to deteriorate. The restoration is part of ...

URL : https://www.familysearch.org/w iki/en/Bullock_County,_Alabama _Genealogy
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URL : https://www.familysearch.org/w iki/en/Butler_County,_Alabama_ Genealogy
TITLE : FamilySearch Wiki - Butler County, Alabama Genealogy
DESCRIPTION : Free online genealogical research guide for Butler County, Alabama.

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