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 AL.com 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

Alabama NewsCenter

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 Alabama News Network (press release) 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

Times of India

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

Apollo's legacy: A quiet corner of Alabama that is forever Germany - Space Daily

Why a corner of America's Deep South is 'forever German' - The Local Germany

On this day in Alabama history: Businessman John Harbert III was born

Alabama NewsCenter

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 ...

Black Star News

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 AL.com 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 AL.com 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 AL.com 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 Montgomery Advertiser 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 wtkr.com 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 Alabama NewsCenter 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 WAAY 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 TITLE : FamilySearch Wiki - Bullock County, Alabama Genealogy DESCRIPTION : Free online genealogical research guide for Bullock County, Alabama. 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. Category Summary (Cyndi's List - United States/Alabama/Counties/Bullock - General Resources) http://cyndislist.com/us/al/co unties/bullock/general/ * New Links :       0 * Updated Links : 1 * Total Links :      11 Category Summary (Cyndi's List - United States/Alabama/Counties/Butler - General Resources) http://cyndislist.com/us/al/co unties/butler/general/ * New Links :       0 * Updated Links : 1 * Total Links :      10

That Time Andy Warhol Came to Birmingham

Andy Warhol was one of the best known and most controversial artists of the 20th century. His influence on both the art world and popular culture has been extensive; we can thank him for the Velvet Underground if nothing else. 

In 1979 Warhol was commissioned to paint four portraits of city residents Charles Ireland and his wife Caroline. He worked from Polaroids taken some months earlier. In March of that year Warhol came to the Birmingham Museum of Art for the presentation of Charles Ireland's portrait seen below.

That event took place on March 9. The BMA's web site has this further note about the visit: 

The artist was treated to a barbecue lunch during his interview for The Birmingham News. Eating his sandwich, Warhol quietly remarked, “It’s very good…No, we can’t get good barbecue in New York.”

Some further comments are below.

Source: BhamWiki.com 

Ireland joined the family business, the Birmingham Slag Company, in 1939. By 1951 he was president and steered the firm's merger with a New Jersey company to form Vulcan Materials. Ireland was named chairman of the board and remained in that position until his retirement in 1983. He died in 1987 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. 

Warhol and the portrait at the BMA on 9 March 1979

Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History

Warhol at the BMA 9 March 1979

Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History

Warhol with Caroline and Charles Ireland 9 March 1979

Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History

Alabama History & Culture News: July 17 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:

ASU celebrates 152nd birthday party alreporter.com On Thursday, Alabama State University is celebrating the 152nd ... A State of Alabama historical marker stands in front of ASU's William Harper ...

2019 Musicians Hall fo Fame inductees announced; ALABAMA to receive first-ever Lifetime ...

NewsChannel5.com

(WTVF) — The Musicians Hall of Fame announced their 2019 inductees today with some big names and musicians responsible for some of history's ...

Historic marker dedicated in Elsanor

Gulf Coast News Today

After Campbell spoke about the upcoming culmination of Celebrating an Alabama 200 event in December, Merchant and Bedsole read the history of ...

Alabama's 'Father Goose' is as prolific a poet as ever

AL.com

He celebrates the state's 200-year history with “Alabama, My Home Sweet Home,” which was chosen by the Alabama Chapter of the American ...

The Cherokee writings in northern Alabama have been transcribed after more then 150 years whnt.com Manitou Cave holds history that many learn about early on in life. We learn about the Trail of Tears and that President Andrew Jackson forced the ...

Alabama's Elephant Mascot: The History of Big Al's Birth in Tuscaloosa Fanbuzz Only University of Alabama Crimson Tide football super fans know everything about their program's history. They damn sure know how legendary ...

On this day in Alabama history: Boaz Seminary opened Alabama NewsCenter In December 1898, the Alabama Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church took control of a college preparatory high school in Boaz, and on July ...

'Sword of Trust' review: In an Alabama pawn shop, a Civil War artifact attracts a confederacy of ... Chicago Tribune A letter from Cynthia's grandfather explains the historical significance of the sword. It's surviving proof of the secret history of the Confederacy winning ...

On this day in Alabama history: Historian Jay Higginbotham was born

Alabama NewsCenter

Prieur Jay Higginbotham, who wrote books on local and world history and founded the Mobile Municipal Archives, was born in Pascagoula, ...

On this day in Alabama history: Gov. Reuben Chapman was born Alabama NewsCenter At the age of 25, he traveled to Huntsville, where his older brother lived, and Alabama became home for the rest of his life. Chapman entered politics in ...

Local history and archaeology conference to begin Thursday Gadsden Times A conference focused on local history and archaeology will be held over the course of two days this week at the University of Alabama's Gadsden ...

TUSCALOOSA 200 MOMENT IN HISTORY: Central Foundry reopens before Pearl Harbor

Tuscaloosa News

TUSCALOOSA 200 MOMENT IN HISTORY: Central Foundry reopens .... When demand dropped, a University of Alabama professor suggested that ...

Why there aren't concerts in Bryant-Denny Stadium, the brief history of shows there AL.com The 101,821-seat home of Alabama football has thin history of hosting concerts and a list of hurdles explain why there aren't plans for one anytime ...

Ashley Chestnut getting students up to speed with history in 'Down in the Ham' series Alabama NewsCenter She moved to Alabama to attend ministerial school and after completing ... The notion to write a book about Birmingham, combined with a coloring ...

TUSCALOOSA 200 MOMENT IN HISTORY: Millions of volts

Tuscaloosa News

Born in the Jemison Mansion, Robert Van de Graaff earned two degrees from the University of Alabamabefore going to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

Cotton, once king in Alabama, still rules on these family farms AL.com Of course, any discussion of Alabama's early history of cotton production must include slavery. Planting, cultivating and picking cotton on a large scale ...

Photographic historian's work preserves moments from AL'searly history

WZDX

Her book Shot in Alabama showcases Alabama's photographic history from 1839 to 1941. She hopes folks who flip through these pages get a glimpse ...

On this day in Alabama history: Olympic star died

Alabama NewsCenter

Olympic Hall of Fame member Alice Coachman died on July 14, 2014, in her hometown of Albany, Georgia. She moved to Tuskegee at the age of 16, ...

Sacred Harp Singing — Cullman County Courthouse 2019 Cullman Times Online ... the last remaining courthouse Sacred Harp gathering in Alabama. ... are Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Bethsadia Baptist Church Cemetery.

Birmingham Photo of the Day (71): Fannie Flagg & a Model

Wandering around the Alabama Mosaic database recently, I came across the 1966 photo below showing actress, comedian and author Fannie Flagg with a model of Birmingham. The photo was taken at the city's airport.  By 1966 the Birmingham native was well-known locally and beginning her climb to much wider fame. She had appeared in productions at the Town and Gown Theatre before graduating from Ramsay High School. She entered the Miss Alabama pageant seven times and appeared in local commercials. By the early 1960's she was co-host of a morning show on WBRC-TV.  In 1964 she stepped onto the national stage as a staff writer for Allen Funt's popular Candid Camera program. The following year she moved to New York and developed a stand-up comedy act. Flagg soon started appearing  as a regular on television game shows like The Match Game and Password. She recorded two comedy albums as well.  Her greatest success came after this photograph. She appeared in her first movie role in 1970 in Bob Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson. Her first novel Coming Attractions was published in 1981. Since then she has concentrated on her writing career.  The current two-story terminal at the Birmingham airport opened in 1973, so this photo was taken at the previous two-story terminal which opened in 1962. The facility was known as Birmingham Municipal Airport until the name was changed in October 1993 to Birmingham International Airport.  Various questions arise from this photograph. I guess Flagg was making a hometown visit after moving to the Big Apple. Who constructed the model? Why was it in the airport? Perhaps to introduce people new to the city to Birmingham? And what happened to the model???  "Fannie Flagg looking at a model of the city of Birmingham at the Birmingham Municipal Airport."  June 23, 1966 Source: Alabama Dept of Archives & History Digital Collections Birmingham Municipal Airport terminal which opened in 1962. When the 1973 terminal opened this one became office space until demolished in 2011.  Source: BhamWiki

A Visit to Gaineswood, Part 2

This post is part 2 in a description of our trip last year through Demopolis to see the Gaineswood mansion. In part 1 I included some history of the home and its inhabitants. This post looks mostly at the interior; further comments are below.

I think the cabin in view beyond the nicely kept grounds housed the cook and is one of the only remaining outbuildings from the antebellum period. 

Here is the view as you come into Gaineswood from the public entrance at what seems to be the back of the house, but I think was actually the front entrance originally. In the lower right can be seen the wooden pineapple carved by Whitfield that once topped the gazebo on the property. 

On the left and right foreground are two rooms now used as a small gift shop and a museum about Gaineswood. Originally they were reception rooms for arriving visitors, one for the ladies and one for the gentlemen. 

The furnishings and decor in every room on the first floor are pretty impressive.

You can see the elaborate decorations on the domes in this photo. A more detailed description is below. 

Unfortunately, I did not make a note of people in the portraits at Gaineswood and have been unable to find that information online. Anyone who knows is welcome to enlighten me in the comments!

A small part of the overhead dome is visible in this dining room photo.

In the 1930's Gaineswood was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey. The Alabama Dept. of Archives and History page for this photo identifies the space as the dining room, but I think it's actually the drawing room/parlor/library seen in the other HABS photo below. 

"The ceiling is one of two identical domes. The plaster ornamentation of the domes is beautiful in its artistry of Greek honesuckles, encased in flowing scrolls, each of which each is crested with a tiny flower. Artistically spaced windows are separated by miniature columns and from the top of the cupolas, chandeliers hang on long chains. The rich red carpeting, elegant gold drapes and gleaming furniture further enhance the beauty of this room." 

Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives & History Digital Collections

That wallpaper! 

Here is one of two marble fireplaces in the house. The painting is by Nathan Whitfield and titled "The Burning of Eliza Battle". Whitfield witnessed the steamboat disaster on March 1, 1858, when the boat was destroyed by fire on the Tombigbee River. More than 30 people died, and the event has entered Alabama folklore, most notably in "The Phantom Steamboat of the Tombigee" tale in Kathryn Tucker Windham's 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffry. 

One of the Venetian glass transoms with classical scenes created by John Gibson, who also designed stained glass for the U.S. Capitol. 

This desk and books belonged to Dr. Bryan Watkins Whitfield [1828-1908], the son of Nathan Whitfield who designed and developed Gaineswood. The son did order fireplace mantels from Philadelphia and create the circular observation deck on the house. 

Watkins graduated from medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in 1853. During the antebellum period and for many years afterward, southerners who could afford it went north for medical training or even to Europe since medical schools in the south were inadequate. Watkins is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Demopolis. Bryan W. Whitfield Hospital opened in Demopolis in 1953.

Some more of the elaborate woodwork throughout the house

The house has plenty of columns indoors as well!

The other marble fireplace can be seen in this photo. 

"Twenty by thirty feet, the room is gorgeously furnished, and at either end has identical gray marble mantels with wreathed rosettes decorating the head slabs. The ceiling of this room is fashioned in protruding sections of crossbeams, all highly embossed with plaster designs. The interlacing of the beams form deep coffers; each of which is studded with dainty rosettes."

Source: Alabama Dept. of Archives & History Digital Collections

In the first floor master bedroom is the bed brought from North Carolina

One of the upstairs bedrooms where the decor is much more utilitarian! Of course, only the family or guests staying overnight would see these rooms. 

On the left is the gazebo once topped by the carved wooden pineapple.

The Wikipedia entry on Gaineswood notes, "The exterior features the use of eighteen fluted Doric columns and fourteen plain square pillars to support the three porches, the main portico, and the porte-cochère. The assorted porches surround most of three sides of the structure." 

A hawk oversaw our departure from his perch on the observation ring, where in its prime Gaineswood's residents could view their vast property.