Memorial Days Past in Alabama

The holiday now known as Memorial Day has a convoluted history, but the purpose has always been to honor war dead. Ceremonies began after the Civil War in northern states and were known as "Decoration Day" for many years. On that day graves of military men who had died in that war were decorated with flowers. In 1873 New York became the first state to formally recognize the day. Southern states had their own celebrations on a different day until after World War I when the holiday changed to honor all American military personnel who had died in war. Many towns in the U.S. claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. 

Originally Memorial or Decoration Day was held on May 30, but in 1971 Congress passed the National Holiday Act which moved it to the last Monday in May. Several southern states celebrate Confederate Memorial Day, which in Alabama is now the fourth Monday in April. That day was formally recognized by the state in 1901. 

As Americans can do so well, Memorial Day is now one of those holidays in which patriotism, capitalism and fun are all available.  

A few images and comments are below. 

This article appeared in a newspaper published in Hawaii on 30 May 1912. The piece discusses celebrations around the country, including Alabama. 

Source: Library of Congress Chronicling America digital collection

This item appeared in a Minnesota newspaper on 26 April 1912. 

Source: Library of Congress Chronicling America digital collection

A newspaper published in Kansas on 18 September 1919 credited a woman in Georgia with creating Confederate Memorial Day.

Source: Library of Congress Chronicling America digital collection

This article from a South Dakota newspaper published on 28 May 1897 credits "the women of Alabama" for giving Memorial Day to the nation.

Source: Library of Congress Chronicling America digital collection 

Balloons in the 1980's at Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic, a Memorial Day festival held at Point Mallard Park in Decatur. The event began in 1978.

Source: Alabama Department of Archives and History Digital Collections

Old Alabama Stuff (5): Eggleston's Red Eagle & the Alabama Creek Indian Wars

William Weatherford or "Red Eagle" is an important figure in early Alabama history. He was a major leader of the Red Stick faction in the Creek War of 1813-14. On August 30, 1813, he and others led some 700 warriors in the attack on Fort Mims in what is today Baldwin County. The Red Sticks killed over half the 400 settlers who had taken refuge in the fort and captured 100 more. The resulting national outrage brought Andrew Jackson and his forces to Alabama; the decisive battle was fought at Horseshoe Bend the following March.

Alexander Meek, a major literary figure in Alabama before the Civil War, wrote a narrative poem about Weatherford, The Red Eagle: A Poem of the South. The Fort Mims battle is reenacted every year.   

In 1878 a man who probably never visited Alabama wrote a book about Weatherford and these events, Red Eagle and the Wars with the Creek Indians of Alabama. George Cary Eggleston was born in Vevay, Indiana, in November 1839. At seventeen he inherited the family plantation in Virginia, attended college in Richmond and at the outbreak of the Civil War joined the Confederate Army. He was present for the surrender at Appomattox. He wrote about his wartime experiences in A Rebel's Recollections, published in book form in 1875.

Before his death in 1911 Eggleston wrote several novels and other non-fiction works. His book on Red Eagle was published in the "Famous American Indians" series by Dodd, Mead and Company. His older brother Edward Eggleston, also a writer, published books in the series as well. George Eggleston did live in Mississippi for some period after the Civil War. Below are various materials from his book on Red Eagle.

As the Encyclopedia of Alabama entry on Weatherford notes, "Weatherford is nearly universally called Red Eagle by writers. The sobriquet has no basis in fact. According to a family friend, Thomas Woodward, Weatherford was known by two Creek names, Hoponika Fulsahi (Truth Maker) and Billy Larney, which translates as Yellow Billy. The name "Red Eagle" did not appear in print until the 1855 publication of A. B. Meek's poem "The Red Eagle: A Poem of the South," a lengthy romanticized tale based loosely on Weatherford and his exploits."

George Cary Eggleston
Source: Wikipedia

RED EAGLE AND THE WARS WITH THE CREEK INDIANS OF ALABAMA.

FAMOUS AMERICAN INDIANS.

BY GEORGE CARY EGGLESTON.

NEW YORK:
DODD, MEAD & COMPANY,
751 Broadway.

COPYRIGHT BY
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY.
1878.

CONTENTS.

PREFACE.
CHAPTER I. Showing, by way of Introduction, how Red Eagle happened to be a Man of Consequence in History
CHAPTER II. Red Eagle's People
CHAPTER III. Red Eagle's Birth and Boyhood
CHAPTER IV. The Beginning of Trouble
CHAPTER V. Red Eagle as an Advocate of War—The Civil War in the Creek Nation
CHAPTER VI. The Battle of Burnt Corn
CHAPTER VII. Red Eagle's Attempt to abandon his Party
CHAPTER VIII. Claiborne and Red Eagle
CHAPTER IX. Red Eagle before Fort Mims
CHAPTER X. The Massacre at Fort Mims
CHAPTER XI. Romantic Incidents of the Fort Mims Affair
CHAPTER XII. The Dog Charge at Fort Sinquefield and Affairs on the Peninsula
CHAPTER XIII. Pushmatahaw and his Warriors
CHAPTER XIV. Jackson is helped into his Saddle
CHAPTER XV. The March into the Enemy's Country
CHAPTER XVI. The Battle of Tallushatchee
CHAPTER XVII. The Battle of Talladega
CHAPTER XVIII. General Cocke's Conduct and its Consequences
CHAPTER XIX. The Canoe Fight
CHAPTER XX. The Advance of the Georgians—The Battle of Autosse
CHAPTER XXI. How Claiborne executed his Orders—The Battle of the Holy Ground—Red Eagle's Famous Leap
CHAPTER XXII. How Jackson lost his Army
CHAPTER XXIII. A New Plan of the Mutineers
CHAPTER XXIV. Jackson's Second Battle with his own Men
CHAPTER XXV. Jackson dismisses his Volunteers without a Benediction
CHAPTER XXVI. How Jackson lost the rest of his Army
CHAPTER XXVII. Battles of Emuckfau and Enotachopco—How the Creeks "whipped Captain Jackson"
CHAPTER XXVIII. How Red Eagle "whipped Captain Floyd"—The Battle of Calebee Creek
CHAPTER XXIX. Red Eagle's Strategy
CHAPTER XXX. Jackson with an Army at last
CHAPTER XXXI. The Great Battle of the War
CHAPTER XXXII. Red Eagle's Surrender
CHAPTER XXXIII. Red Eagle after the War

---

List Of Illustrations

RED EAGLE'S LEAP.

TECUMSEH ENTERING THE COUNCIL.

FORT MIMS.

FORT MIMS (Interior.)

THE DOG CHARGE AT FORT SINQUIFIELD.

COL CALLER'S ROUTE TO BURNT CORN CREEK.

JACKSON CONFRONTING THE MUTINEERS.

MAP OF BATTLE SITE.

PREFACE.

A work of this kind necessarily makes no pretension to originality in its materials; but while all that is here related is to be found in books, there is no one book devoted exclusively to the history of the Creek war or to the life of William Weatherford, the Red Eagle. The materials here used have been gathered from many sources—some of them from books which only incidentally mention the matters here treated, touching them as a part of larger subjects, and many of them from books which have been long out of print, and are therefore inaccessible to readers generally.

The author has made frequent acknowledgments, in his text, of his obligations to the writers from whose works he has drawn information upon various subjects. By way of further acknowledgment, and for the information of readers who may be tempted to enlarge their reading in the interesting history of the South-west, he appends the following list of the principal books that have been consulted in the preparation of this volume:

Parton's "Life of Andrew Jackson."

Eaton's "Life of Andrew Jackson."

Pickett's "History of Alabama."

Drake's "Book of the Indians."

McAfee's "History of the Late War in the Western Country."

Claiborne's "Notes on the War in the South."

Meek's "Romantic Passages in South-western History."

"Indian Affairs, American State Papers."

Kendall's "Life of Jackson."

Waldo's "Life of Jackson."

Russell's "History of the Late War."

Brackenridge's "History of the Late War."

History Panels in Jefferson Tower at UAB

Despite all the construction at UAB in recent decades, Jefferson Tower remains one of the most distinctive buildings on campus. The sixteen-story structure opened in December 1939 as the county's Jefferson Hospital and a few years later became part of the UA School of Medicine. It served as University Hospital until the North Pavilion opened; all inpatient activities were transferred there by September 2010. Various offices and clinics now occupy the building.

In the lobby of the main entrance are six panels that offer historical photos around various themes. The panels are labelled Change, Education, Tradition, Community, Care, Service. I managed to get semi-decent photographs of three of them, as seen below.

I'm not sure how long these panels have been up, but I've been at UAB since 1983 and have walked by them for many years. Originally a mix of historic and contemporary photos, this UAB Archives exhibit has become all historical by now. The University's archives date to 1990, but these panels have an even older aura. 

As I've noted in previous blog posts, such as the one on the Hillman Hospital Annex Cornerstone, most of us walk by history every day and never notice. 

 

 

Postcard of Jefferson-Hillman Hospital around 1945, roughly the time the University of Alabama School of Medicine moved from Tuscaloosa and became a four-year program. Dig those cool cars! And I wish Jefferson Tower still had that striking entrance.

 

 

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Birmingham Photos of the Day (32): Railway, Power & Light Company in 1908

These photos continue the series from the 1908 book Views of Birmingham. As befits the topic's importance to the city, nine photographs related to the Birmingham Railway, Power and Light Company were included in the book. Railroads, electrical power and lighting were services badly needed in the booming Magic City and thus were used in this promotional book alongside the magnificent homes, businesses, churches, etc.  

The company was incorporated in February 1898 to consolidate various railway, light and gas companies then serving the city. That merging was completed in 1901, and Robert Jemison, Jr., became president. As a real estate developer Jemison [1878-1974] was responsible for numerous projects in Birmingham and Mountain Brook. 

More details about this company and its successor, the Birmingham Electric Company, can be found at the BhamWiki site here and here. 

Bookmarks for Some Alabama Bookstores (2)

In October 2014 I posted the first installment of a series on bookmarks with some sort of Alabama connection. That post covered some of my collection from bookstores; this one covers the rest. A third post will include bookmarks related to libraries.

I've made some comments on individual bookmarks below.

Now the Alabama Booksmith

The Homewood location is still in business, with the same phone number

They added a fax number to this bookmark.

This bookstore opened in late 2004, according to its still-operating web site. Sadly, the store closed a year or two ago. I visited several times; by the end, the bookstore was more or less gone and only a coffee shop and cafe were left. The last calender available on the site is February 2013. 

The Books-A-Million chain began in 1917 as a newsstand in Florence, Alabama, and by the early 1960's expanded into a group of bookstores known as Bookland. Eventually there were 72 of those stores, mostly in the Southeast. I remember one in the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover until January 2007. There are still a few of these stores operating as a subsidiary of BAM. 

Books-A-Million, the Alabama-based chain now often known as BAM, has used bookmarks for job ads.

Apparently this store is no longer operating. 

This store, no longer in business, listed numerous services on their bookmark.

Lodestar was included on a site devoted to independent bookstores: "They feature books that support diversity, healing, and political change. The focus areas include world religions, women's studies, studies, psychology, recovery, alternative health and the literary arts." 

The Haunted Book Shop that operated in Mobile for many years is one of Alabama's legendary bookstores. The store is probably the only one in the state that has inspired TWO memoirs:

 Mobile's Haunted Book Shop : a sentimental reminiscence by Caldwell Delaney [1986] 

 The Spirit of the Haunted Book Shop : a history celebrating the 50th anniversary by Jack Pendarvis [1991]

UPDATE 9 January 2020: The Haunted Book Shop reopened in 2018. 

Inside the Haunted Book Shop, date unknown

Mostly a used paperback store, Betty's Books opened sometime in the 1990's. I remember visiting once before the store relocated to a small commercial area across U.S. 31. The store has changed ownership and several years ago became Books Etc. I've visited the current incarnation several times and always find something. The place is small but packed with goodies. 

[Added in August 2015; updated 9 January 2020: Bienville Books is now the Haunted Book Shop]

On a recent trip to Mobile I visited Bienville Books on Dauphin Street. I recommended the place highly. There are two stories of old and new books and many other goodies. I especially enjoyed the selection of titles related to Mobile and the rest of Alabama.

Another bookstore in the Birmingham metro now sadly closed was this one in the Colonnade retail development. According to the BhamWiki site, the independent bookstore opened there in 1992, later moved to Mountain Brook and finally closed on March 31, 2009. I visited the Colonnade location only once as I remember.

You can find entries on many closed bookstores in the Birmingham area at BhamWiki.

Mother's Days Past in Alabama

Celebrations of motherhood were practiced among ancient cultures, including the Greeks and Romans. A modern day to honor mothers is celebrated in many countries around the world, and the concept originated with Anna Jarvis in the United States early in the 20th century. 

Born in West Virginia, Jarvis became a literary and advertising editor for an insurance firm in Philadelphia. When her mother Ann's health began to decline, she moved to Philadelphia so Anna could care for her. Ann died on May 9, 1905.

Various efforts to honor mothers had appeared in the United States in the 19th century. Ann Jarvis, who had nursed soldiers on both sides in the Civil War, had created Mother's Day Work clubs to work on public health issues after the war.

After her mother's death, Anna began a sustained campaign to create a Mother's Day. In 1910 her efforts started reaching fruition as West Virginia became the first state to officially recognize the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Alabama U.S. Senator J. Thomas Heflin wrote and achieved passage of a national recognition when Congress passed a law on May 8, 1914. The following day President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in support of Mother's Day. In 1934 President Franklin Roosevelt approved a stamp to honor the day. 

By 1910 Alabama had also recognized Mother's Day. Below you can see a newspaper notice from May 1, 1910, that Governor B.B. Comer had issued a proclamation declaring Sunday, May 8, to be Mother's Day in Alabama. Just below that notice is another one about Comer, noting he had been kicked by a horse and would be unable to the upcoming World's Fair banquet to which the mayor of New York City had invited him.  

Sentiments surrounding Mother's Day appeared in a 1926 issue of the Avondale Sun published for employees of the state's Avondale mills. The author of the letter, Charlie Harris, declared "And on Mother's Day you should send your mother something to make her happy."

Mother's Day in 1963 was not so happy for some people in Anniston. The article below notes that two homes of blacks and a black church were riddled with shotgun fire from a passing car in the afternoon. The homes were filled with people celebrating the day; the church was empty. Luckily no one was injured. In May 1961 Anniston had been rocked by violence during the Freedom Rides through Alabama.  

By the early 1920's Mother's Day had been fully commercialized by the greeting card, floral and candy industries. For years Anna Jarvis unsuccessfully fought these changes; she felt the celebration should be about sentiment, not money. She spent her last years in some economic distress and finally in a sanitarium. She never married and never had children of her own. 

Anna Jarvis [1864-1948]
Source: Wikipedia

Source: USStampStories.com 

Source: Avondale Sun April 30, 1926, page 6
[Published for employees of Avondale Mills in Alabama] 

Source: Pensacola Journal May 1, 1910, via the Library of Congress' Chronicling America digital collection. The same notice appeared in the Washington, D.C., Evening Star on the same date. 

 Source: Birmingham News May 13, 1963, via Birmingham Public Library's Digital Collections. 

A Film Projection Course at Auburn in 1923

Who knew that in 1923 Auburn University--then known as Alabama Polytechnic Institute [API], of course--had a Motion Picture Projection Department?

Wandering around Lantern, the Media History Digital Library, will turn up all sorts of goodies. Recently I found the two-part article below in July 1923 issues of Motion Picture News. The News was published under that title from 1913 until 1930.

The article gives us many details about the projection course being taught at API as described to the editor by Professor A.L. Thomas, head of that department. Included are questions from the course's final exam and answers of one of the students. Over 100 students had taken the course since it first began in the 1918-19 school year. The auditorium at the school had two "latest model" Simplex projectors used by student projectionists for film showings six nights per week.

A bit of the history of movies at API is included in the article. Film projection first came to the campus in 1907. By 1911 an Edison projector had been installed for movie showings once a week for students. The College Band provided music, and a student served as projectionist. By 1915 the "College Picture Show" was operating two nights a week with a paid six-man orchestra.

The article is unsigned but at the very beginning the author refers to himself [?] as "the Editor", which might mean the magazine or the section editor. I could find no staff listing for the magazine in those two July 1923 issues.. 

I have found little information so far on the National Anti-Misframe League. The organization appears in issues of the Motion Picture News as early as 1917 and as late as 1925. A Google search returned nothing. The "Forum" was a regular feature of the publication for discussion of matters of interest to League members. The "Pledge" of the Forum found on the last page below is concerned primarily with taking care of the physical condition of film reels.  

In 1926 projection speed of silent films was standardized at 24 fps [frames per second]. Prior to that time projection rates could vary from 16 to 23 fps depending on the shooting speed of each film. I wonder if this change had anything to do with the League's apparent disappearance. However, there would still be the problem of the care of physical reels.

The article has two photographs taken on the API campus. The first shows students in one section of the class posing in front of an iconic building, Langdon Hall. Several cameras on tripods can be seen. The building dates from 1846 and was originally a wood structure on the campus of the Masonic Female Seminary. Moved to the API campus in 1883, the building was bricked and eventually named after Charles Carter Langdon, a school trustee from 1872 until 1899.

The second photograph shows students receiving instruction in the "motion picture laboratory." The building is no doubt one of the engineering department's locations at the time.

Women were admitted to the school in 1892, but none can be seen in these photos. Women were enrolled in engineering programs at API by 1918 or so, but probably most movie projectionists around the country were male.

Professor Albert Lee Thomas taught mechanical and electrical engineering at the school from 1904 until 1956.

Silent film projector from the 1920s

Source: eBay.com