Birmingham Photo of the Day (56): The Barons in 1917

The 1917 season was the seventh that the Barons played at Rickwood Field. This period was the "dead ball era" in professional baseball in which strategy, base hits and speed at stealing bases were most important. Home runs were not emphasized by players or fans, and teams hit very few. 

At this time the Barons played in the Southern Association League. By 1917 the Barons had won four league titles in 1888, 1906, 1912 and 1914. For those last two championships the team was managed by Carlton Molesworth. He came to the Barons as an outfielder in 1906 and managed the team from 1908 until 1922.

The Barons did not win a championship in 1917; they finished third with a record of 87-66. They did draw the fans, though; over 9000 attended on opening day and more than 115,000 over the season.

Four no-hitters were pitched at Rickwood that season. Barons pitchers Ralph Comstock, Carmen Hill and Ray Milligan had one each. A pitcher for the Little Rock Travelers also threw a no-hitter at the park. Hill's final record of 26-12 set a Barons record for wins in a season. Further information on Comstock and Hill is below; Milligan apparently did not play in the major leagues. 

The Birmingham Black Barons shared Rickwood Field with the white team, but did not begin play until 1920. 

Allen Barra's history of the stadium is Rickwood Field: A Century in America's Oldest Ballpark published in 2010.

Birmingham Barons, Rickwood Field, spring 1917. Taken by O.V. Hunt. I wonder what position the dog played. See Comstock's photo below; is that him holding the dog? Not sure which one might be Hill.


  Source: Birmingham Public Library 

Right-handed pitcher Comstock was born November 24, 1890, in Sylvania, Ohio. He played three non-consecutive seasons in the major leagues, finishing with an 11-14 record as a pitcher. 

Source: Baseball Reference

Right hander Carmen Hill was born October 1, 1895, in Royalton, Minnesota. He pitched 10 years for several teams in the National League with a final record of 49-33. His last season was 1930.

Source: Baseball Reference

36 Grocery in Lacey's Spring

When I visit mom in Huntsville, I exit I-65 in Hartselle and head east on Alabama Highway 36. I've written before about some of the sights and history encountered on this route: Cotaco, Lacey's Spring, and Valhermoso Springs. 

In that previous post about Lacey's Spring, I noted:

"Lacey's Spring is an unincorporated community at the base of Brindley Mountain in Morgan County. American Revolutionary veteran John Lacy and his brothers settled there in 1818. A post office was established in 1831.


You'll find Lacey's Spring by going south on US 231 out of Huntsville. After you cross the Tennessee River you are essentially there. More of the community is also down Alabama Highway 36 as you head west toward Valhermoso Springs and Hartselle and I-65."

The abandoned business below is one of several seen along 36. A little research turns up the address as 9383 Highway 36 East and the name of the business expanded to 36 Grocery and Restaurant. Gary Morrow was listed as the "principal", presumably owner, of the establishment. Another web site gives the date it opened as 2008, although I would have guessed much earlier than that. Interestingly, that same address is listed as a small grocery store named Kate's Place that opened in 2005 with three employees. Perhaps more than one business has operated in the location.  

I've made a few comments below the photos. 

Glenn Wills has published two books documenting his extensive travels through "Forgotten Alabama"; more information is here. 

That's Highway 36 you see to the right. In the background are some of the pretty rolling hills to be seen along this route. I wonder when gas was just under three dollars at this location.

Lots of groceries and gas sold and meals eaten at this place once upon a time. 

As you face 36 Grocery, you see this little building to the left. I'm not sure what it was. In the background are what seem to be other old buildings.

Here's the view across 36. That's a bathtub at the end of the slab. 

Dan Dunn's Creator Crash Lands in Siluria

Well, it wasn't really a crash, more of an emergency landing, but let's adopt a little of the comics' drama for this title!

I was on another mission recently, looking at The Heritage of Shelby County [1999] in search of some history of Siluria, and ran across this fascinating tale.

"Once a small single engine airplane, piloted by the author of a comic trip, developed problems and made an emergency landing in Roy's field. The ground was soft and the wheels lodged in the dirt causing the plane to upend. The pilot was not seriously injured, His comic strip was about a police detective, Dan Dunn, and appeared in the Birmingham newspaper. Shortly after the plane accident Dan was chasing a villain on top of a freight train and commented that he would catch the rogue before they reached Siluria."
--Jerry and Alice Vandiver, entry on Siluria, p. 29

Let's investigate. 

According to the entry on Siluria by the Vandivers, "Roy" was Mal Roy who owned property and a store near Thompson High School. Buck Creek, a tributary of the Cahaba River, flowed through his property. That school opened in October 1921. 

So who was Dan Dunn??

In September 1933 Dan Dunn began as a daily comic strip and eventually appeared in 135 newspapers. A color Sunday strip was soon added by the Publishers Syndicate distributor. Dunn began life in a comic book issued in May of that same year. That one-issue comic is considered the first U.S. comic with original material ever published. 

In 1936 two Dunn stories were used in a pulp magazine. In the following year he appeared in one of the Big Little Books from Whitman Publishing. Many of the comic strips have recently been reprinted. 

The fictional detective was created by Norman W. Marsh and probably influenced by the success of Dick Tracy comics. Marsh had worked as an art assistant to Chester Gould, Tracy's creator. Marsh wrote and drew the Dunn strip until 1942, when he joined the Marines. After the war he created two even more obscure strips, Hunter Keene and Danny Hale. 

A 1952 newspaper article about Marsh gave some more background on the man. "The cartoonist's own life has been at least as adventurous as his hero's. He served in the Marine Corps in both world wars, enlist­ing at 16 in the first and com­manding a line company in the second. In the rest of his 51 years he has worked as a prizefight manager, sailor, pilot, speculator and detec­tive." 

The 1940 U.S. Census finds Marsh living in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife and daughter. His profession was listed as "cartoonist" and his birth year "about 1901." The 1952 newspaper article gives his address as 1234 West Lake Street in Chicago. 

I have so far been unable to locate any further information about Marsh, including his death date. Maybe one day I'll track down more information about that plane landing in Siluria, too!

Source: Stripper's Guide

The comic book origin of Detective Dan Dunn

Source: Wikipedia

Source: Pulp.Net

Dan Dunn's Big Little Book appearance

Source: DTA Collectibles

The recent Dunn reprint.

Source: Amazon

Finding Alabama in Oklahoma (4)

In May 2016 daughter Becca and husband Matt Leon moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, so he could start his new faculty position at the University of Central Oklahoma. Dianne and I went along for the move, and as a result of that trip I posted a blog entry on Creek names that had followed Native Americans on the Trail of Tears from Alabama to Oklahoma. 

Dianne and I recently made a trip through Edmond to Colorado Springs to visit her father. In this post and two more I'm sharing some of the photos I took in Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. Bear with me, and in the final post there are several Alabama-related payoffs!

I'm discussing these photos somewhat randomly, so here goes. Part 2 of this series can be found here and part 3 here.

We spent our second Saturday with the kids wandering around the town of Guthrie. Unfortunately, Amos had already returned to Baton Rouge from Colorado Springs, so he was not with us.

Guthrie, Oklahoma, was once the state capitol, and the Guthrie Historic District contains over 2000 buildings. The Carnegie Library seen below was the first tax supported library in the state. 

Guthrie has a number of antique shops, and we visited several. In one we found this item among a set of plates featuring all the states. 

Once upon a time J.C. Penney stores even reached smaller towns like Guthrie. 

OK, now we come to another Alabama connection in Oklahoma. Upstairs in a rather dark corner of one of those antique stores we found this item. The close-up above comes from the lower left of the poster below. That poster advertises The Phenix City Story, a 1955 film about the widespread corruption in that town. Albert Patterson ran for state attorney general intending to clean up the criminal activities, but he was assassinated. As a result Governor Gordon Persons declared a minimal martial law and sent in the National Guard to take over law enforcement duties.  

The poster cost $75.00 and  was not in the greatest shape, but it's probably an original and now I wish I'd bought it!

Guthrie has historical markers outside many buildings, including this bar. Future silent film star Tom Mix supposedly tended bar here before leaving for fame in Hollywood. Unfortunately, the place is not in business at the moment but the interior that we could see from outside was impressive. 

Here's the entrance to the Blue Bell. 

Guthrie has LOTS of wonderful old buildings to explore!

Our visit to Guthrie began in the Oklahoma Frontier Drugstore Museum where we found lots of fascinating stuff including this display. That's a ceramic chamber pot on the left; the odd looking one on the right is a bedpan from England. Once upon a time in my days as an Auburn University student I came across a bedpan just like that, which until it disintegrated Dianne used as a flower pot on our deck.

Another Alabama related item popped up as Dianne and I were heading home. Somewhere in the rural flatness of Oklahoma along I-70 we passed a giant billboard that read, "Alabama! Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail."

So for now we bring to an end this latest episode of "Finding Alabama in Oklahoma." Before we left on this trip, daughter Becca asked us to bring some Alabama-related items they can't find in Oklahoma: Good People beer, Conecuh sausage, and boiled peanuts! We were happy to oblige. 

Until next time....

Finding Alabama in Oklahoma (3)

In May 2016 daughter Becca and husband Matt Leon moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, so he could start his new faculty position at the University of Central Oklahoma. Dianne and I went along for the move, and as a result of that trip I posted a blog entry on Creek names that had followed Native Americans on the Trail of Tears from Alabama to Oklahoma. 

Dianne and I recently made a trip through Edmond to Colorado Springs to visit her father. In this post and two more I'm sharing some of the photos I took in Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. Bear with me, and in the final post there are several Alabama-related payoffs!

I'm discussing these photos somewhat randomly, so here goes. Part 2 of this series can be found here. 

One of the defining features of Colorado Springs is the view of Pikes Peak. Other features include the U.S. Air Force Academy and the large numbers of current and retired military personnel. 

Although the town was founded in the late 19th century, most development seems to have taken place in the past three or four decades. The hills are crowded with vistas of new housing developments, and major roads are lined with commercial development---endless strip malls, mostly. 

Fortunately, history and great natural beauty can be found there also. After a week or so, however, I start to miss all the southern greenery! 

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are both buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, and we got to visit on this trip. A snow-covered Pikes Peak is in the background. 

Here was pretty much our view coming and going across Kansas and eastern Colorado. Did you know that part of the country is very flat???

We had spotted this church on our way to Colorado Springs, and we stopped on the route home to take pictures. I believe it's in the small town of Simla, a bit over halfway between the Springs and I-70 on U.S. 24. 

The wind farms were ubiquitous in Kansas and eastern Colorado. Some towers were close to I-70, others were far in the distance. We could not help thinking of the Martian invaders from H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. 

A common sight in Oklahoma are the "grasshoppers" or pumpjacks that draw oil from onshore wells with weak pressure. They are everywhere, including neighborhoods. 

;

In Kansas we often saw these high-rises of the plains. We also passed several small towns with significant history. From I-70 you can see the twin spires of the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria. When it was dedicated in 1911, Saint Fidelis Catholic Church was the largest church west of the Mississippi. We also passed the exit to Nicodemus, the only surviving western town founded by African-Americans after the Civil War. 

Did I mention that we saw a lot of windmills? Now and then we also saw the much smaller wooden windmills on individual farms.  

Now we come to some serious stuff. We arrived back in Edmond, Oklahoma, on the second Friday of our trip. The next day daughter Becca, son-in-law Matt, Dianne and I traveled a few miles to Guthrie, a town once the capitol of Oklahoma. The Guthrie Historic District contains over 2000 buildings, so there's a lot of history to see. One place is the Oklahoma Drug Store Museum, which is filled with fascinating things!

More about Guthrie in the final post in this series. 

Finding Alabama in Oklahoma (2)

In May 2016 daughter Becca and husband Matt Leon moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, so he could start his new faculty position at the University of Central Oklahoma. Dianne and I went along for the move, and as a result of that trip I posted a blog entry on Creek names that had followed Native Americans on the Trail of Tears from Alabama to Oklahoma. 

Dianne and I recently made a trip through Edmond to Colorado Springs to visit her father. In this post and two more I'm sharing some of the photos I took in Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. Bear with me, and in the final post there are several Alabama-related payoffs!

I'm discussing these photos somewhat randomly, so here goes.

We drove to Edmond on a Friday. Here's the son-in-law and daughter as we dined alfresco for lunch the next day. Son Amos flew into Edmond Friday night from Baton Rouge so he could join Dianne and I for the drive to Colorado Springs. So except for Dianne we were all Alabama natives in Oklahoma!

That Saturday afternoon we all walked around downtown Oklahoma City in the area where Becca works for the Parks and Recreation Department. We spent some of that time at the Myriad Botanical Gardens which was well worth the visit! 

I'll be discussing some photos from Kansas and eastern Colorado in the next two posts. While Dianne, Amos and I were in Colorado Springs we visited Manitou Springs, a nearby hamlet nestled at the foot of the Rockies. In contrast to that warm day in Oklahoma, the Colorado Springs area presented us with five or more inches of snow a couple of days after we arrived. 

Manitou Springs is full of shops, art galleries, and restaurants to keep you busy when you're not looking at the mountains. 

One of our favorite landmarks in Manitou Springs is this Sinclair station and its dinosaur. 

For more than 50 years my mother, Carolyn Shores Wright, has been painting, mostly in watercolors. Many of her works have been licensed for prints and other objects. While in Manitou Springs we went into The Taos Maos shop and found one of several stained-glass sun catchers made by Amia from her work. Mom's an Alabama native too, so there you go. 

Over the years we've run across mom's work or items licensed from it at numerous places ranging from J.C. Penney to Cracker Barrel and Disney World. 

Her original watercolors, prints and other items are sold on ArtFire and Etsy. If you are ever in the Pelham, Alabama, area, her work is also available at Encore Resales and Vintage Interiors.  

Here are Dianne and Amos clowning around with a bear in Manitou Springs.

This sight greeted us outside our hotel on Wednesday morning.

And now for a taste of things to come. Here are a few of the many windmills we saw driving across Kansas and eastern Colorado along I-70. Did you know that part of the country is really flat???

Alabama Film Actresses Before 1960: A List

I've been gathering various related blog posts into lists, and this one covers the series "Film Actresses from Alabama Before 1960". 

Lois Wilson

Gail Patrick

Dorothy Sebastian

Mary Anderson

Cathy O'Donnell 

Lottice Howell in Gay Madrid 

Patricia "Boots" Mallory