Alabama History & Culture News: December 6 edition

 

Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these items are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Enjoy!

Alabama Paranormal Author Publishes Second Book About Haunted Items PR Web In this new book, the author shares the stories of some of the items in his collection that possess a much darker history. The items talked about in the ...

Heat on Mobile: How '60 Minutes' episode on Africatown pushes city to lure visitors al.com The Alabama Historical Commission, which is leading preservation efforts for the ... The signs, he said, were added in the past couple of weeks.

Dadeville lawyer finds rare book by famed local humorist while cleaning out bookcase The Alexander City Outlook William C. Oates (1835-1910) was Alabama's 29th governor. If the inscription on the inside cover reading “Wm C. Oates; Aug. 1st 1882” is to ...

Alabama author helps young readers learn spiritual truths Alabama Baptist Home | Alabama News | Book Reviews | Media Reviews | Alabama author helps young readers learn spiritual truths. December 4, 2020. Sally Blass ...

65 Years Later: 10 Fascinating Facts About the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Mental Floss

... as one of the earliest mass civil rights protests in American history. ... chair of the history department at Alabama State University, tells Mental Floss.

Time for the Clotilda to be respected and appreciated al.com It has always been a puzzle to me that Mobile, Alabama, would have a neighborhood like Africatown, rich in history, that it has never done much to ...

New Heaven's Gate docuseries on HBO Max has link to Alabama al.com Applewhite's time in Alabama was a short chapter in his history -- just two years, 1961-1962, according to a Huntsville lawyer who knew him then -- but ...

50 historic photos from American military history

McDowell News

Tuskegee Airmen, with fighter aircraft, at Tuskegee Army Flying School during World War II, Tuskegee, Alabama, 1944. The success of these airmen ...

Antebellum homes hold and preserve Auburn's past The Auburn Plainsman History runs deep in the veins of Auburn's antebellum houses. ... membership secretary for the Alabama Historical Association, said Pebble Hill was ...

The movement to teach a truer history of Black Americans in the South

Oakridger

In Montgomery, Alabama, one tour guide crafted an entire tour out of sharing forgotten and often untold chapters of the city's history. Often these stories ...

When the textbooks lied, Black Alabamians turned to each other for history

Montgomery Advertiser

An Alabama history textbook published in 1961 compared it to Social Security. Lynching got no mention. Segregation was barely discussed. Black ...

Selma native publishes second book Selma Times-Journal Ufomadu, who works as an Accommodations Specialist in the University of Alabama Office of Disability Services, said she enjoys writing books.

Southern schools' history textbooks: A long history of deception, and what the future holds Montgomery Advertiser “It should be noted that slavery was the earliest form of social security in the United States,” a 1961 Alabama history textbook said, falsely. The same ...

Alabama History: Re-examined Part 4 WSFA It wasn't easy. WSFA 12 News is wrapping up its series of stories re-examining Black history in Alabama in conjunction with the Alabama Department of ...

CVHS learns about Marquis de Lafayette Valley Times-News The Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society made some history itself at ... Oral history has it that many Alabama women danced with Lafayette at ...

Dick Cooper's photo exhibit at Alabama Music Hall of Fame dives into Shoals music history whnt.com — Through the end of the year, patrons visiting the Alabama Music Hall of Fame will have the opportunity to dive into even more music history. The ...

Who Was Davis Roberts?

I recently watched the Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame film In A Lonely Place for the umpteenth time and noticed something that turned out to have an Alabama connection. Early in the 1950 movie Bogart is leaving a Los Angeles  police station just after dawn. He passes a florist shop where a young black man is hosing down the sidewalk before the store opens. Bogart has an exchange with him, and this time I thought the young actor looked familiar. 

So I looked the film up on the Internet Movie Database and there he was, "Flower Shop Employee" played by Davis Roberts in an uncredited role. I looked him up on Wikipedia and found--wait for it--he was born in Mobile, Alabama. His name at birth was Robert Alphonse Davis and the date was March 7, 1917. 

Davis was given the same name as his father; see below for more information on the elder Robert. The family appears in Mobile in the 1920 U.S. Census. Father Robert is 23 years old, a year older than his wife Clara May. Children listed were Robert Jr, age 2, Margret 1, and baby Clarice. By the 1930 census the family had moved to Chattanooga. Father Robert was not listed but more children were included: Robert (13), Marguerite (11), Clarice (10), Charles (7) and Warner (4). That last child was the only Tennessee native listed, so I presume the family moved from Mobile about 1926.

Sometime after 1930 the family moved again, this time to Chicago. The 1940 census only has Robert Jr., Charles, Marguerite and Clarice listed in the household. The mother and Warner are not included. According to one source, Davis graduated from Phillips High School in Chicago, where he edited the newspaper. Then he attended the University of Chicago and began performing with local theater groups. 

After serving in World War II and reaching the rank of first lieutenant, Davis made his way to Hollywood. He studied at the Actors' Lab Workshop there and in 1947 had his first film appearance, credited as Robert A. Davis, in The Long Night. Until the mid-1950's he made various uncredited appearances and some as Robert or Robert A. Davis. His name change must have occurred at that point. 

From 1947 until 1993 Roberts compiled a total of 134 acting credits, 50 of them in films. He also made two appearances in small roles on Broadway. That's why he seemed familiar in the Bogart movie; I've no doubt seen Roberts in some of those many roles.

Some of his films include Knock on Any Door (another Bogart), The Great White Hope, Sweet Bird of Youth, Westworld, and The Chase. He played "Farm Hand with Hoe" in God's Little Acre, "Maitre D" in The Killers, Dr. Elmo Adams in Hotel (a significant role I definitely remember). and Warner in The Demon Seed. 

Roberts had a similar variety of roles on television, beginning with an appearance in The Amos 'n Andy Show in 1951. Some of the shows included Peter Gunn, The Untouchables, The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, Mission Impossible, Kolchak, All in the Family, Dallas, and St. Elsewhere. One well-remembered role was Doc Carter in three episodes of Sanford and Son. Roberts specialized in bringing dignity to whatever part he played. You can see the full film and television list at the Internet Movie Database. 

Another aspect of Roberts' career involved work with various organizations and efforts often related to blacks in film and television. On August 13, 1967, he and a few other members of the NAACP Beverly Hills-Hollywood branch presented the first annual Image Awards to recognize significant work by blacks in film, television, music, literature, etc. A national broadcast of the awards ceremony began in 1994, and the 51st presentation took place on February 22, 2020. 

Roberts also served several terms on the Western Advisory Board of the Actors' Equity Association, which represented theatrical performers. He co-chaired the committee that secured a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for controversial singer and actor Paul Robeson.  

Davis Roberts' career was significant enough that obituaries appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. 

A few more comments are  below. 

Roberts in "The Money Machine" episode of Mission Impossible first broadcast 29 October 1967

Source: Wikipedia

Davis' World War II draft card

Source: Ancestry.com 

This World War I draft registration card for Robert Alphonse Davis,  Davis Roberts' father, gives us some interesting information. The elder Davis registered on June 5, 1917, just a few months after his son Robert Jr. was born. The father's birthday was October 20, 1894. The family lived at 22 Persimmon Street, and he worked for the Mobile County School Board at Barton Academy.  

Source: Ancestry.com 

Here's a screenshot from that brief scene with Roberts and Bogart in the film In a Lonely Place. The scene starts at about the 24 minute mark. 

Alabama History & Culture News: December 1 edition

 

Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these items are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Enjoy!

DON NOBLE: Unlikely wonders fill impressive first novel set in Kentucky Tuscaloosa News Lana Austin teaches writing at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. “Like Light, Like Music” is her first novel and it is impressive and unusual.

City of Montgomery Unveils Week Long Commemoration of 65th Anniversary of Montgomery Bus ... Alabama News Network The Quest: A Historical Scavenger Hunt, December 1-7 ... can join the Alabama Department of Archives and History for a virtual history/now panel.

Finding the last ship known to have brought enslaved Africans to America and the descendants of ...

CBS News

But last February the Alabama Historical Commission gave maritime archeologist James Delgado, who helped verify the wreck, permission to take us ...

BRAUN: Civil rights heroine Rosa Parks made history 65 years ago

Toronto Sun

It was 65 years ago this week that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. Parks is an icon in the U.S. civil rights ...

Answer Man: When was Coca-Cola first bottled in Dothan? Dothan Eagle Jorgensen's book says the history of the bottling plant includes the names of two Alabama families – the Elmores and the Bellingraths – remembered ...

Bruce Carver Boynton, who helped spark Freedom Rides, dies at 83 Washington Post It's the law,' ” he later told historian Frye Gaillard for the 2004 book “Cradle of ... his arrest and granted him a license to practice law in Alabama. AD.

Author Dr. Joice Christine Bailey Lewis's new book “My Ancestral Voices” is a riveting collection of ...

Radicals, folklore and fantasy: Read these 8 Black women writers and poets from Alabama Montgomery Advertiser Both locations would serve as backdrop in Hurston's novels: “Jonah's Gourd Vine,” a semi-autobiographical book about her parents' courtship and ...

Movie Review: 'John Lewis: Good Trouble' Bend Bulletin ... was a teenager and his historic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 and through the seeds of his political career.

The story of Al Lary's 1950 season, setting an Alabama football receiving record that stood for 62 ... TideSports.com Alabama's record book has one anachronistic exception. When Amari Cooper broke the school's record for single-season receiving touchdowns in ...

Descendants of enslaved Africans on last known slave ship to America hope to preserve ancestors ...

CBS News

Africatown has a cemetery where some of the people who arrived on the Clotilda are buried. There have been ... Alabama plans to build a welcome center in Africatown and has promised $1 million for further excavation of the ship.

Want an insider's look at Montgomery history? Join Richard Bailey on his upcoming tours Montgomery Advertiser In the 35 years since, the Montgomery native and Alabama historian says he's never given the same tour ... 20; and a Lincoln Cemetery tour on Feb.

Remembering CIA Officer Johnny “Mike” Spann, Killed In Afghanistan on November 25, 2001 legal Insurrection ... Alabama, the first American killed in the Afghanistan war, on November 25, 2001. ... Spann's family established a website to honor his life, and there is a wealth of information and photos at his Arlington National Cemetery page.

Selma civil rights activist and attorney Bruce Boynton, who inspired Freedom Rides, dies at 83 Montgomery Advertiser Boynton served as Alabama's first Black special prosecutor and was the first and only ... “Selma, AL native Attorney Bruce Boynton was a Civil Rights pioneer. ... Lisa Demetropoulos Jones, executive director of the Alabama Historical ...

Fort Davis, Alabama Historical Marker Unveiled Union Springs Herald The marker was prepared for the Society by the Alabama Historical Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office in Montgomery, after having ...

Arthur, Black Jack and JFK: Alabama teen and a wild, riderless horse honored slain president al.com ... Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery as part of their service with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment -- the oldest active Infantry Regiment in the U.S. ...

Services for Alvin Holmes set; flags to fly at half-staff al.com ... Alabama House of Representatives for 44 years until 2018, will be remembered at a graveside and burial service Sunday at Greenwood Cemetery ...

Alabama History & Culture News: November 24 edition

 

Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these items are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Enjoy!

COLUMN: A Ballad For Bryce Hospital Patch.com My area of limited historical expertise, albeit quite narrow and defined, ... the point being UA and the state of Alabama's Herculean effort to preserve ...

Rosa Parks Museum to commemorate Rosa Parks Day, 65th anniversary of Bus Boycott Trojan News Center 1 as Rosa Parks Day in the state, making Alabama one of four states to ... “The Women of the Movement” exhibit utilizes oral history interviews, ..

Lindsey Harris is first African American to lead Alabama nurses in 107 years Alabama NewsCenter Being the first African American to lead the Alabama State Nursing Association (ASNA) in the organization's 107-year history is an honor, but ASNA ...

Rick Bragg's perfect Thanksgiving meal: 'Anything to make it unhealthy' al.com The Alabama native's new book “Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South,” a collection of his columns for “Southern Living” and “Garden ...

'ROUND TOWN WITH GLENDA BYARS: Whistle Stop and women's lit Gadsden Times ... love in the series of novels about the town of Whistle Stop, Alabama, in the glorious book by Fannie Flagg, “Fried Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.

Iconic Bear Bryant Fedora Hits The Auction Block Patch.com TUSCALOOSA, AL. — Those looking to own a cherished piece of Alabama football history can now bid on one of the iconic fedoras worn by legendary ...

Troy Hall of Famer Sim Byrd dies at 75 WSFA Byrd, one of the greatest players in Troy history, led Troy to the NAIA ... He is also a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of ...

Talk of Alabama | Local Author | "Adventures of Sal" Book Series | 11.18 Alabama's News Leader Talk of Alabama | Local Author | "Adventures of Sal" Book Series | 11.18. by McCall Scofield. Wednesday, November 18th 2020. AA. WBMAThumbnail ...

Local author publishes new book Columbia Star Myra Davis-Branic recently published the book Cornbread My Soul: The ... at a college in Alabama, Frye Gaillard, wrote the forward in Branic's book.

Legends & Lore signage celebrates history of Hatton and “Trickem” Moulton Advertiser Wanda Sprinkle, of Hatton, said she can remember an old forgotten saloon once stood at the site of a new Legends & Lore marker on Alabama 101 in ...

Interactive map lets public explore local historic sites News Courier "The Alabama Historical Commission is incredibly proud of the vision and ... such as a cemetery, nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, ... This continuing effort will eventually expand to all of Alabama's counties and ...

Tuscaloosa Author, Journalist Publishes Eighth Adventure Novel Patch.com Cosby was born in Alabama and sense of place, along with the looming specter of racism, are featured as prominent themes in the Will Danger series, ...

The first Black drag queen in North Alabama and other untold stories of the Queer South scalawagmagazine.org Atlanta's history stays there. This way, the community can access their own history at sites like libraries and universities. Instead of only inheriting ...

'Unjustifiable' Sheds Light On An Overlooked Alabama Police Killing

WBHM

'Unjustifiable' Sheds Light On An Overlooked Alabama Police Killing ... dives into this story that changed the course of Civil Rights history in the south.

HBO documentary will detail snake-handling Alabama preacher News Courier Whether it's haunted the hills of North Alabama may be debatable, but the story has had staying power — inspiring books and prior true crime ...

Researchers use new technology in bid to solve centuries-old Alabama mystery of Mabila Alabama NewsCenter An ongoing research project is applying cutting-edge satellite technology in a quest to finally pinpoint one of Alabama's – and North America's – most ...

Mold, Possums and Pools of Sewage: No One Should Have to Live Like This The New York Times My story starts in Lowndes County, Ala., a place that's been called Bloody Lowndes because of its violent, racist history. It's part of Alabama's Black ...

Who Was Florence Anne Flinn?

Sometimes I go off on a tangent on this blog, and this post is a perfect example. Before dawn on October 29 Hurricane Zeta came through Pelham, and we awoke to a lack of power. By noon, being hungry and such, we decided to head to the nearby Cracker Barrel for a brunch. 

We happened to be seated near the wall bearing the certificate below. Anyone who's been to a Cracker Barrel has seen the antique items that decorate their walls. I've often wondered whether these items were authentic, and indeed they are. According to the Cracker Barrel website, no reproductions are used in the stores. More than 700,000 items decorate their locations, and another 90,000 are held in a warehouse.

Well, so the certificate is genuine. I immediately wondered who Florence Anne Flinn was and what happened to her. After a bit of research on Ancestry.com I think I've found an answer. 

Assuming I have the right person, the certificate Flinn was born on February 23, 1889, in Pittsburgh according to Pennsylvania Death Certificates. Florence turns up in the 1908 Sharon City Directory as a student living at 22 Lorain Street. Sharon is a town 75 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. 

By 1911 she was enrolled in the day course for secretarial work at the Margaret Morrison Carnegie School. the women's college of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The school first accepted students in 1906 and closed in 1973. Florence graduated on June 6, 1911. 

In the 1911 and 1913 city directories Flinn is still listed at the Lorain Street address. By the 1920 U.S. census her situation becomes clear. She is working as a stenographer in a bank and living in her father's house with her five siblings, one brother and four sisters. The father, James A. Flinn (1859-1927), a native of Ireland, is widowed and working as a roller in a steel mill. The family is living at 467 Lorain Street, so house numbers must have changed at some time previously. 

The 1954 Sharon city directory lists Florence as an assistant cashier at the McDowell National Bank. We learn a final batch of details from her death certificate. Flinn died on December 13, 1964, at home in the Lorain Street house. She was a retired bank cashier who never married; cause of death was cerebral arterioslcerosis. The "informant" listed was Miss Agnes Flinn, one of Florence's younger sisters, who lived at the same address. Like her father, she was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Mercer County.

So now I think we know the answer to our question....

But wait, there's another question--who was Margaret Morrison?? 

 

Source: Find-A-Grave