Alabama History & Culture News: April 8 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 tax created for veteran Confederate soldiers could preserve South's Black history Montgomery Advertiser the pamphlet reads. The park is run by the Alabama Historical Commission. The move to establish the park was made in the build up of the centennial of ...

Could the Confederate Memorial Park be a future home for Alabama's displaced monuments? Gadsden Times The veterans' home modern history. The state closed the home Oct. 31, 1939, 81 years ago, by Legislative act, and the five remaining widows were ...

Creek Indians Study Tour Planned for June Opelika Observer Contributed by Charles Mitchell. A Creek Indians in Alabama study tour with the Lee County Historical Society and Chattahoochee Valley Historical ...

History preserved in Herald files Union Springs Herald The monthly Historical Preservation report was presented at the Union ... In February 59 years ago, the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, ...

National Aeronautic Association honors Tuskegee Airmen AOPA Pilot ... staff” trained at Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama, according to History.com. Tuskegee Airmen flew Curtiss P–40 Warhawks, Bell P–39 Airacobras, ...

Blakeley re-enactment set Saturday Gulf Coast News Today BLAKELEY – The Battle of Blakeley being re-enacted Saturday played a major role in local, state and national history, Historic Blakeley State Park ...

Daughter's hair challenges inspire educator to write book Champion I am really excited about getting it finished because I am an HBCU graduate (Alabama A&M University) and I love everything about HBCUs and the ...

5 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month in Birmingham Bham Now ... April 11, 7PM: All Around Alabama Inaugural Reading: Jason McCall, ... Check out books like Ashley M. Jones' Magic City Gospel, Emma Bolden's ...

“When Stars Rain Down” By: Angela Jackson-Brown Alabama Public Radio 1930s Small-Town South Setting for Dramatic Novel ... Don Noble's newest book is Alabama Noir, a collection of original stories by Winston Groom, ...

Alabama lawyer Bryan Stevenson to appear at Lincoln Center Kenosha News Wynton Marsalis will be the musical director. Stevenson founded the Montgomery-based Equal Justice Initiative and wrote the best-selling book “Just ...

'A man with the human touch:' Legendary Alabama sports writer Bill Lumpkin dies at 92 al.com “In the rich history of Alabama sports writing, Bill Lumpkin is easily on the Mount Rushmore,” said talk show host and former Post-Herald columnist ...

Smiths Station celebrates two decades through new city clock Alabama NewsCenter On April 2, city officials led by Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland unveiled a city clock that will honor history while looking to the future. Nestled between ...

Babe Ruth and Chadwick Boseman? Alabama HS baseball team 'connected with greatness' at ... Yahoo Sports And he knew the park's rich history. “I asked them,” Gray said, “if they knew about Hank Aaron and Willie Mays and the Negro League baseball. They ...

Push continues to memorialize civil rights martyr Viola Liuzzo in her hometown of California, Pa. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette She chalks that up to a combination of no historical markers in the area to ... was in the KKK car that shot at her in Alabama and did nothing to stop her murder. ... has the blessing of Mary Liuzzo Lilleboe, Viola's 73-year-old daughter.

Montgomery's long abandoned Grove Court Apartments to be redeveloped WSFA MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The historic Grove Court Apartments in downtown Montgomery are getting a much-needed makeover after being ...

Luverne Football's Legendary Coach Glenn Daniel Dies at 95 Alabama News Network ... took the job, which paid him $2,100 a year, “because I had a family to take care of,” he said in the book, “Tales from Alabama Prep Football” in 2000.

'A Better Life For Their Children' Looks At The History Of The Rosenwald Schools WABE 90.1 FM He becomes an educator, and he's the founding principal of the historically Black college in Tuskegee, Alabama, known as Tuskegee Institute,” said ...

UAB history journal for student scholarship wins a national award UAB News The annual Vulcan Historical Review was honored in the 2020 Gerald D. Nash History Graduate Online Journal Competition. The University of Alabama ..

Truman Capote and MM

I've written before about a link between Alabama and Marilyn Monroe, a very tenuous one via photographer John Vachon. You can read about it here. In this post let's examine a connection that's a bit more solid. Sort of....

Truman Capote's relationships to Alabama are well known. Although born in 1924 in New Orleans to parents who were both from our state, he moved to New York with his mother in 1931. During that decade he spent long periods with relatives in Monroeville, include a three-year stretch. His cousin Sook would later appear in some of his writings, as he would turn up as Dill in his friend Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

Capote's Alabama days would appear in such writings as the novel The Grass Harp and stories "A Christmas Memory" and "The Thanksgiving Visitor." One of his best known works, however, would be influenced by both his time in New York City and family memories--the short novel Breakfast at Tiffany's first published in the November 1958 issue of Esquire. In it the unnamed narrator, a writer, tells us about his encounters with Holly Golightly, a neighbor in his apartment building and the other people in her life.

The piece was filmed in 1961 with Audrey Hepburn as Holly and George Peppard as the writer, now named Paul Varjak. Hepburn was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, one of five the film received. Oscars were awarded for Best Original Score and the song "Moon River". The movie has become a romantic classic.

Although the shy Hepburn made the outgoing Holly a memorable character, she was not Capote's choice for the role. He wanted Marilyn Monroe. The screenplay by George Axelrod was first tailored for Monroe, but her advisor Lee Strasberg told her the character was too much like a prostitute--Capote called Holly an American geisha--and she turned it down. The part was also offered to Shirley MacLaine; she, too, didn't want it. The prim Hepburn got the part and made it her own. Capote felt betrayed by Paramount Studios, which had purchased the film rights. 

Speculations around the "what ifs" of Hollywood casting are always fun. What if George Raft had accepted the offer to play Sam Spade in the 1941 Maltese Falcon, and Humphrey Bogart had missed out? What if Monroe had played Holly?

Apparently Capote put a lot of his mother into the character of Holly. Lillie Mae and his father Archulus Persons divorced when he was four. She later left Alabama for New York City and married Jose Capote, who would adopt Truman while they all lived on Park Avenue. There are striking similarities between the beautiful, mercurial Lillie Mae and the beautiful and mercurial Holly. The character is from the rural South--Texas--and her real name as revealed late in the book is Lulamae. There are other similarities between the lives of  real people in Capote's early life and fictional characters in the book. 

Capote and Monroe were introduced early in her career by film director John Huston. The writer remained bitter about Paramount's casting of Hepburn. He called the movie a "mawkish Valentine" that "made me want to throw up." Capote further declared, "It's the most miscast film I've ever seen." All of this bile despite acknowledging, "Audrey is an old friend, and one of my favorite people, but she was just wrong for that part." Years later talk of a remake surfaced, and Capote said Jodie Foster would be good for the part--another "what if" of Hollywood casting. 

Something about Monroe's combination of intelligence, sexiness and yet child-like emotions made her seem right for Holly in Capote's mind. And after all, he wrote the book. Monroe once gave him a teddy bear with "I love you" on it. Near the end of his life he returned the favor and wrote a profile of the actress for Interview magazine entitled "A Beautiful Child." 

The photographs below were taken in 1955 at El Morroco, one of Manhattan's most popular nightclubs from the 1930's until the late 1950's. 

Some quotes and other information above came from the following two books:

Clarke, Gerald. Capote: A Biography. 1988, pp. 269, 516

Schultz, William Todd. Tiny Terror: Why Truman Capote [Almost] Wrote Answered Prayers. 2011, pp. 55,58, 131

Alabama History & Culture News: March 31 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!

Bear Bryant houndstooth hat up for auction al.com Here's your chance to own an iconic piece of Alabama football history. Sports memorabilia site Lelands is auctioning a black-and-white houndstooth ...

Adjunct faculty member's film syndicated in Alabama News at UNG "The film had a great response," Hickman said, adding it was broadcast as part of Black History Month. "It was a big affirmation for our work. It humbled ...

Council votes to declare historic Loxley Hotel building unsafe Gulf Coast News Today LOXLEY, Alabama — Owners of the historic Loxley Hotel have 45 days to demolish the structure following a vote of the Loxley Town Council during a ...

Author Terence Ramone Gills's new book “Choice” is an engrossing novel highlighting the ... PR Web Terence Ramone Gills, a loving father and stepfather, doting grandfather, and Alabama native, has completed his new book “Choice”: a riveting story ..

Catherine Coleman Flowers is always in 'good trouble.' It's a blessing for rural America. Montgomery Advertiser Today, the White House announced the Black Belt, Alabama native will join ... a new book, “Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Little Secret." ... a headache for power brokers, it's been a blessing for rural Alabama.

“Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss” By: Margaret Renkl Alabama Public Radio This book is purposely, I suppose, hard to categorize. ... The “memoir” stream begins in and around Lower Alabama, by which Renkl means Dothan.

Alabama sheriff seeks vandals who dug up grave from 1882 al.com An Alabama sheriff is on the hunt for vandals who dug up the grave of a man buried in 1882. At Flint Hill Cemetery, somebody removed the hefty slab ...

A pioneering woman painter and her monstrous Alabama subject

al.com

As we celebrate Women's History Month, one particularly striking painting provides an opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of Sarah Miriam ...

Alabama's Octavia Spencer, Madalen Mills among winners of NAACP Image Awards al.com He was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders, a colleague of Martin Luther King Jr., a keynote speaker at the historic 1963 March on Washington and ...

In raunchy trailer for 'The Suicide Squad,' Alabama's Michael Rooker fits right in al.com and suddenly there was a great disturbance in the force, as if millions of comic-book-movie fans suddenly moved on from talking about the Snyder Cut ...

Book review: In 'From Preaching to Meddling,' a white priest experiences civil-rights movement in ... Chattanooga Times Free Press Walter, who currently lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, was born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1932 and grew up poor among the Creole community on Mobile ...

Alabama cities resuming April walking tours after shutdown WTVY, Dothan Alabama cities resuming April walking tours after shutdown. Alabama, Decatur, Saturday Walking ...

City Taking Applications For Historic Preservation Commission Patch.com TUSCALOOSA, AL – The City of Tuscaloosa is now accepting applications for two positions on its Historic Preservation Commission, which is tasked ...

Iconic 'Coca-Cola' building concludes final chapter of service in Gadsden Gadsden Messenger While current owner Alabama Teachers Credit Union purchased the building with the intent of development and preserving such a historical piece of ...

Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum gets $12K grant Shelby County Reporter The “Alabama Club” car will bring back the unique experience of connecting ... and also a way to preserve the rich history of Alabama and our nation.

Alabama Department of Archives and History digitizes records of Scottsboro Boys whnt.com The Alabama Department of Archives and History recently discovered the intake records from Kilby Prison in the administrative records of Gov.

St. Patrick's Day tornadoes: 6th-biggest tornado event in AL history WTVY, Dothan Still, to reach #6 on any severe weather or tornado list in the state is significant considering Alabama's history. The official tornado count for the event ...

3 remarkable women who left their mark on girls' high school sports in Alabama Bham Now This month in honor of Women's History Month, I interviewed three remarkable women, Noona Kennard, Yvonne Michelle Simmons and Cat Reddick- ...

B. Bart Henson--Memoria

 

B. Bart Henson – Memoria

by Mark Cole

Source: Huntsville Times obituary 21 March 2021

Bobby Bart Henson left this world on March 15, 2021.  A native of Nauvoo, Alabama (near Jasper) and graduate of Minor High School, Henson received an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Alabama in 1957, and his professional engineering license from the State of Alabama in 1962.  He spent most of his career with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as an Instrument Test Engineer in Huntsville, Alabama before retiring in 1990.  He is survived by his wife Bettye, daughter Rebecca (Jones), her husband Chris, and a granddaughter, Zoe.

Growing up in a poor rural family, Bart enjoyed outdoors and had a large farm in Pulaski, Tennessee that he and Bettye were very fond of.  He was not a hunter, but loved providing a sanctuary for wildlife.  They built their home in Huntsville, Alabama and lived there for over sixty years.  It’s a perfect microcosm of their lives, Bettye’s beautiful flowers and plants, and Bart’s piles of books and rocks.   

As I sit in the shadows, looking up at the stars, my mind races to Bettye and the emotions she must feel.  Bettye and Bart were inseparable, soulmates and best friends that even shared the same birthday (different years).  We pray for her strength and peace. 

I first met Bart Henson at the Alabama Archaeological Society Winter Meeting held at the Tennessee Valley Art Museum in Tuscumbia, Alabama in 2002.  I still remember when I saw him, silver beard and trademark cap, standing next to A.J. and Carolyn Wright.  The two men were dressed in sports jackets and slacks, exuding professionalism and confidence - a caliber of person in education and experience far beyond my situation.

I had read about the exploits of Cambron and Hulse, Mahan and Moebes, Futato and Knight, Henson and Wright, from copies of the Journal of Alabama Archaeology loaned by a friend.  These men and women were iconic to me, and became models of my approach to this great science, in this great State.

Henson must have noticed my eagerness and impatience through that first encounter, because during a break he took the time to introduce himself, share some stories with me and offer an autographed copy of his book, “Alabama’s Aboriginal Rock Art”.  I found him humble and kind, inquisitive yet professional, and that day he made an important impression on a young, naïve artifact collector.    

Over the next three decades, Bart and I became close friends.  We stayed in touch when Jen and I moved to Florida, and when we returned our families spent a great deal of time together.  We shared many wonderful meals with Bart and Bettye, took some adventurous field trips, and shared many enjoyable phone conversations.      

Bart will be best remembered for his work with Native American rock art in Alabama, and he has been the author or co-author of several reports, books and hundreds of presentations to local and regional groups on the subject.  Dr. Jan Simek of the University of Tennessee, a specialist in the field, considers Bart his inspiration and hero.  That’s easy to see, given that despite Bart’s unparalleled credentials he treated everyone with the utmost professionalism.    

But to limit Bart to the discipline of prehistoric art alone overlooks even more significant archaeological achievements.  Between 1962 and 1975, the Alabama Archaeological Society experienced its peak membership, but was forced to evolve from its amateur roots into a more professionally oriented Society designed to meet the growing demand of cultural resource management programs.  Had this change not occurred, the Society would have ceased to exist. 

During those seminal transition years, the Henson’s served in several leadership roles for the Society, including President, Vice President, Board Members and Treasurer.  Bart became the inaugural liaison to the Alabama Historical Commission, appointed by Governor Guy Hunt, the last avocational to hold that office, and likely the last ever to do so.

By the early 1980s, Bart and Bettye had become arguably the most important and decorated avocational archaeologists in the United States.  They received both the Award of Merit and the Distinguished Service Award from the Alabama Historical Commission, the Outstanding Member Award from the Alabama Archaeological Society, and in 2012, the Milt and Bea Harris Lifetime Achievement award, the highest honor the Society can bestow on a member.

There are a thousand other stories that I could write about from my thirty-year relationship with Bart Henson.  About DeJarnette’s escapades with axes, Carey Oakley and surface surveys in Madison County.  Ed Burwell telling Bart about three other faces carved in rocks that were used as road fill in Highway 231 north at Meridianville.  About the fluted point site at Burwell Mountain.  Trips he took with Bettye to collect during holidays while relatives waited for dinner.  Talks he had with Ed Mahan, Charles Brosemer, Jack Cambron and many others.

I could tell you about Bart’s hiring by Werner Von Braun, his proudest achievements in testing astronaut biometrics, the time the monkey escaped in the NASA lab, and much more.

But none of that would be sufficient to communicate the respect I had for the man.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellis Whitt came to visit Jen and I from North Carolina.  While Ellis was here, we were able to have Bart and Bettye over to enjoy the fellowship of a home cooked meal in the midst of a trying year.  The next day, Bart, Ellis and I met Charles Moore at Heaven’s Half Acre (HHA) for a field trip and a chance to recollect.  COVID-19 had ramped up and a planned study of the sites had been delayed, but after almost a year in quarantine, everyone was ready to stretch their legs a little.  Looking back, I’m glad we went – I was with my heroes.

Alabama has lost an iconic historian and researcher, and I have lost a friend.  I will always wish for one more chance to pull on my boots, get in my truck, and take Bart out for one more spin.  Maybe one day, I’ll see him again.

For now, I’m left staring at those empty, muddy boots, memories flashing through my mind, a series of smiles, laughs and tears.  That’s the complexity of becoming friends with an icon, no matter what, no matter how hard I try, I know his boots I will never fill.

Figure 1 - Left to Right, Charles Moore, Ellis Whitt and Bart Henson at Heaven's Half Acre in October 2020

NOTE from A.J. Wright

Mr. Cole has graciously allowed me to post this remembrance of Bart Henson,  which will also appear in a future issue of the Alabama Archaeological Society's newsletter, Stones and Bones. The illustrations and comments below are my additions.

This book by Bart Henson and John Martz was published by the Alabama Historical Commission in 1979. 

I met Bart and Bettye Henson in the 1960's via my dad Amos J. Wright, Jr.'s participation in the Alabama Archaeological Society. I still have the American Heritage Dictionary the Henson's gave me when I graduated from high school in 1970. 

In my 2017 post "Dad and Alabama Archaeology" I included a memorial to dad that appeared in the Stones and Bones. I made the following comments about Bart Henson's portion and the story behind the article they wrote together:

"Mr. Henson tells the story of the Great Lamar County Aboriginal Sandstone Quarry Hunt led by my maternal grandfather, the Rev. John M. Shores. I remember that day well; granddaddy--an avid hunter and woodsman-- thought he could take us right to the location of the rocks with the strange markings. We spent a long time that day wandering around while he tried to recall landmarks near that spot."

Alabama History & Culture News: March 23 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!

Alumni association honors five inductees to the Hall of Pride Tallassee Tribune He and his wife Clara Lee Tillery (1907-1998) are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. He graduated from Dadeville High School, Dadeville, AL in 1924, ...

BOOK REVIEW: Author shows Alabama's triumphs and failures The Decatur Daily “The Five Capitals of Alabama: The Story of Alabama's Capital Cities from St. Stephens to Montgomery," by Tom Bailey, (New South Books: ...

Book review: 'His Truth is Marching On' offers a vivid portrait of John Lewis Roanoke Times Lewis was the son and grandson of Alabama sharecroppers. As a child, he had farm chores; one of those was to take care of the chickens. His early ..

Alabama's hidden history: How highway could fuel tourism Cullman Times Online Alabama's brief flirtation with the promises of Reconstruction ended. The horrifying history received national attention last month in an Atlantic

DON NOBLE: Pulitzer Prize–winning Alabama journalist writes family memoir Tuscaloosa News In this exploration of family and history, Archibald goes on a quest, after his father's death, to understand his dad's life as a minister, especially as it ...

Byron Williams: Give Montgomery, Ala., its rightful place among historic cities Greensboro News & Record In 1963, in practically the identical location, Alabama Gov. George Wallace during his inauguration declared: “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, ...

“Stitching Together Tuscaloosa's History” – University of Alabama Museums University of Alabama Museums Curated by University of Alabama student volunteer Allison Mansour, the Stitching Together Tuscaloosa's History exhibition utilizes the 2019 ...

Stay overnight in historic Selma Bridge Tender's House

al.com

Selma is one of Alabama's most historic cities, featuring beautiful old homes, churches and buildings, as well as the iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge.

TROY Libraries' traveling military postcard exhibit debuts at Air University Trojan News Center The previous exhibits focused on scenes from Alabama's historic streets, ... screen banners, each portraying a distinctive aspect of military history.

'We have history that hasn't been uncovered' | Slave Wrecks Project shows global industry of slavery WUSA9.com Dunnavant has done work in Africatown, Alabama, a city that was formed by African Americans after the emancipation of enslaved people. Many of those ..

Alabama cookbook author says COVID-19 changed restaurants forever Alabama NewsCenter Once the book was completed and then its publication delayed, Cobbs reached back out to the restaurants to check in on them. That's when she had ...

The History of Enslavement on the University of Alabama's Campus and the Memorial Landscape Events - The University of Alabama Rachel Stephens, Associate Professor of Art History, will present her ... to the history and archives of slavery on the University of Alabama campus.

Rachel Hawkins's new novel sets Jane Eyre in Alabama al.com “I'm the new kid on the block on my 12th book.” The Alabama author has written young adult fiction (YA) full-time for the past 10 years. Her ...

Author Leamon Boddie's new book “Driver First: My Perspective” is a thoughtful work offering his ... PR Web Leamon Boddie, a senior citizen and lifelong Alabama resident who took up the game of golf in his early thirties, has completed his new book “Driver ...

'100 Boyfriends' Tells Lewd and Lonely Stories of Desire and Heartbreak The New York Times But along comes Brontez Purnell with his new — novel, is it? Linked ... The book's narrators are often, like Purnell, Gen X, born in Alabama and now in ...

Boman releases book about overcoming Clanton Advertiser The book is about prayer, spiritual warfare and overcoming difficult obstacles. “Spiritual ... Boman is a 2009 graduate of The University of Alabama.

Preservation Society gearing up for 'safe' Pilgrimage Selma Times-Journal “At 200 years old, Selma is home to the largest historic district in Alabama, where a special blend of southern hospitality, Spanish moss, heirloom ...

Alabama Photo of the Day: Turpentining

Turpentine is a fluid made from the sap of certain trees, especially pines. Uses  have included as a solvent for paint thinning and production of varnishes. Turpentine has been largely replaced by cheaper products made from petroleum. 

Between about 1840 and 1930 turpentining was big business in mostly south Alabama with it's plentiful supply of longleaf pines. You can read more about the industry and the process in the Encyclopedia of Alabama article by Catherine Kim Gyllerstrom. She also wrote her Auburn University dissertation on the topic, "2000 Trees a Day: Work and Life in the American Naval Stores Industry, 1877-1940". Pitch or resin used in caulking wooden ships was produced from the same trees.

The industry's long history in the state included the use of labor by slaves, convicts leased to private companies, and immigrants lured from northern cities into debt peonage/involuntary servitude in Alabama with promises of lucrative work. You can imagine the conditions in which these men worked in the isolated pine forests of not only southern Alabama but also northwest Florida and southern Georgia. . 

An article by Breck Pappas in the Mobile Bay Magazine March 23, 2017, described a particularly horrific incident: "A 1901 story from the New York Times describes the burning of a Baldwin County turpentine camp as “the most horrible catastrophe in the history of Alabama.” It’s reported that 60 people perished in the fire, which started in the middle of the night while workers slept. The tragedy’s lone survivor was said to have rowed naked across Mobile Bay the next day to recount his story."

"The crude gum is collected from the tree cup, placed in carrying buckets later transferred to barrels to go to 'still'". This photo was taken in the 1930's or 1940's. 

Source: Alabama Department of Archives & History