Alabama History & Culture News: May 7th 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. Some articles may be behind a paywall. Enjoy!

Giddens' Gift: Protecting African American Historic Cemetery in Opelika | WRBL WRBL It was Giddens' gift to the community he cared for. February of this year, Giddens Cemetery was listed on the Alabama Historical Registry.

Parent challenges book available to fourth graders at Keokuk school library - Tri States Public Radio Tri States Public Radio ... who were falsely accused of raping two white women while on a train traveling near Scottsboro, Alabama in 1931. The book chronicles how the ... [The book is "The Scottsboro Boys" by Alabama author James Haskins]

Judson College archives donated to Samford's Special Collection for preservation The Alabama Baptist The historical archives of Judson College in Marion will be safe, ... and add it alongside Samford's history as well as Alabama Baptists' history.

Museum of East Alabama holding mural dedication ceremony May 12 Office of Communications and Marketing - Auburn University The agricultural mural is sponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities and the Department of Art & Art History at ...

Author pens romance series set in 'Cypress Bayou,' ie Natchitoches Natchitoches Times Sands made her debut with her Alabama series in 2015, beginning with “Again, Alabama,” a Southern romantic women's fiction novel, that was followed by ...

[HTML] Antebellum Alabama Plantation in Ruins

YOU CAN, EFFS Stands

… The walls of these ruins contain the history of the largest what was once the
largest plantation in this section of Alabama, that at its height, … With very few
comprehensive accounts available on the history of this site, I set out to find as much …

3-D Scans Reveal Gigantic Native American Cave Art in Alabama | History | Smithsonian Magazine Smithsonian Magazine History | May 3, 2022 7:02 p.m.. 3-D Scans Reveal Gigantic Native American Cave Art in Alabama. A new analysis identifies four life-size human figures ...

Selma's Brown Chapel AME is nation's most endangered historical structure, needs $5 ... AL.com The iconic 114-year-old Selma church, where voting rights organizers gathered on that Sunday in March 1965 before being bloodied by Alabama state ...

Archaeologists find large-scale mud art in Alabama cave - Archaeology - Haaretz.com

Haaretz

During the Civil War, The Union Army confiscated Confederate General Robert E. Lee's land and turned it into what is now Arlington National Cemetery.

Lionel Richie to headline, join other Alabama stars in The World Games Closing Ceremonies Alabama NewsCenter The Opening Ceremonies – set for July 7 at Protective Stadium –will be a colorful celebration of sport and Birmingham history. Sponsored by Alabama ...

Novel details adventures of a literate private investigator | DON NOBLE - Tuscaloosa News Tuscaloosa News “Bye Bye Baby,” set in Boston, is the 50th Spenser novel, and the 10th by Alabama author Ace Atkins, who, all the while, is writing his highly ...

Alabama Shipyard: On the Mobile waterfront, a sleeping giant has awakened - al.com AL.com Deep History. The Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1916 via the consolidation of several smaller drydock companies, ...

'To Kill a Mockingbird' a must-see for all, starring Richard Thomas of John-Boy fame Akron Beacon Journal ... Alabama, in Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's classic ... In a departure from the long depictions of childhood play in the book, ...

Birmingham author explores motherhood during a pandemic in 'More than a Mom' The Alabama Baptist What are ways mothers can model self-care, for themselves and the families they love? Kari Kampakis explores these questions in her latest book, “More ...

Here's the book on a legendary Alabama barbecue joint - al.com AL.com Van Sykes, one of the legends of Alabama barbecue, has just published a new book about the history of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, the venerable Bessemer ...

New round of Clotilda exploration work to begin Monday - al.com

AL.com

According to information released Thursday by the Alabama Historical Commission, the commission and Resolve Marine plan to begin a 10-day ...

How 2 independent bookstores survived the pandemic - thehomewoodstar.com

The Homewood Star

Alabama Booksmith appeals to a niche community around the world, specializing in signed first edition books, which helped the bookstore sustain ...

The Pioneer Museum of Alabama gets set to bring history to life in May - The Troy Messenger The Troy Messenger The Pioneer Museum of Alabama will present a living history event and battle reenactment in May at the second annual Thunder on the Three Notch.

“Fourteenth Colony: The Forgotten Story of the Gulf South During America's Revolutionary Era” By Alabama Public Radio “Fourteenth Colony” is a book of history the common reader can really enjoy. ... Fort and the author of many books and articles on early Alabama.

Two Alabama Natives on "Maverick"

One of these days I plan to write about the busy acting careers of Alabama natives R.G. Armstrong and Louise Fletcher. However, this post examines an episode of the classic western TV series Maverick in which the actors appeared together in prominent roles.

Maverick was a popular western on the ABC network for five seasons 1957 until 1962. Today the show would be deemed a dramady, since it often combined drama with some light-hearted dialog and action. James Garner and Jack Kelly played gambling brothers in and out of trouble as they pursued high stakes games. Garner left the series after the third season to pursue movie roles, and this episode, "The Saga of Waco Williams" is from his time on the show, airing in the second season on February 15, 1959. You can read more about Maverick here. 

This appearance is Fletcher's only one on the program, although she acted in a number of western shows [as well as other TV programs] during the late 1950's and early 1960's. Armstrong would turn up in another Maverick episode in 1960. This episode ranks as the most popular of the show; of all TV sets in use in the U.S. at that hour, over half were tuned to Maverick. 

A summary at the Paley Center for Media web site sets the stage: 

"In this episode, Bret befriends a gunfighter named Waco Williams. Waco and Bret arrive in a town where the cattlemen and the homesteaders are at odds with one another. During a poker game in which Bret is accused of cheating, Waco gets into a fistfight with a cattleman named Karl Bent Jr., whose father, Col. Bent, owns the town. Bret and Waco are then accused of having been sent by the homesteaders to cause problems among the cattlemen. The Bents and their friends try to run Bret and Waco out of town. Waco refuses to go since he is waiting for a friend to meet him. Bret stands by him, but not out of loyalty. He knows that Waco's friend is worth $2,500 in reward money."

No mention of Fletcher's character, who is significant in the story. You can read a detailed account at TVMaze. 

Armstrong plays Colonel Bent, a cattleman who is the de facto ruler of Bent City. Fletcher is daughter Kathy. At first Bent has no use for Waco, but by the end of the episode he comes to admire Williams and decides he's the only man he's met who's good enough for his daughter. That's a good thing, since Kathy and Waco have fallen in love.

Poor Bret--he doesn't get the girl or the reward money or even big poker winnings. The episode is enjoyable and the Alabama actors fun to watch playing  father and daughter. 

R.G. Armstrong as Colonel Karl Bent, master of all he surveys

Colonel Brent and Waco Williams [Wayde Preston] get acquainted 

Brent, his son Karl Jr. and one of their men ride into town for a showdown with Bret and Waco. Brent and Bret are wounded; Karl Jr. and Jack Regan are killed. 

Kathy sits at the beside of her convalescing father as they discuss the turn of events. 

Kathy and Waco finally meet close up in his hotel room with Bret in attendance. 

Something is going on here. 

Colonel Brent offers his blessing to the lovebirds and tells them to get out so he can get some rest. 

Kathy and her new beau arrive in town, and Waco gets a hero's welcome. 

Bonnie Plants in Union Springs

If you've shopped for garden plants at a big box store and no doubt many other places, you have probably encountered Bonnie Plants. In the spring their little black, green and yellow plastic pots offer up all sorts of herbs and veggies at our local Home Depot, WalMart, etc. We've certainly purchased who knows how many dozens over the years to put tomatoes, straight neck squash, cucumbers, various peppers, and such in Dianne's garden. 

I recently noticed something about the little pots I had always missed before. Right there on the side it says, "Headquarters/Union Springs, AL". Hmmm....And "Since 1918". Hmmm....

Actually, the company, the largest plant and vegetable grower for home gardens in the U.S., relocated its headquarters to Opelika in early 2022. One reason given was the close proximity to Auburn University, with which Bonnie Plants has worked for decades. 

A couple named Bonnie and Livingston Paulk moved to Union Springs in 1917 and the following year began to sell cabbage sprouts in town. Within a few years the couple and their hired help were offering onions, strawberries, eggplants, peppers, potatoes and more for sale. The company erected its first greenhouse in 1936 and the growth never stopped. Bonnie Plants now sells in all 50 states and Canada and has 70 growing stations around the country.

A video created to celebrate the firm's 100th anniversary can be seen here.

I wonder how many individual plants the company has sold....

Bonnie Springs facility in Union Springs

Source: Jessie Shook's article "Bonnie Plants continues to expand" in the Union Springs Herald 2 Sept 2020. The article notes that the company's sales were approaching $400 million. 

The ribbon cutting held in January 2022 for the new Bonnie headquarters in Opelika

Source: PR Newswire 

Alabama History & Culture News: April 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. Some articles may be behind a paywall. Enjoy!

Settlement, war and agriculture in West Florida explored in new history | DON NOBLE

Tuscaloosa News

He is the director of Historic Blakely State Park in Spanish Fort and the author of many books and articles on early Alabama.

Freedom Rides Museum unveils newly discovered photo from Civil Rights Movement - WSFA WSFA The historic image features the interracial group of men who traveled for two weeks back in 1947. They were protesting segregated seating on buses ...

Weather History: April 24th, 2010 Intense Tornado Outbreak | WHNT.com

WHNT

Instability, lift, and wind shear created a favorable environment for severe storms to develop. Storms began firing up in northwest Alabama during ...

Alabama author helps revive legacy of forgotten photographer Alabama NewsCenter The result: two books and a website about Korman, which resurrect the photographer's extraordinary catalogue of black and white images that, for a ...

One of Alabama's oldest independent bookstores will host its first book fair featuring local authors AL.com In May, the Little Professor bookshop in Homewood will hold its first local author showcase.

For years, Pearl Buck's daughter was buried in an unmarked grave in New Jersey. One fan ...

Philadelphia Inquirer

(L-R) Patricia Martinelli, 68, curator of the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society, stands with David Swindal, 69, an Alabama landscape ...

Philip D. Beidler, longtime Alabama professor whose experience in Vietnam influenced his ... CBS 42 Philip D. Beidler, a longtime English professor at the University of Alabama whose own experience in the Vietnam War served as the focus of ...

'Bloody Sunday' Exhibit to Identify Foot Soldiers | Alabama State University Alabama State University Now historians are trying to identify the people who marched into the pages of history. A 30-piece photographic exhibit on display at Britt ...

Alabamian Dan Bankhead earned a place in baseball history - Alabama NewsCenter Alabama NewsCenter In the same year Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, his teammate, Alabamian Dan Bankhead became the major leagues' first Black ...

A civil rights memorial in Alabama expands to document lynching victims' stories - NPR NPR The Equal Justice Initiative addresses America's history of racial violence at a time when state lawmakers nationwide have been trying to limit ...

​ASU Holds Dedication Ceremony for Jo Ann Robinson Hall | Alabama State University Alabama State University The ceremony was held in front of the residence hall, a historic building that was previously named after Alabama's 39th Governor, David Bibb Graves, ...

Alabama gave former slaves rocky land as 'compensation' for their enslavement. A resilient ... CBS 42 Alabama gave slaves rocky land as 'compensation' for slavery. A 'resilient' few made Colony their home.

Guest Opinion: Is Alabama abandoning impoverished folks in the Black Belt for 'Bridge to Nowhere'? AL.com ... issues surrounding historical site questions around Moundville have not been addressed. According to a recent article, “West Alabama Corridor ...

Emotions stirred as Alabama honors a moment in its football history - al.com AL.com Certainly not Mitchell or Wilbur Jackson, the first two Black players in Alabama football history who are now honored with a plaque unveiled ...

Alabama professor's great-uncle survived the sinking of the Titanic - CBS 42 CBS 42 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Julie Hedgepeth Williams remembers how her great uncle, Albert Caldwell, was always smiling.

Hartselle woman publishes book

The Hartselle Enquirer

Special to the Enquirer. Hartselle native Connie Pearson recently published a book titled “100 Things to Do in Huntsville & North Alabama Before ...

Review: Eye-opening historical fiction 'Take My Hand' - ABC News ABC News Being one of the few nurses with her own reliable transportation, Civil is assigned two rural Alabama girls, India and Erica Williams, ...

Review: Eye-Opening Historical Fiction 'Take My Hand' | Alabama News US News Review: Eye-Opening Historical Fiction 'Take My Hand'. Newly graduated from Tuskegee, Civil Townsend takes on her first job as a nurse at a family ...

Hudson Strode's "Now in Mexico"

As the downsizing of my book collection continues, I'm even letting go of volumes that have Alabama connections. Can you believe it? This post is about such a book and its author.

Strode was born in Cairo, Illinois, on Halloween, 1892. His father Thomas was a native of Huntsville, Alabama. Because Thomas suffered from tuberculosis, the family soon moved to Denver but Thomas died in 1896. By the time Strode was 12 his mother Hope had remarried, and the family had moved to Demopolis. 

He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1913 and received a master's in English at Columbia University. Hudson Strode taught English and creative writing at the University of Alabama from 1916 until retirement in 1963 with various time outs for travel, breakdowns and service at the Pensacola Naval Air Station during World War II. In 1975 he published The Eleventh House, a memoir that covered events in his life until the start of World War II. Strode died on September 22, 1976. The New York Times noted his passing. 

Many of Strode's books relate to his travels to places such as Cuba, Bermuda, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Asia and India and Mexico. He also published a three volume biography of Jefferson Davis and edited Spring Harvest: A Collection of Stories from Alabama. I hope to do a blog post on that anthology at some point soon. 

Strode's greatest legacy is the long list of former students who published more than 50 novels and 100 short stories. Borden Deal alone published more than 20 novels and a number of stories. I've put together this listing from various sources and have included links and a representative--or in some cases only--novel or other publication. Many of these authors were prolific novelists, short story writers, and poets; others published a single book. As far as I know, all of these individuals are deceased except Nancy Huddleston Packer.  

John Mayo Goss, one of his students, won First Prize in the 1946 O. Henry Memorial Award contest given to the best story published in the previous year. Strode was one of three judges that year; stories by Truman Capote, Patricia Highsmith, Eudora Welty and others did not win. This tale has been dissected on the Passing Tramp mystery blog. Two years later Goss published a novel, This Magnificent World. 

STUDENTS [probably incomplete]

Links are given to entries at the Encyclopedia of Alabama or other sources. 

Douglas Fields Bailey, Devil Make a Third [1948]

Babs Deal, The Walls Came Tumbling Down [1968]


Borden Deal, Bluegrass [1976]

Lonnie Coleman, Beulah Land [1973]

John Finlay, Mind and Blood: Collected Poems [1992]

Robert Faucet Gibbons, Bright as the Morning [1943]

John Mayo Goss, This Magnificent World [1948]

Winston Groom, Forrest Gump [1986, also many other books!]

Harriet Hassell, Rachel's Children [1938]

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird [1960]

Helen Norris, Something More Than Earth [1940]

Nancy Huddleston Packer, Old Ladies [2012]

Thomas Hal Phillips, The Bitterweed Path [1950] 

Catherine Rodgers [McLain], The Towers Inheritance [1958]

Elise Sanguinetti, The Last of the Whitfields [1962]

Carlyle Tillery, Red Bone Woman [1950]

Ann Waldron, The Princeton Murders [2003]

Alabama author Alina Stefanescu wrote a blog post in 2009 about Strode's Tuscaloosa home and his life and career. That post includes a partial list of Strode's students with some comments. 

The photos below should give you some idea about the book, published in 1947. I've made comments below a couple of them. 

Full disclosure: no, I haven't read it, and since I'm not likely to, I'm letting it go.  

Hudson Strode [1892-1976]

Source: Encyclopedia of Alabama

This copy was purchased at Smith & Hardwick, a legendary book store that operated in Birmingham from 1934 until 2004. I remember visiting its second location in Forest Park before it closed. 

I assume Mrs. Spigener is this lady, and she was married to this gentleman. You can see their modest Tuscaloosa home on Zillow. 

Yes, my copy is signed by the author.