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

Cheryl Head On Using Crime Fiction To Tell The Story of Her Grandfather's Murder CrimeReads The suspense novel was featured on the TODAY show and was a Book of the ... My Grandfather was shot and killed by police in Birmingham Alabama ...

Pro Football Hall of Fame welcomes piece of Birmingham Stallions' memorabilia - CBS 42

CBS 42

The Stallions secured a spot in the inaugural USFL Championship by dominating the New Orleans Breakers in a 31-17 win Saturday night and a big ...

Montgomery offers snapshots of the civil rights movement - Southern Poverty Law Center Southern Poverty Law Center A visit to the city offers many chances to see where history happened. It's where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger ...

Bill Baxley's place in Alabama history | Home | southeastsun.com The Southeast Sun The 1970 governor's race between George Wallace and Albert Brewer overshadowed every other political race in the state that year.

Group says historic cemetery has been desecrated over a dozen times - WHNT.com WHNT.com A board member of the Living LaGrange Historical Association says the historic LaGrange Cemetery has been desecrated around a dozen times within ... Group says historic cemetery has been desecrated over a dozen times - Gold Rock Hotels – South Sudan Group says historic cemetery has been desecrated over a dozen times - usa news today Full Coverage

Alabama Man Builds World's Smallest Church Outside Mobile | Southern Living Southern Living There's a tiny chapel in Semmes, Alabama, that's built to hold a whole lot of love.

Fate of historic Huntsville Five Points oak tree is unclear after outrage over plans to cut it down | News WAAY-TV The city of Huntsville started to cut it down but neighbor's demanded they stop. Now the fate of a historic white oak tree in the Five Points ...

Opinion | A tribute to the legend Bill Baxley - Alabama Political Reporter Alabama Political Reporter Bill Baxley has a place in Alabama history. It is hard to believe that young Bill Baxley turns 81 this month.

'Light Up Sloss' celebrates Birmingham's history, present and future - Alabama NewsCenter Alabama NewsCenter New energy efficient lighting will be a permanent nighttime feature at Birmingham's Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark. %

Lilly Ledbetter + local author's book coming to the big screen - Bham Now Bham Now Did you know the fair pay icon is from Alabama? From Possum Trot, Lilly Ledbetter grew up in poverty and then became a night supervisor at Goodyear ...

Go fossil hunting in Alabama at Union Chapel Mine Alabama NewsCenter Carl Sloan, secretary of the Alabama Paleontological Society, ... Center in Birmingham or the Alabama Museum of Natural History in Tuscaloosa.

The Little-Known Story Of Alabama Baseball's Historic 1950 Season | Tuscaloosa, AL Patch Patch TUSCALOOSA, AL — It was arguably the greatest baseball team in the University of Alabama's history, but few still living are likely to recall that ...

Tuskegee resident tells story of 'torn life' as an Indian immigrant in rural Alabama

Montgomery Advertiser

June Samuel poses with a copy of her book “The Audacity to Carry On”. June Samuel knows struggle. Her parents moved to Alabama when she was 8 ...

Samford University receives archives of Judson College, the oldest women's school in Alabama CBS 42 Hundreds of historical artifacts from Judson College are now part of Samford University's special

'They felt that they deserved to be heard': What was early Pride like in Birmingham? CBS 42 Picture of the front page of the Alabama Forum's July/August edition in 1989 (Photo courtesy of the Alabama Forum).

'Big Fish' sculpture is latest nod to Wetumpka film history - AL.com AL.com Wetumpka, known as a filming site of the movie “Big Fish,” has a new sculpture to celebrate its history.

LGBTQ archival group collecting pieces of Southern history in Birmingham Saturday CBS 42 A LGBTQ archival group will be collecting Southern LGBTQ memorabilia during a public event in Birmingham.

Alabama historian: Jesse Owens Museum an 'unsung treasure' | News - Moulton Advertiser Moulton Advertiser Alabama historian, former Auburn University professor and Pulitzer nominee, Dr. James Wayne Flynt has high praise for the Jesse Owens Museum after ...

Historical Marker: Old Merritt School/Midway Community Center | News | unionspringsherald.com Union Springs Herald As stated in a previous article, 23 historical markers have been erected throughout Bullock County. With the help of the Historical Marker Database ( ...

ADAI is Accepting Century & Heritage Farm and Bicentennial Farm Applications | Lowndes Signal ADAI created these programs to help recognize and celebrate family farms that have significantly impacted Alabama history and agriculture.

“Scapegoat: The Tommy Lee Hines Story” By: Peggy Allen Towns | Alabama Public Radio Alabama Public Radio Her work was recognized in March by the Alabama Historical Association with the prestigious Virginia Van Der Veer Hamilton Award.

“Deep South Dynasty: The Bankheads of Alabama” By: Kari Frederickson Alabama Public Radio Author Explores Lives of Alabama's First Political Family. ... by establishing and maintaining the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Historic Alabama tower reopens to public after 20 years - al.com AL.com The historic Flagg Mountain Tower reopened in Coosa County his week, with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey in attendance. (Courtesy of Alabama Forestry ...

The Moth: a story-telling movement with a new book on narrative skills - Texarkana Gazette Texarkana Gazette This year Burns, a native of rural Alabama, has co-authored a book, "How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The ...

Answer Man: What's the story behind a historic house in Abbeville? | Local News Dothan Eagle The house was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1976 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Erie-area students walking in Black history as bus trip resumes after pandemic cancellations

GoErie.com

It was 30 years ago that the Rev. Herlies Murphy of Community Missionary Baptist Church led nearly 100 young people from the Erie area to Alabama ...

O. Henry & Alabama

He started life as William Sydney Porter on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina, the son of a physician. An early job included work in an uncle's drugstore, and in August 1879 he became a licensed pharmacist. By 1882 he was living in Texas, where he hoped the climate would ease a persistent cough. There he met his first wife Athol; together they had two children. He worked at various jobs, including draftsman of maps and surveys for the Texas General Land Office and then bank clerk in Austin. He continued writing the kind of sketches and satires he had begun in North Carolina. 

Porter was fired from his bank job when an audit turned up shortages. He moved to Houston and began writing for the Post newspaper. Unfortunately, a federal audit at the Austin bank revealed the embezzlement, and Porter was indicted. On the eve of the trial he fled to New Orleans and then Honduras. During six months in that country he wrote the interlocking stories that became his novel Cabbages and Kings, set in a fictitious Central American country and published in 1904.  

Porter learned his wife was dying of tuberculosis, and he returned to Austin in February 1897; Athol died in July. In February 1898 Porter was convicted of embezzling $854.08 and his sentence of five years began the following month. He served as night druggist at the prison hospital, where he had his own room. He was released early, on July 24, 1901, having been a model prisoner.

He had continued to write, publishing stories under a variety of pseudonyms. The first one that appeared under "O. Henry", the name Porter is remembered by today, was "Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking" published in the December 1899 issue of McClure's Magazine. 

After his release, Porter moved to New York City in 1902 to be closer to his publishers. He was also closer to the material he could use for his stories, the endless characters and human interest stories of the major city. For over a year he published a story in each issue of the New York World Sunday Magazine, 381 of them in total. He was paid $100 per story. His tales were blasted by critics, but loved by the reading public.

By 1908 his health was deteriorating badly. His second wife Sarah, a childhood love, left him in 1909, and on June 5, 1910, he died from a combination of cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, and an enlarged heart. He was buried in his native North Carolina. 

O. Henry's stories feature melodrama and twist endings, but also have vivid characters and great, often droll humor. Some of his stories are quite touching. I'm reading through the collection below and have enjoyed every story thus far. 

More details on Henry's life and writing can be found in Jonathan Martin's essay  and C. Alphonso Smith's 1916 biography. Smith was a childhood friend of the author. That same year he also published a significant article on the author. In 1965 Eugene Current-Garcia [one of my English professors at Auburn] published a volume in the Twayne Series on United States Authors, O. Henry: William Sydney Porter. Occasional scholarly books and articles continue to be published. 

So what does all this have to do with Alabama, you ask? Well, let me explain. 

Several stories by O. Henry have significant state connections. I want to mention four of them in this post.

"The Duplicity of Hargraves" was first published in the February 1902 issue of Junior Munsey magazine and included in O. Henry's 1911 story collection Sixes and Sevens. In 1917 Thomas R. Mills directed a film version released by Broadway Star Features Company. 

The story is set in Washington, D.C., and primarily features Major Pendleton Talbot "of the old, old South", his daughter Lydia and their fellow boarding house resident, an actor named Henry Hopkins Hargraves. The Talbots arrive practically penniless; the Major is trying to finish his memoirs. Hargraves engages the pair in conversation often; as it turns out, he is studying the Major for a role he has in a play. 

I won't tell you any more, but will offer the Alabama-related quotes below. The story with its surprise O. Henry ending is well worth a read; find it here. 

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When Major Pendleton Talbot, of Mobile, sir, and his daughter, Miss Lydia Talbot, came to Washington to reside, they selected for a boarding place a house that stood fifty yards back from one of the quietest avenues.

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Major Talbot was of the old, old South. The present day had little interest or excellence in his eyes. His mind lived in that period before the Civil War when the Talbots owned thousands of acres of fine cotton land and the slaves to till them; when the family mansion was the scene of princely hospitality, and drew its guests from the aristocracy of the South. Out of that period he had brought all its old pride and scruples of honor, an antiquated and punctilious politeness, and (you would think) its wardrobe.

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After about four months in Washington, Miss Lydia discovered one morning that they were almost without money. The Anecdotes and Reminiscences was completed, but publishers had not jumped at the collected gems of Alabama sense and wit. The rental of a small house which they still owned in Mobile was two months in arrears. Their board money for the month would be due in three days. Miss Lydia called her father to a consultation.

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"I am truly sorry you took offense," he said regretfully. "Up here we don't look at things just as you people do. I know men who would buy out half the house to have their personality put on the stage so the public would recognize it."

"They are not from Alabama, sir," said the Major haughtily.

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Major Talbot, passing through the hall, saw Miss Lydia's door open and stopped.

"Any mail for us this morning, Lydia, dear?" he asked.

Miss Lydia slid the letter beneath a fold of her dress.

"The Mobile Chronicle came," she said promptly. "It's on the table in your study."

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"The Ransom of Red Chief" appeared in the Saturday Evening Post July 6, 1907, and then the collection Whirlygigs that same year. The story has been filmed several times. The best known version is probably its inclusion in the 1952 O. Henry's Full House. The story was also adapted for a segment of the ABC Weekend Special series in 1977, an opera in 1984 and a 1998 made for TV film. The basic idea has been used in various other films and shows.

Two crooks are in Alabama looking to score the rest of the funds they need for "an illegal land deal in Illinois." They decide to kidnap the young son of a rich man in the town of Summit and demand a ransom. Needless to say, events do not go as planned. I'll let you read the juicy details for yourself. 

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"It looked like a good thing. But wait till I tell you. We were down south, in Alabama – Bill Driscoll and myself – when this kidnapping idea struck us. There was a town down there, as flat as a pancake, and called Summit. Bill and I had about six hundred dollars. We needed just two thousand dollars more for an illegal land deal in Illinois."

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"Shoes" and "Ships" are two related stories that appear in Henry's collection mentioned above, Cabbages and Kings. In "Shoes" John Atwood, a dissolute consul in the Central American town of Coralio, must face the appearance of his lost love from their home town of Dalesburg, Alabama. Atwood and Rosaline renew their love and with her father return to the United States. In "Ships" Atwood's assistant deal with the fallout of his boss' actions in the first story. You can read these stories in the collection at Project Gutenberg. 

Alabama rates a mention in several other stories: "The Plutonium Fire", "Hygeia at the Solito", "The Reformation of Calliope", "The Gentle Grafter", "Thimble, Thimble", "The Rose of Dixie", and "Rolling Stones". As far as I can determine, Porter/Henry never visited the state. 

Lee Aaker and comedians Oscar Levant and Fred Allen starred in "The Ransom of Red Chief" segment of the 1952 film O. Henry's Full House. 

Haley Joel Osment starred in this film the year before he made The Sixth Sense. 

Alabama History & Culture News: June 19 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!

Leeds author turns family legends into fantastic fiction loosely based on Leeds The Trussville Tribune She's a published author, poet, book illustrator, and artist. ... the life of a 1950s-era, multi-ethnic hillbilly family and community in Alabama.

Author explores lives of Alabama's first political family | DON NOBLE - Tuscaloosa News Tuscaloosa News The book details the huge contributions of the Bankhead family and ... Kari Frederickson of the University of Alabama is a veteran historian of ...

Charles McGee, hero aviator of the Tuskegee Airman, honored at Arlington burial - CNN CNN At one point, there was a military flyover that included Red Tail F-16's from the Alabama Air National Guard 187th Fighter Wing, a squadron ...

Tuskegee Airman Brig. Gen. Charles McGee laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetary WUSA9.com The celebrated Tuskegee Airman from Bethesda died at the age of 102 and was one of the last airmen still living. His funeral was in Chevy Chase in ...

Veteran Alabama sportswriter Rubin Grant honored among 50 'sports writing legends' Alabama NewsCenter Grant had said he wanted to pursue a career as a sportswriter and his city editor thought he was crazy. “I asked her why and she said, 'Because you ...

Birmingham's Sloss Furnaces venue offers history, industrial aesthetic for The World Games 2022 Alabama NewsCenter Sloss Furnaces became a National Historic Landmark in 1981. (Michael Tomberlin / Alabama NewsCenter). Aaron Hauck and Jay Kasten stand in a frying ...

Why Helen Keller story in history books is harmful to people with disabilities - Reckon South Reckon South Every year, the town of Tuscumbia, Alabama, puts on a production of the “The Miracle Worker” at Helen Keller's birthplace, Ivy Green.

Body of sailor returns home to Alabama 80 years after death at Pearl Harbor - CBS 42 CBS 42 Among the remains that were recently exhumed in Hawaii from the USS California that sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a Geneva ...

Ashley M. Jones, Poet Laureate of Alabama, recites work at Gadsden State Community College Gadsden Times Ashley M. Jones made history in 2021 when she was named Poet Laureate of Alabama — the first Black poet to hold the title since its creation in ...

Book details history of Auburn aeronautics and aerospace engineering program Office of Communications and Marketing - Auburn University ... of Aerial Navigationand#8221; to Alabama Polytechnic Institute engineering students in 1909, stirring interest in this new-fangled concept.

Alabama slave ship, Clotilda, receives renewed importance during Juneteenth - NPR NPR ELLIOTT: Darron Patterson is president of the Clotilda Descendants Association. He says for too long, the slave history of Mobile was hidden.

Hepzibah Baptist Church in McCalla celebrates 175th anniversary The Alabama Baptist Sarah Walters of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission presented a certificate. “After the past couple years confronting all the chaos created ...

Never underestimate the “Power of One” | News | moultonadvertiser.com Moulton Advertiser The group is responsible for the stately metal historical markers around ... For more information on this organization visit North Alabama History ...

When will repaired Lady in the Bay return to Alabama? - al.com AL.com READ MORE: This historic hotel is a snapshot of Alabama history. Barber also ordered a fiberglass Stonehenge replica, which is located in the ...

'Heart of a small town': Thomaston dreams of converting historic school into lively community hub

Montgomery Advertiser

When Connie Willamor steps out onto her big white house's front porch in Thomaston, Alabama, she can see a few things. First, she sees the old ...

Johnson, historical society reclaim cemetery's fallen headstones - The Madison Record The Madison Record Madison Station Historical Preservation Society members and other volunteers who recently repaired headstones in Old Madison Cemetery included ...

Hueytown Baptist Church celebrates 50th anniversary The Alabama Baptist Joyce Peters of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission presented a plaque. “The 50th anniversary was a big celebration for our church as it ...

Historical Marker: St. James C.M.E. Church | News | unionspringsherald.com Union Springs Herald Reverend Jack McMillan was born on December 15, 1883, in Charleston, S.C., and died on January 23, 1902, in Midway, Alabama, according to the ...

Rediscovered documents detail Sojourner Truth's fight to save son in Alabama - CBS 42 CBS 42 It was a historic case of a Black woman seeking the release of her son from slavery prevailing in court against a white man.

These are the hottest temperatures ever recorded in each of Alabama's largest cities AL.com In the Birmingham area, the highest temperature ever recorded was 107°, set on July 29, 1930, according to historical data from the National ...

How a trans Birmingham man helped send his uncle to prison in the 16th Street Baptist bombing AL.com Petric Smith testified against Robert "Dynamite Bob" Chambliss in 1977 in the Birmingham bombing that killed four little girls.

Exploring the Clotilda, the last known slave ship in the U.S., brings hope - NPR NPR The discovery of the ship on an Alabama river bottom has fostered a renewed ... A cemetery sits on a hill by the highway, gravestones facing east ...