Alabama History & Culture News: October 22 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!

Alabama Original: Huntsville's historic Lowry House | News | waaytv.com WAAY-TV "We do tours, we have parties, even weddings," owner Jane Tippett said. The historic venue is filled with Huntsville history. "Everything in the house ...

Descendant: the untold story of an illegal slave ship and the legacy it left behind The Guardian A new Netflix documentary tells the story of activists in Africatown, a Black community in Alabama, as they fight to reclaim their history.

Public invited to 25th anniversary celebration for The Folklore Center in Bluff Park

Hoover Sun

Photo courtesy of Hoover Historical Society. The Folklore Center behind Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, serves to teach people ...

“Of Mules and Mud: The Story of Alabama Folk Pottery Jerry Brown” By Alabama Public Radio This book is largely the result of that weekend of recorded storytelling, lightly edited. It was a good thing they had this weekend.

New historic marker honors first female attorney in Madison County | WHNT.com WHNT A historic marker has been placed on Adams Street to honor Madison County's first attorney, Alice Boarman Baldridge. ... HUNTSVILLE, Ala.

Miles grad makes largest alum donation in school history, hopes to be 'catalyst'; 'HBCUs are ... AL.com Now, he wants to be one. Dale is the son of Larry Thornton, a man who is a gifted artist, an inspiring author and speaker, one of Alabama's most ...

Second 'Made in Alabama' Showcase features top homegrown products Alabama Department of Commerce Eleven exhibitors showcased their products, shared their company history, and gave promotional items to the public.

The Alabama Civil Rights Trail called "a life-changing trip" by The Travel - The Bama Buzz The Bama Buzz LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE: Learn why The Alabama Civil Rights Trail should be on your must-visit bucket list. #alabamacivilrightstrail #history ...

Q&A: Why now is the right time for Alabama to honor Hugo Black's complicated legacy Mississippi Public Broadcasting Alabama native and Supreme Court justice Hugo Black became a civil rights champion after a brief time in the KKK. A new monument honors his ...

Discover Auburn Lecture Series features fossils with Dr. Bill Deutsch Auburn University He is the author of the book and#8220;Alabama Rivers: A Celebration and ... in fossils and is a member of the Alabama Paleontological Society.

Meet the artist behind Deontay Wilder's statue | Alabama Public Radio Alabama Public Radio The site may hold up to two hundred unmarked graves. Former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Deontay Wilder lives next door. Listen ...

Bynum Baptist in Eastaboga celebrates 75th anniversary The Alabama Baptist Roger Willmore, director of missions for Calhoun Baptist Association, and Bridgett Junkin of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission presented ...

Greenville, Alabama, gears up for a bicentennial celebration Alabama NewsCenter In addition to the activities in the park, the Butler County Historical and Genealogical Society is hosting its first-ever fall tour of homes and ...

Buchanan publishes first book on people of Common Field - Auburn University Auburn University ... (University of Alabama Press). The book explores the microscale of the daily lives of people living at Common Field, a large, palisaded mound ...

Hartselle native honored for preserving Dale history The Hartselle Enquirer Clouse presented her with a resolution from the Alabama State House of Representatives commending her community service. Blankenship presented her ...

Trail of Tears Route in Huntsville

OK, here we go with another of those "history in unexpected places" items.

I was in Huntsville visiting mom recently and made a trip to the South Huntsville Library, a new facility close to her house that replaced two older, smaller branch libraries in that part of the city. This new library has a bookstore and nice coffee shop, and I often go by to donate books. On this visit, for the first time, I noticed the small sign seen below. 

For decades in the early 19th century the relationship between an ever-expanding white population in the southeastern U.S. and the native tribes grew more problematic. Natives tried various means of accommodation, and whites became increasingly hostile. In 1830 Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, and  President Andrew Jackson signed it. Both the federal and state governments were involved. A good overview is Sarah H. Hill's "Cherokee Indian Removal" article in the Encyclopedia of Alabama. 

By 1838 forced removal of the Cherokees from the Southeast had begun. The U.S. military and state militias rounded up 15,000 in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Five military posts were established in north Alabama as part of a network in that state and Georgia and Tennessee. These forts held troops which moved the natives into detention camps where they remained until heading west to Indian Territory, what is now Oklahoma. Between the camp conditions and the march, some one fourth died of diseases or malnourishment. The removal, which began on May 26, 1838 ended in November when the final groups left Tennessee.

Hill's article describes the forts and routes in north Alabama. "At least 33 military posts and camps were established for Cherokee removal: six in North Carolina, fourteen in Georgia, eight in Tennessee, and five in Alabama. The Alabama posts were Ft. Payne in Rawlingsville (now Fort Payne in DeKalb County), Ft. Morrow at Gunter's Landing (now Guntersville), Ft. Likens in Broomtown Valley, Ft. Lovell at Cedar Bluffs near Turkey Town, and Bellefont, which was a mustering and supply depot....Several routes followed the Tennessee River through Alabama, passing Bellefont in Jackson County, Huntsville in Madison County, Gunter's Landing in Marshall County, Tuscumbia in Colbert County, and Waterloo in Lauderdale County."

That sign below is located at the base of Blevins Gap Road where it runs into Bailey Cove. The road originated as a trail used by natives as a way to come across Green Mountain into the Tennessee River Valley from the east. As white settlers entered that area in the early 1800s, the road connected them with other old roads such as Owens Cross Roads and Big Cove. 

Blevins Gap Road came down Green Mountain at the site of the old Grissom High School on Bailey Cove, where the new library sits, and connected to an another old valley road, Four Mile Post, also still in use today. John and William Blevins began purchasing land in the area in 1809 and over the next decade became prominent residents.

A good history can be found in Nancy Rohr's article, "Blevins Gap: A Road Less Traveled" published in the Historic Huntsville Quarterly V14N4, summer 1988, pp 3-15. A PDF of the issue is available here. Several illustrations of the old road are included. She doesn't discuss the Trail of Tears, but Blevins Gap may have been a route used to move the natives west from Gunter's Landing or Bellefonte. 

You can read more about Alabama's place in the Trail of Tears story here, here and here. 

This Trail of Tears marker is on Blevins Gap Road, just as you turn off Bailey Cove Road in southeast Huntsville. Part of the South Huntsville Library is visible on your right after turning. 

The new South Huntsville Public Library is a pretty nice place. You can only see part of the north side here. 

Blevins Gap Road is the one to the east outlined on this map. The road now leads to the Blevins Gap Nature Preserve, a 1086-acre natural area with numerous trails in south Huntsville. 

This marker is located on Highway 72 East near the intersection with Brock Road and Madison County High School east of Huntsville.  

Alabama and the Liberty Bell

In August of this year we made a trip to Philadelphia to attend a family wedding. While there we also managed visits to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell along with a few other spots in that National Historical Park and elsewhere in town, not to mention some excellent restaurants. Naturally, I was on the lookout for Alabama connections and found one at the Liberty Bell Center.

You can read the fascinating history of the Bell here. As we made our way through the panels describing that history, I noted that after the Civil War the Bell was taken on several tours around the United States to various events and celebrations from 1885 until 1915.

So did the Liberty Bell ever come through Alabama? Indeed it did.

Below the photos are three brief items documenting the Bell's journey through the state in 1885. In late 1884 the Bell was moved by rail to New Orleans for the World Cotton Centennial which opened on December 16, 1884 and closed June 2, 1885. The articles note stops in Birmingham and Montgomery on the trip south in January, and another Montgomery stop in June as the Bell returned to Philadelphia. 

In June 1919 the Birmingham Age-Herald published a story in which Chappel Cory described the trip he and another Montgomery newspaper man made to the "sea of mudholes" that was Birmingham in January 1885 to accompany the Bell to New Orleans. Cory noted the "crush" of people who appeared at the depot.

As a useful symbol of both patriotism and commerce, the Liberty Bell has permeated American culture in many ways. An example is the Bell's use in the Liberty Bell Savings Bond drive in 1950. The U.S. Treasury Department paid for 55 replicas to be cast in a French foundry, one for each of the 48 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories. Alabama's replica, serial number 38, sits on the state capitol grounds facing Washington Avenue. More information about it is here.

During World War I the U.S. government developed a nitrate plant near Muscle Shoals; nitrate was a key ingredient in ammunition and explosives. Several residential neighborhoods, Nitrate Villages 1-4, were built to house workers, military personnel, etc. Nitrate Village #1 was laid out in the shape of the Liberty Bell. You can read more details with photographs and other illustrations in a lengthy 2021 blog post here.

If you've never been, the Liberty Bell and the other sites in the National Historical Park are well worth seeing when you make it to Philadelphia.

The view behind the Bell includes Independence Hall, where the Declaration and the Constitution were debated and ratified. Modern America looms in the background. 

I've written about a visit Sousa made to Birmingham in 1924.

These two items appeared in the Huntsville Gazette 31 January 1885 

This brief note appeared in the Memphis Daily Appeal 16 June 1885

Follow the link below to read this entire article. 

Source: Birmingham Age-Herald 29 June 1919

Alabama History & Culture News: October 12 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!

October marks the 5th annual 'Huntsville History Month' | WHNT.com WHNT From the U.S. space program to being the beginning of Alabama's statehood, Huntsville has plenty of history. This year's format focuses on 4 ...

Vonetta Flowers headlines second Dr. Wilson Fallin Jr. Lecture Series at University of Montevallo Alabama NewsCenter Vonetta Flowers was the first Black woman in history to win a gold medal ... In 2011, Flowers was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

West Alabama haunts: These locations have some creepy histories - WVUA 23 WVUA 23 But even if you don't, ghost stories contain a whole lot of history. So here's a look at some places around Tuscaloosa that just may be holding a ...

Montgomery sites receive historic preservation funding - WSFA WSFA $469,500 to the Alabama Historical Commission for stabilization and preservation of the Schooner Clotilda in Mobile, the Last-known Slave Ship to ...

Inside Sean of the South's sweet, historic Alabama home - al.com AL.com Inside Sean of the South's sweet, historic Alabama home. Published: Oct. 06, 2022, 8:41 a.m.. 30. At home with Sean and Jamie Dietrich. facebook.

Sewell to announce major historic preservation funding for Selma Alabama Political Reporter Selma University, the Historic Brown Chapel AME Church and the ... the NPS Historic Preservation Fund to preserve Civil Rights sites in Alabama ...

Funding needed for Perote Colored Cemetery | News | unionspringsherald.com Union Springs Herald ... Colored Cemetery, Inc. is a non-profit organization in Perote, Alabama. The cemetery dates back to 1853, and numerous Civil War Veterans are ...

Tuskegee's Student Uprising: The Overlooked History | Time Time "The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History" zeroes in on the 1968 uprising at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, that won ...

A Eugenics Program Masquerades as a Health Clinic in This Eye-Opening Historical Novel BookTrib In the small southwest Alabama town called Hyssop, during the hot, dry summer of 1968, a free women's health clinic opened.

Alabama author Ramona Reeves comes home with award-winning debut - al.com AL.com Knowing that Mobile native Ramona Reeves won a noteworthy literary prize for her new book, and that the prize had a sizeable monetary component, ...

State poet laureate announces creation of Alabama Poetry Delegation - al.com AL.com during the Magic City Poetry Festival (Shauna Stuart| Al.com). [Related: In her debut book of poetry, Alabama writer Tania Russell unpacks the ...

Deadline to nominate historic Alabama "Places in Peril" extended to Oct. 31 The Bama Buzz HISTORIC PRESERVATION ALERT: Do you know of a historic place in Alabama that needs saving?

Fine Fun in Alabama

Francis Harper was born of free parents in Maryland, then a slave state, on September 24, 1825. Before her death on February 22, 1911, she had developed careers as a teacher, abolitionist, suffragist, public speaker and author. Harper began to publish articles in anti-slavery journals in 1839 under her maiden name Francis Watkins. She did not marry Fenton Harper until 1860.

She was one of the earliest African-American women to develop an extensive writing career. In addition to her works on abolition and suffrage, she published poetry and several novels. Her first book of poems appeared in 1845. She joined the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1853 and lectured widely on their behalf. Harper was also active in various suffrage and prohibitionist organizations. In 1872 she published Sketches of Southern Life, a chronicle of  her travels in the region to meet newly freed slaves. 

In 1895 her collection Poems appeared and included the one below, "The Martyr of Alabama". Harper was inspired by a newspaper account of a real event at Bay Minnette in  Baldwin County, Alabama, on December 29, 1894. The beating and shooting of the young Tim Thompson had been covered in several newspapers around the country; you can see some examples here. 

Whether any Alabama newspapers wrote about the event or whether the murderer was ever caught will require further research. 

in

Source: Indianapolis Journal 30 December 1894

In the same newspaper column as the Thompson piece, a few items below, is this article--another sign of the times. 

Frances E.W. Harper [1825-1911]

Source: Wikipedia

Below is Harper's poem as it appeared in the 1895 edition of her Poems. The numbers are the page numbers from that publication. 

THE MARTYR OF ALABAMA.

"Tim Thompson, a little negro boy, was asked to dance for the amusement of some white toughs. He refused, saying he was a church member. One of the men knocked him down with a club and then danced upon his prostrate form. He then shot the boy in the hip. The boy is dead; his murderer is still at large."—News Item.

  He lifted up his pleading eyes,

     And scanned each cruel face,

  Where cold and brutal cowardice

     Had left its evil trace.

  It was when tender memories

     Round Beth'lem's manger lay,

(49)

50 THE MARTYR OF ALABAMA.

  And mothers told their little ones

     Of Jesu's natal day.

  And of the Magi from the East

     Who came their gifts to bring,

  And bow in rev'rence at the feet

     Of Salem's new-born King.

  And how the herald angels sang

     The choral song of peace,

  That war should close his wrathful lips,

     And strife and carnage cease.

  At such an hour men well may hush

     Their discord and their strife,

  And o'er that manger clasp their hands

     With gifts to brighten life.

  Alas! that in our favored land,

     That cruelty and crime

  Should cast their shadows o'er a day.

     The fairest pearl of time.

  A dark-browed boy had drawn anear

     A band of savage men,

  Just as a hapless lamb might stray

     Into a tiger's den.

THE MARTYR OF ALABAMA. 51

  Cruel and dull, they saw in him

     For sport an evil chance,

  And then demanded of the child

     To give to them a dance.

  "Come dance for us," the rough men said;

     "I can't," the child replied,

  "I cannot for the dear Lord's sake,

     Who for my sins once died."

  Tho' they were strong and he was weak,

     He wouldn't his Lord deny.

  His life lay in their cruel hands,

     But he for Christ could die.

  Heard they aright? Did that brave child

     Their mandates dare resist?

  Did he against their stern commands

     Have courage to insist?

  Then recklessly a man (?) arose,

     And dealt a fearful blow.

  He crushed the portals of that life,

     And laid the brave child low.

  And trampled on his prostrate form,

     As on a broken toy;

52 THE MARTYR OF ALABAMA.

  Then danced with careless, brutal feet,

     Upon the murdered boy.

  Christians! behold that martyred child!

     His blood cries from the ground;

  Before the sleepless eye of God,

     He shows each gaping wound.

  Oh! Church of Christ arise! arise!

     Lest crimson stain thy hand,

  When God shall inquisition make

     For blood shed in the land.

  Take sackcloth of the darkest hue,

     And shroud the pulpits round;

  Servants of him who cannot lie

     Sit mourning on the ground.

  Let holy horror blanch each brow,

     Pale every cheek with fears,

  And rocks and stones, if ye could speak,

     Ye well might melt to tears.

  Through every fane send forth a cry,

     Of sorrow and regret,

  Nor in an hour of careless ease

     Thy brother's wrongs forget.

Alabama History & Culture News: October 4 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!

'I just cried': Montgomery teen passes state bar exam - WSFA WSFA While they both passed the bar at just 19 years old, Darden is a few months younger. “He's the youngest, like, in recorded history in Alabama,” Darden ...

ASU's Frazine Taylor Wins National Award | Alabama State University Alabama State University She serves on the boards of the Patrons for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at ASU, is a member of the Alabama Cemetery ...

Take a Trip Through the States with Songs for Alabama—America's Songbook - American Songwriter American Songwriter ... Prine was drawn to the Alabama city of Montgomery as a longtime fan of country legend Hank Williams, whose body rests in a cemetery there.

Vandals deface William Rufus King mausoleum at Old Live Oak Cemetery - Selma Sun Selma Sun King is Alabama's only vice president of the United States. The mausoleum dates back to 1853. Buster said vandalizing graves is disrespectful and ...

Selma grave of William Rufus King, Alabama's only U.S. vice president, vandalized with black paint AL.com Doug Buster, president of the Cemetery Preservation Group, a nonprofit that preserves historic cemeteries including King's resting place at ...

Here are 50 great books set in Alabama - al.com

AL.com

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Young Adult, African American. - Read more on Goodreads. 46. Alabama Moon. - Rating: 4.06 (4,668 ratings).

Fine Dining in Alabama Exhibit opens in RBD Library Office of Communications and Marketing - Auburn University Cather is a book collector and dealer in Birmingham, Alabama. His collection contains menus, receipts, photos and other items—many collected from ...

Wilcox Historical Society meets at Rosemary Plantation on Oct. 9 | News | selmasun.com Selma Sun They will discuss the history of the builders and the Matthews family, who were the original residents. "Rosemary Plantation sits near the Alabama ...

The Haunted House Museum In Alabama Both History Buffs And Ghost Hunters Will Love Only In Your State Sturdivant Hall is located in Selma, Alabama. ... The Story Behind This Small Town Cemetery In Alabama Will Chill You To The Bone.

Local historical society to add lounge and coffee bar - WBRC WBRC Local historical society to add lounge and coffee bar. Published: Sep. 23, 2022 at 8:22 PM PDT|Updated: 3 hours ago. Close. Subtitle Settings.

Black history trips are booming: we take a look at Alabama's Civil Rights Trail Travel Weekly Montgomery is also home to Alabama's most-visited black history site, the Legacy Museum, which opened in 2018 and, combined with the neighbouring ..

In her debut book of poetry, Alabama writer Tania Russell unpacks the adultification of Black girls AL.com Page nine of Tania Russell's poetry book “be gentle with Black girls” has the definition of the word “fast”: a girl who is perceived to be engaged ...

Book shows personal side of 'Mockingbird' author Harper Lee | AP News AP News ... despite writing one of the best-selling books ever, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” To Wayne Flynt, the Alabama-born author was his friend, Nelle.

This 80-year-old woman makes history as university's oldest graduate: 'Age is not a barrier' Good Morning America Donzella Washington, 80, graduated from Alabama A&M University on Dec. 6 with a bachelor's degree in social work. Not only did she graduate magna cum ...

Heritage Landing promises economic opportunity for southern Walker County, Alabama Alabama NewsCenter Now, a new project involving private and public partners is transforming land historically tied to the county's legacy of mining into a site for ...

The Story Behind This Small Town Cemetery In Alabama Will Chill You To The Bone

Only In Your State

Speaking of cemeteries, one of the most haunted cemeteries in Alabama is Adams Grove Cemetery, which is attached to Adams Grove Presbyterian ...

Gus Mitchell's store added to Alabama historical sites, plans underway to open museum and ... Selma Sun He hired Jeannetta Edwards to be his Project Manager in 2020. “We made an application with the Alabama Historical Commission to be listed as an ...

Gulf Coast rich in history as Native American Day approaches Orange Beach News | Gulf Shores News Orange Beach museum honors Indian, fishing heritage. The Indian and Sea Museum in Orange Beach, Alabama, is open Tuesday, Wednesday. Orange Beach, Ala ...