Articles written by Kevin Mckinley
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The long history of Canoe School:Part 2
Schools and education have always been a prime concern in the Canoe area. According to Annie Waters, History of Escambia County, a log school was constructed early in Canoe's history. Records show...
One hundred years ago at Canoe School
The local schools around Canoe have always played a major role in the community. Centers of social interaction, cultural events, music and education could all describe the island of benefits of a...
Solomon K. McCall of Mt. Pleasant at Shiloh
The War Between the States proved a dividing line in American history, one which is still being crossed, drawn and re-crossed even today. Whereas many would seek to view that era through a modern...
More tales from Canaan cemetery
As history passed by the grave of Alexander Bolivar Cromartie in the Canoe Canaan Freewill Cemetery, his descendants continued to live in the small town of Canoe, Alabama. One of his daughters married into the Mixon family. The family ran a store in...
A galvanized Yankee in the Old West
The years between 1861-65 were a trying time for those involved in the War Between the States. Adding to the turmoil was the misery experienced by those in captivity on both sides of the Blue and the...
German and The Canoe Highlands colony
Canaan Freewill Cemetery, located on the western extremes of Canoe, contains the gravestones of many early Canoe residents. Contained in the cemetery are the stories of young men who died fighting...
Canoe Depot was major hub of activity
Trains and the railroad have always been a big part of Canoe. The earliest recordation of the presence of a depot in the Canoe area may be a blip in The Standard Gauge, a Brewton, Alabama newspaper...
Canoe Weldery held things together
Sometimes old landmarks from the past leave an impression. Among the various images of places and things I remember from the Canoe of my childhood was the sign on the old block building at the...
Pensacola's Confederate monument
How a society deals with death and remembrance says a lot about the nation as a whole and our society is unwinding daily. As the War Between the States closed, and many wanted to put away any memory...
Riots, politics and mayhem 2020
American society is in free-fall. Nevermind we are enduring a pandemic the likes of which hasn't been seen in a century, but we are also confronted with riots, looting, protests and the chaotic...
Homestead Act spurred settlement
As the War Between the States raged through the nation, the Federal government in Washington, DC struggled with running the day to day affairs of a nation which was ripping itself apart on battle...
Flying machines over Flomaton
Aviation's golden age saw much excitement in the small towns of America. Barnstormers, daredevils and the wide open skies called to thrill seekers everywhere and many of these took to the air. It was...
The cost of the war in Vietnam
During an era when the President of the United States did not apologize for being American, the United States made war against North Vietnam. Beginning in 1965 American involvement in the war...
Private Albert E. Stanton dies in France
The Great War, also known as World War I, was a pivotal event in the lives of the generation which fought the war. No other war had been fought with such savagery and loss of life. Technology was ahea...
Remembering the fall of the Confederacy
Spring brings about thoughts of gardening, farming, outside activities and other iconic images of the season. However, it is important to remember that for many of us, the memory of the sacrifices of...
Canoe man travels world for marksmanship
The early 1960s was a different world than our modern, pandemic stricken time. Memories of World War II and Korea were still fresh in the minds of Americans as news coverage of a distant land called...
War time rationing has lessons for today
World War II saw the rapid mobilization of the US economy to fight the threat of the Axis in Europe and the Pacific. Such radical changes in the national economy tightened the food supply and basic...
Tales from the old Carney Mill
Sawmills during the age of the "Big Cut" could be wild places. A sea of humanity ebbed and flowed through the mills. Laborers, foremen, businessmen and suppliers all created unique personalities...
Victory Gardens inspired hope
Gardening is as much a part of being a Southerner as weekend football games and a trip to one's favorite fishing hole. Yet in another era, gardening was a survival tool and the Federal government...
A tale of southern-fried romance
Wars can destroy not just the lives of the people directly involved on the battlefield but the people left on the home front as well. During the War Between the States many loved ones were separated b...
History's playbook & coronavirus
As mentioned in last week's article, the Corona virus is historic in its sweeping across the globe. The virus carries with it the potential for untold consequences in the infection of potentially...
The 1918-1919 Flu killed millions
For those who think history boring, or not worth teaching or studying perhaps they should take a look at history's lessons when it comes to the growing pandemic known as the Corona virus, also known a...
Train wreck helped to name 'Dugout'
In the old days, meaning that time before the early 1960s, when many of the tiny communities in our area seemed to prosper and their residents had more of a home view than a world view, there existed...
More dispatches from Canoe Station
Military dispatches provide an important reflection of the significance of a geographic area during a war. The importance of Canoe Station as a military base and supply point is illustrated through...
Dispatches from Canoe Station
Military dispatches provide an important reflection of the significance of a geographic area during a war. The importance of Canoe Station as a military base and supply point is illustrated through...