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The beginning days of the War Between the States brought about a great deal of uncertainty and calculated political moves by leaders in Washington and Montgomery, AL (the capital of the Confederate states at that time). Among these calculated political moves the issue of re-supplying Federal garrisons became a major point of contention between the two governments. The South had warned that any Federal efforts to re-supply US coastal fortifications would be considered an act of war. During this...
Throughout the South various subcultures impacted the years leading up to the war in a variety of ways. While the society of the time was influenced by many different factors, the effect of hunting on the Southern mindset and its effect on the war are often overlooked. From the time the first settler crossed the Blue Ridge with a Kentucky Rifle in hand the South would forever be under the spell of the hunt. Early hunters took part in the deer trade, sold pelts, or trapped beavers for income....
In times of old, great armies made up of men and animals moved across our piney woods and fields in search of battle and plunder. Whereas such opening sentences serve to stir the imagination and curiosity it doesn't tell the personal stories of thousands of individual soldiers who were the spoke in the wheel, metaphorically speaking; these were the men who camped along the creek banks and rode patrol along our railroads and dirt roads during the period 1861-1865 during a time which many of us...
Around one hundred years ago the landscape of Escambia County and the surrounding area was vastly different than it appears today. It was the dawning of the automobile age yet the roads were still pig trails and better adapted to horse and buggy than gasoline engine. Highways such as 31 and 21 weren't even on the drawing boards in those days and airplanes were still in their infancy. A good example of how things were different in that era was the pine forests of the time. In the late 1890s the...
A good pocket knife, a trusty gun and a dependable pick up truck are among the favorite things of many in the South. There's good reason for that in that the utility and history behind each of these items not only speaks to use and need, but to tradition and history. Yet the history of the pick up truck is one that goes to a collision between the past and future in the early 20th century. Prior to the 1920s, most Southerners who hauled crops to market, lumber to a job site or groceries from the...
In continuing last week's story it becomes apparent that the town of South Flomaton had a colorful history stretching over four decades. Some have said the bars and nightclubs, which once numbered as many as 17 along Highway 29, proved a draw for Navy and Marine personnel stationed in Pensacola. Because of numerous fights, the servicemen organized something known as "dungaree liberty," which was lingo for a group of the servicemen coming to South Flomaton to fight with all takers in the bars...
According to the Pensacola News Journal, South Flomaton was the only other incorporated community in Escambia County Florida for most of its existence. The area had sometimes been the scene of controversy before and after its incorporation. The News Journal kept a weekly news update on South Flomaton, as it did most other communities in the county. In its January 6, 1944 edition it noted the Escambia County Sheriff's Department in Florida seizing slot machines across the northern part of the county in a series of seven raids. The machines were...
The later part of 1945 was a time of great optimism and hope across the area and the nation in that World War II had concluded with an Allied victory and the men and women of the US armed forces were coming home. Consistent with this optimism, the people of South Flomaton voted to incorporate on November 1, 1945. According to a Pensacola News Journal article of November 3, 1945; "The people of South Flomaton acted under an 1828 law that held if citizens of an area wished to incorporate as a...
The late 1800s into the mid-1900s was an era when traveling salesmen and others roamed the railroads and back roads of America making a living off their wits or sometimes by the generosity of others. Old historic accounts tell of traveling salesmen coming from Pensacola by railroad to Pollard, Alabama. The men would take the dirt roads and streets plying their wares to any who were interested in the transaction. Some would go door to door asking if they could sharpen a house-wife's scissors,...
Mineral springs gave rise to many communities in our area and some become vacation locations as well. A mineral springs existed near Bowman Cemetery in the Wawbeek area that led to the rise of the long lost town of Evansville. The Roberts community had a spring as well. Other communities such as Herrington, had a hotel centered around their mineral springs. Sometimes the mineral springs were believed to hold medicinal benefits. Such was the case with the mineral springs at Canoe, Alabama. The springs had been a major source of free, pure water...
Across the rugged pages of history intersect the crossroads of memory and our own personal recollections and reflections. Yet with the passing of each successive generation much history is forgotten unless close attention is paid to the oral history and grainy records stored in forgotten places and dusty attics. Such is the case with Canoe Station which blossomed like a flower in spring and whose golden age passed away like frost on a winter morning. During Canoe's golden age, disasters and accidents were a constant threat. It would appear the...
In an earlier time people used some of their leisure time to learn and grow intellectually for no other reason than to expand their minds. This held true for our local area as well. On many an otherwise cold fall or winter night, the only thing brighter than the flame from their fireplace or their gas heaters was the flame of curiosity that ignited learning in numerous study clubs around the area. The Brewton Methodist Church had a study club in the area at least as early as December of 1920. The Brewton Standard noted on December 2, 1920,...
The recent commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I marked a time that had a great impact on our local area. Many local men fought in the war. Some such as Sidney Manning became legendary for their bravery on the battlefields which bled Europe white. Many others did their duty as well and served their country. Local men had to sign up for the draft. The draft cards from this era contain a priceless treasure trove of information about these men and their lives before the...
The small country store has its place in American society. Historically, people have gathered at such places to receive their mail, converse with neighbors, learn the news going on around them, and of course, trade in the public market. Stories abound about mercantile stores in this region of the state. Burnt Corn's old store was legendary, it has been said that during the War Between The States, a man by the name of Cunningham read the weekly newspapers to those around him in order to keep...
Travelling northwest from Robinsonville one will soon reach the lower end of Butler Street. The road and community known as Butler Street stretches into Monroe County and scenic views along the route offer a pleasant distraction from the homogenized billboards and miles of boring interstate that cuts across the road at Little Rock. There are many old farms and homesteads that dot the landscape along Butler Street, as well as old service stations and churches where people toiled, raised...
Along the western end of the Robinsonville Baptist Church Cemetery rests the remains of Lt. William Maxwell. He was born in Monroe County Alabama and later adopted Robinsonville as his home as his family followed the migration of farm and logging families looking for low cost lands in western Escambia County in the early 1900s. His headstone reads “William Calvin Maxwell, 3rd Aero Squadron Born November 9, 1892, died in service Manila, P.I. August 12, 1920, Affectionate Son, fond brother, and a friend to all.” According to a Montgomery Adv...
history while sitting at the end of a dusty dirt road and watching an October sunset slowly slip beneath the horizon. A mile or so in the distance, the white steeple of Robinsonville Baptist Church rises above the peanut and cotton fields and creates a reference point for the community's history. The memories and history that flows across these fields and hedgerows calls out to tell its story as the church stands as a silent sentinel as if guarding the legacy of the area. . It's easy to imagine...
One of the benefits of living in a small community is knowing the neighbors around you and the history of the area. Knowing history seems to help this writer put life in context as against the unfinished book of one's life. Living in the Robinsonville/Canoe area one can see the ebb and flow of those who have came and went in their lives and the effect their lives had on others. Likewise, looking into the old newspapers of our area gives us a new perspective on our local history. Robinsonville...
Humans have always pondered their own mortality and their heritage. It’s natural and it separates us from the other species living on this planet. The ancient Romans worshiped their ancestors and prayed to them before their conversion to Christianity some centuries later. The Eastern Orthodox Church believes in praying for one’s ancestors and where they may be on the other side. A man’s life, legacy and the meaning of his time on Earth is a subject that can keep a person locked in thoughts ad infinitum. Likewise, knowing the past and where...
I have to admit I’ve always been fascinated by log cabins. The ones you can find in the woods along old roads and at old homesites especially. No two seem to be alike and most of the settlers who built them had a variety of skill sets and some are built more formal than others. The ones bought from the pre-arranged kits are usually all milled precisely and are sometimes assembled at the factory and reassembled at the homesite of the owner. The big fancy ones are nice but I tend to favor more rugged, unconventionally built cabins. I like the o...
As William B. Travis' body lay in the cold dirt of a Texas grave, the town of Claiborne, AL was reaching its zenith. The town was an epicenter of antebellum river culture in Alabama and was the symbol of a bygone era by the end of the Civil War. Yet Claiborne's legacy would continue in the form of another community by the name of Perdue Hill. As Claiborne began to subside in prominence, some buildings were disassembled and moved to Perdue Hill (which is along Highway 84). The Masonic Lodge,...
Antebellum river culture during the period of 1814-1855 brought about the overnight rise of many riverfront towns. Settlements quickly grew to towns along the Alabama River in rapid succession. Towns such as Claiborne developed into well established centers of affluent living and commerce within a few short years. Claiborne was located half way between Selma and Mobile along the Alabama River in Monroe County. The town was a frontier nexus for settlers and thousands of immigrants to Alabama...
Early in 1861 war fever swept the North and South alike. Predictions were made that the war would be a short one and men from all walks of life wanted to get in on the action before the war was over. Others felt a sense of duty to their state to rise up and assemble with others to defend the South. Many local communities contributed men to the war effort. These men were pooled into companies of men who made up larger regiments composed of men from their particular region of the state. Many, if...
As mentioned last week, Booker's Mill existed at least as early at the Post-War Between the States Era in Conecuh County Alabama beginning with construction of the mill in 1865. Originally several different owners had constructed a grist mill, a store and several other structures. The Stinson family began buying the property in the early 1970s and have continued to expand and build more rustic, rural creations on the property. Later, a chapel was built on the property. "We finished it in 2000,"...
After leaving the Antioch Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, we continued our way to Booker's Mill. Relying on GPS proved to be a fallacy in the journey in that it took us down a dirt lane called Twin Bridges Road which led nowhere but it did produce a kindly gentleman who had us follow him to the mill site. Upon arriving at Booker's Mill, it seemed as though the entire place was a public park or some sort of historical exhibit, but it is actually the private property of the Stinson family who...
