Article Abstracts and Supplements
Places in Peril
By the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Preservation Alliance
Endangered Historic Landmarks Committee
The 1997 list of the most endangered historic sites in Alabama includes a covered bridge, a train depot, the remains of an early ironwork, and even an entire town. As part of the effort to raise awareness of endangered properties around the state, the "Places in Peril" listing is published each year in the fall issue of Alabama Heritage. The 1997 "Places in Peril" are: The City of Bridgeport; New Empire Theatre, Montgomery (demolished August 1997, prior to publication of list); Old Greene County Courthouse Complex, Eutaw; Slave Quarters, Statewide; Melton Hollow, Lauderdale County; Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge, Lee County; Brierfield Furnace, Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park, Bibb County; Vicksburg and Brunswick Depot, Eufaula; Historic Mill Villages, Statewide; Copeland House, Blount County; Nat King Cole House/Belaire Neighborhood, Montgomery. To nominate an endangered property for a future list, send information to Endangered Historic Landmarks, Alabama Historical Commission, 468 South Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36130 (FAX 334-240-3477) or call 334-242-3184. All nominations must be accompanied by at least one good-quality photograph.
The Crommelin Brothers
By John B. Scott, Jr.
History-making seemed to come naturally to the Crommelin boys of Wetumpka, Alabama, both at sea and in the air. The five brothers made their mark in World War II, earning a series of medals and in the process becoming one of the most decorated families in naval history. Author John B. Scott, Jr., interweaves the lives and heroic acts of the Crommelin brothers with the history of the naval battles that took place in the Pacific theatre in World War II. Time magazine dubbed the Crommelin brothers "The Indestructibles" for their amazing escapes from death, but it wasn’t long before this was proved, sadly, untrue. Within three months of each other, two of the brothers, Richard and Charles, were killed in mid-air collisions with other navy planes, and "the fleet’s most famous flying family" was broken up. A monument to the Crommelins in Battleship Park in Mobile, Alabama, commemorates their bravery.
D.L. Hightower’s Photographs of a Vanishing World
by Michael V. R. Thomason
A Clayton, Alabama, resident and the former owner of Hightower Chevrolet, Draffus Hightower was known more for his hobby of taking photographs of local people and places than for his career. Now, Hightower’s photographs of the vanishing rural culture of Barbour County serve as an important historical record for current and future generations. In an excerpt from his book, To Remember a Vanishing World: D.L. Hightower’s Photographs of Barbour County, Alabama, c. 1930-1965, Michael V. R. Thomason examines the life of Draffus Hightower and the historic record his photos have left behind. After his father’s death in 1931, Hightower committed himself to preserving the disappearing culture of his youth. In addition to his more candid photos, Hightower often photographed community events like weddings and funerals. From 1936 on, he took hundreds of portraits of the people of Barbour County, which proved to be his greatest record of the culture he sought to preserve.
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