Alabama has multiple connections to Hollywood and the big screen. Some of the most famous actors to have come from our state are the Oscar-winning Octavia Spencer, Channing Tatum, and Tallulah Bankhead. A lesser-known actress with Alabama ties is Margaret Tallichet, wife of the renowned director William Wyler.
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Tallichet was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1914. She was descended from Albert Tallichet, who emigrated from Switzerland to the town of Demopolis. Margaret’s parents moved from Demopolis to Texas shortly before she was born, but she continued to visit relatives there for the rest of her life. Her brother David was an aviator and a pioneer of themed restaurants; he settled in California, and it is unknown whether he kept in touch with his Alabama roots.

In the heart of Winston County, Alabama, off State Route 13, standing at 60 feet high and 148 feet long is the longest natural bridge east of the Rocky Mountains in North America. Just west of Bankhead National Forest, this natural archway is easily missed by many who travel through North Alabama, including myself. I have driven past the road sign titled “Natural Bridge” countless times on my way north. I always thought it looked interesting but never made the time to stop, get out, and delay my trip. But last year, after finishing midterms, I decided to make a day trip specifically for this bridge I had disregarded for years. And I am glad I did. After being greeted by friendly faces at the welcome desk of the park’s gift shop and paying entry fee of $3.50, I made the mile long hike through the Natural Bridge valley. Along the out and back trail, you will find variety of rock formations, 27 variations of fern, waterfalls, large Canadian hemlock trees dating back to the Ice Age, and of course, the Natural Bridge.

In 1891, Halle Tanner Dillon became the first woman certified to practice medicine in Alabama. This accomplishment was even more remarkable because she was also African American.
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Halle Tanner was born in Pittsburgh in 1864 to a prominent Black family. Her father, Benjamin Tucker Tanner, was a Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister and eventual bishop. Her brother Henry Ossawa was a well-regarded painter of dramatic Biblical scenes. He eventually moved to Paris and his paintings are displayed in some of the most prestigious museums in America. 

The story of the Vine and Olive Colony has intrigued Alabamians ever since it was first revealed in Albert Pickett’s 1851 history of our state. Pickett is generally considered the first historian of Alabama and he wrote extensively about the arrival of French expatriates to modern-day Marengo County. Various myths about the French settlers and their community have been passed down over the years, particularly the idea that the colony was populated by tragic French aristocrats, but the truth is more interesting than fiction.

It is mistakenly believed that the Vine and Olive Colony was populated by wealthy aristocrats who wanted to craft a paradise out of the southern wilderness. The only notable person involved with the colony was General Count Charles Lefebvre-Desnouettes. The aristocrat climbed up the ranks of the French Revolutionary army and received his title from Napoleon in 1808. Several other Napoleonic officers also arrived in Alabama but only for brief periods; Lefebvre-Desnouettes eventually left the state in 1821 to return to France, drowning off of the coast of Ireland. By 1830 the colony was depleted of its Napoleonic settlers, but this did nothing to stop romantic stories about the Vine and Olive Colony from remaining a part of the cultural history of our state.

When you enter the Safe House Black History Museum for the first time, history seems very near, to still be breathing, due to the intimacy of the space, the historical artifacts, and the personal remembrances and testimonies of the tour guides. The shotgun-style house was turned into a museum in 2002 and ever since it has been educating visitors from across the United States and abroad.

Alabama is widely known for its natural beauty, rich cultural history, love of food and, of course, our state’s love of football. What many might not know about Alabama is its wide array of biodiversity, particularly along the Gulf Coast. From eels to sharks, numerous beautiful and fearsome creatures are teeming in our coastal waters.
 
You can find the American eel swimming in Alabama’s waters. They are instantly recognizable for the long fin that runs nearly the entire length of their bodies and for their very sharp teeth. This gleaming, snakelike creature migrates all the way from Alabama to the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean where it spawns and then dies. American eels are especially prevalent in the Mobile Delta and have been collected from every river in the Mobile basin and in several coastal drainages in southeastern Alabama. Unfortunately, the eel population in our state is declining due to migration routes being blocked by high-lift locks and dams.

As a student completing degrees in religious studies and library science, it is probably not surprising that collective memory and memorialization are among my research interests. At bottom, both disciplines are fundamentally concerned with history. Scholars of religion study not only the traditions and rituals that are passed down within different groups but also how history shapes the way that people relate to themselves, each other, and the world writ large. Archivists parse written records to decide what is valuable enough to preserve, and librarians play an important role in providing the public with access to transcribed history. As a subject of study, collective memory bridges the two fields by examining how we—as a society—sacralize people and events that we have agreed are important.