Born in Montgomery on March 1, 1898, Sara Powell Haardt was descended from Bavarian immigrants and grew up near the state capitol building. The oldest of five siblings, she was born a “blue baby,” nearly dying at birth from a lack of oxygen. She had poor health for the rest of her life, but this never deterred her ambition and writing.
Sara Haardt couldn’t wait to leave the south—but she also couldn’t stop writing about it.
Born in Montgomery on March 1, 1898, Sara Powell Haardt was descended from Bavarian immigrants and grew up near the state capitol building. The oldest of five siblings, she was born a “blue baby,” nearly dying at birth from a lack of oxygen. She had poor health for the rest of her life, but this never deterred her ambition and writing. Oh what a year 2023 has been! This year has come and gone, but we couldn't be more excited for what's to come!
Who was Railroad Bill? Was he the “Robin Hood” figure the legends have described? Was he an outlaw with murderous tendencies? Or was the idea of Railroad Bill just a story meant to share at night with family and friends?
All roads lead to Rome--or do they? The Old Federal Road, or also known as Old Byler Road could swing the vote. Governor Bibb approved construction of the road in 1816, and, when completed, it was named after its promoter, John Byler, in 1822. The Old Federal Road connected Southwest Alabama to places as far as the Tennessee Valley and became an important route for commerce and military transportation. Having first been proposed in 1806, the original route was designed to help the postal service transport letters and goods from the US Capitol to the rest of the country. Its active years are long gone, and it is now considered a historical monument; however, the Old Federal Road still has many tales to tell.
"This is a love that crowns the feet/with hands/that nourishes, conceives, feels the/water sails/mends the children,/folds them inside our history/where they/toast more than the flesh/where they suck the bones of the/alphabet/and spit out closed vowels."
From "This is Not a Small Voice" by Sonia Sanchez An internationally acclaimed poet, Sonia Sanchez is an Alabama-native with a twenty-seven yearlong writing career and has helped innovate the craft to what it is today. Sanchez was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1934, and describes herself as a voice from the South as well as from urban, northern areas, such as Harlem, where she moved to as a little girl. 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.
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.
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.
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Alabama Heritage BLOG
At Alabama Heritage, we owe many of our successes and smooth operations to our fabulous student interns. We hope that with this blog--written mostly by our interns as well as history students from UAB and a few from our own editors--our readers will have an opportunity to get to know the students who bring so much to the table with their enthusiasm, hard work, and expertise! If you're interested in our internship program, check out the details here. Archives
January 2024
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