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.
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.
Moundville Archaeological Park is unquestionably one of the most fascinating historical sites in our state. Wherever you walk within the 325 acres that make up the park you are traversing history. Moundville opened for visitors in May of 1939 and draws on average 40,000 visitors every year, all of whom undoubtedly leave with an enriched understanding of Native American culture.
Today is World Chocolate Day, and there are many places to discover the delicious treat in Alabama. Alabamians are known for our love of food and chocolate is no exception. The desert is always an enjoyable splurge even in the fierce summer heat. If you traverse our state, you will not have to look far to find welcoming chocolate shops, one of which was founded as long ago as 1917.
In this photograph from the Feb. 9, 1968 issue of the “Daily Northwest Alabamian,” B.W. Gallagher (left), president of the Alabama Telephone Co., displays the bright red telephone that was installed at the Haleyville, Alabama, police station to receive the first 9-1-1 call. In the middle is Haleyville mayor James Whitt, and on the right is Robert Normal, commercial manager of ATC. (Courtesy City of Haleyville) The city of Haleyville in northwestern Alabama holds the distinction of being the home of the very first 9-1-1 call in our country’s history. Hopefully, very few of our readers have had to make that call, but the history of how it all came about is interesting to learn.
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.
If you were at the Homewood Public Library on the evening of April 1st, you would have thought you had been transported back to the early 19th century. The occasion was the annual Regency ball, which returned this year after being postponed due to the COVID pandemic. The library ballroom was filled to the brim with enthusiastic and dedicated “Janeites,” or members of the Jane Austen Society.
Near the start of the year, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, announced that the Saturn IB rocket that stands off Interstate 65 welcoming people into the state of Alabama will be taken down in 2023 due to the rocket being in a poor condition. While there are plans to hopefully restore or move the rocket elsewhere, it may serve as a reminder that space exploration is not generally associated with Alabama. Florida really gets all the credit with space exploration due to it being the location where the Apollo 11 rocket launched from the Kennedy space center; however that rocket was created in Huntsville, Alabama, and was one of the most important innovations in human history as it put the first humans on the moon.
Springtime in Alabama can be defined by rainy weather, fair temperatures, humidity, and also tornadoes. While most associate tornadoes with the infamous Tornado Alley that stretches across the Great Plains, there is a little lesser known tornado prone region called Dixie Alley, which includes Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama.
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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
April 2024
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