Issue 118, Fall 2015
On the cover: Aspiring actress Talullah Bankhead, aged 17, photographed in New York City. [Alabama Department of Archives and History]
Features
Andrew Jackson’s Fall Campaign in the Creek War (1813-1814)
by Susan M. Abram
As fall dawned in 1813 in Alabama, Andrew Jackson boasted about his plans to best the Red Stick Creeks and effectively disenfranchise them, preventing them from causing further conflict in the Alabama Territory. The frontiersmen, including David Crockett, and their allies waged brutal warfare against the Red Stick Creeks, and skirmishes unfolded throughout the territory, eventually arriving near Talladega, where Jackson attempted to replicate attack methods he had used successfully elsewhere. Although the Battle of Talladega was not a decisive victory for Jackson and his men, it did weaken some Red Stick allies to the point that they surrendered. The end of the war would not arrive for several long months, but after the fall campaign, its arrival was only a matter of time.
James Bowron: An Alabama Industrialist
by Robert J. Norrell
As the nineteenth century progressed, the industrial revolution subsumed many cities, and Birmingham was no exception. However, one Birmingham man within that industry did prove exceptional: James Bowron not only served as an executive in the iron and steel industries, but he also devoted substantial time to chronicling himself, his state, and his era through his diaries and an autobiography. For Bowron, such a pursuit was spiritual, in keeping with his Quaker beliefs and the imperative to reflect upon one’s actions and soul. However, for the rest of us—all his readers—the numerous writings he left offer substantial and valuable insights, a unique portrait of a Birmingham businessman and the city in which he made his life and career.
“My Most Valuable Possession”: Tallulah Bankhead’s Portrait by Augustus John
By Guy R. Swanson
Visitors to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, may notice a colorful portrait of actress Tallulah Bankhead, but they may not be aware of the painting’s rich history. As a young woman, Bankhead, an Alabama native, set out for New York then relocated to England, hoping to secure a place of distinction in film and theater history. One marker of her success is the portrait, painted by talented artist Augustus John, a sensation all his own. Upon its premiere, the painting “caused a great stir,” evoking praise from some critics and less approving reactions from others. However, Bankhead remained devoted to the work, and she consistently refused to sell it, transporting it with her to various residences across the globe. Author Guy Swanson charts the portrait’s provenance and prominent place in the life of its sitter.
Visions of the Black Belt
by Robin McDonald and Valerie Pope Burnes
Although it sits geographically right in the heart of Alabama, for many people the Black Belt remains an overlooked treasure. In this article, excerpted from the authors’ new book, Visions of the Black Belt: A Cultural Survey of the Heart of Alabama, Robin McDonald and Valerie Pope Burnes explore this lovely and historically rich region through text and photography, highlighting its unique contribution to the state’s culture and history.
Places in Peril 2015: Alabama’s Endangered Historic Landmarks
by Michael W. Panhorst
Each year the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation identifies structures across the state that are in dire need of preservation, and Alabama Heritage helps alert readers to these important preservation opportunities. This year’s sites include the Malbis Plantation Historic District in Baldwin County, the Braxton Bragg Comer Bridge in Jackson County, Jacksonville’s Forney Hall, McCalla’s Sadler House, and the Montgomery Theatre Building, located in Montgomery. Alabama Heritage readers have long been valuable allies in preservation efforts of structures such as these from the Places in Peril list.
Departments
Adventures in Genealogy
My Glorious Addiction
By Donna Cox Baker
Editor’s Note: The Alabama Heritage team proudly introduces “Adventures in Genealogy,” a regular department that will spotlight the many ways people are uncovering their roots in Alabama. We thank genealogy experts Yvonne Crumpler and Elizabeth Wells for agreeing to serve as the department editors and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology for sponsoring this department.
In this first installment of “Adventures in Alabama Genealogy,” Alabama Heritage Editor Donna Cox Baker traces her own interest in family research, noting several of the valuable resources available to Alabamians and making recommendations on how to start retracing your own genealogy. Department editors offer additional tips and resources for those interested in learning more about their ancestry.
Becoming Alabama
Quarter by Quarter
By Joseph W. Pearson, Megan L. Bever, and Matthew Downs
In this final installment of the “Becoming Alabama” column, Joseph Pearson looks at the effects of the Creek War. Megan Bever considers the aftermath of the Civil War and the beginning of Radical Reconstruction, detailing in particular the effects it had on newly freed African Americans. Finally, Matthew Downs reflects on the Watts riots, the evolving nature of the civil rights movement, and the continued work of activists in the era following the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
Editor’s Note—For the past five years this department has appeared as part of the statewide “Becoming Alabama” initiative—a cooperative venture of state organizations to commemorate Alabama’s experiences related to the Creek War, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement. Throughout this time, we have marked many milestone anniversaries of significant Alabama moments from 200, 150, and 50 years ago—sometimes describing pivotal events, sometimes describing daily life, but always illuminating a world in flux. In this final installment of “Becoming Alabama,” authors Joseph W. Pearson, Megan L. Bever, and Matthew L. Downs—each of whom began writing this column as a graduate student in the University of Alabama’s department of history, and each of whom has now matriculated and begun a professorial career—offer a summation of the movements they covered, all the while recalling that history itself is still unfolding. Alabama Heritage would like to thank the partners who have helped support and make this “Becoming Alabama” department possible: the Summersell Center for the Study of the South, the University of Alabama Department of History, and the Alabama Tourism Department.
Alabama Governors
Gabriel Moore
By Samuel L. Webb
In this quarter’s installment of “Alabama Governors,” Samuel Webb revisits the term of Alabama’s fifth governor, Gabriel Moore. Moore, a native of North Carolina, served Alabama not only as governor, but also as United States Senator. However, his political career ended tumultuously, and he spent his later years in Texas rather than remaining in the state he served for many years prior.
From the Archives
Alabama and the Textile Industry
By Ryan Blocker and Georgia Ann Conner
This quarter’s installment of “From the Archives” illuminates an often-overlooked part of Alabama’s industrial history: textiles. Archivists from the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) explore the ADAH collection and the influence of textiles on the state, from the early nineteenth century, when the first bales of cotton left Alabama’s shores, until the current day, when fashion trends include clothing from Alabama designers such as Billy Reid, Natalie Chanin, and Gina Locklear.
Alabama Politics
Alabama’s 1907 Game Law: The Politics of Hunting
By Mark Hersey
At the turn of the twentieth century, the state of Alabama began regulating many of its natural resources, including wildlife. Although intended to protect and conserve these resources through regulation of hunting and other activities, these regulations helped both reflect and shape the citizens’ daily practices and customs, offering a commentary on race relations and leading to the creation of groups such as hunting clubs.
Revealing Hidden Collections
South Alabama’s Archaeology Museum: A New Encounter with the Past
Thanks to efforts of archaeologists and historians—and led by Alabama Heritage contributor Greg Waslkov—a new museum on the history of human habitation on the Alabama Gulf Coast resides in the Alfred and Lucile Delchamps Archaeology Building at the University of South Alabama. In the museum, visitors see archaeological artifacts and learn what they reveal about the people living in south Alabama throughout the centuries. The museum illuminates the lives of the many peoples who have graced Alabama’s southern region, from native populations to colonizers (both Native American and European), African Americans and Civil War soldiers.
Portraits and Landscapes
Alabama and Thoroughbred Racing
By Charles Cort
Although today most people associate Thoroughbreds with Kentucky bluegrass, in the nineteenth century, Alabamians made several significant contributions to the sport. Several different Alabamians have won the Kentucky Derby (both as owner and as trainer), and horses from Alabama have won some of the sport’s most significant races, including some of the nineteenth century’s fiercely contested “match races,” which pitted a southern champion against a northern one. Charles Cort traces these events and explores many ways in which the Sport of Kings connects to Alabama.
The Nature Journal
Baby Buzzards
In this quarter’s installment of “Nature Journal,” Larry Davenport offers a delightful tale of baby buzzards (also known as black vultures) hatching at Oak Mountain State Park, including fascinating details about the life and behavior of this important species.
Reading the Southern Past
Photographing the Civil War
This quarter’s installment of “Reading the Southern Past” reviews two texts on Civil War-era photography. Under consideration are Jeff Rosenheim’s Photography and the American Civil War (Metropolitan Museum of Art/Yale University Press, 2013) and the anthology Lens of War: Exploring Iconic Photographs of the Civil War, edited by Matthew Gallman and Gary W. Gallagher (University of Georgia Press, 2015). Both books offer new views of the way that the emerging technology of photography helped record the events of the Civil War.
