Chief Calvin McGhee and the Poarch Creek Renaissance

By Frye Galliard

In the mid-twentieth century, Calvin McGhee led the Poarch Creek Band of the Creek Indians and advocated for their rights, visiting Washington to petition for compensation for tribe members whose land had been claimed, arguing that Poarch students should be served by local school buses, and representing Native American culture on the national stage. He also helped draft “The Declaration of Indian Purpose: The Voice of the American Indian,” working with other leaders to ensure that Native American identity and culture was not abandoned or overlooked.

Dark of the Moon

The Life of Alabama Playwright William Berney

By Whitney Snow

Birmingham native William Berney, who grew up in Albertville and attended the University of Alabama, collaborated with his cousin, Howard Richardson, on a drama based on an old Scottish tale. The play, Dark of the Moon, was staged on Broadway during the 1945–1946 season and gained some acclaim domestically and abroad. However, as decades pass, its violent and religious themes have received increased scrutiny.

When the Suffragists Became the Alabama League of Women Voters

By Laura Newland Hill

What happens to an organization when its mission is achieved? For the women of the Alabama Equal Suffrage Association, who had passionately advocated for suffrage, the work did not end as women received the right to vote. In fact, this group quickly transformed into the Alabama League of Women Voters to use their new power to achieve even greater purpose. After a hiatus, it reformed in 1950, and it remains an important part of contemporary Alabama life, working to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy.

Falling through the Floor (and Other Adventures in Photography)

By Robin McDonald

For three decades, Alabama Heritage has benefitted from the talent and vision of photographer and designer Robin McDonald. To commemorate his thirtieth year at the magazine, McDonald reflects on his experiences, including rickety floors, famous musicians, and a number of Alabama’s treasured and lovely locations.

From the Archives

“For the Uses of the State”

By Rachel Smith

As the Alabama territory approached statehood, it faced a number of challenges. One of the largest was financial, as it held a significant deficit and needed additional funds to conduct state business. Archivists draw on materials in the Alabama Department of Archives and History, including comptroller’s reports and governor’s records, to detail information about the era and the emerging state’s finances.

Alabama Governors

David P. Lewis (1872-1874)

By Colin Rafferty

A one-term Republican governor, David Lewis was a Virginia native and Huntsville attorney. His governorship started with warring legislatures, each claiming their right to legislate. That conflict, along with other issues plaguing his term, led to Lewis’s defeat in his reelection campaign. He returned to Huntsville and died approximately a decade later.

Southern Architecture and Preservation

Alabama Grave Shelters

By Michael W. Panhorst

Field investigators working for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) were among the first to recognize grave shelters as an intriguing expression of American folk culture. A handful of photos taken of shelters in south-central Alabama now form part of the vast HABS collection at the Library of Congress. In recent years, grave shelters have been rediscovered as part of a vanishing rural landscape. Here, art historian Michael Panhorst shares with us his own, sometimes poignant, encounters with these material tributes to human loss and grief.