Issue 37, Summer 1995

General Overview: The image appears to be the cover of a magazine titled “Alabama Heritage,” specifically issue number 33. The central focus of the cover is a painting that depicts a dramatic maritime scene. Specific Elements: Text: At the top of the cover, we see the bold title “Alabama HERITAGE,” indicating the magazine’s name. Sailing Ship: Dominating the center of the image is a large sailing ship. The ship is in distress, with its bow raised out of the water and its stern submerged, suggesting that it’s sinking. The ship features one visible mast with tattered sails, indicating damage or wear. Lifeboat: Positioned to the right of the sinking ship, we see a small lifeboat. Several people are aboard the lifeboat, desperately trying to escape the sinking vessel. The lifeboat is navigating choppy waters, underscoring the urgency of the situation. Waters and Sky: The turbulent waters surrounding the ship and lifeboat convey the stormy conditions. The sky in the background is cloudy and ominous, suggesting that the disaster occurred during inclement weather. This powerful image captures the resilience of humanity in the face of natural calamities, as brave souls strive to survive against all odds.

Issue 37, Summer 1995

On the cover: Detail from Xanthus Smith’s 1876 painting of the historic sea battle between CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge. (Courtesy AmSouth Bank, Mobile)

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Features

This black-and-white photograph portrays a person dressed in a military uniform. The uniform features distinct badges on the collar and is well-fitted with visible buttons down the front. The background is dark, emphasizing the individual in the image.
Captain Raphael Semmes captured nearly seventy vessels as captain of the CSS Alabama. [Courtesy William Stanley Hoole Special Collections Library, University of Alabama]

The Saga of CSS Alabama

By Christopher M. Henze

This issue chronicles the adventures of the CSS Alabama, the Confederacy’s deadliest raider, including the discovery of her wreck off the coast of France and recent salvage efforts. Though the Alabama never once berthed in a Confederate port, her exploits boosted the morale of Southerners as she made an epic–and deadly–maritime journey around the world. During the Alabama’s 22-month campaign, her commander, Captain Raphael Semmes of Mobile and his crew captured or sank 65 Union merchant vessels at a cost of approximately $6 million to the Union. Author Christopher Henze, a U. S. diplomat for 25 years, served as a cultural attaché at the American embassy in Paris and acted as liaison between the French and the American sides in negotiations over ownership of the Alabama artifacts.

The image appears to be a black and white photograph taken aboard a ship. A group of people, likely crew members, are gathered on the ship’s deck. The ship features various maritime elements, including ropes, masts, and rigging. A prominent cylindrical structure stands in the middle of the deck, possibly serving as an exhaust or ventilation system. Lifeboats are visible, attached above the deck on both sides. In the background, we can faintly discern the sea and part of a landmass.
Kearsarge officers and crew, Sydney, Australia, 1869. [Courtesy U.S. Naval Historical Center]

USS Kearsarge: The Last of a Legend

By Eugene Alvarez

A companion piece, this article recounts a little-known story of the final days of USS Kearsarge, which ran aground in the Caribbean in 1894. Her captain and navigator were brought up on charges of “inefficiency in the performance of duty” and “negligence.” Both were found guilty. 

The image depicts two individuals, one male and one female. The first person is standing, dressed formally, and appears to be a medical professional, perhaps a doctor or nurse. He is wearing a light colored suit and bow tie. The second individual is lying down, partially covered with a white cloth. She seems to be undergoing a medical procedure or examination. Notably, the person lying down has a bandage or dressing on their body, and there is a large dark patch visible (possibly a bruise or medical condition). The overall tone of the image is black and white, emphasizing contrast and privacy.
Life magazine photographer Jay Leviton snapped this now-famous picture of Mrs. Hodges in the Sylacauga hospital, when Dr. Moody Jacobs pulled the covers back to reveal her bruised hip. [Courtesy Jay Leviton, Atlanta]

Ann Hodges and the Hand of Fate

By John C. Hall and Harold Povenmire

Ann Hodges of Sylacauga is the only documented case of a person being injured by a meteorite. Her remarkable story attracted national media attention. In Alabama, the publicity focused on a law suit brought by Hodges’ landlady, who claimed that she was the rightful owner of the meteorite. The public sided with Mrs. Hodges, who told the pres, “I think God intended it for me. After all, it hit me!” Although the landlady won the lawsuit, Hodges, after a modest private settlement, was able to reclaim the meteorite, which she later donated to the Alabama Museum of Natural History at the University of Alabama. The 8 1/2 pound meteorite remains there today on display. Another 3-3/4 pound fragment of the same meteorite found by a farmer nearby is on display at the Hall of Meteorites at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Departments

From the Archives

“The Gold Star Book-Personal Memories of Alabamians Who Died in the Great War” 

By Joan S. Clemens

In 1920 Marie Bankhead Owen, succeeded her late husband, Thomas M. Owen, as director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Part of her purpose was to complete her husband’s dream of creating a Gold Star book in honor of American soldiers killed during the Great War. However, she was never able to complete the project; after World War I,  Americans turned their attention inward and did not want to be reminded of the European conflict. Neither did the Alabama legislature, which did not provide the necessary funding to support the project. The results of Mrs. Owen’s extensive research, however, are with us still, buried in the midst of a records series at the Alabama Department of Archives and History called the Public Information Subject Files–Alabamians at War.

The photograph is in black and white and has an oval shape. It features a man holding one cat and one dog. Specific details: The person is visible from the chest up, and their arms are wrapped around the two animals. The animals are positioned on either side of the person. Both animals are looking away from the camera. The cats appear calm and are being held gently. The background seems to be a patterned surface, possibly a fence or wall.
Frank Hamilton Snow, Jr., Anniston, Alabama, died on June 2, 1918, in France. His mother, Mary S. Snow, sent Mrs. Owen this photograph of her son “taken with his pets.” [Department of Archives and History]
The focal point of the image is a green pitcher plant. Its unique structure stands out: The plant resembles a tubular pitcher with a curled, open top that forms something akin to a lid or flap. The pitcher emerges from a base of leafy green foliage. The leaves surrounding the pitcher exhibit visible veins and textures. Inside the pitcher’s opening, there’s a brownish texture, which could be part of the plant’s interior or perhaps something contained within it. The overall scene suggests an outdoor environment, with other foliage in the blurred background.
The common Alabama woodland plant jack-in-the-pulpit follows a complex sexual scenario known as sequential hermaphroaditism in which an individual plant will “choose” to be either male or female depending on its reproductive potential. [Courtesy L.J. Davenport]

The Nature Journal

Chestnut Blight

By L. J. Davenport

The common Alabama woodland plant jack-in-the-pulpit follows a complex sexual scenario known as sequential hermaphroditism in which an individual plant will “choose” to be either male or female depending on its reproductive potential. L.J. Davenport examines this complex reproductive cycle.

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