Issue 48, Spring 1998

Image Description: The image appears to be the cover of a publication titled “ALABAMA HERITAGE.” The central focus of the cover is an ancient circular artifact with intricate designs. The artifact features a hand in the center, surrounded by various patterns and symbols. The overall color scheme is muted, with earthy tones dominating. The title “ALABAMA HERITAGE” is prominently displayed at the top in white capital letters against a dark brown background. Below the title, there’s additional text in white that reads: “Published by THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM.” Text on the Cover: The text on the cover reads: “ALABAMA HERITAGE.” Below the title, there’s more text: “Published by THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM.” Artifact Details: The circular artifact appears to be made of sandstone or a similar material. It features intricate carvings or etchings, including the central hand design. The hand design might hold cultural or historical significance. Context: The cover suggests that this issue of “ALABAMA HERITAGE” is dedicated to the University of Alabama and the community of Moundville.

Issue 48, Spring 1998

On the cover: This sandstone rattlesnake disc, an artifact of the prehistoric Mississippian culture, was excavated at Moundville, Alabama. [Courtesy University of Alabama Museums]

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Features

The picture portrays the ruins of a stone structure. The structure appears to be an old building or wall, constructed entirely from stacked stones. Unfortunately, time has taken its toll, and parts of the walls have collapsed, leaving only remnants behind. Here are some specific observations: The main focus is on the aged stone ruins. The irregularly shaped stone walls exhibit gaps where stones have fallen out. There is no roof, suggesting that it has either deteriorated or collapsed over time. The surrounding area is covered in lush green grass, indicating an outdoor setting. In the background, bare-branched trees are visible, hinting at a fall or winter season. Although the sky isn’t directly visible, the daytime lighting suggests that it’s during the day.
This sandstone structure is all that remains of the McGrew smokehouse, built in the early nineteenth century of John McGrew, one of the earliest settlers of St. Stephens. McGrew’s house was located near by. [Photograph by Robin McDonald]

The Lost Capitals of St. Stephens and Cahawba

By Nan Fairley

Alabama’s first two capitals nearly vanished when politics, economics, and the weather conspired to move the capital elsewhere. Using a variety of sources, including nineteenth-century newspaper accounts, Auburn journalism professor Nan Fairley brings back to life the bustling towns of St. Stephens, territorial capital from 1817-1819, and Cahawba, the first state capital from 1820-1826. The residents of St. Stephens and Cahawba could hardly have imagined that their busy streets would become little more than wide paths, but they would surely be glad to know that their descendants have now decided to preserve what is left of the two towns’ histories. The St. Stephens Historical Commission is working to preserve Old St. Stephens through archaeological excavation and land acquisition.

Call (334) 246-9303 for information on the St. Stephens support group. Old Cahawba is maintained by the Alabama Historical Commission and a private support group, Cahawba Concern. The park now encompasses some two hundred acres and is open for walking tours. Call (334) 875-2529 for more information on Old Cahawba.

This vintage black and white photograph captures an individual wearing formal attire. Let’s break down the details: The image appears to be in black and white, suggesting that it might be an old photograph or intentionally edited to have a vintage look. The individual is framed from the waist up. Their attire consists of a dark suit jacket, a light-colored shirt, and a dark tie or cravat. The background seems plain and lightly textured.
Clarence Bloomfield Moore’s graduation portrait from Harvard College, class of 1873, is the only known photograph of the archaeologist. Moore and his team excavated portions of the prehistoric earthworks at Moundville in 1905 and 1906. [Courtesy Harvard University Archives]

The Moundville Expeditions of Clarence Bloomfield Moore

By Vernon James Knight, Jr.

Almost a century ago, a Philadelphia businessman and adventurer set out to explore the earthworks left by prehistoric peoples on every navigable waterway in the Southeast. It was an ambitious project, and one that led him to some of the most significant archaeological finds of the twentieth century—including some in Moundville, Alabama. With twenty-nine earth mounds, twenty of them arranged in a large central plaza, Moundville was the largest community of its kind in its heyday, around A.D. 1300. This article tells the story of Clarence Bloomfield Moore’s excavations and how his work remains a subject of controversy. The article’s author, a professor of anthropology at the University of Alabama, also edited and wrote an introduction to The Moundville Expeditions of Clarence Bloomfield Moore, published in 1996 by the University of Alabama Press.

The image depicts a black and white scene of a large rocket being assembled or inspected. Here are the key elements: A large rocket stands prominently in the center. It has a pointed tip and dark bands near its base and tip, with a lighter midsection. Workers are visible at various points around the rocket. Some are positioned at its base, while others are on scaffolding near the top. Scaffolding surrounds part of the rocket, indicating ongoing assembly or inspection. There is equipment at the base of the rocket, including what appears to be tanks or containers. A crane is visible to the left side of the image, suggesting construction or heavy lifting work. The overall scene has a historical or aged appearance due to the black and white color scheme.
The first successful V-2 being readied for launch, October 1942. It was the largest and most advanced rocket in the world. [Courtesy NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville]

Huntsville and the Space Program: The Beginnings Through 1960

By Mike Wright

From sleepy little cotton town to high-tech space center, Huntsville has grown rapidly since the day in 1950 when a group of German rocket scientists arrived from Fort Bliss, Texas. Marshall Space Flight Center historian Mike Wright traces the beginnings of the space program, from young Wernher von Braun’s fascination with outer space and rockets to the launch of Explorer I, America’s first Earth-orbiting satellite, on January 31, 1958. 

Huntsville grew along with the space program: The town that once bore the dubious distinction of “Watercress Capital of the World” became the “Rocket City.” Its population tripled between 1950 and 1956, and such developments as the Huntsville Industrial Center, a University of Alabama branch campus, and the Rocket City Observatory bespoke the town’s rapid development. In 1958, the nation’s space program was assigned to a civilian agency, the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

The story of NASA in the 1960s appears in Issue 49.

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Departments

Southern Architecture and Preservation

Plantation Plain: Alabama’s Extended “I” Houses

By Robert Gamble

About fifty years ago, a professor of cultural geography named Fred Kniffen coined the term “I” house. The “I” house is one of North America’s most common early house types–a rectangular dwelling that, viewed from the side, is at least two stories high and but one room deep on the upper stories. This characteristic style extends throughout Alabama, as important and valid an early American house type as the New England cottage, albeit with a pronounced Southern accent.

The central focus of the image is an old, two-story wooden house. Its exterior appears weathered and aged, with darkened wood and visible signs of wear. The house stands amidst a natural environment, surrounded by lush green grass and mature trees. House Description: The house features a classic design with two stories. Its dark brown exterior suggests years of exposure to the elements. Multiple windows adorn the house, some of which are open or broken. A covered porch extends across the front of the structure, providing a cozy spot to enjoy the outdoors. The porch likely served as a gathering place for residents in the past. Surroundings: The property is partially enclosed by a picket fence, which also appears aged and worn. Tall grass surrounds the house, indicating that it has been left unattended for some time. The mature trees provide shade and contribute to the overall picturesque setting. The atmosphere evokes a sense of abandonment or neglect, as if the house has been forgotten by time.
The c. 1840 Isaac Wellington Sadler house, Bessemer vicinity, illustrates the extended “I” house with a central dogtrot passage. A long ballustraded porch completes the familiar profile. [Photograph by Robert Gamble]
The image is a sepia-toned photograph that appears to be historical, featuring a group of people standing in front of a dilapidated wooden structure. The structure has a slanted roof and is made of rough, unpolished wood. There’s another building visible in the background to the left. The sepia tone gives the image an aged appearance. A group of people stands side by side, their attire suggesting the photo was taken in an earlier era. They are positioned in front of a wooden structure with a noticeably worn and slanted roof. The wooden planks making up the structure are uneven and appear aged and weathered. In the background to the left, there’s another building which is less discernible due to distance and angle. The sky appears overcast, and there’s an open field surrounding the structures.
African-American family, Dallas County, c. 1890. Silas Trippe photographed African Americans at several different locations in Dallas County. [Alabama Department of Archives and History]

From the Archives

Silas Orlando Trippe: Amateur Photographer

Fifty years after the end of the Civil War, Silas Orlando Trippe began taking photographs of the world around him. His photographs–now housed at the Alabama Department of Archives and History–provide a valuable window into the world of late nineteenth-century Alabama.

​CORRECTION: Some of the photography for this feature was erroneously attributed to Silas O. Trippe in the print version of this feature. The images of Native Americans at Mount Vernon Barracks were made by C. C. Johnson and possibly his brother and appeared in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly on June 21, 1891.

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