Issue 65, Summer 2002

The image appears to be a cover of “Alabama Heritage” magazine. It features a historical black and white photograph of five individuals. They seem to be engaged in some form of public gathering or protest. Above the photo, the title “ALABAMA HERITAGE” is written in bold white letters against a dark blue background. The overall tone suggests this is a historical or archival image featured on the magazine cover.

Issue 65, Summer 2002

On the cover: Nancy Batson (second from right) at the University of Alabama’s Civilian Pilot Training program in 1939. [Crews’ private collection, via Sarah Rickman]

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Features

The photograph captures a person wearing blue overalls and a white T-shirt. The individual is standing outdoors, surrounded by metal shelves. These shelves hold multiple trays, each containing various items. The trays are made of metal and have holes at the bottom, likely for ventilation or drainage. They are stacked neatly on the shelves. The person is holding one of the trays, which contains red and grey objects. Unfortunately, the specific nature of these objects remains unclear. Natural light filters through the background, suggesting an outdoor setting.
Archaeological investigations involve a lot more than merely digging–they also involve cleaning and sorting the new discoveries. Here a student of the Dust Cave Field School washes off a new find and places it on a ventilated rack to air dry. [Courtesy Office of Archaeological Research, University of Alabama]

Dust Cave

By Boyce Driskell with Baker Lawley

In 1988, a group of archaeologists were sent to investigate a small, unimpressive cave nestled in northern Alabama, which had the potential for archaeological deposits. Initial tests of the soil appeared to yield nothing—until the archaeologists heard the distinct sound of flint hitting the trowel. Our understanding of the earliest inhabitants of Alabama and America has not been the same since.

With Baker Lawley, Boyce Driskell explains the archaeological importance of Dust Cave in the Summer 2002 issue of Alabama Heritage. The deposits in the cave have had a dramatic effect on our understanding of the people of the Pleistocene and early Holocene eras, Driskell explains. In addition, the site serves to train future archaeologists through the Dust Cave Field School, a program that runs each summer. The lessons and technology of the dig are explained, as well as the new theories generated by the research at Dust Cave. For an inside look at both the work of archaeology and the lives of some of Alabama’s earliest inhabitants, this article is a must.

The image depicts a group of four women wearing parachutes and walking toward an aircraft. The sepia-toned photo suggests a vintage era. The aircraft, partially visible, bears the text “ALABAMA INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS TUSCALOOSA, ALA.” The setting appears to be an open field under clear skies.
Nancy Batson [Crew’s private collection, via Sarah Rickman]

Nancy Batson, Pursuit Pilot Extraordinaire

By Sarah Byrn Rickman

Working outdoors in below-zero temperatures, being exposed to frostbite at high altitudes, and making emergency mechanical repairs is definitely above and beyond the call of duty—even for a pilot. But that is exactly what Nancy Batson and her female comrades of the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) repeatedly accomplished.

During World War II, Birmingham native Nancy Batson was one of the first recruits to the WAFS, a civilian unit, active from 1942-1944, that utilized the skills of women pilots. Later known as the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), this prestigious female flying force earned a reputation for excellence and significantly advanced the United States’ war effort by serving their country in flight. In the Summer 2002 issue of Alabama Heritage, Sarah Byrn Rickman details the often harrowing, but truly heroic, experiences of Nancy Batson in her career in the WASPs.

The monochromatic image appears to depict a historical scene from the 19th century. A long row of soldiers stands at attention, wearing tall hats and uniforms with X-shaped belts across their chests. An officer stands before the troops, possibly inspecting or addressing them. In the background, a line of tents is visible, and tattered flags flutter atop poles. The ground appears flat and barren.
The Houston Light Guard, shown here at the 1885 Mobile Drill, carried away $4,000 in prize money from this one competition. (Courtesy W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library, University of Alabama]

“Three Cheers and a Tiger for the Lomax Rifles!”

By Roger Cunningham

They marched in, executed commands, performed platoon movements and even fired blank cartridges before coming to parade rest in front of the judges. And when it was over, the Lomax Rifles of Mobile, Alabama, had won the National Drill and Encampment Competition of 1887, in the most talked-about militia drill competition the country had ever seen. Militia companies were popular in the twenty-five years following the Civil War as a way of demonstrating regional patriotism.

In the Summer 2002 issue of Alabama Heritage, Roger Cunningham writes about the history of these competitions, including the notorious 1887 National Drill. That year, black militia units were allowed to compete for the first time, causing a nationwide stir in newspaper coverage of the event when several white militia units refused to compete with the black units. The main focus was the drill competition itself, however, in which the Lomax Rifles did compete—and won first place over their bitter rival, the Toledo Cadets. Hailed as heroes upon their return to Alabama and the South, the Lomax Rifles and their win at the National Drill of 1887 became part of a great story within the history of militia drill competitions.

The image depicts a scene from the past, captured in black and white. It showcases an agricultural setting: A mule, harnessed and bridled, is pulling a plow through freshly tilled soil. A person, dressed in long sleeves and pants with a hat, guides the plow from behind. The field contrasts between the dark, tilled soil and an untouched grassy area. In the background, there’s a house surrounded by trees under clear skies.
This quintessential image of the mule in the American South belies the animal’s varied and ancient history in virtually every civilized society. [Birmingham News]

Alabama Voices: Judge John B. Scott’s Epitaph to the Mule

By Judge John B. Scott
With a preface by Kathryn Tucker Windham

From the ancient Assyrians to the Roman Empire and to America’s first mule breeder, George Washington, the mule has been a vital aspect of virtually every civilized society. Judge John B. Scott (1906-1978), in an article written in December 1967 and recently discovered at the state archives, writes a touching epitaph to the mule, which Alabama Heritage proudly publishes in the Summer 2002 issue.

“The mule is a happy blending of the ass and the horse, and possesses the finer qualities of each,” writes Judge Scott, explaining the parentage and personality of the mule, while also tracing its use throughout history. A tribute to the mule ends the article, as the mule’s importance in society waned. “I am glad,” Scott writes, “to be able to appreciate, to some degree, the part that the mule has played so well in the history of man.” This homage to the much-maligned, taken-for-granted animal illuminates a deep appreciation for the hardworking mule.

Departments

Nature Journal

“Flying Squirrels”

By L. J. Davenport

Perhaps most people only encounter the flying squirrel through The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, but the creature in its non-animated version is equally entertaining. Elusive and nocturnal, the flying squirrel seldom appears, holing up in abandoned woodpecker holes during the day. Their need for nesting and denning sites, however, often brings them into closer contact with humans than is comfortable for either side of the exchange.

The image depicts a small grey rodent with a white belly, resembling a mouse or a similar creature. It crawls across a textured, golden-colored surface made of woven material. The rodent’s large ears and eyes are visible, and it appears to be in motion. The background is plain, lacking distinct features.
Bucky the flying squirrel [W. Mike Howell]

Southern Architecture and Preservation

“Gaineswood Gets a Lift”

By Alabama Historical Commission and Alabama Heritage Staff 

Drivers passing Tom Hendrix’s place, just off the Natchez Trace Parkway in Northwest Alabama, might not think twice about the stone wall that borders it, but for Hendrix the wall has a tremendous symbolic significance. He built it, with his own hands, in order to commemorate the forced removal–and eventual return–of his ancestors, members of the Yuchi tribe. The wall is part of Hendrix’s quest to pass the story of is people along to anyone who wants to listen.

A worker prepares a section of the parlor dome for repair. Plaster workers made rubber molds of existing ornaments in the domed rooms and drawing room to replace faulty or missing ornaments. [Robin McDonald]
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