Issue 66, Fall 2002

The image appears to be the cover of a magazine titled “Alabama Heritage.” Here are the key elements: The background is solid black. At the top, the title “Alabama Heritage” is written in white capital letters. Below the title, there’s a colorful, artistic representation of a side profile of a smiling face. The face features an eye, nose, and mouth. To the left of the face, there are large red letters, although they’re partially obscured and not entirely readable. The visible text on the cover reads: “ALABAMA HERITAGE.”

Issue 66, Fall 2002

On the cover: The neon sign at the Moon Winx Lodge in Alberta City, listed as one of Alabama’s endangered properties. [Photograph by Robin McDonald]

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Features

The photograph appears to be a black and white, vintage-style composition. It features a central figure clad in dark clothing, possibly a robe. This person is positioned in the center of the image, leaning or bending forward. The background is a captivating montage of architectural elements. These structures include buildings, towers, and domes, densely packed around the central figure. The architectural designs evoke a historical or ancient aesthetic, suggesting they represent a specific period or style. Notably, there’s no clear distinction between the ground and the sky. The entire frame is filled with these intricate architectural images, creating a mysterious ambiance.
Brother Joseph, working on a replica, for the grotto. [St. Bernard Abbey]

Monastic Make-Believe: The Ave Maria Grotto

By J. Mack Lofton Jr.

Nobody could have guessed that a quiet, accident-prone boy from Bavaria would draw people from all over the world to a little abbey in Alabama. But Brother Joseph Zoetl gained international recognition for himself and the St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman for his miniature churches and replicas of prominent religious sites, which ultimately became the famous Ave Maria Grotto.

J. Mack Lofton, Jr., tells Brother Joseph’s fairytale story, from his unhappy childhood in Landshut, Bavaria, to the peace and contentment he finally found in St. Bernard Abbey. After the grotto opened to the public in 1934, Brother Joseph would “get as mad as an old settin’ hen” when photographers tried to take his picture, Lofton writes. Sometimes the aging artisan would meander about the grotto and talk to visitors, never revealing that he was the builder. Despite his prolific output, the enigmatic creator of the Ave Maria Grotto preferred a life of quiet anonymity to all the attention his hobby produced.

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The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

By Verna Gates

Today, residents of Birmingham speak proudly of their Civil Rights Institute. The world-renowned facility seems integral to the city’s identity. But a decade of success has almost obscured the pains of its birth. Marking the Institute’s ten-year anniversary, Verna Gates chronicles the creation of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the determined team who turned the dream into a reality. From the museum’s initial conception by former Birmingham mayor David Vann to the completion of the project under his successor, Richard Arrington, Jr., Gates examines the long and difficult ordeal involved the creation of a living museum-a place where human rights and ideas about equality can be debated openly. Thanks to the resolve of its founders, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute today continues to reach towards its goal of reflection and reconciliation.

The image depicts a building with a prominent green dome-shaped roof. The facade of the building, constructed from brown bricks, features three dark arches at the entrance. Wide concrete steps lead up to the entrance, flanked by trees and shrubs. The overall scene suggests a lush environment, and the sky appears clear.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. [Robin McDonald]
The sepia-toned photograph captures a person standing on a sidewalk beside a row of houses. The image has an old, vintage feel due to its sepia tone. The person appears to be mid-motion, standing on one foot, giving the impression of walking or dancing. They are wearing a checkered blouse and a knee-length skirt. The sidewalk seems to be made of dirt or gravel, and a row of similar-looking houses with front porches lines the background. Bare trees and clear skies suggest it might be late fall or early spring.
Amateur photography rose in popularity in the 1950s, providing a snapshot throughout history. [Birmingham Museum of Art]

Common Bonds: Birmingham Family Snapshots, 1900-1950

By James L. Baggett

Prior to the twentieth century, cameras often cost as much as two months’ pay for the average American, and amateur photography remained primarily a hobby for the well-to-do. Then in 1900 George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak, unveiled his Brownie camera, a small cardboard box with a lens that sold for just $1.00-and amateur photography swept across the nation as quickly as you could say, “Cheese.” James L. Baggett chronicles the rise of amateur photography in Birmingham, Alabama, in a special photo-essay entitled Common Bonds. Through a selection of candid snapshots drawn from library archives and donated by Birmingham families, Baggett explores how the advent of the inexpensive portable camera changed the way virtually everyone-young and old, black and white, rich and poor-recorded family history and daily life.

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The focal point of the image is a vibrant neon sign that reads “MOON WINN’S LODGE.” The sign is illuminated with various colors, including a bold red for the text. An artistic representation of a crescent moon with a human-like face is integrated into the design. The moon is depicted in shades of blue and yellow, adding a touch of whimsy to the overall composition. The background suggests that the scene takes place during the evening or nighttime. The dark sky provides a nostalgic ambiance, reminiscent of mid-century Americana. Below the main sign, additional text advertises the lodge’s amenities: “Restaurant AIR CONDITIONED TELEPHONES.” This implies that the establishment offers both dining services and modern conveniences.
The Moon Winx Lodge sign, Alberta City. [Robin McDonald]

Places in Peril: Alabama’s Endangered Historic Landmarks for 2002

By Patrick McIntyre

Once again, Alabama Heritage has teamed up with the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Preservation Alliance to identify the state’s most significant “places in peril”-a list published annually as a cooperative venture. This year’s list includes two mills, the Shellhorn Mill in Pike County and the Lowe Mill and village in Huntsville, and several well-known houses, including one built by Mark Twain’s cousin. And for the first time ever, historic neon signs statewide have been listed as endangered. Neglect, urban sprawl, and willful destruction threaten a number of these historic landmarks. Of these, says preservationist Patrick McIntyre, the greatest danger is neglect. “This neglect seems to indicate that the great benefits of preservation to the here and now-in terms of aesthetics, economics and responsible urban planning-are still being ignored.”

Departments

Recollections

Dennis Water Cress in Huntsville

By Christopher Lang

Before it was the “Rocket City,” Huntsville was the “Watercress Capital of the World.” In 1908, Frank Dennis established a business that for fifty years would make Huntsville synonymous with the Dennis Water Cress Company. 

The image appears to depict individuals working in a field, possibly engaged in agricultural activities. The sepia-toned photo features four people in the foreground, diligently tending to their tasks. The rocky and uneven field lacks visible crops or vegetation. In the background, there’s a building structure and some trees on a hillside under a cloudy sky. Overall, the mood conveyed by the image is somber and hardworking.
Workers use knives and twine to gather watercress. [Courtesy Huntsville Madison County Public Library]
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