Issue 85, Summer 2007

The image is the cover of “Alabama Heritage” magazine, Issue Number 85, published in Summer 2007. Visual Description: The cover features a black and white photograph. An individual stands in the foreground, The person holds a small sign with the number “7053.” The individual wears what appears to be a vintage suit with wide lapels. The background is nondescript and dark, emphasizing the person in the foreground. Text on the Cover: At the top of the magazine, it reads “Alabama Heritage.” Smaller text indicates that it’s published by “The University of Alabama,” “The University of Alabama at Birmingham,” and the “Alabama Department of Archives and History.” Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Results: The following text was extracted from the image: “AKIMHEN SE. NUMMER ZOJT” “ALABAMA” “HERITAGE” “7053” “PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGILAM” “AND THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY”

Issue 85, Summer 2007

On the cover: In 1956 Rosa Parks and more than ninety others were indicted for illegal boycotting. [Courtesy Montgomery County Archives]

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Features

The image depicts a black and white photograph taken inside a bus. Three individuals are visible, sitting on the bus seats. Two of the individuals are in the foreground—one wearing a coat and hat, and the other dressed in lighter attire with a visible patterned garment. A third person is partially visible in the background. The bus interior features handrails and windows, with light streaming in.
Rosa Parks, foreground, was a civil rights activist.

Rosa Parks: “One of Many Who Would Fight for Freedom” 

By Wayne Greenhaw

Rosa Parks earned her place in history due to courage, determination, and the contributions of a host of others who set out to change the world. In the time when Jim Crow was prevalent and the “separate but equal” doctrine had failed miserably, Parks stood her ground by refusing to give up her seat to a white man on bus 2857 one December afternoon in downtown Montgomery. Parks was a civil rights activist before she became the poster child for freedom, and her stance only acted as a catalyst for more movements. 

The image portrays a stone house with distinct Tudor architectural features. Here are the details: Architecture Style: The house exhibits Tudor architecture, characterized by decorative half-timbering on the upper level. Roof and Chimneys: The steeply pitched gable roof and multiple chimneys suggest fireplaces inside. Entrance: The ground level features large stones and an arched doorway as the main entrance. Stairs and Balustrades: Concrete steps lead to the entrance, flanked by stone balustrades. Surroundings: Mature trees surround the house, indicating an established neighborhood or wooded area. This traditional design provides insight into historical building styles.
A team of masons, carpenters, and other workers have labored for two years on the restoration. [Robin McDonald]

Restoring Chaucer Hall: Birmingham’s Swann-Coleman House

By Ann Beaird

Perched on the summit of Red Mountain, the Swann-Coleman house is a surprising example of Old World craftsmanship in the New South. Once known as the grandest residence in Birmingham, the house had deteriorated when it was bought by current owners Daniel and Brooke Coleman. The Swann-Coleman house is now nearing completion on an exterior restoration begun in 2005.

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Brookside: A “Wild West Town” in Alabama 

By Pam Jones

A quiet farming village until the opening of its mines in 1886, Brookside emerged as a key player in the Sloss Company’s mining empire in the late nineteenth century. The mines attracted new settlers, some more desirable than others, and by 1900 Brookside had earned a well-deserved reputation as a lawless town. But the real spirit of Brookside was defined by its miners—hard-working Slovak immigrants whose influence on the small Alabama town can be seen to this day.

The image depicts three individuals standing side by side. They are each holding metallic buckets. The individuals wear overalls, suggesting they might be workers. Foliage in the background indicates an outdoor setting.
Three miners with their lunch buckets. [Birmingham Public Library]

Tragic Melodrama: The Life of Stephen S. Renfroe, Alabama’s Outlaw Sheriff 

By Paul M. Pruitt Jr. and William Warren Rogers Sr. 

Changes arising from post–Civil War Reconstruction placed many formerly Democratic counties under Radical Republican control. Stephen S. Renfroe occupied many roles throughout this chaotic time: Confederate army deserter, Klan leader, and even sheriff before being hung for his most infamous occupation of all: outlaw. The allure of Renfroe’s ability to uphold order by day and turn rogue by night is the stuff of legends around Sumter County.

The image appears to be a black and white illustration of a person from the shoulders up. The individual has short, curly hair and is wearing what seems to be a collared shirt or possibly a suit, indicated by the visible lapel and tie. The illustration style suggests it might be from an older publication due to its cross-hatching shading technique.
This posthumous line drawing of Renfroe from the Montgomery Daily Dispatch on October 10, 1886, captures a face that was described with equal parts of fear and reverie. Though many descriptions admit that Renfroe was handsome, his intimidating stares drew more attention than his attractive features.

Departments

Alabama Treasures

A Homecoming

By G. Ward Hubbs

Oil Portraits of Methodist minister Arad Lakin and his wife Achsah Lakin have been returned to Alabama, and now hang in the Methodist archives at Birmingham-Southern College. The Lakins were assigned to Alabama to reestablish the traditional Methodist Church in the South after the Civil War. Though appointed president of the University of Alabama, Lakin was denied access. Being a Yankee and a Republican, he barely escaped town with his life.

The image you uploaded is a black and white illustration from the past. Let’s delve into the details: Scene Description: The illustration features three figures and a donkey. On the left side, there’s a donkey with the letters “K.K.K.” written on its body. Two men in suits (their heads replaced by nooses) stand inside open suitcases labeled “OHIO.” A tree on the right extends a branch toward the top right corner of the image. The two figures appear positioned under the branch, as if they are about to be hanged. Below the illustration, there’s text that reads: “A Prospective Scene in the ‘City of Oaks,’ 4th of March, 1868.” Two quotes accompany the scene: “Hang ours, hang! fate, to their hanging!” and “Their completion is perfect gallows. Stand fast; good if they be not born to be hanged, our case is miserable.” Please note that this historical political cartoon contains sensitive themes related to violence and historical political groups.
This woodcut, first printed in Tuscaloosa is the most famous political cartoon to come out of the Reconstruction. [G. Ward Hubbs]

The Nature Journal

Golden Silk Orbweavers (And Climate Change)

By L. J. Davenport

A visible cottony web etched in golden thread may seem like a lovely throw pillow design, but when it happens to be three feet in length and hanging in trees in tropical areas, travelers ought to keep their eyes peeled. The artists of these webs are the Golden Silk Orbweavers and they are moving further north. Larry Davenport explains how these spiders may be predicting changes in climate.

Recollections

Buford Boone: To Stand on Principle 

By Katie Cole

After Autherine Lucy’s failed attempt to integrate the University of Alabama, Buford Boone, Tuscaloosa News editor, wrote an editorial criticizing the mob violence that had taken place on campus and the university’s response to it. “What a Price for Peace” thrust Boone into the national spotlight and earned him the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1957. He became the South’s moderate voice in the civil rights movement, a role that won him both enemies and supporters.

The image appears to be a black and white photograph of a person wearing a classic-style suit with a patterned tie. The person’s face is obscured by a blurred rectangular area, making identification impossible. The aged look suggests it’s from an earlier era.
Buford Boone.
The image appears to be a book cover titled “THE AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF YELLOW FEVER, THE EPIDEMIC THAT SHAPED OUR HISTORY.” The cover features large, bold capital letters for the title, with a subtitle below. A graphic of a mosquito, likely associated with yellow fever transmission, is centered on the cover. The author’s name, “MOLLY CALDWELL CROSBY,” is also displayed. The background has a gradient from beige to brown, resembling aged paper. It seems relevant for those interested in epidemiology and historical disease impact.
The image appears to be a book cover titled “Goldberger’s War: The Life and Work of a Public Health Crusader” by Alan M. Kraut. The cover features an illustration of people in an indoor setting, possibly from an earlier time period. Some faces are obscured with color blocks, likely for privacy reasons or to emphasize the text elements. The book cover design is visually engaging and intriguing.

Reading the Southern Past

Medical Distinctiveness of the South

By Stephen Goldfarb

Molly Caldwell Crosby and Alan Kraut have both published books targeting disease in the South and its effect on society. Crosby’s The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History relates the battle against yellow fever epidemics in America and Cuba and Kraut’s Goldberger’s War: The Life and Work of a Public Health Crusader describes the conquest of pellagra in the rural South. 

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