Issue 98, Fall 2010

The image depicts the cover of a magazine titled “ALABAMA HERITAGE.” The title is prominently displayed in bold, white capital letters at the top. Below it, additional text indicates that the magazine is published by “THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA,” “THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM,” and “THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY.” The central visual element features an old window with peeling light blue paint, through which green foliage and flowers can be seen growing on the other side. This juxtaposition suggests themes related to history, heritage, and perhaps nature reclaiming human structures.

Issue 98, Fall 2010

On the cover: The Coosa County Farmer’s and Civic Association in Rockford was on the 2010 Places in Peril List. [Robin McDonald]

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Features

The image depicts a historical battle scene, likely from the American Civil War era. Blue-uniformed soldiers engage in combat with grey-uniformed soldiers across an open field. Cannons fire towards the grey-uniformed soldiers on horseback crossing a bridge in the background. Smoke fills the air, and an American flag stands prominently in the foreground. It captures the chaos of battle during that period.
Maury led the Thirty-second Alabama at the Battle of Stones River, where he was wounded in the side by a minie ball. [Library of Congress]

The Enigmatic Colonel Maury of the Fifteenth Confederate Cavalry

By Zack C. Waters

Commander of the Fifteenth Confederate Cavalry, Col. Harry Maury proved to be both a hero and a rogue. Generations later, historians still struggle to classify him. A nephew of Gen. Dabney Maury, he benefited from the patronage common among prominent families, though his uncle blanched on occasion at his nephew’s untraditional and incompetent bouts. However, the young colonel’s men loved him, and many of them followed him from unit to unit. Wounded four times during the war, Maury’s fiery and stubborn personality remained with him until his death—which some believed was caused by unforgiving Unionists still angered by the Confederate officer’s passionate wartime conduct.

Capsule in a Cornerstone: The Treasure of Smith Hall

By John Hall 

Part of the “Greater University” plan, the construction of Smith Hall at the University of Alabama received great attention. In conjunction with placing the building’s cornerstone, university officials and community members assembled a time capsule commemorating their era in the university’s history. John Hall catalogues the capsule’s opening in 2010, offering a rare glimpse at the items—from cartoons to epaulettes, wedding rings to family photographs—considered special enough to warrant such preservation. This issue of Alabama Heritage will be included in a new capsule, soon to be placed in the Smith Hall cornerstone for another hundred years.

This image appears to be a sepia-toned photograph of a family outdoors. There are six individuals in the photo. The group consists of two adults and four children. The adult on the left wears a hat and suit, while the one on the right wears a dress and has a hat resting on their lap. The children are dressed in period-appropriate clothing. The setting includes a bench, foliage, and part of a building in the background. It seems to be a historical or vintage photograph.
Dr. Eugene Smith’s only daughter is pictured in this 1889 photograph. [W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, The University of Alabama]
The image depicts the back of a person’s head with curly hair.
After Viola Liuzzo’s murder, news sources spread this photograph, taken in 1941, when Liuzzo was twenty-nine. [Penny Liuzzo Herrington]

Vindicating Viola Liuzzo

By Mary Stanton 

In 1965 Detroit housewife, mother, and student Viola Liuzzo traveled south to participate in the civil rights events taking place in Selma. She never saw home again. Murdered by the Klan in the aftermath of the Voting Rights March, Liuzzo quickly became a flashpoint for many of society’s issues, as people from all sides of the political spectrum tried to figure out what motivated Liuzzo’s involvement. At the time, many cast her as a rebellious northern woman who meddled where she didn’t belong. Her murder also evoked debates, often heated, about “proper” roles for women. Decades after the fact, though, with the revelation of an FBI cover-up and smear campaign, Liuzzo’s legacy has been vindicated. 

The image depicts an old two-story building that is heavily overgrown with ivy or a similar climbing plant. The building appears to be in a state of disrepair, with boarded-up windows on the ground floor and broken windows on the upper floor. The facade of the building shows remnants of turquoise paint, and there is visible damage to some bricks and mortar. This image could be relevant for discussions about urban decay, the reclamation of man-made structures by nature, or architectural history.
The Coosa County Farmer’s and Civic Association. [Robin McDonald]

Places in Peril 2010: Preservation to Make a Difference

By Donna McPherson Castellano and David Schneider

In conjunction with the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation, Alabama Heritage presents its annual showcase of endangered historic properties throughout the state. This year’s lineup includes a cemetery, several homes of prominent Alabama families, a house that predates the Civil War, a community theater, a train depot, a black Farmer’s and Civic Association building, a family farm, the Federal Road, and cotton mills and historic wooden windows statewide. By educating readers about urgent preservation needs at these historically and culturally valuable sites, we hope to encourage their involvement in preserving these and other relevant sites in their communities. 

Departments

A black and white photograph depicting a group of individuals in an outdoor setting. The vintage style of clothing and the presence of an old automobile in the background suggest that this photo is from an earlier time period. The scene appears to be a campsite, with several people gathered around a fire where a pot is hanging, likely for cooking or meal preparation. Trees surround the area, indicating that this could be in a forest or wooded location. One individual stands to the left, partially obscured by foliage, while another stands near the automobile. The rest of the group is seated or crouched near the fire. Overall, this image provides insight into past leisure activities, such as camping and social gatherings.
A camp picture from 1923. [David Epps]

Recollections

Generations Go A’Huntin’

By Joseph M. Jones

For over a century, members of one Alabama family have celebrated their ancestors by gathering for an annual squirrel hunt near the Talladega National Forest. Author Joe Jones chronicles the hunt, the family that preserves it, and the community they share. 

Becoming Alabama

Quarter by Quarter

By Joseph W. Pearson, Megan L. Bever, and Matthew Downs

In this quarter’s installment of Becoming Alabama, Alabama Heritagetakes readers back once again to the Creek Wars, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement. Joseph Pearson explores the hardscrabble life of settlers in the Mississippi Territory as they took a chance on settling in Indian country. Megan Bever discusses the important role that secessionists’ beliefs played in the 1860 presidential election, while Matthew Downs considers the affect of the civil rights on the nation’s choice between presidential candidates a century later. This issue also features the new Becoming Alabama logo, designed by the Becoming Alabama partners to highlight the significance of these historic periods of our state’s history. 

Editor’s Note: Alabama Heritage, the Summersell Center for Study of the South, the University of Alabama Department of History, and the Alabama Tourism Department offer this department as a part of the statewide “Becoming Alabama” initiative—a cooperative venture of state organizations to commemorate Alabama’s experiences related to the Creek War, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement. Quarter by quarter we will take you to the corresponding seasons 200, 150, and 50 years ago—sometimes describing the most pivotal events, sometimes describing daily life, but always illuminating a world in flux. We will wait for the ultimate outcomes as our forbears did—over time.

The image depicts a serene landscape with several bare trees, their branches devoid of leaves, suggesting it might be autumn or winter. In the background, there is a large frozen waterfall, indicating cold weather conditions. In the foreground, three individuals are engaged in an activity involving a long saw and a log, which suggests they might be cutting wood. The presence of the frozen waterfall and the activity of the individuals could imply self-reliance or survival during harsh conditions.
Settlers cutting down trees that had been girdled. [Library of Congress]
The image depicts a small animal skull and bones resting on the ground amidst dry leaves, twigs, and what appears to be fur or hair. This real-world example could be relevant for studies in biology, anatomy, or ecology, providing insights into local fauna and decomposition processes in nature.
A barn owl pellet. [Sara Bright]

The Natural Journal

In the Footsteps of Gosse

By L. J. Davenport

L. J. Davenport and other members of the Birmingham Audubon Society follow the travels of Philip Henry Gosse, the British naturalist whose 1838 visit to Alabama led to the publication of the state’s first scientific work, Letters from Alabama, (U.S.) Chiefly Relating to Natural History.

The image depicts the cover of a book titled “FREEDOM FLYERS: THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN OF WORLD WAR II” by J. Todd Moye. The cover features a black and white photograph of three individuals in pilot gear, with their faces obscured by grey blocks. The background appears to be an airfield with an aircraft and cloudy skies, highlighting the historical and military significance of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American military pilots who fought in World War II.
The image you uploaded features the cover of a book titled “A-TRAIN: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman” by Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Dryden, with a foreword by Lieutenant General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. The cover depicts an illustration of a red-tailed fighter plane against a blue sky with clouds. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces during World War II.
The image you uploaded appears to be the cover of a book titled “DIVIDED SKIES” by Robert J. Jakeman. The cover features a crossword puzzle grid with the word “TUSKEGEE” filled in, along with a black-and-white photograph of a pilot in an aircraft cockpit. The subtitle reads, “Establishing Segregated Flight Training at Tuskegee, Alabama 1934-1942.” It seems to relate to historical events involving segregated flight training programs in Tuskegee during that period.

Reading the Southern Past

Flying with the Tuskegee Airmen

By Stephen Goldfarb

This quarter’s review traces the history of the Tuskegee Aviation Program and the airmen it trained. Drawing on J. Todd Moye’s Freedom Flyers: The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, Charles W. Dryden’s A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman, and Robert Jakeman’s The Divided Skies: Establishing Segregated Flight Training at Tuskegee, Alabama, 1934-1942, Stephen Goldfarb explores the history of this significant chapter of African American and military history. 

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