2006 RV - Doug & Crystal

We set up camp in a place named Wetumpka, Alabama, and is the economic center of Elmore County, is located in one of the fastest growth areas in the state. The favorable location, just minutes from the State Capital of Montgomery, provides opportunities in all areas of business and commerce, as well as personal needs. The city sits in the scenic, southern foothills of the Appalachian Mountains with elevation ranging from a low point of 150 feet above sea level on the west side of the Coosa River to a high point of 540 feet on Bald Knob Mountain, the eroded remains of a meteorite crater which blasted into the bedrock millions of years ago.

There are over 60 campsites, and the owner is Mike, wonderful guy. Nice quiet campgrounds, clean, no bears.......in this immediate area, campsites have full hookups. Many local restaurants. You have a variety of deep southern foods like fish and grits, greens, frog legs and we ate one or more of everything. You will notice we have not missed any meals. The food and eating is very good. 

Well friend and family, this has taken a very long time. I hope you can see I am getting better at this. I am so sure there are many mistakes, spelling errors and so forth. Charge my head and not my heart.

I am really having a fun time doing this blog.

Our RV travels are everything we thought and more. We are really enjoying oursleves. Not sure when I will post the next blog. We are on our way to Atlanta for a few days. We've kina got a schedule; nothing etched in stone though. Please let me hear from you. Love you all and see you soon, somewhere, someday. 

This I thought was Montgomery, Alabamas' welcome sign.

Now this is not funny! It's quite frightening. Although and neither Doug nor myself trespassed......well.....I didn't (I'm Crystal). Doug did though. You will see him down below piece ways down...., that's that deep southern talk.."piece ways down." He was in a church, you'll see him.


Doug and I traveled to Union Springs, AL to visit our dear friend Ella Mae. Ella and I were battle buddies on active duty. Ella llives in Killeen about 5 miles from us. She has family in Union Springs, so we planned this visit some time ago. But I ahve to tell you about getting to Union Springs. We had to pass some funny named towns, like: Smuteye and Plot Bottom. There were more, but I can't remember them.

Union Springs, is noted becasue of their bird dog. The dominant feature on the main street of the Bullock County town of Union Springs, this statue of a pointing bird dog celebrates the town's reputation as the "Bird Dog Field Trial Captial of the World." The life-size bronze statue of an English Pointer, sculpted by Bob Wehle, stands in a perpetual pointing position atop an 8-foot-tall granite pillar at the intersection of Hardaway Avenue and Prairie Street, the main drag of the downtown area. In honor of the holiday season, the statue is decorated with a colorful Christmas wreath. Inscribed on the monument, dedicated in 1996, are the names of the 11 Bullock County men who have been honored as members of the Bird Dog Field Trial Hall of Fame. Field trials, which test the skills of bird dogs and include both dogs and mounted horsemen, are held several times each year in Bullock County and attract thousands of visitors to Union Springs and vicinity.
Of the field trials held from November through March in the area, three are championships, two professional and one amateur. The February National Amateur Free-for-All, held on the 14,000-acre Sedgefield Plantation, often attracts more than 500 people. 

Nestled at the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers, Fort Toulouse - Fort Jackson State Historic Site has been a part of over 6000 years of history. The Park is open year-round for the public’s enjoyment where you can step back in time wandering through the French and American Forts or walking to the Mississippian Mound site.You may choose to visit the William Bartram Nature Trail, named for the famed 18 century botanist. The trail winds through the southern edge of the park to the Tallapoosa River. Almost every month includes a weekend of living history by the French Marines at Fort Toulouse along with a weekend of living history by the Tennessee Militia and the U.S. Army Regulars at Fort Jackson. One weekend a month is also set aside for historic black-smithing. There are special events throughout the year such as Frontier Days in the Fall and the French and Indian Encampment in the Spring.
The Creek War between 1813-1814 could have easily been called the War for the Alabama, because what was at stake for both the Creek Indians and frontiersmen was the occupation of the lands drained by the Alabama and its tributaries. (Jackson)
It was during this conflict that frontiersmen built their own strategic forts, fearing Indian attack and being unable to rely on US troops to protect them. The most famous of these was Fort Mims. Fort Mims was considered the strongest fort in the territory and was located near the curve of the Alabama along the northwest edge of present-day Baldwin County. The Fort was actually the fortified home of Samuel Mims and sat on high ground on the east bank of Tensaw Lake, an oxbow lake formed from an old channel of the Alabama River and connected to the river by a navigable passage. 

In 1846, following Cahawba and Tuscaloosa, Montgomery became Alabama's capital city. The first capitol building, a handsome Greek Revival structure designed by Philadelphia architect Stephen Button, was built in 1847. In 1849 the building burned. Between 1850-51, the present capitol building, also n the Greek Revival style, was constructed on the same site. A rear wing was added in 1885 and the two side wings between 1906 and 1912. A rear extension with a neoclassical portico similar to the original west front portico was completed in 1992.



A gold star in front of the Capitol marks the spot where Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederacy, stood to take his oath of office.








Some wonderful lady ask to take our picture, being that I was taking a picture of Doug. That's the only thing about traveling in pairs.....no one to take pictures together. Forgot to say that....the location of the State Capitol is Dexter and Bainbridge. This is a stone throw away for the King Memorial Baptist Church 

He presided as minister in the church and pulpit. More is written about the experienc below.










A very beautiful church. Some of the original members are there today, that was there when Dr. King ministered. 

We visited the Dexter Ave King Memorial Baptist Church. Founded in 1877, Dexter was originally called the Second Colored Baptist Church. Congregates met in a hall once used as a slave trader's pen until 1885 when the first worship service was held in the basement of the current structure. On Thanksgiving Day in 1889, the first service was held in the sanctuary, and the church was renamed Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The church began its activist tradition under the leadership of King's predecessor, Reverend Vernon Johns, whose militant words and boldness kindled the spirit of resistance for blacks at Dexter and throughout Montgomery. This is the church where Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. ministered from 1954-1960 and began his quest for civil rights. Currently the pastor is Reverend Michael F. Thurman. I finally got it now. There was always confusion about Ebenezer Baptist Church and King Memorial. Well Ebenezer is in Atlanta, where Dr. King’s father ministered. He co-pastored/minister in his father’s church. Dr King ministered 6 years only and it was at Dexter Ave Memorial Church.


This is the King's Parsonage, which was bombed.


We attened the Good Friday & Easter Service. What an honor to be in the same church that Martin Luther King persided. Doug and I both took a picture in the pulpit. We went downstairs where some of the first civil rights meeting were held. Great church, great congregation, very friendly and personable. 

AKA The Civil Rights Memorial Center.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American non-profit legal, educational, and intelligence-gathering group for the purposes of advocacy for civil rights and against racism. The center is based in Montgomery, Alabama, in the Southern United States. It was founded in 1971 by Morris Dees and Joe Levin as a civil rights law firm. It is known for its tolerance programs, its legal victories against white supremacist groups, and its investigations of alleged hate groups.


The Center publishes a quarterly Intelligence Report which lists groups it accuses of political extremism and hate crimes in the United States. The center also sponsored the creation of a Civil Rights Memorial in downtown Montgomery designed by architect Maya Lin. The Center's activities have long generated controversy pertaining to its political tactics, allegations of financial mismanagement by Dees, and allegations of racial discrimination within the organization itself by former employees.
["Until Justice Rolls Down is also a book written by Frank Sikora. A lyrically moving description of the Martin Luther Kings' last hours. . . . Until Justice Rolls Down is a story about intrepid prosecutors in pursuit of evidence."Sikora captures the hatred of the Klan, the hope of the civil rights movement, the pain of the tragic bombing, and the courtroom drama that ultimately caused 'justice to roll down like water.' It is a fascinating read."—Morris Dees, Southern Poverty Law Center "] 

What can I say? God gave him to me, I have to keep him. This is so in character. You think not? You just don't know. This is Old Alabama Town's last preacher. Can't imagine why he's unemployed now.








A few months before his dismissal, I was his only parishioner. Things were rough, but I had to try and keep a smile on my face... I really hope he finds work soon.

Anyone one out there hiring? 

This print shop reflects late nineteenth and early twentieth-century techniques with its linotype, there were various type presses and handset type. Providing Montgomery, Alabama with newspapers, printing small jobs, such as advertisements, wedding and funeral notices were all essential functions of the shop.






This was Montgomery's finest and best secretary. She had to get out of dodge, she continously asked for a pay raises while the boss was angry.....she wasn't happy with the current pay of $22.57 each week. 

This turn-of-the-century mill was used to stone grind corn into corn meal or grits. Pioneers, planters, and small farmers depended on ground corn as a major food source for themselves and their livestock. In addition, corn and the husks were useful as stuffing for mattresses, mats, brooms, baskets and toys for children. 

The information card here says....(incase you can't read it) suppository mold.......now, I don't know what this means and I don't know what this is. If anyone does, please let me know. I will be patiently waiting for answers and commnets.









If you can see the white card in the back of this case....it is an information card. Below is another blown up copy. I am so glad that modern technology has come a long way. I just can't imagine.









I would have to opt out. 

The Alabama Pharmaceutical Association first developed the early twentieth century drugstore museum. Reminiscent of an earlier day, the drugstore is complete with soda fountain, patent medicines, a pharmacy, cosmetics and appropriate tables and chairs. In small towns, the social life of young and old often revolved around the soda fountain.








We thought this was a very interesting piece of information. If any of you have any information on or know anything about these kinds of statistics, I would love to learn more, especailly during this time. Rest assure....I will be researching also. 

I know Doug and maybe some of you are mature enough to remember things like this, but I don't. This is a simple unpainted frame structure with an overhanging roof, wide doors, stone and brick forge and was an integral part of society well into the twentieth century. Much of the equipment is original to the shop. Many farms and plantations had their own resident “smithys” that supplied a variety of needs. I must admit it was pretty cool. 

This unique turn-of-the-century cotton gin was reassembled, restored and housed in a replicated “gin house” at Old Alabama Town. Gins of this period produced 2 bales of cotton per hour. Today gins can produce 1 bale per minute. The standard size for a bale of cotton is 500 pounds.
 

We enjoyeded, The South’s premier history village. Old Alabama Town is a collection of authentically restored 19th and 20th century structures. A magnificent setting, it stretches along six blocks in the heart of historic downtown Montgomery, Alabama.
We stepped back in time and experience over 100 years of history as and embark on a journey where we will saw meticulously restored and furnished buildings reflecting the lives of the people who settled and developed Central Alabama.




Each building creates its own distinctive image of living and working in Alabama’s past. We saw a cross-section of the way life was from the elegant townhouse lifestyle to rural pioneer living. Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery, a non-profit corporation develops and administers Old Alabama Town. Landmarks came into being in 1967 for the purpose of fostering, encouraging and leading the preservation movement in the area.





With the purchase of the 1850s Ordeman Townhouse and its dependencies in 1968, Landmarks has acquired and restored over forty buildings and is committed to preserving the past for the good of the future. Today Old Alabama Town continues to grow and is a place where people of all ages have fun learning about history, architecture and lifestyles.