I would like to welcome you to the much anticipated, long awaited Part II of my visit to Old Alabama Town! This pictorial series is for the soul of young and old alike who have an affinity for all things antique and picturesque, and if this describes you, I believe you will be in for a real treat.
For an introduction, you can read my first post by clicking here:
https://southernbess.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/old-alabama-town-part-1/
The first stop of our tour will be a southern dogtrot home. Interesting to note, it was constructed and later moved from the same county where my grandfather grew up! It always makes me feel as if I have a tie to these old homes and the people who lived in them if one of my own ancestors lived in the surrounding area or during the same time in history.
For example, my great, great, great grandfather (have I lost you? well, oblige me and hang on), fought under General Albert Sydney Johnston during the War Between the States. After the war, as each of his sons were born, my 3rd great grandfather named them in honor of his leader. Consequently, the name was eventually passed down to my older brother. If, however, my brother was not named for this Confederate general, then he (A.S. Johnston) would be anonymous to me as are other men from that time in history. Don’t you just love it when you discover connections in history?!
You see, we actually all have ties to the past, and this is what makes it so interesting… once we actually learn about them!
Last night, I was keeping company with a man who has been dead for several hundred years (excuse me… you weren’t expecting that one, were you?) Well, “he being dead still speaks”, and this is what he said with regards to the recent separation of America from Great Britain in 1783:
“Whether this will prove a blessing or a curse will depend upon the use our people make of the blessings which a gracious God hath bestowed on us. If they are wise, they will be great and happy. If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable. Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation.”
It seemed amazing to me that this statement was true then and is still relevant today! So while I was keeping one eye on my brother playing intramural football with his fellow medical school classmates, I had the other taking notes.
Knowing where we have come from goes a long way to determining where we will go, and this is why history is important. It is my pleasure to offer you a glimpse of history through these images!
As I earlier stated, the first image is a dogtrot built in the 1840s. You will also see a bale of cotton ready to be loaded onto a wagon and taken to a shipyard, but first, it was processed and packed in a cotton gin from 1900. Then, take a leisurely tour of the Lucas tavern from the early 19th century which once hosted the Marquis de La Fayette.














I promised in the first post from so long ago that a sequel would follow, so I just couldn’t neglect my duties and break my promise…
even if it is quite overdue. I hope you have enjoyed your visit as much as I did when I was there!