Immagini d'America: Alabama Serie

Questa serie approfondisce la ricca storia e la cultura diversificata dell'Alabama attraverso una splendida collezione di fotografie d'epoca. Ogni volume mette in evidenza le culture, le tradizioni e i punti di riferimento unici dello stato. Esplora le vite passate, l'architettura e gli eventi significativi che hanno plasmato il 'Cuore del Dixie'. È un viaggio visivo nel tempo che celebra l'essenza dell'Alabama.

Ordine di lettura consigliato

USS Alabama
On Behalf of the Uss Alabama Battleship
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5 ore di lettura
Powerful: this single word aptly describes a naval vessel known as a battleship. The USS Alabama (BB-60) was the last of four South Dakota-class battleships built for World War II. She is well armored and designed to survive an attack while continuing to fight. Her main battery, known as Big Guns, consisted of nine 16-inch guns; each could launch a projectile weighing as much as a small car that could hit a target 21 miles away. Her crew numbered 2,332 men, none of whom were lost to enemy fire, earning her the nickname Lucky A. She served as more than just a battleship: she carried troops, supplies, and seaplanes and served in the Pacific and Atlantic; her doctors treated patients from other ships; she was the wartime home for a major-league ballplayer; the movie setting for Hollywood films; and she traveled home to the state of Alabama with the help of schoolchildren.
Around Chelsea
Christi-Ann Bono
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5 ore di lettura
"From humble beginnings to magnificent gains, there are few cities that can boast as much growth as Chelsea, Alabama. Where Creek Indians once hunted and roamed, successful businesses, neighborhoods, schools, recreation parks, and churches now stand. In the mid-1800s, pioneer families settled in the hills of what was first called Melrose. The railroad played a vital role in the advancement of the area by offering passenger and commercial transportation, attracting families, businesses, and schools, and in 1996 Chelsea was incorporated with a population of 908. Just over 10 years later, it exceeded 10,000, and Chelsea was the fastest-growing city in Shelby County. With an expanding home market, a growing school system, and a strong sense of community, Chelsea is widely considered one of the top areas in the state for families to live. In fact, the city's motto is "It's all about family."--Cover.
Monroeville
: The Search for Harper Lee's Maycomb
Monroe County Heritage Museums
130pagine
5 ore di lettura
Andalusia
Kristy Shuford White
128pagine
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Andalusia's destiny was determined by the Conecuh River, when the 1841 "Harrison Freshet" brought floods and mosquito fever to the original county seat of Montezuma, forcing the move to higher ground. The new site was named Andalusia, and the post office officially relocated in 1844. Like many small towns, Andalusia's destiny could have once again been determined by an outside force--the economy. However, from timber to textiles, Andalusia has chosen to fight back against abandonment and vacancy and can now truly boast a unique and viable commercial downtown that continues to flourish while preserving its historic structures. Andalusia was awarded the 2013 Quality of Life Award by The Alabama Municipal Journal for purchasing the old Alabama Textile Mill (Alatex) in 2009 and for partnering with the chamber of commerce to create a new chamber office, welcome center, and national textile monument in tribute to the thousands who worked at the site and in textile mills all over the United States.
Florence
Carolyn Barske
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Join author and historian Carolyn Barske as she recounts the history of Florence, Alabama through the lens of over 200 vintage images. On the banks of the Tennessee River, below the once-formidable Muscle Shoals in northwest Alabama, sits the vibrant community of Florence. In the early 19th century, the Chickasaw Nation ceded lands to the US government, and in 1818 the Cypress Land Company held its first auction. The town grew quickly because of the efforts of the company's founders, which included Gen. John Coffee; John McKinley, who later sat on the US Supreme Court; and James Jackson, whose imported Thoroughbred horses became the bloodstock for some of Kentucky's finest racehorses. Schools, churches, hotels, and businesses soon filled the streets. For almost 200 years, the town of Florence has continued to grow, becoming home to the University of North Alabama and people like the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy; Maud Lindsay, who operated the first free kindergarten in the state; and four governors in Edward A. O'Neal, Emmett O'Neal, Robert M. Patton, and Hugh McVay.
Walker County Coal Mines
Iris Singleton McAvoy
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The discovery of black rocks that glow along Lost Creek transformed Walker County. Settlers began to open wagon mines and ship coal in barges along the Warrior River. The railroad soon followed, which brought in corporations and big mining camps. Every town is littered with stories, from Dora's Uniontown to the union wars in Carbon Hill to the Gorgas mining experiment. Oakman's Corona camp housed the county's very first hospital, while Sipsey and Empire had a Harvard-educated teacher. Progress was made, largely due to coal. In Images of America: Walker County Coal Mines, readers will learn about the people and the industry that makes Walker County special.
Mountain Brook
Catherine Pittman Smith
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5 ore di lettura
Nestled in the over-the-mountain suburbia of Birmingham, Mountain Brook was originally hunting grounds for Creek, Choctaw, Cherokee, and Chickasaw Indians. First settled in the 1820s in the area called Shades Valley, it was not until 1926 that Robert Jemison Jr. began developing Mountain Brook Estates into its present form. Jemison had enormous vision honoring its natural beauty, and he hired regional planner and landscape architect Warren H. Manning of Boston to design a secluded residential community of handsome homes and amenities. Mountain Brook was incorporated in 1942 and experienced a resurgence of growth and expansion after World War II. The neighborhoods were designed to be anchored by villages as community centers for residents within walking distance. Still in touch with the vision and principles on which Robert Jemison founded Mountain Brook, its citizens enjoy the avant-garde villages full of restaurants, specialty gift shops, groceries, and parks, as well as its scenic natural landscape.
Monroeville
Literary Capital of Alabama
Kathy McCoy
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5 ore di lettura
Monroeville, the county seat of Monroe County, has a rich history dating back to its establishment in 1832, following the surrender of the Creek Nation. It became a significant political hub, attracting notable figures like George Wallace. Renowned as the childhood home of Harper Lee and Truman Capote, the town inspired Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and many of Capote's works. Monroeville continues to draw visitors intrigued by its literary legacy and local anecdotes, including Gregory Peck's visit to meet the town's inspirations for beloved characters.
Sylacauga
Peggy Easterling Rozelle
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The Shawnee Indians would be surprised to find the name that they gave the area in 1748--Chalakagay--remains much the same; however, the area has changed quite a bit. New ideas surfaced with the building of the plank road that supported rumbling horse-drawn stage coaches through the "old town" and again in recent times when a piece of marble became the Falling Star sculpture, a memorial to the local 1954 meteorite. Around 1820, Dr. Edward Gantt discovered marble in what would become Gantts Quarry while on military duty with Gen. Andrew Jackson. The pioneering spirit of early settlers continued with the planting of cotton and the development of small businesses. The arrival in 1886 and 1887 of two intersecting railroads ushered in a period of rapid expansion. A "new town" business section grew up along north Broadway where the rails crossed. Old town businesses, along the Main Avenue Plank Road and Fort Williams Street, soon relocated to the new business area. During World War II, a movie was filmed in Sylacauga by the US War Office in response to the development of recreational opportunities for the influx of people coming to work at the nearby defense plant. Today, Sylacauga is nationally recognized for its marble quarries, business acuity, and educational and cultural resources.
Trussville
Sandra Bearden
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Visitors and newcomers often comment on Trussville's idyllic "Mayberry" qualities. But, today's Trussville did not happen without early residents forming a foundation for a strong and caring community.
Hoover
Heather Jones Skaggs
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Take a view of Hoover and the nearby towns of Bluff Park, Shades Mountain, Rocky Ridge, Green Valley, and Patton (Patton's) Chapel. The community of Hoover began as a seed planted in the young mind of William Henry Hoover Sr. (1890-1979). Hoover's father dreamed of a city for working families, and the younger Hoover used this vision as a road map to build a strong municipality that grew with business, community, and family living. Through hard work and determination, Hoover opened Employers Mutual of Alabama's first office in Birmingham in 1922. He later founded the early town of Hoover in 1954 and in 1958 moved his company to the area that would be incorporated in 1967 as the city of Hoover. Several nearby communities are older than the city itself. Images of America: Hoover looks at Bluff Park, Shades Mountain, Rocky Ridge, Green Valley, and Patton (Patton's) Chapel as some of the early areas where Hoover's great story began.
Wetumpka
Jan Wood
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5 ore di lettura
Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, seeking to create a strategic outpost for New France, built Fort Toulouse in Creek territory. This area would eventually become Wetumpka, located on the banks of the Coosa River and standing at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. The fort became the headquarters for Gen. Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812, and later it was where Creek Indians ceded their lands to the federal government. Wetumpka's presence was also large outside of military endeavors. During the cotton boom, two years after the city's incorporation in 1834, a New York newspaper declared it and Chicago, Illinois, the "two most promising cities in the West." Although fire, floods, and the Civil War hindered growth, infrastructural transformations and cultural additions have helped mold modern Wetumpka into the "City of Natural Beauty" and propel it to occasional roles on the big screen.
Jacksonville
John B. Nisbet Iii
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Known as the "Gem of the Hills," Jacksonville is situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. After Andrew Jackson's victory over the Creek Indians in 1813-1814 and his negotiation of a treaty with the Creeks in 1832, this land was available for purchase from the Creek Indians as well as the US government. Several buildings on the town's central square predate the Civil War, and numerous antebellum houses and churches remain. Famous Civil War figures, including John Pelham and Gens. William and John Forney, came from Jacksonville. During the 20th century, a large cotton mill provided employment for the town's citizens and the starving sharecroppers from the surrounding mountains. What began as the State Normal School evolved into what is now Jacksonville State University.
Gadsden
Mike Goodson
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5 ore di lettura
Gadsden began as a small stagecoach stop on the banks of the Coosa River, where weary travelers could rest while traveling between Jacksonville and Huntsville. Known as Double Springs, the small settlement consisted of several log dwellings, a store, a school, and a post office. In 1840, the coming of Gabriel Hughes and his wife, Asenath, followed by Gabriel's brother Joseph Hughes, led to the founding of a new town that would eventually grow into Gadsden. In the days before and during World War II, new industry brought jobs to the Gadsden Ordnance Plant and civilian jobs to Camp Sibert. Following the end of the war, the area experienced a return to normalcy and a great time of growth when Gadsden's fighting men returned home. Gadsden has also been blessed with exceptional leadership over the years, which has propelled it from a small village on the banks of the Coosa River to the "City of Champions" and an All-America City.
Civil Rights in Birmingham
Laura Caldell Anderson
128pagine
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Since the city's founding in 1871, African American citizens of Birmingham have organized for equal access to justice and public accommodations. However, when thousands of young people took to the streets of Birmingham in the spring of 1963, their protest finally broke the back of segregation, bringing local leadership to its knees. While their parents could not risk loss of jobs or life, local youth agreed to bear the brunt of resistance by law enforcement and vigilantes to their acts of civil disobedience. By the fall, even youth who did not participate in the Children's Movement gave all for the struggle when a bomb placed in the 16th Street Baptist Church exploded and killed four girls.
Vestavia Hills
Rebecca Cybulsky Walden
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5 ore di lettura
In response to the explosive growth of industry in Birmingham, entrepreneurs and young families sought quieter areas to call home. While the contributions of some of the area's early pioneers are well documented, Vestavia Hills contains lesser-known stories of citizens who helped shape the "city on top of the mountain".
Bemiston
Bobbye Baker Trammell
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5 ore di lettura
Built in 1928, the mill town known as Bemiston was a development of the Bemis Brothers Bag Company. This village was built as a model city and boasted all-cement sidewalks and paved streets, which was an unheard-of feature in the late 1920s. The 700,000-square-foot bag plant, which was the center of the community, took almost two years to build due to the lack of electric tools or cranes. Therefore, mules equipped with scoops were given the arduous task of moving the mounds of earth to facilitate construction of this vast plant. Bemiston had its own general store, fire department, and medical office with nurses around the clock. It also had its own electric system, water department, and garbage collection. The community building was the center of social life, and residents spent many hours socializing there. The town was known as a good place to raise children and enjoy family life.
Tuskegee
Amalia K. Amaki
130pagine
5 ore di lettura
Tuskegee, Alabama, is a significant historical site known for its contributions to African American achievement, including the establishment of the first law school in the state and the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers, now Tuskegee University. The city is the birthplace of notable figures like Rosa Parks and Lionel Richie and played a crucial role in civil rights advancements, including landmark court cases for voting rights and education equality. However, it also faced challenges, notably the controversial medical experiment that marred its legacy.
Selma
Sharon J. Jackson
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5 ore di lettura
On April 2, 1865, one of the last battles of the Civil War destroyed nearly three-fourths of Selma and effected tremendous change in the lives of its people. At the war's beginning, Selma became a transportation center and one of the main manufacturing centers supporting the South's war effort. Its foundries produced much-needed supplies and munitions, and its naval yard constructed Confederate warships. A century later, Selma again became the scene of a dramatic struggle when it served as the focal point of the voting-rights movement. On Sunday, March 7, 1965, approximately 600 marchers set out from Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church on US Highway 80, headed for Montgomery to petition the state legislature for reforms in the voter-registration process. They were met six blocks outside of town at the Edmund Pettus Bridge by state and local law enforcement and were turned back with Billy clubs and tear gas--the day became known as "Bloody Sunday." On March 25, after much discussion and a court injunction, some 25,000 marchers finally crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their way to Montgomery.
Homewood
Martha Wurtele
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Shades Valley was primarily used as a hunting ground by Native Americans until the arrival of the first white settlers in the 1830s. During Birmingham’s industrial boom in the 1870s, “Out of the Smoke Zone, Into the Ozone” became the promoters’ cry to move “Over the Mountain” into what was then called Clifton. By 1926, Rosedale, Edgewood, and Grove Park were established neighborhoods, and under the leadership of Charles Rice they incorporated to form the city of Homewood. The new community had luxurious amenities like the Hillcrest Country Club and the Birmingham Motor and Country Club at Edgewood Lake, which was accessible via the Edgewood Electric Railway. Nearly 100 years later, through much growth and change, Homewood has maintained its small-town feel while adapting to the ever-changing culture of today.
Sumter County
Alan Brown
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5 ore di lettura
The history of Sumter County, founded in 1832 on land from the Choctaw Indians, highlights the transformation of its economy from farming to cattle and timber due to challenges like the boll weevil. The county attracts hunters every November, drawn by its abundant deer population. Additionally, in the mid-20th century, ethnomusicologists, including the Lomax brothers, documented the rich heritage of African American folk music in the area, capturing the voices of local artists such as Vera Hall and Dock Reed.
Madison
John P. Rankin
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5 ore di lettura
The city of Madison reflects the evolution of networked communications. Initially, this occurred as physical pathways were trod via horse and foot traffic, then waterways fostered communications as products and crops were shipped to markets when wilderness gave way to farms. Widespread communication expanded again with the laying of railroad tracks that carried passengers and freight; Madison was established after the arrival of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad in the area in the 1850s. Almost concurrently, electronic communication and vehicular roadways enabled more widespread delivery of messages, passengers, and freight. Today, aircraft play a primary role in the movement of commodities, while communication is rapidly transitioning to the Internet and bypassing radio, television, telephone, and mail services. Madison has been involved, often as a hub, with all of these media outlets since its founding in 1857.
Calhoun County
Kimberly O'Dell
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Calhoun County has a diverse and unique history. Chief Ladiga and his Creek tribe first settled in the northeastern half of the county. By the early 1800s, settlers from Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina came to this scenic mountainous area to farm in the county's rich valleys. After the Treaty of Cusseta removed the Creeks west of the Mississippi in 1832, more settlers began arriving. In 1833, Benton County was incorporated into the state of Alabama and Jacksonville was made the county seat. Oxford, or "Lick-Skillet," was a frontier town at the time, and Piedmont, or "Cross Plains," was an intersection for the two stagecoach routes. By the time of the Civil War, the county would change its name to Calhoun County in honor of South Carolina statesman John C. Calhoun. In 1872, two northern industrialists, Samuel Noble and Gen. Daniel Tyler, created their "model city" in Anniston, which began a period of great growth in the county.