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10
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
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Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
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History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
Publisher
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The Graphic
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THE FIRST article entitled “I Remember Old Tuscaloosa” appeared in the Dec. 10, 1970, issue of GRAPHIC. With this item scheduled to appear in the Dec. 9, 1971, issue I feel that it is high time that I say adieu and “cease fire.”
It has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life to see how you good people who have read some of the articles have accepted them and expressed your reactions in such a warm manner. I thank you all.
It was not the purpose of these articles to make them of any historical value but only to chronicle some of the things about Tuscaloosa that brought fond memories back to me. I’ve left it to historians to write the history of the Druid City – Tuscaloosa.
It amazed me how many different articles touched on so many different individuals. Included below are some of them that stand out in my recollections. The dates given are when that particular item appeared in GRAPHIC.
12-24-70: The city artesian well at the intersection of 6th St. and 24th Ave. Mrs. Austin Bennett (nee Mary Fitts) told me that she was the one who unveiled the fountain when it was dedicated by the City of Tuscaloosa. I.N. Hobson wrote me that he was standing on the sidewalk just north of the underground pump for the operation of the well when he heard the explosion and saw Clayton Strickland emerge through the hatch with his clothing on fire. He rushed to assist others in extinguishing the flames which left such extreme burns and scars on Clayton’s face.
1-7-71: Gonzales and “bushy-tail” cigars. It was with warm appreciation that I received a letter from his daughter, Mrs. J. W. Bowers of Amarillo, Texas. She said that her father, Spanish by birth, spent his reclining years operating a cigar and candy shop in the lobby of the Court House at Amarillo where he was frequently called into court as interpreter for Spanish speaking Mexicans who had run afoul of the law.
1-29-71: The granddaughter of “Bill” Rohrer, who operated the “Whole Hog and Biscuit,” Mrs. H. D. McCallon, contracted me and showed me several pictures of this establishment.
2-4-71: There was much interest in the silvertoned church bell that no clarification resulted from this item.
2-25-71: The boiler explosion item brought forth many who had heard of this accident but so far I seem to be the only one left who saw the boiler on the second floor of the Atlanta Store.
5-27-71: I was pleasantly surprised when the president of the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Assn. called me over long distance from California and asked for a copy of the article to include in the organization’s scrapbook.
6-3-71: The ink hardly dried on the article about Summer stock tent shows when I received a telephone call that the show “East Lynn” would be presented shortly in Morgan Hall by local talent. I feel that no one enjoyed the performance more than I did.
6-17-71: I found that the Rosicrucians are still very active and I received an invitation to join this ancient order.
7-1-71: This article said Della Jackson was a woman. ‘Taint so. Delaware Jackson was a man. Let’s call this a typographical error.
7-8-71: The dummy line, and 10-24-71, the M&O Railroad articles should have embarrassed me over the extreme trouble I put others in supplying me with certain information. Two outstanding aides were John T. Cochrane of Mobile, whose father operated the dummy line for several years, and J. N. Ogden, current vice president and general counsel of the GM&O. I thank them both from the bottom of my heart.
9-2-71, 9-9-71, 9-16-71, and 9-23-71: I found many who recalled one or more of the old swimming places but none who had tried all I mentioned. Many remarked “Fred, you sure did get around.”
11-4-71 and 11-11-71: Windham Springs. It was amazing how many told me of visiting this Summer resort in its heyday. I received a letter from Mrs. J. Brown Farrior, Sr., (nee Evelyn Searcy, daughter of Dr. James T. Searcy, longtime superintendent of Bryce Hospital) and she told me that her father’s and mother’s romance began at the vacation resort, Windham Springs, when at the age of 17 he first met Annie Ross. It was not until he finished medical school at the age of 29 that they were married. Their 12 children were all very prominent in Tuscaloosa’s history. Dr. Grover Shamblin waxed eloquent over Windham Springs, frequented in his early medical practice.
11-18-71: The sinking of the Ophelia article prompted Philip (Dago) Frank, a former U. of A. student of mine (class of ’34) who was chief engineer for the Sinclair Oil Co. and now retired and living in Gainstowne, Ala., to inform me that his family was in the leather business (saddles, harness, etc.) in Mobile. It seems that his grandfather and great uncles had a shipment of leather goods aboard the ill-fated packet when it sank.
I do not know which particular article or articles aroused Robert Jemison, Jr.’s (a pioneer of Birmingham) interest but I appreciate his several letters, and also one from Joe Duckworth.
It warms my heart to see how graciously my articles were received and I thank each and every one who has shared my memories. So au revoir and auf wiedersehen. Thanks for your warm reception of “I Remember Old Tuscaloosa.”
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Newspaper
Dublin Core
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Title
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I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, December 9, 1971
Subject
The topic of the resource
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Fred Maxwell
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Camille Elebash
Publisher
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The Graphic
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
December 9, 1971
Contributor
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Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
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Document
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
1977
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Tuscaloosa (AL)
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9d118c43ac1dbdb4cb68f910df11f86a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
The topic of the resource
History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Graphic
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
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DRUIDISM was the religious faith of ancient Celtic inhabitants of Gaul and the British Isles. It flourished from the Second Century BC until the Second Century AD and survived until supplanted by Christianity.
The Druids believed in the immortality of the soul and in reincarnation. The functions of priests, religious teachers, judges and civil administrators were performed by Druids. The Druids were well versed in astrology, magic and other mysterious powers. They held the oak tree and mistletoe in great reverence and usually conducted their rituals in oak forests.
It was therefore apropos that the City of Tuscaloosa with its large number of oak trees be referred to as the Druid City or City of Oaks. For many years the name Druid has been used in titles as being synonymous with Tuscaloosa.
Our local telephone directory includes about 25 Druids in their titles. Among these are:
Druid City Hospital, Druid Drug, Druid Theater, Druid Hills and many others.
The year 1816 appears to be the date of the first mention of Tuscaloosa as a town or a community. My great grandfather, Hiram T. Cochrane, came to Tuscaloosa in 1817 from South Carolina. When he arrived the place had little to identify it as a village. The log huts were placed at random without any regard to streets or pattern. It is said that not a single brick, pane of glass or plank could be found in its entirety. The inhabitants were all squatters. The village was full of oak and pine trees with native Indians swarming all over the place.
In 1818 Hiram Cochrane returned to South Carolina and brought his family to Tuscaloosa. A son was born just about eight miles out of Tuscaloosa (William Allen Cochrane) and thereby barely escaped being the first white child to be born in Tuscaloosa.
Since the early settlers were squatters and had no title to their land, the town was surveyed and laid out in 1821 by order of the Federal Land Office. The survey was made by Collin Finnell, grandfather of Judge Woolsey Finnell. Hiram Cochrane worked with the surveying party and also in the planting of the oak trees later characterized Tuscaloosa as the City of Oaks or Druid City.
The sale of lots began in the fall of 1821. Choice lots were sold for as low as $30 each during the original auction.
In the survey of the city, the bank of the Black Warrior River was considered First Street and the remaining streets were parallel with the avenues at right angles to the streets.
The blocks were four chains by five chains (a chain equals 66 feet) making each city block contain two acres. Fifth Street (University Blvd.) and 24th Ave. (Greensboro Ave.) were two chains wide while the remaining streets and avenues were one and one-half chains wide. Queen City Ave. was the east margin avenue, 15th St. was the south margin street and 32nd Ave. was the west margin avenue. Since the riverbank was First Street and the river did not run in a true east-west direction the original avenues are not in a true north-south direction (about 10 degrees off) and similarly the streets are not in a true east-west direction. Note how Queen City Ave. (18th Ave.), which is laid off on a north-south section line, intersects 19th, 20th and 21st Avenues before reaching the south margin street (15th St.).
The streets and avenues that were added later beyond the margin streets and avenues were in general aid off with deference to compass north.
William Allen Cochrane, son of Hiram P. Cochrane, entered the University of Alabama on its opening day in 1831 and was the 19th to matriculate. After graduation he rode on horseback to the University of Pennsylvania where he pursued a medical course and graduated as an M.D. He returned to Tuscaloosa and practiced medicine and also served as a trustee of the University of Alabama and was its secretary for a number of years. Although not in the Confederate Army, he went to Vicksburg to aid the besieged Confederate troops who were badly in need of medical attention. At the Battle of Vicksburg the Confederate troops, reduced to starvation rations, surrendered on July 4, 1863.
When General Croxton reached Tuscaloosa in the spring of 1865 there was a skirmish at the top of River Hill with the University of Alabama cadets. Years later I was shown a bullet hole in the baseboard of the fence around my grandmother’s front yard (where the County Court House now stands) where a mini-ball from a federal rifle had struck. General Corxton proceeded to the University and burned it to the ground.
As the Yankees were ransacking the city one soldier took Dr. William A. Cochrane’s horse.
“I don’t reckon you’ll take a doctor’s only means of transportation?” he asked. The soldier replied “I just reckon I will” as he rode away.
The majestic oaks that in earlier days characterized the City of Tuscaloosa as the City of Oaks – the Druid City are now rapidly becoming depleted in great numbers and unless some plan of orderly replacement is inaugurated the city stands to lose much of its beauty, heritage and prestige.
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Newspaper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, December 2, 1971
Subject
The topic of the resource
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Fred Maxwell
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Camille Elebash
Publisher
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The Graphic
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
December 2, 1971
Contributor
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Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Document
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
1976
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Tuscaloosa (AL)
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abb88c476f2f7cdfa7b3900f83df7006
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
The topic of the resource
History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Graphic
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document.
The Elks Hall and Theater was built in 1898 by the B.P.O.E. The ground floor was used as a club room by the members.
Tuscaloosa benefited greatly from the Elks Theater and it was sometimes called the social and cultural center of Tuscaloosa for it was a very complete and modern theater building.
Fortunately, due to being on the main line of the AGS Railroad connecting New York and New Orleans, Tuscaloosa was located on a good theatrical circuit, being able to book some of the best theatrical shows on the road.
As a usual unwritten rule it was the custom of the best musical shows on Broadway to play the first year exclusively in New York with the copyrighted music or score not offered for sale by music houses or publishers with the hope it would encourage the public to see the show in person. After a successful season in New York the next year frequently saw one or more road shows touring the large cities. Sometimes a volume of the musical numbers were offered for sale at the performance.
Our local theater manager, Mike Barker, was usually good and alert in booking many of the best shows that were on the market. There were musical shows, drama, Shakespeare, vaudeville, minstrels, ballets and local shows. For several years the Farley Moody Post No. 34 of the American Legion put on the “Legion Follies” under the direction of Dr. Carl Carmer that proved to be high grade entertainment.
For a few years I reserved the two seats that I considered the best in the house for the entire season subject to cancellation within 24 hours of performance. Later I joined the theater orchestra (bass fiddle) which gave me a better seat than the “bald head row.”
The “Seven Keyes to Baldpate” and the “Cat and the Canary” are two thrillers I’ll never forget.
But the shows I liked best were the light operettas, sometimes called musical comedies, most of which were presented here during the period of 1900-1930. Many of these operettas are included in the list below which contains the approximate date of their appearance and the title of a popular song in its score. Some have been made into movies. Several were brought to Tuscaloosa at the Elks Theater.
Resume of light operettas:
Babes in Toyland (1903), Toyland; March of the Toys. Merry Widow Waltz (1905-1907), Merry Widow Waltz. Mlle Modiste (1905), Kiss Me Again. Red Mill (1906), Moon Beams; Because You’re You; Beautiful Isle of My Dreams.
Naughty Marietta (1910), Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life; Italian Street Son; Tramp, Tramp, Tramp the Boys are Marching.
Chari (1912), Roses Bring Memories. Chocolate Soldier (?), My Hero. Blossom Time (1921), Song of Love. Rose Marie (1924), Indian Love Call; Rose Marie. Student Prince (1924), Golden Days; Deep in My Heart; Drinking Song.
Desert Song (1926), One Alone; Desert Song. Vagabond King (1925), Song of the Vagabond; Only a Rose. Show Boat (1927), Old Man River, Make Believe. Roberta (1933), Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. No, No, Nanette (?), No, No, Nanette.
The Elks Hall and Theater was bought by J.P. Burchfield in 1916 for $16,000. It continued as a theater for some time until converted into the Alta Apartments. The elaborate front with columns has been removed.
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Newspaper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, November 25, 1971
Subject
The topic of the resource
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Theaters
Elks (Fraternal order)
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Fred Maxwell
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Camille Elebash
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Graphic
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
November 25, 1971
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Document
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
1975
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Tuscaloosa (AL)
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d5219b12a7af405eaef2591ad0ed894b
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
The topic of the resource
History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Graphic
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Text
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IF YOU look on a U.S. Engineers’ map or chart of the Black Warrior River at a spot about 10 miles down steam from Tuscaloosa you will notice a legend indicating the “wreck of the Ophelia” which lies below the surface. This river steamboat was owned by Messrs. Richardsons and operated between Mobile and Tuscaloosa. This boat hit a hidden snag in the river, burned to the water’s edge and sank about March 28, 1838.
About five years ago two young Tuscaloosa boys – David Cochrane, Jr., and Jimmy Coleman, Jr., - were intrigued by the thought of great riches within the Ophelia’s hulk. They outfitted themselves with scuba diving equipment and went on a treasure hunt. They located the wreck and went below only to find that the one and one-quarter century repose on the river bottom had resulted in the hulk being covered with mud, only bare timbers and the like showing.
The sinking of the Ophelia had a very large impact on the personal affairs and fortune of the Maxwell family.
On Oct. 15 1836, Thomas Maxwell of Cockermouth, England, embarked on the good ship Harriet bound for Mobile from Liverpool. After 70 days en route he arrived in Mobile late on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1836. Walking along the riverfront or docks he observed a sign “rooms” and went in and registered. To his dismay the “room” was of dormitory type with 28 beds. His roommates were a mixture of sailors of various nationalities. Practically all slept with either a gun or knife under their pillow. Thomas’ first opinion of America was that it was a den of iniquity.
He soon got job as a clerk or steward on a river steamboat - the Ophelia – bound for Tuscaloosa, a name he had never heard of.
Arriving in Tuscaloosa late on Saturday night, it was a Sunday morning when he walked up river hill and was greeted by church bells of the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic and Episcopal Churches, all ringing to summon their congregations to church. So great was the contrast with his first night in America on the river front that he made a vow to settle in Tuscaloosa.
Thomas was soon joined by his brother Robert (my grandfather) and together they worked on the Ophelia. The captain, John Richardson, allowed them to run a sort of store on the boat selling goods bought in Mobile (cigars, fruit, etc.) along the river front and returning with eggs, butter and the like to Mobile.
After about a year of river work they decided to go into business in Tuscaloosa and with a stock of goods purchased in Mobile they set off in the Ophelia to Tuscaloosa. The rest is history. Just about 10 miles from their destination the Ophelia struck a snag, caught fire and sank in about 15 minutes. Thomas, having sold some goods on the way up the river, put their entire money, about $300, in a leather pouch and threw it on the river bank and then climbed to the forecastle and awaited rescue by a skiff. Next day they recovered the money bag.
The two brothers walked to town and with such limited resources opened for business in the basement of a store located on the corner where Kress now stands, advertising that they “sold goods lower than anyone else in (??)
Later they acquired the property on the opposite corner (formerly Belk-Hudson and now Fred’s) and called their operation the “Bee Hive” corner. They imported a great deal of merchandise from England and freight shipped coastwise to Mobile and thence up the river. They served a large area around Tuscaloosa, extending as far north as Huntsville, selling “everything needed from the cradle to the grave.”
Two other brothers, John and Richard came from England and joined the business called “TJR and R Maxwell” for the Thomas, John, Robert and Richard. Later their parents moved to Tuscaloosa.
In addition to the loss of their opening stock of goods they lost about one year’s wages that were tied up in the Ophelia.
So the “wreck of the Ophelia” means more to our family than just a mark on the present map of the Black Warrior River.
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Newspaper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, November 18, 1971
Subject
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History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
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Fred Maxwell
Source
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Camille Elebash
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The Graphic
Date
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November 18, 1971
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Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
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Document
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1971
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Tuscaloosa (AL)
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https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/2539/archive/files/61ad8fccf9aad852884e45e18aa70861.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=KijmN4gCMoJpf1EeJMj3gyFqDQSPEZAs%7EsdOVfFHnnQSdVQ6jtZ54V72FLSKvVYiN2pLKd7ShJV5BvbtnFRKUv0el86UErQTstMoHqJmnCOtLRT4n2VrjFjQAbm6HyRjRjJ7qTXvD0C7mQ%7E4-2h%7Ezi5q5voKtXEAAA%7ECGomnqtDC0w%7EKqucvcss3JyUeS7UNYbtZvsMUY50Cz7KNLMjFRmhS24tKYtYqqdRX0bPJWTjG-Amv9N2MVQUnAu6ZYPUFUJFzRJ01G-ZqgGwAixj%7EETs%7EAOHNIxz8NbWxW3dva%7EE8WEx1j3rGfkYa35oK7HNFHW7UU0sHoUVXuqtSk6EC3w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
1650afab13313baa0dc117dfb90b838d
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
Creator
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Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
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History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
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The Graphic
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ONE OF Tuscaloosa’s popular Summer resorts about 24 mile north on Highway 69 is Windham Springs. Today it is an easy 30-minute automobile ride on a paved road, but in 1900 it was a long all day trip by mule team and wagon.
Windham Springs (post office address – Oregonia – was noted for its fine sulphur spring which was supposed to have wonderful medicinal qualities. There was also a well and another Spring that supplied “freestone” water for dinner table use.
For a mental picture of this resort let’s start with the bold sulphur spring which bubbled through a man made rock basin. The Spring was the social gathering place for all visitors and guests. It was fun to watch newcomers who usually had to hold their nose in order to drink the strong sulphur water. It frequently required about one week in order for them to drink the water straight without making a face or holding their nose.
Just north of the spring was the fenced in compound called the campground. A row of about 6-8 cottages extended northward along the west boundary of the grounds. Next was the hotel of log cabin type construction. Next, but outside the compound, was the newer frame type of store building with two large rooms on the second floor and an exterior stairway.
I was told the front (east) room was a Masonic meeting hall and the other was occupied by the W. of W. The east side of the compound was open space for camping where groups could pitch their tents for a several day sojourn. All day singing with dinner on the grounds was quite a festive and interesting event.
It was here that I first heard gospel hymns sung with the name of the musical notes - do-re-me – used instead of words. There was a small log building on the campgrounds securely locked with a rusty padlock. It was told that it was an old cotton house for storing freshly picked cotton, but before the Summer was over my curiosity was satiated in an exciting manner to be outlined later.
Mr. George Christian had a permanent Summer home at Windham just across the road from the spring. Mr. Tom Christian and Dr. Emil Shirley seemed to have a permanent lease on the two cottages within the compound and nearest the spring. I recall that Mr. Tom Christian had a gramophone, a forerunner of the phonograph, that aroused the curiosity of the natives who would call by to see “that ‘ar thing that talks.” One of the records was a monolog by an aged father bidding his son goodby to go to the Spanish-American War. When it ended in a quavering voice, “goodby, Jim, take care of yourself” it moved many to actual tears.
The trip from Tuscaloosa to Windham was a memorable and gruesome experience. We left at daybreak in a wagon drawn by a two mule team and loaded with a driver, family, two big trunks and a lot of miscellaneous packages. We made a short stop about every four miles to allow the mules to catch their breath or to “blow” as it was called.
The first real challenge was North River hill, about eight miles from town. This winding road up the hill was long and steep and with deep sand ruts and frequent large stone which made it difficult to negotiate. All passengers, except driver, were required to dismount and walk up the hill. At least two stops were necessary to allow the mules to “blow.”
My job was to place a large stone behind each of the rear wheels of the wagon to “scotch” it and relieve the mules from having to hold the wagon against the pull of gravity. This routine was repeated in a lesser degree at Turkey Creek Hill.
(To be continued next week.)
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Title
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I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, November 4, 1971
Subject
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History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
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Fred Maxwell
Source
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Camille Elebash
Publisher
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The Graphic
Date
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November 4, 1971
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Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
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Document
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1969
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Tuscaloosa (AL)
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https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/2539/archive/files/c5bc54ae991d6ef9245d83e51a116a05.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=Kc8eDaffogl5kGmZp01WPjtxIu04WXlgABZUf736LR8OaR2gD4L9ss9dIWT92bzIuhV-sglLtTKcQAWN4cLiWlZYZw2dVANOocG8tGo8Jm19Jp8BkBgaGUd%7EbK9VRS-bvAXgVS8kYYUjP5Tz1-0lG4I9ovKu4OejFOiccu41Evk9J2oyLuEKgwQPqc21drIzewwd5VAZ8A%7EW3fyc-W12edJgWm5%7EgW2caQE9xS18KSFotx4AcdXr8m2g7ufYFhlulGd54uW4Fw6A6P8PPFwUkBoohcbH4iyBsEYj7wyR2dSuBhMcJK9mnBG7lMVbOo9NQZ6Zxixel5oReVB3ZLAD9A__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
4b0b02e2ef314c17391ac933e7c0b97e
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
Creator
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Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
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History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
Publisher
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The Graphic
Document
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(Note: Although I was too young to have much first hand information on the early days of the sale of hard liquor in Tuscaloosa and very little is written in histories of the time, I am writing the following largely from hearsay, but from sources I believe were correct.)
There is probably one outfit or group that was the first to manufacture and sell hard liquor in Tuscaloosa County and they have continued to operate to this day. They are the “moonshiners” and the “Bootleggers.” The moonshiners were the manufacturers while the bootleggers were the salesmen.
They often encroached on each other’s professions. Through the vagaries of the national handling of hard liquors – high taxes, probation, limited hours of sale – the illegal production and sale of hard liquor grew by leaps and bounds and yielded high profits. During national prohibition the criminal element of this country became more than adequately financed.
There is a legend in this county that two brothers operated during the period of about 1850 to 1910 and they made a superior grade of whisky. One had a federal distillers license but was illiterate and kept no records. When the federal agents called he merely pulled out a large roll of greenbacks (paper money) and offered to pay whatever they said he owed.
A plan was worked out where he was required to keep all invoices of containers (bottles, jugs and demi-johns) that he purchased for his operations and the revenuers settled on this basis. No accounting was made of cash sales to those who brought their own containers although the price per gallon was the same.
The other brother operated without a federal license. He said that he made more money by operating his still for two or three years before being caught and then getting six months rest in jail.
Before the days of taxes on whisky the firm of TJR & R Maxwell, who supplied a large area in this section with groceries and foodstuffs, imported English whisky in barrels which they sold for one dollar a gallon. In their cool basement they had a row of barrels containing whisky, molasses, kerosene, and linseed oil. You brought your own container.
Open saloons, duly licensed, operated in the city (circa 1890-1910). The White Elephant was located in the corner of the old McLester Hotel. The Red Light was on the opposite corner just east of the White Elephant while the Globe (or Ralph’s) was located on the corner of 5th St. and 24th Ave. (present site of Brown’s Department Store).
National prohibition knocked out the open saloons and the “speakeasies” joined the moonshiner and bootlegger in the illicit sale of whisky.
A unique plan was worked out by State Sen. (and bank president) Frank Sims Moody called the “dispensary.” (“Local option” was a plan worked out when national prohibition was dropped.) Local communities could license the sale of whisky. Mr. Moody had the State Legislature legalize the sale of whisky in Tuscaloosa County through its own store called a dispensary. The whisky was purchased in bulk in barrels and bottled at the dispensary before being sold.
All glass bottles were embossed “honest measure.” The evils of saloons were considered eliminated by the following rules set up by the dispensary.
1. Sold only in sealed glass bottles.
2. Could be purchased from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. only on weekdays. (The footraces after 5:30 p.m. were interesting.)
3. Could not be consumed on the premises or in any public places.
4. Not sold to minors.
It was considered that the above rules, which were rigidly enforced, did away with the evils of a saloon, gave honest measure of good quality and low price. A person was expected to take his purchase home to consume.
Another unique method of controlling legal sale of whisky during the local option period for legal sales was developed whereby you could order from an out-of-state vendor a maximum of two quarts a moth to be shipped in by express. The burden was placed on the express company not to deliver more than two quarts a moth to any one individual. This went a long way to prevent excessive use or resale.
When the national prohibition law was repealed Alabama set up state liquor stores as the legal method of control of the sale of liquors based on a wet or dry referendum by counties. I recall when after a long dry period Tuscaloosa went wet. It required about three months for a liquor store to open up for sales. After two years of operation the county had a referendum and voted dry. The next morning after the election the liquor store did not open for business. There was a large crowd awaiting outside to make a final purchase and I noticed quite a number that had voted dry in the election.
After two years of being dry another referendum was called and Tuscaloosa County voted wet and that’s the present status.
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Newspaper
Dublin Core
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Title
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I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, October 28, 1971
Subject
The topic of the resource
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Liquor industry
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
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Fred Maxwell
Source
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Camille Elebash
Publisher
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The Graphic
Date
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October 28, 1971
Contributor
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Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
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Document
Identifier
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1967
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Tuscaloosa (AL)
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af0fa2e1396556775816d211b2524b74
Dublin Core
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Title
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I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
Creator
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Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
The topic of the resource
History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
Publisher
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The Graphic
Document
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AFTER “helping” construct the Mobile & Ohio Railroad through the City of Tuscaloosa as a seven-year-old boy, it was several years later before I learned how and why this project was undertaken.
(Much of the following material was obtained from a report by Col. Woolsey Finnell, one of the engineers for the project, written for the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad.)
The M.&O. Railroad, which ran from Mobile to St. Louis, had a clause in their Mississippi franchise that gave them the right to construct branch lines not over 30 miles long. Under this permit they ran a spur track from Artesia (on the main line) to Columbus, a distance of 14 miles. Later it was extended 12 miles to the Alabama state line.
It was desired to extend this branch line on to Montgomery. To do so, in 1890 J.L. Wolfalk (of Columbus, Ga., and later of Connecticut) and associates chartered the Montgomery, Tuscaloosa and Memphis Railroad. This company made surveys from Montgomery to Tuscaloosa and made contracts to construct this part of the proposed railroad. Work was begun on all of this part and by 1891 about 50 per cent of the work was completed. Lack of money caused this company to fail and work was abandoned.
In about 1896 Mr. Wolfalk and his associates organized the Hanover Construction Co. which took over the above defunct company and made a contract with the M&O R.R. to build and deliver a completed railroad from Montgomery to Columbus. This contract included all structures from depots to “Chic Sales” structures, side tracks, yards and shops.
The company opened headquarters in Tuscaloosa in the old City Hall with Mr. Wolfalk and his staff in charge of the project.
It is interesting that Mr. Wolfalk, who was the developer and principal owner of the Tuscaloosa Belt R. R., gave the track and franchise owned by the “Dummy Line” from both the M&O and AGS depots to the downtown spur track to individual businesses in the City of Tuscaloosa. This was done to assure the M&O that no interference or boycott would ever prevent the railroad’s handling carloads shipments into the city’s business district.
When the plans for the new highway route from I-59 through the city to Highway 82 over the new bridge under construction were completed it was observed that they called for the removal of the railroad track on 25th Ave. which served several business firms. This will terminate all railroad freight car delivery to the downtown area. Many interested parties were surprised to learn that the GM&O owned both the track and franchise for the involved route from the depots and the business district of the city.
On June 1898 the line was opened from Columbus, Miss., to Montgomery 167.2 miles. It was then turned over to the M&O for operating.
For the construction period Mr. Wolfalk’s engineering staff included Capt. H.P. Farrow, chief engineer, who had been borrowed from the M&O; three division engineers; 18 resident engineers; and other personnel. Tuscaloosa contributed William R. Burns, B.A. Wood and Woolsey Finnell as resident engineers. Col. W.A. McCalla was assistant to Mr. Woods.
Several years before president I.B. Tigret of the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio R.R. bought the M&O, he married a Tuscaloosa native, Miss Mary Sue Kennedy. This gave an additional tie of affection between the City of Tuscaloosa and the GM&O.
Original Format
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Newspaper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, October 21, 1971
Subject
The topic of the resource
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Railroads
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
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Fred Maxwell
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Camille Elebash
Publisher
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The Graphic
Date
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October 21, 1971
Contributor
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Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
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Document
Identifier
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1966
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Tuscaloosa (AL)
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https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/2539/archive/files/be1694a5c772a202fb1555ecab946a4d.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=PNnqdp7iTCGnAUqyUFlnyPvFfDzRifz3Jjtetev255xVOvfc-eztBpd5BGofPXBN2wp2RYVF6Lrfn1DGocQmWfLSGYGKahguu3StVeY6aNhhk1L%7EstD5FpL0P7tEKNhAn3MGR8AjqI1-j0WKcwqvgG1rWsVKbkqRFMibk0y1Q2jmIuMhf3PfiLKI4UNCtN%7EgFZ68CbwaS-MNc6si4KuYx13Dvh4aFw9cM0xO7a0PhDgL-n-Sf9RhlXpFo8foy0H9cS6MujUg49gydS5nIRiAMZ3AH9GYY%7EE3QYfSCV2JobQSSvKemiuXIV%7E4mB8KGw7zbZQYYt8fKTHOXcQFhpDGpw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
7e86419c0f5cf6781d8cf92effc3fe69
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
Creator
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Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
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History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
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The Graphic
Document
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Text
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“I’ve been working on the railroad all the livelong day.”
In my opinion no lad has ever sung this song with more gusto and feeling of satisfaction than I when I was about 7-8 years old. I felt that I had really helped in building the M&O Railroad through Tuscaloosa when the line from Artesia, Miss., to Montgomery was constructed.
My unique position was that I was a friend of the general superintendent for construction—a Mr. LaLand, who incidentally was a friend of my father.
It was Mr. LaLand’s habit to ride horseback up 6th St. at about 10 a.m. to the White Elephant saloon on the corner of 6th St. and 24th Ave. (corner of the old McLester Hotel) to get a cold glass of beer.
It was my habit to be out in front of our house (corner 6th St. and 2th Ave.) at about the time he rode by. Learning of my love for horses, he would frequently pick me up and let me ride behind his saddle to the saloon. I would sit in the saddle and hold his horse while he went inside.
Occasionally, especially on Fridays, he would take me on his overall inspection of the job.
We would start at the depot where construction of a passenger depot, a freight depot, dispatcher’s office, roundhouse for locomotives, coal tipple, repair shop and quite a network of track in the switchyard was under way.
Our next target was the area where a deep cut was being made toward the Black Warrior River. This cut is spanned by overpass bridges at 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Streets. The heavy grading for this area was quite a sight. There was no bulldozers, pans or motorized equipment in those days so the work was accomplished by mule power.
First the earth was loosened up by a huge plow pulled by a team of four mules. I soon learned why the mule drive was called a “mule-skinner.” However, the crack of his whip was more often over the mules than applied to the animals. It helps to cause all four mules to start in unison.
The loose dirt was picked up and hauled to its destination by a two-wheel, two-mule “scrape,” but an extra team of two mules were added during the loading period. The dirt was hauled two or three hundred yards in the two-wheeled scrape and then dumped over the end to build up the ground to the desired elevation. The dirt was dumped just as the scrape went over the end.
I often wondered what would happen if the scrape and the loose dumped dirt outran the mules (and the driver) as they went down the steep slope of loose dirt. But they never did! That is, not to my knowledge.
The next area of interest was the large pile-driver for placing the high piles to support the trestle. (Counting the part of the trestle in Northport, it was reported as being the longest wooden railroad trestle in this country.) Although there was a sameness in driving piles, it was fascinating to watch the complete sequence of dragging in a creosoted pile, picking it up, placing and driving it at the proper pitch (vertical or at a slant) and then driving it home.
The next theater of operations was a changing scene. That was the erection of the steel bridge over the Black Warrior River. The first scene consisted in placing a coffer dam at the site for one of the bridge’s stone piers. After the coffer dam was completed, the water was pumped out so that the workmen could prepare and connect the pier foundation to the solid stone below the level of the river bottom. The piers were constructed of solid blocks of quarry stone and the erection of these stone piers was an interesting part of the job.
Last but not least was the erection of the steel superstructure of the bridge. Derricks were perched in precarious locations in order to hoist and place the steel component parts.
I noticed that the bridge was fastened securely to the north pier while on the south pier it rested on steel plates with steel rollers between the bridge and plates. I was told that this was to take care of the expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. I noticed, after the bridge had been in operation a year or so, the marks on the plates showed a travel of 6-7 inches. It was not until about 15 years later that I found that the temperature change accounted for less than one inch while the camber (upward arch) made up the remainder as the arch leveled out between no load and full load.
When I visited the job alone (which I was seldom allowed to do) I was never ordered off the job by a foreman, as some boys were, but I was sometimes shown a safer place to watch from. I attributed this to the fact that the “big boss” (Mr. LaLand) sometimes rode me over the job on horseback and I would hold his horse when he dismounted for close inspections. Probably all the foremen and straw-bosses recognized me.
I was glad to work (?) on the railroad without pay but I felt greatly overpaid when Mr. LaLand had his blacksmith shop make me a slip-scrape out of a coal shovel for use with my goat as my mule. I helped the city keep the gutter drainage ditches clear in the neighborhood by grading the sandbars with my goat and scrape.
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Newspaper
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Title
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I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, October 14, 1971
Subject
The topic of the resource
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Railroads
Railroad bridges
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Fred Maxwell
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Camille Elebash
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Graphic
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
October 14, 1971
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Document
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
1965
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Tuscaloosa (AL)
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/2539/archive/files/de9c0dcb76ae3e1e1b348179dbc3015f.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=Aw8-jhL2cQ6FyKVtMFZIlL0OSj%7EY8yP1J8%7EjTv-sD3vzgzxKxHKQ%7E685mSsL0rPGu2iKkFYs-DYudOL55DqBc91GAbxNLaS01Ib9cdQk4LUXBSca1KQCJk51bv-S02n8UjZcxCGGdxr-U3J0IVCHmt-zrRgxR5nK3uIebjO5I32E282Fnv2D2IEwg70bPnTZKFO5lxztBNrEIq3c69MgSVJzJ0SutcbnXMHApD9YgxutTXos3CXzQKtjUS086UD0rZj3G6nP40m5C0YNfvO1JoZTPBWNV0j9fawa4vmq-NivVASn9nPJXuGVplkS3WgEW5xSNZxHfjcTD0lo-DdJbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
e80320d290c9111b3817677791cb0fde
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
The topic of the resource
History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Graphic
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document.
Yes, there was a time before ice cream cones.
Around 1910 if you wanted ice cream you either made it yourself with a ”stemwinder” freezer or bought it by the saucer at a drug store. There was no ice cream factory in the city but this delicacy was shipped in from Birmingham for hotel, drug store and soda fountain use. Ice cream cones had not yet appeared on the market.
A black man named Dan Spencer worked up a very thriving and profitable business selling ice cream in small brick or cake form wrapped in wax paper.
Dan lived on the southwest corner of 8th St. and 21st Ave. His ice cream “factory” was located at his residence. He was known as the “cak-kee man.”
In the Summer time he would push his cart up one street and down the next with a loud clear call of “cak-kee, ice cream cak-kee” which seemed to be heard by all children and few adults in the neighborhood.
Local varsity baseball games were played on the main quadrangle of the University with portable bleachers serving as the grandstand. This area is now used for a drill field for the military units. Dan would pass back and forth in front of the spectators calling “cak-kee, ice cream cak-kee” and it was not unusual for him to sell out the entire contents of his 5-10 gallon freezer. Gee, but his ice cream was delicious.
According to my memory, Dan passed away before the advent of the ice cream cone. Had he been able to market his ice cream by the use of present day cones I feel sure that he would have built up an ice cream emporium in this city that many would remember.
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Newspaper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, October 7, 1971
Subject
The topic of the resource
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Ice cream cones
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Fred Maxwell
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Camille Elebash
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Graphic
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
October 7, 1971
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Document
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
1964
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Tuscaloosa (AL)
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/2539/archive/files/9db9a898d968a3dafd16d32b79340dfb.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=g63uEFq3VonS7E5ti7aqk5CQbmhG-0RlHuEk7vUhz15CLM8R3FLKBhMBIGIGtG6gGgqZzo3RfUCuKyffVb43ksv9o7DrvuR4nH5Eje1kqxhk2DUs6lZ3R0YWXpyu0ZWc9JLgF9D7Xq0WThKPIqsC08tFMgHSj%7EA9PszPndd-TwaJ9XyFT6ksFagUjgT0iYz4m8KONeiK2uIi-IEcbNfo-0ognPSByywsPs8Fk9EzrpLbedD7MwvY1P1xoXmF5JwQduk8ui4aJ1nupdbwwtIfc1KnjD07Rz8ZnHcml8b%7E61ne52f24JIRD9euCNXRPpb1OBSxG5HhWlukFyYViOjEWg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
8b71ee68c08602e80bafeae2e87cae2d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa
Description
An account of the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr. wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Frederick Richard Maxwell Jr., 1889-1988
Subject
The topic of the resource
History---Tuscaloosa (AL)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Graphic
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document.
During the rainstorm the electric power was interrupted and I was some distance from a candle or flashlight. One of my guests remarked, “Gee, It’s as dark as Egypt in here.”
This comparison on extreme or acute darkness I do not remember having heard since World War II, although it was a common expression around 1900-1910. The comparison is peculiar to Tuscaloosa and the University and no where else, according to my knowledge. Would you like to hear of its origin?
After the burning of the University in April 1865 the first building erected was Woods Hall (1870). It was a very substantial building, but compared to present day standards it was very austere. There were no electric lights, no central heating system, no plumbing and it was devoid of telephones, mechanical air conditioning and such present day necessities.
Each dormitory room had an open grate and for heating each student operated his own wood or coal fire.
For bathing the bath house was in a brick building near Marr’s Spring. The spring water was noted for its low temperature which accounted for its being used more for hygienic reasons of bathing than for pleasure swimming.
I do not know whether the “specialist” Chic Sales was the architect and/or contractor for the frame building that was so necessary for the convenience and comfort of the dormitory dwellers, but it was worthy of his talents. It was a multi-holer.
During daylight this building was generally called the “library,” but it was well known and referred to as “Egypt” at night. Why? Don’t ask me. Maybe because it was because Egypt seemed so far away under certain circumstances.
Having no electric lights and located down in the hollow, it was considered the epitome of abject darkness. Usually a lighted match furnished emergency illumination although in extreme bad weather a lantern was brought each trip from the dormitory.
When any place was in utter darkness it used to be said that it was “dark as Egypt” even in polite society.
An example of how legend dies with age was seen not too long ago when a U.S. senator was scheduled to speak at the University and he desired to make some remarks regarding the early days of the institution. He wrote that he had plenty of information on the burning of the University library by federal troops in 1865 but he had no information on the burning of the “library” in 1907 and he requested some date on the subject. The request caused great consternation, since official records did not reveal the slightest mention of the subject. And that’s where I was able to contribute to Alabama history.
In about 1907 a freshman from Coker matriculated at the University. He developed into such a fine football player that Auburn accused him of being a “ringer” and it was the main cause of the break in athletic relations between Alabama and Auburn. This player used the “library” or “Egypt” as a study hall until one day some students decided to smoke him out and set fire to the “library.” The fire got out of control and “Egypt” was destroyed.
For some reason the senator failed to recount the burning of the “library” in 1907 in his speech.
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Newspaper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, September 30, 1971
Subject
The topic of the resource
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Description
An account of the resource
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Fred Maxwell
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Camille Elebash
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Graphic
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
September 30, 1971
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Document
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
1963
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Tuscaloosa (AL)