Sorted by date Results 26 - 39 of 39
Several ASHS members spent Saturday, November 3rd at the Baker Block Museum. We greatly enjoyed their Festival, but there is much to see and enjoy there on non-festival days. The Baker Block Museum is open 10 am to 3 pm Tuesday through Friday and on the 3rd Saturday of the month. The main museum is filed with well crafted displays showing area business activities of the past as well as scenes and mementos of everyday life in the area. I only had time for a brief visit in the main museum on the...
While traveling to Laurel, Mississippi for a meeting, I noticed that US 84 was also marked with signs saying, “El Camino East/West Corridor.” I immediately thought, “Column idea!” Upon consulting with my husband's “friend, Mr. Google” I found this information. “The El Camino East/West Corridor is a 1,729-mile east/west corridor which stretches from Brunswick, Georgia to El Paso, Texas, traversing the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.” http://elcaminocorridor.org/history.asp The El Camino East/West Corridor is loosely...
I write this in the midst of trying to get booths ready for building 3 at the Pensacola Interstate Fair, so I'll write about: the fair, HCE, 4-H, etc. This year I'm involved in several booths for Building 3 of the Pensacola Interstate Fair. Most of you think rides, sideshows, cotton candy, elephant's ears and other things when you hear the word fair. Those of us in HCE (Home and Community Educators – formerly Homakers' Clubs) think demonstration booths and the Country Store. The heart of the fair traditionally was the exhibits by local p...
I spent Saturday, September 8, 2018 at the 4th annual Barrineau Park Gathering. I love the name of that local festival. As a member of a group that has to look for as many sources as possible for the funding of our endeavors, I spend several Saturdays a year helping to man a booth at one of the many local festivals. Whatever else the festival is focused on the main attraction is the gathering of people. I always enjoy the conversations, some with those I have known most of my life, some with...
The Alger Sullivan Historical Society has been chosen for a grant through the Empowering Neighborhoods program of CiviCon to help with the building of outdoor bathrooms at James Houston Jones Historic Park in Century. These bathrooms will help us make the park more user friendly for those in the area. We welcome all of you to use our picnic facilities in the park. We have picnic tables, plenty of shade and the view of our restored sawmill engine Old 100 and its attached Boxcar Museum. Throughout the park are the brick walks which surrounded...
John Appleyard's column about the 1931 Pensacola Bay Bridge brought back memories from my childhood. My daddy loved beach trips, so we went often. I vividly remember crossing that two lane Bay Bridge, which was much lower and narrower than the 1960 bridge we cross these days. It also had rail type sides, which meant I could better see the waves we were passing. (Did I mention those waves were very close to the car I was riding in?) Most of the time I didn't see the waves because I was in the floorboard with my eyes closed. I did enjoy the...
A letter from North Africa, January 23, 1943: "I will drop you just a few lines to let you hear from me. This finds me well and OK and hope you are the same. I still haven't heard from you, but I guess I will sometime soon. Things have been quiet around here lately. I haven't had to duck in my fox hole for some time now. I hope I don't have to dodge another airplane while I am overseas. Oh well it isn't so bad over here. I just got some eggs so I will have them for dinner. Do you ever hear from...
We had a great time at Sawmill Day, May 5th. Thank to those who came. If you were at one of the many other activities going on that same days, maybe you can make it to us next year. I hope the other events had as good a turnout as we did. Sawmill Day is about many things: museum tours, contests, the fantastic car show (Thanks, Diane and Mike for this.), the vendors and displays, good food, and especially a chance to see old friends and make new ones. Our thanks to all those who supported us by...
Saturday, April 21st the Town of Century and the Alger Sullivan Historical Society will be dedicating a marker commemorating the Alger Sullivan Lumber Company Residential Historic District. All are invited to the dedication ceremony starting at 2:00 pm at the corner of Front Street and Jefferson Avenue and to the reception following in the Leach House Museum (near the corner of Fourth Street and Jefferson Avenue). Century began, under its current name, April 1901 as a sawmill town. The sawmill bosses laid out the town, built houses and...
I enjoyed Kevin McKinley's column on Grubbs cafe. Grubbs cafe was owned by the woman I knew in my childhood as Aunt Hattie. She was not related to us. My mother had worked for her from her teen years and remained close throughout Mrs. Grubbs' life. Momma grew up in the Oak Grove community of Monroe County, Alabama. In her late teens she was in NYA camp in the Atmore area. A group of the girls were walking through Atmore when Mamma spotted a sign in the window of a cafe saying “Help Wanted.” She told her friends, “I'm going to go in and ask f...
Last Saturday I had the delightful experience of being interviewed by two UWF students about my experiences in Century through the years. They were a part of the Oral and Community History project directed by UWF Public Historian Dr. Jamin Wells. Their focus was on the ways the tornado of 2016 changed Century, but they also wanted to hear about other ways Century has changed. The project included 12 UWF students who interviewed 13 Century area residents. Their finished project will be preserved...
After writing my last column about Century High School teacher and coach Eddie Simmons, my thoughts naturally turned to another long time CHS assistant coach Edsol Smith. Mr. Smith was my 9th grade civics teacher. I keep hearing that Americans were not taught civics. That was not true at Century High School in the 1960's. Mr. Smith did a very thorough job of explaining to us the workings of our government and our duties in regard to our country. He even made it personally relevant, “Boys, when you take a girl on a date go to the Dairy Bar, n...
I accidentally gave Jerry Fischer back his copy of Wray Lane's remembrance of Century in the 1930's and I have too much brain fog from my coughing episodes to think of anything original, so I mined for ideas in the 2005 Tri City Ledger columns on the Alger Sullivan Historical Society website. Our other Jerry to the rescue (Jerry Simmons): As part of a column Jerry wrote in April 2005 he told this story of how his brother Eddie came to be Century High School's Junior High football coach. “Eddie also tells another story that few people outside h...
Jerry Fischer shared with me the following thoughts written by Wray Lane, Century High School's first football coach. I couldn't say it better myself, so I'll just let Mr. Lane tell his story. “SOME THOUGHTS FROM MY FIVE YEARS RESIDENCY IN CENTURY 1931-1936 While attending graduate school at Auburn U. in the summer of 1931, I met Mr. Thurston B. Shell, Principal of Century High School. After several interviews he offered me the position Science and Math teacher. I was also to be the coach of the first football team that Century H.S. had ever h...
