Homegrown History

Rebekah and Richard welcome Pryor Field Airport Manager Adam Fox in a conversation about the history of aviation in Limestone County. They discuss Pryor Field's important role in both the past and future for aviation and other development in North Alabama.
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/
https://flydcu.com/

Reference books mentioned in this podcast are available at the Limestone County Archives or Athens-Limestone Public Library

Music from Pixabay 

Rebekah and Richard host Sandy Thompson, Director of the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives in Athens, Alabama. They discuss historic events of World War I and II and Limestone County's service both in action and on the home front. Entire families enlisted and many of their stories are told here. Richard remembers his father on the USS Alabama along with several uncles in active duty. Rebekah remembers her Great Aunt Jerene, the first Rosie the Riveter from Athens. The Veterans Museum has exhibits honoring many of these local heroes, including an exhibit on the German invasion of Westerplatte marking the start of WW II in Europe.

https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/
http://www.alabamaveteransmuseum.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_the_Second_World_War#

Reference books mentioned in this podcast are available at the Limestone County Archives or Athens-Limestone Public Library

Music from Pixabay 

Rebekah and Richard discuss the 19th Amendment and history of women's suffrage. A controversial subject, in Limestone County groups of women banded together to register for their right to vote. Rebekah and Richard identify some of these early women and men who championed the cause. Find out why the Tennessee legislature made a run for the Alabama border in a last ditch effort to thwart the amendment!

https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Music from Pixabay 

Epidemics and pandemics are nothing new. Rebekah recounts the history of infectious diseases in Limestone County and steps the community took (including armed border patrol) to stop the spread of disease. Richard remembers the polio scare in the 1950s. They are joined by Traci Collins, Athens-Limestone Hospital President, who describes the early days of Covid-19 from the very first case in LC and the hospital's ongoing measures to keep the community safe.   

https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Music from Pixabay 

Homegrown HAUNTED History_2022 –  A 1893 tragic fire on the downtown Athens Square consumed two men and has since sparked stories of haunting visitations. Now, hear compelling new accounts of paranormal activity in an ALL NEW episode of ghost stories with Rebekah, Richard, local author Shane Black, and ghost hunter Jarred Miller.

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/
https://www.visitathensal.com/

Shane Black's book, Spirits of Athens: haunting tales of an Alabama town, is available at the Athens-Limestone Public Library and the Limestone County Archives.

Music and Sound Effects from Pixabay

For more than a hundred years (1865 - 1970) Trinity School served Limestone County's African American students in a time when their educational opportunities were less than ideal. How Trinity graduates from small-town Athens, Alabama went on to make major contributions in the world of arts and sciences, education, government, and medicine as well as civil and human rights is the topic of this episode. Richard and Rebekah are joined by special guests Charlotte Fulton, author of Holding the Fort: A History of Trinity School, and David Malone, 1966 Trinity High School graduate. They also discuss the preservation of the school's buildings and ongoing plans for an onsite museum and archive.

https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Holding the Fort: A History of Trinity School in Athens, Alabama 1865-1870 by Charlotte Fulton
This book is available for reference at the Limestone Archives and the Athens-Limestone Public Library

Music from Pixabay 

For more than a hundred years (1865 - 1970) Trinity School served Limestone County's African American students, and its history reflects a microcosm of the African American experience. Founded by Mary Fletcher Wells to educate newly freed slaves and their children, the first classes were held only weeks after the South surrendered. The story of Trinity and the determination to keep it open through fires, hardship, and community discord is the story of dedicated educators who taught much more than academics to generations of families in Limestone County. In this episode, Rebekah and Richard talk with David Malone, 1966 Trinity High School graduate, and Charlotte Fulton, author of Holding the Fort: A History of Trinity School. 

https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Holding the Fort: A History of Trinity School in Athens, Alabama 1865-1870 by Charlotte Fulton
This book is available for reference at the Limestone Archives and the Athens-Limestone Public Library

Music from Pixabay 

Rebekah and Richard host local historian of African American history, Peggy Towns, and Limestone County educator, Chris Paysinger, for Part 2 of the Civil War and its impact on Athens and Limestone County. Taking notes from personal diaries, genealogy research, and other historical records, they localize the history of the Civil War by sharing individual stories of people (including their own ancestors) withstanding the Union occupation of Athens. One former Limestone County resident of note has ties that link to a modern day princess!

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/
https://archives.alabama.gov  Alabama Department of Archives and History
https://www.visitathensal.com/richard-martin-trail.html Richard Martin Trail

Books referenced in the episode are available at Athens-Limestone County Public Library and the Limestone County Archives:
  "Duty Driven: the plight of North Alabama's African Americans during the Civil War" / Peggy Allen Towns
  "Let the family circle be unbroken": the transformation of republican patriarchy, Athens, Alabama, 1818-1870 a thesis / by Christopher   Browning Paysinger
  "Revolutionaries and Rebels" / by Jerry Barksdale
 

Music from Pixabay

Rebekah and Richard host local historian of African American history, Peggy Towns, and Limestone County educator, Chris Paysinger, for a look into Athens and Limestone County during the early days of the Civil War. Originally sympathetic with the Union, find out what triggered the turning point for the city of Athens. Also learn about the United States Colored Infantry stationed at Fort Henderson as well as speculation that the famous short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," may have been inspired from the Battle of Sulphur Creek Trestle right here in Limestone County.

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/
https://archives.alabama.gov  Alabama Department of Archives and History
https://www.visitathensal.com/richard-martin-trail.html Richard Martin Trail

Books referenced in the episode are available at Athens-Limestone County Public Library: 
  "Duty Driven: the plight of North Alabama's African Americans during the Civil War" / Peggy Allen Towns
  "Let the family circle be unbroken": the transformation of republican patriarchy, Athens, Alabama, 1818-1870 a thesis / by Christopher   Browning Paysinger
  "The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce" (includes "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge")

Music from Pixabay

LET JUSTICE BE DONE THOUGH THE HEAVENS MAY FALL - the family motto of Judge James E. Horton was emblazoned at the top of his controversial decision in the 1933 Scottsboro Boys case to throw out the guilty verdict and order a new trial. Rebekah and Richard continue their discussion with local author and African American historian, Peggy Towns,  and Steven Brown, author and Professor of Political Science from Auburn University. They recount the aftermath of this case:  what happened to the Scottsboro Boys and the local Limestone County judge that courageously spoke out against the machinery of criminal justice.

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/
http://www.co.morgan.al.us/archivesindex.html   Morgan County Archive
https://archives.alabama.gov  Alabama Department of Archives and History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uX8dp5bYfA&t=375s  Pen Strokes of Justice Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys

Music from Pixabay

In April, 1931, an all-white, all-male jury quickly convicted the Scottsboro Boys and sentenced eight of them to death. But that was just the beginning. With the whole world watching this racially charged case, in 1933, the retrial of Haywood Patterson began in Decatur, Alabama with Judge James E. Horton of Athens, Alabama presiding. In this episode Rebekah and Richard welcome local author and African American historian, Peggy Towns, from Decatur, and Steven Brown, author and Professor of Political Science from Auburn University. They give a riveting account of the people and events that transpired both inside and outside the courtroom during this landmark case.

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/
http://www.co.morgan.al.us/archivesindex.html   Morgan County Archive
https://archives.alabama.gov  Alabama Department of Archives and History
 
Music from Pixabay

Every historic home has a story and a host of families that saw them through the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Great Depression and beyond. In this episode, Rebekah once again welcomes Limestone County native and retired Professor of Art History, Lakin Boyd, for a continued talk about the houses and their residents who were pivotal players in the early days of Athens and Limestone County,
 
Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Limestone County Historical Society  https://limestonecountyhistoricalsociety.org/
Antebellum trail https://www.visitathensal.com/antebellum.html
Historic American Buildings Survey https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/
National Register Forms https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP

Music from Pixabay

Rebekah and Richard welcome Limestone County native and retired Professor of Art History, Lakin Boyd. Lakin shares his extensive research on historic homes of Limestone County. Dating back to the early 1800’s, he talks about the different architectural styles through the years as well as stories of the early residents, some of whom had a front row seat for the Civil War's Battle of Athens. 

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Limestone County Historical Society (also the source for Mary Mason's scrapbook) https://limestonecountyhistoricalsociety.org/
Antebellum trail https://www.visitathensal.com/antebellum.html
Historic American Buildings Survey https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/
National Register Forms https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP

Music from Pixabay

Athens State University is the oldest continuously operated institution of higher education in the Alabama state system and will celebrate its bicentennial in 2022. Surviving epidemics, wars, and economic hardship, the college has overcome adversity and grown thanks to the hard work and generosity of the people of Athens and Limestone County.  Dr. Harry Joiner, Professor Emeritus at Athens State University, discusses its history from the early days as a female academy to a modern day highly-respected university .

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Music from Pixabay

Straddling two states and four county lines,  Ardmore is a unique town with a storied past.  With origins dating back to the Trail of Tears and a boost from the L&N Railroad, Ardmore grew from a trading post into a thriving town.  In this episode we hear about 1930s bootlegging traffic and an incident involving the Freedom Riders during the 1960s Civil Rights movement.  Also, the murder of an Ardmore man, Kirby Cole - immortalized in song by Athens native, Aaron Sims.

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/
https://athensdulcimerclub.wordpress.com/dulcimentaries/dulcimentary-articles/kirby-cole-1899-1921/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeJ5qJtTnGs 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEjb9wLr8rI 
https://athensdulcimerclub.wordpress.com 

Music from Pixabay
"The Ballad of Kirby Cole" lyrics and music by Aaron Sims.

Once again, Rebekah and Richard talk with Limestone County native and storyteller, Doug Wells. City boy (Richard) and farm boy (Doug) compare notes and remember their Athens teenage years. Listen to their stories about football rivalries, courting, and fun at the county fair while coming of age in Limestone County, Alabama in the 1950's.

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Music from Pixabay

Homegrown HAUNTED History – a special Halloween ghostly episode with Rebekah, Richard, and local author Shane Black. Haunted halls, glowing balls, and noises in the night with special appearances by Charles Sarver, George Houston, and Mary....Listen if you dare……

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/
https://www.visitathensal.com/

Music and Sound Effects from Pixabay

Rebekah and Richard talk with Limestone County native and storyteller, Doug Wells. Laugh out loud as Doug and Richard recount growing up, going to town, and getting in trouble as young boys in 1940's Limestone County. They talk about standing room only Saturday nights on the Athens Square and paint a lively picture of life in a bygone era.

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Music from Pixabay

April 27, 2011. 62 tornadoes struck Alabama, 7 hit Limestone County. Richard and Rebekah talk to Kelly Kazek, a local author who witnessed this tornado and has interviewed survivors of some of Alabama’s most devastating tornadoes. From families and homes upended to survivors left for dead, their stories range from heartbreaking to inspirational.

Notes: Books available at the Limestone County Archive and Athens-Limestone Public library include:
    "A history of Alabama's deadliest tornadoes : disaster in Dixie" by Kelly Kazek
    "7 on 4/27" by Kelly Kazek
 Available at the Limestone County Archive:
   " April 3, 1974: A Night to Remember" by Charles Jordan
 
 Severe weather season across the United States is considered to be in the spring, but Alabama also has a secondary severe weather season in the fall. The severity varies from year to year, but the it’s important to remember that tornadoes in Alabama don’t just happen in the spring.
 
 
 Tornado Safety rules link:
 www.weather.gov/bmx/sps_torsafetyrules

Rebekah and Richard recount the lively early days of the Athens Square with bear fights, horse races and a jail housing pet panthers! They discuss the significance of Cottonport as a transportation hub and Wooley Springs as an early recreation and wellness resort. In telling the story of the first railroad in Limestone County, they talk about its founders and importance for early residents.

Links
https://limestonecounty-al.gov/departments/archives/

https://www.alcpl.org/

Have questions about this episode? Email gotquestions@alcpl.org