Blackbelt Rambling - Jackson's Ramblings

September 19, 2023September 25, 2023

I have been to Smut Eye, Alabama

The U.S. has a lot of little, small towns with really, unusual names. Some of them even border on the bizarre I would guess you would say. I have been through a few in my time and have heard of many more that I honestly have not taken time to research to see if they really exist. I know in Northern Monroe County, AL. there is Hybart which is named after the family who was the first postmaster there. Then there is Scratch Ankle, it is out from Franklin, AL. There is also Burnt Corn which is on the Old Federal Road on the Eastern Side of Monroe County and is also the County Line. Burnt Corn actually is divided by the road. One side is in Monroe County and one side of the road is Conecuh County.

I have written blogs on Franklin, Burnt Corn, and on Hybart. At some time in the future, I will probably write one on Scratch Ankle.

I have heard of a town named Smut Eye for years but honestly, I never took time to see if it actually did exist, and I surely had never been there that I remember anyway.

As I was planning out a trip a month or so ago, I ran across the name on the map. Immediately I was enthused. I marked that one on my list. I just had to go to Smut Eye. I was not sure what I would find. Pretty much any of these little towns that I visit is a surprise. “Kind of like a box of chocolates.” You never know till you get there and see. I just had to go to Smut Eye if for no other reason than to say, “Hey I have been to Smut Eye, Alabama before.

According to various sources online it is an unincorporated community in Bullock County, Alabama. Various sources say that it got its name from the soot on people’s faces that hung around the Blacksmith Shop. I am sure there are several renditions of that story concerning the Blacksmith Shop. There is an in-depth story or two on that subject and much more information online at http://www.smuteye.com/history-smuteye.htm.

As with most very small communities scattered across the country, time has not been good to the structures there. It was getting on over in the afternoon when I got there, and it was going to be the last stop for me for the afternoon. I had dawdled for too long in other places. I was staying the night all the way over at Bluff Creek on the Georgia line. I was not nearly as far East as I had intended to be by that time of the afternoon.

I did not have time to look for long, but I did see a couple of old buildings and I took a few pictures.

As I sat back for the night after I had been there, I could only think what Smut Eye might have been like a hundred years ago. Although I have not seen pictures of it, nor do I know where it was located, in my mind’s eye I started to visualize what the blacksmith shop might have looked like. I pondered on the mental picture that I painted of it. The horses and mules that would come in to be shod. Quite possibly there would be oxen that would be shod as well. There would have been wagons quite possibly that would have had to have wheels repaired on. There would have been plows to sharpen and possibly other things needing repaired on the plow stocks. I stopped and focused on the shop itself. There would have been a forge to heat metal with. There would have been an anvil to hammer out things on to shape them. There would have been a vise mounted on a post somewhere most likely in an open area of the shop. There would have been numerous other tools sitting around as well.

Because of writings I read about the place I stopped and started thinking about the people coming in and hanging out. It quite possibly would have been a gathering place that the men of the community would have used when they were not working in the fields or, doing other farm work. Possibly a place that they might gather if they brought their wives and daughters to the store. The men and boys might have meandered over to there to wait and socialize.

Too many years have come and gone. For those that are associated with the place locally there are I am sure, some memories that have been handed down by the generations. In the not-too-distant future, even the numbers of those that have heard the stories will dwindle down, until they are remembered no more.

Smut Eye Alabama, another small town in the U. S. that has been bypassed with progress, or from the perspective of some like myself destroyed by a false progress that so many deem as good.

One thing is for sure. I can truthfully say. I have been to Smut Eye, Alabama.

September 6, 2023September 25, 2023

Clayton, Alabama

As I keep repeating over and over again, I feel an overwhelming desire to visit all 67 counties of our beloved state of Alabama.

On one of my recent trips out I had the pleasure of visiting a little town in Barbour County named Clayton.

According to Encyclopedia of Alabama https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/clayton/

Clayton has been the county seat of Barbour County since 1834. Barbour County was created from parts of Pike County and Louisville was chosen as the county seat. One year later an 11-member commission was formed to determine a new site for the county seat. After selecting a site in the geographic center of the county in 1834, county leaders christened the town Clayton in honor of Judge Augustine Smith Clayton, a U.S. representative from Athens, Georgia. The town was incorporated by an act of the Alabama Legislature on December 21, 1841.

Like I do on almost every little town I have had opportunity to visit I drove into town and passed through looking to see where I wanted to start. I do this because there are normally so many options to look at and I am normally limited. I normally leave home and try to take a swath across the state from wherever on I-65 East to the Georgia State Line. I have on the past three trips across spent a night in a campground in the area. Then I covered more area the next day and then went home. On this particular afternoon, I arrived in Clayton around 1:30 PM. Knowing I had a lot to see and a short time to see it I parked my van and hit the streets with my camera.

I had seen pictures of things in Clayton and had people on my Social Media group that had shared about it.

I had also read that it had once been a flourishing town with many stores and various other businesses over the decades past.

One of the first and more impressive things I saw as I walked along was an impressive mural. It clearly depicted much of the beauty and history of Clayton. It was, in my opinion well thought out. The designers and artist involved did a great job making a positive influence on this historic little Southern Town.

Another interesting sight was the Octagon House.

According to the historical marker beside the house, between 1859-1861. It was built by Benjamin Franklin Petty who was a carriage and furniture merchant. Mr. Petty was a native of New York and was a pioneer settler of Clayton. The Octagon House was patterned after the design made popular by Orson S. Fowler’s Book, A Home For All.

This is indeed a beautiful house that has stood the test of time. It is beautiful and definitely a show piece. Thankfully it appears to be well preserved and can be admired by future generations.

Another interesting find in Clayton was the Clayton Presbyterian Church. The sign out front stated that it was built in 1871. This is indeed a beautiful old building that has stood the test of time. It appears to be fairly well, maintained outside. I am sure that when it was built that it was a marvel of its time in this part of the world. As I stood in front of it, questions came to mind. I wondered how long it had been active? I wondered how many people had attended church services there when it was in its prime? I wondered how many years it had been since it was filled? I also wondered if it was active in some way even to this date?

One more treasure of the past of this like thousands of others in small towns in America struggling to just survive from being reclaimed by nature, wondering how many more generations will care to keep it maintained and standing.

As I always do I search for old churches, particularly those built either pre-1900 or early 1900’s. There is just something about then that intrigues me. I see them all over the Southland as I travel.

Another beautiful one is in Clayton. It is the Grace Episcopal Church. This old church according to the historical marker out front was completed on February 26, 1876. It is a Gothic Revival Style building

There are numerous other buildings left in Clayton that are kept up better or should I say have been freshly had a face lift of some sort. Such as the blue building here. I was told on social media that the right side of this one was the Ford Tractor Dealer.

Now as to every other small town I have been in on this journey across our beautiful state I want to bring this to attention. Actually, for me any ways it is the most important. It is one of the primary purposes of this endeavor. This part is not to bring shame or bring condemnation on Clayton nor any other small town I visit. It is to bring front and center the plight that Rural America is in.

Clayton, like all that I have been in has suffered. It has lost so much. Like every small town I know of there are empty buildings that are literally deteriorating around us. They all have a story. Many served for decades. Many were dreams that lived a lifetime and the proprietors’ retired or passed away. They all tell a story.

As with many of the small towns that I visit and share photos of on social media, Clayton has had and I hope continues to have many others that reminisce of times past. It warms my heart to see people share their stories of growing up there and of the thigns of the past the bring good memories to them. It does sadden me however many times when others that have not been to these towns see photos of them and it hurts them like it does me to see what has happened to the small towns of our childhoods.

As always, thank you for reading and following my ramblings and please feel free to leave comments.

Jackson

August 10, 2022November 27, 2023

Lower Peach Tree United Methodist Church Visit

On a recent trip out in the areas on the West side of the Alabama River where the counties of Monroe, Wilcox, and Clarke all run together I went into an area that is almost like a no man’s land so to speak. The reason I say that is part of it belongs to Monroe County and is cut off by the river with no way to access it but, to come around through Clarke County, or go up and cross the river and come through Wilcox County. The areas of Clarke are remote and distant, and the areas in Wilcox are the same way.

On this trip I wound up in Lower Peach Tree. Basically, Lower Peach Tree is an intersection of Wilcox County roads 35 and 1, with a convenience store most noticeably on the corner. I approached from the West coming into the intersection. Turning left and traveling North for only a short distance I found an old white church standing tall and stately beside a cemetery.

This was yet one more historic old Methodist Church with a strong long history in the Southland. Upon closer examination I found a small sign on the side of the church sign stating that it was listed as one of the Blackbelt Treasures. There was a number to call to get a recording on the history of the church.

Below is MY INTERPETATION of what was given on that recording.

Peachtree Methodist Church and Cemetery.

The earliest church building was a log hewn building dating to their early 1820s. This was shortly after lower Peachtree was settled and Alabama became a state.

Around 1825 the Asbury Chapel or Church was built in the vicinity of Asbury Cemetery. Asbury Cemetery is now known by most as lower Peachtree Cemetery. Both the church and cemetery were named in honor of Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury.

In 1832 the Alabama conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church was formed. Preaching places within the bounds of the Mobile district included lower Peachtree.

The circuit preachers were John Laney and Gerald Whittington and the church continued in that circuit until 1846.

The church continued to be called Asbury Church by the local congregation. The first preacher appointed full time to the lower Peachtree circuit was Reverend Andrew J Hill in 1846.

The new site for the Lower Peachtree Methodist Church South occurred in 1873. At this time the Northrup family donated the land on which the present church is located. Construction of the current building was completed in 1874. The church remained active through the 1900s. This was in spite of the terrible tornado that hit lower Peachtree in 1913. That tornado left 28 dead and many others injured and much of the buildings in town demolished. Most of the persons killed by the storm are buried in the lower Peachtree cemetery.

In February 1986 a meeting was held, the closing of the church was considered. The result of the meeting was continuous service on each 5th Sunday.

There were less than 20 members on role. After that it was stated that services usually have over 20 persons present counting active members and visitors. The annual homecoming is celebrated on the 4th Sunday in May.

I am not sure of the date of that recording. I am not sure when or if they have any kind of service at this church anymore. From the unkept appearance it is no longer in use but that is just an assumption. At any rate it is in need of sprucing back up.

As I stood and looked at this beautiful old building and the surrounding property, I could only imagine the good times that had been experienced there by those in generations past. I could imagine the folks in the beginning coming on horseback and on wagons. In later years in buggies and finer carriages possibly. Then in times after that cars coming with some horses and mules still tied to the side. Finally just cars and pickups.

I could picture in my mind young people laughing and running. I could picture diners on the ground with piles of food. Ha ha I could almost smell the fried chicken and I got hungry and had to leave.

It saddens me every time I see one of these old churches that sits empty and no appearance of every being rejuvenated. Sitting out in a very rural area with no viable population close by. As sad as it sounds it appears that this one will not last for another generation to enjoy.

I so hope I am wrong.

August 4, 2022October 17, 2023

Wilcox County Alabama

Out this week rambling we went into Wilcox County, Alabama. We spent three nights at Miller’s Ferry Campground. Miller’s Ferry Campground is located on the Alabama River. It is on the East Bank off Highway 28. It is about 15 miles from downtown Camden.

This was my first time to stay at that campground in probably a decade of more. Miller’s Ferry Campground is a beautiful campground that boasts approximately 66 camp spots. It has numerous sites that are handicap accessible. There is a large bathhouse located in the campground. It also has a boat ramp located inside the campground.

Again, this is a beautiful campground. The hosts are friendly and things were quiet for the three nights we were there.

It is a Corp of Engineers campground and as with most of their campgrounds we run into the Corp of Engineers needs to have somebody come in and do some serious work on things like trimming limbs over the roads to keep from damaging the tops of campers and motorhomes. and so forth but overall, it is a gem.

One of my passions is beautiful sunsets and this trip was definitely not a disappointer. The Sunsets all three evenings were stunning. As with so many beautiful things no two sunsets are identical. There is always something different about the shape of the clouds, or timing of the movement of the clouds, or a host of other different things that constitute a beautiful sunset.

We rode into Camden and toured the town. It was definitely a positive eye-opening experience for me. I have not been into Camden in years to actually look around and I was amazed at what I found. So many small towns throughout our beautiful land are nothing more than empty decaying places. Too often, I have found small towns like Camden that have rows of empty falling down buildings. Normally they are not usable and apparently are just forgotten relics of a by gone era. They in so many cases appear to never be usable again, and in all probability the cost of cleaning them up is too great for the owners. So those buildings just sit and rot.

This definitely is not, the case with Camden. For me anyway it has a WOW factor to it. Yes there are some that could still use some touch up but even some of those look like they are in the process of having some renovation done to them. I give Camden a rating of 10 for the effort and town pride that seems to be happing there. Good job folks.

As I walked the pretty much empty streets on a Sunday afternoon, (I went on Sunday so I could photo some buildings without too many cars present) I started to reminisce.

When I was a little kid 55 to 60 years ago Camden was one of the primary towns we went to for groceries and supplies. I remembered going into the Barber Shop. A man called Mr. Caton ran it. It was one of the first Barber Shops I ever knew of that have vacuum cleaner hoses hooked to the clippers so that you did not have hair all over you when you got a haircut. My grandfather loved it for that reason.

Then there was the building where the Ratcliff Hardware used to be. I remembered going in there and seeing all of the interesting things that they had to offer.

At the South end of the square where the Western Auto used to be, the entire end is now in use. A very wide selection of various things from furniture on is here. Beautiful clean and crowded but well kept. I saw the Old Mathews Hardware building. I remembered going in there as well. Seems like I vaguely remember some kind of elevator being in that building but I was to small to remember exactly what or how it worked. I was proud to see it filled to capacity with what appeared to be an incredible assortment of things to buy. Good job. I remembered two grocery stores there but could not place exactly where either one of them was. Apparently they were both gone and there is now a Piggly Wiggly out on the bypass. There are numerous other stores out on the bypass. Dollar Stores I saw, and a drug store or two and various other things. I mainly stayed in the downtown part though walking and looking and reminiscing. The old Jail has been refurbished. Looks so nice. The other various other buildings several of which had the placards on the front where you can call a number and listen to a recording talking about that particular place and the history of it.

We rode through various areas on the West Side of the river in Wilcox County. We did ride through communities that had businesses long gone. Catherine for instance is one. There we found some buildings that were long abandoned. There were other communities as well that have suffered because of people moving away, and economic losses, and various other things, that bring blight to our rural communities.

One neat community we went into was Gastonburg. It is located up on Highway 5. There is a display with numerous pieces of antique farm equipment sitting there that is neat to see. Seeing how I am fascinated by that sort of stuff I had to take a closer look there.

There are also two beautiful old historic churches located there. Of course I had to check them out. I ran into an older gentleman there and we struck up a conversation. Lo and behold when we got to talking, I found out his brother had been married to my grandmother’s niece. Small world ain’t it? He had actually known one of my great uncles who I admired when I was small. That great uncle was a sawmill mechanic, and knife maker. I still have a knife that he made for me when I was about 14 years old. It is made from a saw blade with deer horn for the handle.

The two churches were the Presbyterian, and the Methodist, churches.

We rode up to Gee’s Bend. We were hoping to catch the ferry back across into Camden from that side of the river. Sadly it was out of commission because of something having to be done to the ferry. We ran by the Gee’s Bend Ferry Terminal and took a look around. Sitting out beside the parking lot is the Old Ferry Boat that ran across the Alabama River at Haynes Island, or as the locals call it Davis’s Ferry, in Monroe County for many years. I had crossed that ferry many times when it was there.

This ferry had been built by the State of Alabama back in the early 1960’s. It was built according to several sources at the landing and put into the water there. It was a cable ferry. It ran across the Alabama River there from Ellis’s Landing on the East side of the river to Gee’s Bend on the West Side of the river for several years.

When the Dam was constructed in the mid 1960’s the distance was too wide to run a cable ferry and it was discontinued. The ferry was then moved down to Holly’s Ferry in the vicinity of Pine Hill and was used there while construction of the paper mill was going on. When the Highway 10 bridge was completed, it was then moved down to Davis’s Ferry where it ran for many more years.

We had a great time visiting Wilcox County. It is a place rich in history and an integral part of our beautiful Southland that I definitely wish to ramble again in the not-too-distant future. I highly recommend you doing so as well.

June 23, 2022October 22, 2023

Old Scotland Presbyterian Church

The Old Scotland Presbyterian Church was built in 1837 according to the National Historic Registry.

The community of Old Scotland in Monroe County was settled by families from Georgia and the Carolinas among other areas, many of whose families were immigrants from Scotland and Ireland. Historians say that the Old Scotland community got its name because of the area’s close resemblance to the native country of those that settled there.

The Old Scotland Presbyterian Church was originally made of logs. That structure was replaced in 1837 by the wooden frame building is now standing.

As early as the 1920s, most of the residents had moved to Franklin, Monroeville, and other communities in the local area. Because of this fact the church to discontinued regular services.

Now there is one service a year held there as a memorial service held. There is a Facebook page that can be checked for the dates. https://www.facebook.com/OldScotlandPresbyterianChurch

At the time of this writing the 200^th anniversary service will be held April 23, 2023.

The church’s cemetery has graves of several Civil War soldiers. This church is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

The church is located approximately 2.25 miles from County Rd 42 (Ridge Road) not far from the community of Tunnel Springs Alabama. Coordinates 31.66772, -87.27354

The cemetery holds the graves of those with the last names of Mcmillan, Davison, Dennis, Dunn, English, Falkenberry, Fountain, Jackson, McCorvey, Nettles, Rumbley, Simmons, Smith, Stevens, and Wiggins.

Here is a YouTube drone video taken in 2016.

https://youtu.be/ZVNEBOSH1Rw

January 3, 2021October 22, 2023

Philadelphia Baptist Church

The beautiful old Philadelphia Baptist is located at the small community of Tunnel springs Alabama. A community located on Hwy 21 North of Peterman Al. Tunnel Springs is a small town that was located the L&N Railroad and has a railroad tunnel that is not far from the church. The town has pretty much dried up now there are some residents still there but no stores or postoffice are open any more.

Philadelphia Baptist Church

Philadelphia Baptist Church as founded in 1840. It was located at the site of what is now Antioch Baptist located on Co Rd 42 a few miles away closer to the community known as Pine Orchard.

Philadelphia started out with a congregation that consisted of both black and white people. Both races worshipped together and were buried in the same cemetery. This remained until 1870. At that time the congregation split and the black’s remained at what is not Antioch and the white people moved to what I the present site of Philadelphia Baptist Church.

The present building which contains two towers and a belfry was originally built for a whopping sum of $3,000. It was finished in the early 1900’s. Around 1913.

The first recorded pastor of the church when it was in the original location was the Rev. John McWilliams. He came to Monroe County from North Carolina in 1827. He remained pastor till 1870.

The building standing today is the original building. It has had several renovations with carpet flooring ect. being changed on the inside. Other than painting and the steps and entrance ways the outride is basically unchanged.

Below is a video of Mr Allen Ramer a long time member of Philadelphia Baptist Church telling about the rich history of this beautiful church.