September is here and finally this long hot summer is winding down. We have seen some interesting things this year and are still looking forward to seeing more. There are a gazillion things out there to see, do and write about.
For the last year most of the travels I have had the opportunity to take were confined to the areas in and around Monroe County Al. and the counties surrounding it.
It was a welcome relief to me anyways to get to travel a further distance from home and ramble in different territories than I am familiar with.
We had been in the area of Pickensville Al. recently but basically made a flying trip through with very little time to ramble. On this trip we parked the motor home in the Pickensville Campground and were able to so some rambling.
We had seen the Tom Bevill Welcome center before from the outside but did not have time to visit. Today was a different story. It was just too inviting to pass up.
We arrived a few minutes before opening time and so we rode down the road and walked the steps down to the river below the lock and dam. Then after exploring some of the area there we went back up to the Welcome Center. As we were driving up we saw the attendant opening the gate and we were the first people in for the day.
The attendant was a very cordial and knowledgeable lady who gave us the tour. She explained to us that the Tom Bevill Welcome Center was named after a U.S. Congressman who represented Alabama from 1967 till 1997 and was very much instrumental in the legislation that helped pave the way for the constructing of the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway.
The building appears to be an Antebellum Home. In essence we found out that it is actually a replica that was built in 1985. The building was built to depict the period of time between the 1830’s to the 1860’s.
Those who designed the building took ideas from three different mansions. There are actually pictures of all three hanging on the wall in the main living room as you walk into the center. They were the Kirkwood that is in Eutaw, Al which still stands about 40 miles south. The Waverly Mansion is the second and it stands in Columbus Mississippi about 30 miles North. The third is the Rosemont that is located in Green County, Al. about 53 miles south.
The cupola on top was inspired by the Kirkwood. The balcony on the front was inspired by the Waverly. The window design and the columns on the front were inspired by the Rosemont.
The foyer, main stairs and the lobby all have reproduction gas light chandeliers. Common to those fixtures was a cloth sleeve that covered the gas supply lines that supplied them. It was interesting to note that gas was used for lighting before electricity was available.
In one corner in the back of the main room stands a Grandfather clock. The clock still works but is not kept wound. This clock has a hand painted face that has seashell designs on it. The clock is an 1835 English antique. The case of the clock is made from a combination of mahogany and English oak.
There are various other pieces of antique furniture and mirrors scattered throughout the house. One of the mirrors that was intriguing to me was a mirror called Girandole mirror, or chaperone mirror. The reason it was called a chaperone mirror is it is of a convex type that makes the entire room visible in form one vantage point. I thought that was a very interesting mirror indeed.
The beautiful marble floors were made from black and white squares. The Black squares were imported from Europe and the white squares were from northern Alabama.
The landings of all of the stairways are heart pine that was salvaged from an 1830’s plantation house located near Uniontown, Al. The wood on the steps is also heart pine that was salvaged from other sources.
One interesting thig that I learned about these old mansions was that since there was no air conditioning the large open stair cases served a purpose other than just giving the ability to go from one floor to the next or serving as decoration. By opening the doors on the cupola on top and the front entrance doors the air would travel through the house up through the stairwells and create air movement that helped cool the entire house.
This is definitely a beautiful place to visit and the grounds are beautiful as well. One sad thing is that the cupola area is now inaccessible because of the fact that there is a safety issue. There are other places that need attention as well. Sadly like so many places that the U. S. Government owns and maintains funding has been held up to keep them properly maintained.
I highly recommend that anybody that has the opportunity to visit this beautiful place come in and visit and learn. It is definitely a view of our beautiful historic southland.