May Theme Day, Let's Eat!

It's May Theme Day at City Daily Photo Blogs,

 and we are sharing "Let's Eat!"

Since I could not decide on one meal from so many great 

Selma-area restaurants, I returned to a pasture

 where spring grass is growing, and the cattle are so glad

 to be eating something besides hay!

Linking to May Theme Day 

Prairie Buttercups and Partly Cloudy

That dark cloud is just pretending it wants to rain,

 because it was a perfect weather day in the Black Belt prairies 

of west Dallas County. Those yellow wildflowers are

 prairie buttercups, and they can be spectacular 

when covering an entire field. 

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

River Birds of the Black Belt

The red-shouldered hawk, belted kingfisher and great blue heron 

are a few of the river birds that you might see in the

 Alabama Black Belt. This informative sign is located 

on an overlook at the end of Clear Creek Nature Trail in the

 Old Cahawba Archaeological Park.

 The paved trail is wheelchair accessible.

Linking to Signs, Signs

Noon

It's almost NOON in the pasture, and while the calves rest,

 their herd eats lunch. 

Linking to ABC WEDNESDAY (depicting the letter N)

The One-Room Schoolhouse

The one-room schoolhouse at Old Cahawba still stands.

Used until the 1950s, it was one of less than 100 segregated

 African-American schools in Alabama. The school is located near

 the ruins of the Methodist-Episcopal Church that burned in 1954.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and Tuesday's Treasures

Clear Sky over Marion Junction

Early morning sunshine bounces off the steeple of the

 Marion Junction Presbyterian Church. A soft blue sky promises

 a perfect spring day!

Linking to Skywatch Friday

The Flower Shop on Broad

The bright colors and flowers at Pringle Petals sure make

 a shopper want to go inside. The shop moved from across

 Broad Street, and its larger location offers a

 wider selection of gifts, plus flowers.

Linking to Signs, Signs

In MEMORY of John R. Bell

The family of John R. Bell apparently MEMORIALIZED him as

 the victim of a murder when he and his son, John A. Bell,

 were killed in a shootout on the streets of Cahawba in 1856.

 The three other  men involved were exonerated in court,

 but the Bell Family declared via the inscription on his tombstone:

 "No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

Linking to ABC Wednesday depicting the letter M

The Alabama Artists Exhibition

It's an art lover's paradise! 

It's the 15th annual Alabama Artists: Roots and Wings Art Exhibition

 at Charlie (Tin Man) Lucas' Studio. The diversity of works from 55 artists

 is amazing and features photography, acrylics, oils, works on paper,

 3:D and mixed media.

Two of the winning works are shown above: "Winter Forest," 

1st place Acrylic by Jeff Hughes; and "Soul, Cotton and Van Gogh,"

 Best in Show, an acrylic by Mary Ann Casey.

  

Sponsored by ArtsRevive, the show and sale opened for a members' reception 

Saturday night and will be open free to the public every Friday and Saturday

 from 11-4 through April 29. The studio is located at 7 Lauderdale St.

 Come see!

Linking to Our World Tuesday

Country Cow Sign

This cute cow sign at the Orrville Farmers' Market

 gives a bit of advice that may not necessarily

 be good advice! Every cow I've ever known

 that got out of a gate got in trouble!

Linking to Signs, Signs

LEAD the Way

A young father LEADS his LITTLE one

 across the narrow swinging bridge at Kenan's Mill.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

 (depicting the Letter L)

Across the Creek

Here is a look at the back of Kenan's Mill. The 1860's gristmill 

sits above Valley Creek, and this view is from the bank

 by the swinging bridge near the charcoal kiln. 

The mill operated until the 1970s, then was restored 

years later and is operated by the Selma-Dallas County

 Historic Preservation Society. Cornmeal was ground here

 during the recent Selma Pilgrimage. 

Linking to Our World Tuesday and Tuesday's Treasures

The Sanctuary at Valley Creek

The sanctuary at Valley Creek Presbyterian Church looked splendid

 with its new paint and other renovations. The state's oldest 

Presbyerian church was open March 18-19 

for Selma's Historic Pilgrimage. 

Notice how the pews are divided down the middle.

 Anybody know why?

Linking to Through My Lens

March Camellias

The season's last camellias linger against 

a late afternoon sky at Sturdivant Hall.

 And I believe I see a jet trail overhead! 

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Valley Creek Presbyterian and 10th Blogaversary

Valley Creek Presbyterian Church has the distinction as the oldest 

 Presbyterian church in Alabama, and I chose to feature it 

for this blog's 10th anniversary. 

Yes, Selma, Ala., Daily Photo is 10 years old today, but that

 is just a tad when compared to the long legacy of this 201-year-old church.

 The congregation formed in 1816 before Alabama even became a territory.

 The eight families that founded it hailed from North Carolina,

 and they built a log structure in 1821. It was replaced by this

 Greek Revival building around 1857.

And yes, this church still meets! Although its active membership has dwindled 

to just a few, services are still held the second and fourth Sundays

 at 9:30 a.m., and they sing lovely old hymns from a 1946 hymnal. 

Notice the two floors. You enter on the ground floor which serves

 as a fellowship hall, then climb a couple flights of stairs

 to the second-floor sanctuary. 

 

Above is a plaque in the foyer that was placed by the Alabama Society

 of the Daughters of the American Revolution noting the church's

 distinction at the oldest Presbyerian church in the state. 

Many thanks to the readers and contributors of this blog! 

I have met so many interesting Selmians, researched local history

 and stretched my creative limits to shoot photos of the same subjects

 at different angles, in different lighting and different seasons 

to try to keep a small-town photo blog alive and fresh!

Thanks also to City Daily Photo Blogs which introduced me to this

project and to hundreds of cities and bloggers from around the world! 

Linking to Signs, Signs 

 

The Kenan's Mill Cornmeal Sack

Kenan's Mill cornmeal used to come in a sack like this, and it held 25 pounds

 of water-ground cornmeal. The gristmill on Valley Creek dates from the 1860s 

and operated commercially until the 1970s. That is quite a legacy! 

This sack is on display in the mill house. 

Linking to ABC Wednesday (The Letter K)

Watching the Waterfall

My three-year-old grandson was fascinated by the waterfall at Kenan's Mill.

 Recent rains power-pushed Valley Creek over the spillway,

 creating a great roar as the water headed toward the Alabama River. 

 The 1860's working gristmill was open during Selma's Historic Pilgrimage, and

visitors could purchase fresh cornmeal and tour the rest of the park.

Linking to Our World Tuesday

Two Bluebirds and a Bluejay

I don't know where they live, but these bluebirds like to play

 in our backyard most every morning! Then, there is the big old bluejay

 that just gets in their way!

Partly Cloudy at St. Luke's

The side windows at St. Luke's Episcopal Church reflect the partly cloudy skies

 from a couple of weeks  ago. Trees were still bare, but they are beginning

 to bud. St. Luke's Church is located at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park 

near Selma. It was built in Cahawba in 1854,

 moved in 1887 and returned in 2006. 

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Farm Fresh Eggs

There are lots of appealing signs at the Orrville Farmers Market,

 but the egg-shaped "Farm Fresh Eggs" may just be my favorite! 

Linking to Signs, Signs

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Ideas for Infants

Spring and Easter are on the way, and Carter Drug Co. downtown

 is brimming with bonnets, blankets and bunnies for infants and toddlers.

 I just love their baby bed display!

Linking to ABC Wednesday (The Letter I)

Pretty for Pilgrimage

These young ladies are among 15 selected as junior hostesses

 for the Historic Selma Pilgrimage March 17-18. They posed for pictures

 last week at Sturdivant Hall, and their duties will include welcoming guests,

 serving as tour guides and even visiting local nursing homes. 

Linking to Our World Tuesday

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Playing in Butterfly Park

Children, adults and a dog enjoy a chilly day in  Riverfront Park one day

 last week. The new playground is aptly named Butterfly Park

 as  Selma is the Butterfly Capital of Alabama. 

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows

Blue Skies and Redbud at the Park

It's only early March, but redbud blooms against a blue sky

 over the Valley Grande city park this week. 

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

The Hole That was Once a Row

We are back at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park at the site of the town's

 first "row" built in 1822. A row was a predecessor to the shopping center,

 and the big hole behind the sign was once the basement of a building

 that housed eight stores and offices. 

Built by the Crocheron brothers, merchants from Staten Island, N.Y.,

 the row was similar to those in New York City. But before the brothers

 built this "mall," they built Alabama's first statehouse in the center of town.

 This building later became known as "the Old Brick Store."

 Store owners from Cahawba purchased their merchandise from New York

 and traveled to market via the Alabama River to Mobile,

 then by steamship to Cuba and north to New York. 

The Crocheron Columns (all that is left of the brothers' house)

 can be seen in the background along with a more modern river house. 

Linking to Signs, Signs

Black and White in Color

The black iron grillwork on the library balcony works perfectly

 for March Theme Day, Black and White in Color. Selma is endowed 

with beautiful wrought iron, especially its fences around historic homes.  

City Daily Photo sponsors a new photography theme on the first of each month.  

Linking to City Daily Photo March Theme Day

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Fresh and Local

The Good Ole' Days are here again with markets buying local

 so that we can eat fresh!

While we plant a few vegetables around the yard each spring,

 we don't have room for great big, fresh-out-of-the-ground  greens

 like these. The Orrville Farmers' Market has them though! 

Linking to Our World Tuesday

Old Cahawba Collage

Visitors aren't just visitors at Old Cahawba. 

They're explorers!

The archaeological park located at the confluence of the Cahaba and Alabama 

rivers was best known as Alabama's first state capital (1819-1826),

 but in the 16th Century, it served as an Indian village. Then, in the 1800s,

 Cahawba became a wealthy town with some 3,000 residents.

 During the War Between the States, a federal prison housed Union soldiers,

 and after the war, emancipated slaves took refuge there. 

Now a ghost town, St. Luke's Episcopal Church (recently moved back

 to Old Cahawba) greets guests as they enter the park.

  At right above stand brick pillars that are all that remain of the Crocheron home

 and store that overlooked the rivers. Below at right sits the Perine

 artesian well which furnished air conditioning to the Perine mansion.  

Linking to Mosaic Monday

The Designers Behind the Exhibits

Thursday's grand opening of the Selma Interpretive Center's second

 and third-floor exhibits included the hospitality of exhibit designers

 John Wood and Linda Byers.

 As employees of the National Park Service's regional office in Atlanta,

 the pair designed, built and installed the new exhibits

 depicting the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March

 and the Courageous Eight activists. 

"We wanted to recognize not only the Courageous Eight

 but other individuals as well," Byers said.

 Woods built the background for the second-floor exhibit (shown in photo),

 and Byers designed the Courageous Eight banners that hang

 in the third-floor meeting room. 

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An Alabama Natural Wonder

Here is where the Cahaba flows into the Alabama River, ending its long journey

 from near Springville, winding its way into environmental science

 as an Alabama Natural Wonder.

The free-flowing waterway is considered the most biologically diverse

 in America and is home to 125 species of fish and rare plants

 such as the Cahaba lily.

The two rivers' banks once supported a Mississippian Indian village

 followed later by Alabama's first state capital. Today, it's a ghost town

 known as the Old Cahawba Archaeological Park. 

Linking to Signs, Signs   

GONE too Soon

Addie, aged 6 months and 5 days

John, aged 4 months and 5 days

Maggie, aged 7 days

GONE too soon!

The  GRAVE markers in Old Live Oak Cemetery tell the heartbreaks

 of yesteryear. They were the children of John and Julia A. Moran. 

Linking to ABC Wednesday where the letter is G

On the Walls at Charlie's Place

The decor at Charlie's Place is as good as the food!

Housed in The Harmony Club on Water Avenue, the exposed interior brick

 displays old signs form current and former businesses, historic photos

 and documents plus a splash of colorful art by local artist Julian Helms. 

Linking to Our World Tuesday

The Welcome Barrel

Proprieter Judy McKinney planted daffodils, pansies, cabbages and strawberries

 in a barrel to welcome folks to the Orrville Farmers' Market.

 The business sells seeds and plants, produce and gifts.

 Her future plans include a kitchen/cannery for classes in canning,

 breadmaking, soapmaking and more. 

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows

Orrville Farmers Market

If you haven't experienced the Orrville Farmers Market yet,

 well, head on down Highway 22!

This brand-new business between Selma and Safford

 is far more than a produce market where folks can purchase

 giant ripe tomatoes, huge homegrown cabbages
 and Mississippi sweet potatoes.

 But those things alone drew me in! 

It's a hot-breakfast stop at 6 a.m. and a meat-and-three restaurant at noon.

 It's where you go for seeds and plants and all things local or close-to-local

 as in Alabama.  Try the goat's milk lotion and soaps

 and the Marion Junction honey. There's a barrel of raw peanuts and pecans,

 shelves stocked with jellies and jams and Rachel's Cinnamon Rolls.

 There are T-shirts and cotton kitchen towels, country signs

 and sacks of biscuit mix. And just a whole lot more! 

Linking to Signs, Signs

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Lunch at the Library with Thom Gossom Jr.

Who knew of the social isolation and great cultural divide

 experienced by Auburn University's first black athletes?

Heroes on the field but loners on the campus?

Certainly not me! But I was there during some of those years 

and discovered Thursday that I even graduated Auburn on the same day

 as Thom Gossom Jr. At AU, he was a walk-on football player 

who achieved scholarship status and made first string.

 And he became the first black athlete to graduate that university,

 a feat he attributes to his parents' insistence for a solid undergraduate education.

 

As February's featured author at Selma's Lunch at the Library series, Gossom

 reminisced about his days as a reluctant pioneer of integration in the New South.

 He went on to a brief career in the NFL followed by public relations, acting

  and writing. The Birmingham native appeared in such television shows

 as "Boston Legal," "In the Heat of the Night" and "NYPD Blue." 

There were also a few films. 

But yesterday, his amiable personality connected with a full house
 as he mostly focused on football and how he finally made amends

 with the emotions that threatened to throw him off course during his his younger

 years. Gossom signed copies of  his autobiography,

 "Walk-On" along with his "Slice of Life" short story collections. 

    

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Sign for the Times

New Hope Apostolic Church in Selma offers some advice

 for the contentious change in U.S. administration. 

Linking to Signs, Signs

 

Epithet

"Budded on Earth to Bloom in Heaven" reads the epithet for little Margaret Nell.

 The many graves of children in Old Live Oak Cemetery reminds us how fragile life

 is and certainly once was for the very young. 

Linking to ABC Wednesday's (The Letter E)

Season for Mardis Gras

Fat Tuesday isn't until Feb. 28, but the Mardis Gras celebrations down south

 in Mobile begin this weekend. And while Selma isn't particularly known

 for this event, there are a few places around here that decorate.

 These homeowners have quite the colorful touch!

Linking to Our World Tuesday

Dance of the Daffodils

In the words of William Wordsworth, I do believe these daffodils

 are "tossing their heads in sprightly dance!"

No matter how bare the branches or how gray the sky,

 we can always count on February daffodils to remind us

 that the groundhog was wrong!

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows

At the Top

Selma has enjoyed blue skies, flowering Japanese Magnolia

 and spring temperatures this past week, and here is a peek

 at the top of Sturdivant Hall. What a magnificent view 

that must be looking down! The antebellum Greek Revival house

 museum is located in Old Town Selma. 

Linking to Skywatch Friday