Preparing for Deer Season

Preparing for Deer Season in Alabama takes a lot of hard work in the Alabama heat. First there's the bush hogging, then the planting.....hoping for rain, in what is usually the dry time of the year and alot of praying that the hard work paid off and you can draw the herd to your land, not your neighbor's. Steve, Brock and Kevin worked very hard. I am posting this video on what Steve calls "Redneck Christmas Eve" - the night before deer season 2012. Good luck, Guys! I hope you do well tomorrow!

How-To Fillet a Fish with and Electric Knife

How-To Fillet a Fish with an Electric Knife. This technique will work with any sharp knife. Demonstrator: Steve Kynard Video by: Janet Kynard of It Happens in Alabama

Fossils in Alabama

Alabama was once covered by water. When the ocean receded many animals were left behind and over time became fossilized. The fossils in this video are estmated to be over 65 million years

It Happens in Alabama Web site

It Happens in Alabama web site

A Shrine of the Time

I had the unique experience of visiting the First White House of the Confederacy and getting a personal tour from Henry Paul Howard, a Civil War re-enactor and the First White House Tour guide. With his background, he is the perfect person to show you around and answer all of your questions. The First White House is located in Montgomery, Alabama, just across Washington Ave, from the Alabama State Capital, in front of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The First White House was voted by followers of It Happens in Alabama as one of the top 110 attractions and Must-See Places in Alabama. Visitors come here from all over the world, every year. During my visit I met people from Louisiana and Japan.

 

The First White House of the Confederacy was the Executive Residence of President Jefferson Davis and family while the capital of the Confederacy was in Montgomery, from February 1861 until late May 1861, when the Confederate capital moved to Richmond, Virginia. It took a 20 year struggle (1901- 1921) for The White House Association of Alabama to purchase, move and preserve the building.

 

 

The house is set up as a shrine to Jefferson Davis and his family. The furniture in Jefferson’s bedroom, as an agreement between the Association, Varina Davis (wife) and Margaret Davis (daughter) is set to the exact floor plan as it existed when he was alive. Most of the furniture in the house was donated by Mrs. Davis and, after her death, her daughter. The house has the bed Jefferson slept in and the bed in which Mrs. Davis Died.

 

I would love to live in this house, exactly as it is today, even with the need for a “necessary house” (restroom and kitchen not being in the main house, in case of fire). It is a decorator’s dream, from the placement of furniture in the large rooms creating conversation areas to the way pictures are grouped on the walls creating a story.

 

There were many items I found particularly interesting like the huge grand piano in the first parlor that is still playable, a silver water cooler in the dining room that was buried for 10 years to keep it from being taken by the Union soldiers, huge chandeliers in every room, the floor to ceiling infinity mirrors, and the use of pocket doors.

 

Back in the day there was such a thing called a “door fee” and people were taxed on the number of doors in their house, so the use of pockets doors reduced this cost because they were considered walls. In the double doorways, pocket doors gave the house a huge open feeling between the parlors and the main dining room.

 

 

I learned why the chairs in the house are lower to the floor, than what we use today. It’s because no self respecting Southern Lady would ever show her feet or ankles show. They worn their dresses to the ground and the low chairs kept them from rising up when sitting down. Tables with mirrors underneath, at floor level, were commonly seen in the entrance way of houses for ladies to check their petticoats, when they arrived.

 

I enjoyed the relic room which was filled with many one of a kind special items. They even had the handmade flag that draped Jefferson Davis’ casket. The nursery is a must see for and expecting or new mother! You’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to see everything. I found myself going back to rooms and displays two and three times!

 

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Ever wondered what is beneath the bark of a tree?

by: Janet Kynard

 

When asked what is beneath the bark of a tree, most people would answer “wood”. Some may say ’bark beetles” or “insects”, but the best person to answer this question is Corey Worden, owner of Beneath The Bark Chainsaw Carvings. His answer would be “anything you want it to be”. Corey, originally from Connecticut, lives in Titus, Alabama and is the proud father of two girls ages two and six - Skyler and Mackinzie. He has been a chainsaw carver for 16 years. His big break came when he received a request to perform at the Bethlehem Fair and the rest was history. He credits his success to being blessed with good depth perception and the ability to gage proportions. His favorite medium is wood because “it’s 50% destruction and 50% creation”. The majority of his work is commissioned, so you can have him make a special work of art especially for you. The cost starts around $250 for a 2 foot to 2.5 foot creation. Corey has now been commissioned to carve a life size carving of the legendary Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

    Corey carves on the lawn next to Shaylee’s convenient store on Hwy 231 north, in Titus, Alabama, approximately 11 miles north of Wetumpka. It is not unusual to see a crowd gathering to take pictures and watch him work.


    To get your very special carving, you can contact Corey Worden at 334-567-5718 or by email at beneaththebark.cw@gmail.com. He is also available for custom on site carvings, shows and events. This year he carved at the Alabama National Fair in Montgomery, Alabama, October 5-14-2012.

Off the Beaten Path and into History

By: Janet Kynard, Founder/President It Happens in Alabama 

My husband, Steve, had wanted to take me to Confederate Memorial Park for some time and we finally made it there on Saturday. It was well worth the visit! Confederate Memorial Park is located in Marbury, Alabama, approximately 37 miles north of Montgomery and is the site of Alabama's only Old Soldiers Home for Confederate Veterans. Located on 102 acres of rolling wooded country side, the home was operational from 1902 until 1939 when the Alabama Legislature officially closed the home and buildings were dismantled except the mess hall which lasted until the 1960’s.  At one time, there were 22 buildings which included a 25 bed hospital, mess hall, dairy and cottages. Even back then they had an elaborate water and sewer system.  The home cared for elderly veterans, their wives and widows. 

Confederate Research Library

Left to Right: Commander Gary Carlyle, Vann Royal, Janet Kynard - IHIA,

Division Historian and Past Commander Leonard Wilson

                                                        

We had a wonderful visit at the Confederate Research Library where books are not shelved using the Dewey Decimal System, but are arranged alphabetically by topic.  We were greeted by Leonard Wilson, a past Commander and the Division Historian. You really must go see him! He has so many wonderful stories. I can imagine sitting in an old rocking chair on a porch, sipping sweet tea and listening to his stories all afternoon. I also had the pleasure of meeting Commander Gary Carlyle and Vann Royal, who had just attended the Children’s Christmas program at the Old Marbury Methodist Church, on the grounds.

      
Museum and Gift Shop                                   Bricks from the dismantled buildings  

The Museum had so many displays that we were in there for over an hour! It was very interesting and told the story of the Alabama veteran from recruit to veteran. There were hundreds of artifacts. I don’t know what I expected life in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries to be like but was surprised that the furniture, streamer truck,  bottles and many other items seemed so familiar to me.         

Spencer Carbine

Matthew Brady lantern slide of Gen. Robert E. Lee



                                                    

I found it interesting that so many men returned from the war as amputees and the state of Alabama paid for them to have prosthetics.  Many factors contributed to the high amputee rate, but one of the prime culprits was the soft lead Minie ball.  Minie Balls crushed bones, ripped arteries and tissue beyond repair and doctors often had little choice but to amputate limbs. Looking at the size of the minie balls on display, some as large as .64 caliber, I can see how they would do a lot of damage.  Other interesting facts were 81,000 to 90,000 men from Alabama fought in the war, between the ages of 17 and 45 yrs. Old. 20,000 to 30,000 lost their lives. Of those that died, more died from infection and disease than in battle.

 

  Cemetery One                                                                       Sasanqua Camellia   

When visiting Cemetery One, I was amazed at the number of men who died in February, not all in the same year, but the same month. This has me puzzled. What went on in February? Was it the cold or just a coincidence?

Outside of Cemetery Two, stood one of the most gorgeous Sasanqua Camellias I have ever seen. It was in full bloom. The park is also home to the second largest Poplar tree in Alabama which measures over 175 inches in circumference and is over 105 feet tall.  

 Entrance to Cemetery Two                                               View from Cemetery Two

Cemetery Two was built after Cemetery One was full and contains the graves of 224 veterans, including 15 wives and widows. It was built on the top of a hill and is a very peaceful spot with a great view of the rolling land below. It is as if the soldiers are still keeping watch over Alabama.

There is still so much more to see here and a great walking trail with markers where the 22 buildings once stood. My visit sparked my curiosity about Alabama history and how Alabama played a leading roll in the war.

If you like this article, please share it with your friends and check out the It Happens in Alabama web site for more neat content, videos and what's happening in Alabama.

 

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