Blount-Jefferson County AlArchives History .....The Community Of Village Springs, Alabama January 4, 2011 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Lanny Gamble lrossg2@bellsouth.net January 4, 2011, 8:31 pm THE COMMUNITY OF VILLAGE SPRINGS, ALABAMA THE OLD L & N RAILROAD STATION AT VILLAGE SPRINGS Photograph taken May 11, 1906 Compiled by: Betty Baker Pate Larry Brewer Lanny R. Gamble Arthel Bobby Waid Second Edition THE COMMUNITY OF VILLAGE SPRINGS, ALABAMA To share the full and true history of early Village Springs would require information from early pioneers who settled the area. Since that information is not readily available to the compilers of this brief history, our attempt will be to share some facts gathered from historical documents and family lore passed down from descendants of the early pioneers. Too, we will share anecdotal and family lore information we gathered while growing up in the Village in the late 1930’s through the late 1960’s. The compilers of this booklet used several recognized sources to identify some of the early settlers of the Village Springs area. Historical books, newspaper articles and census records provided some insight into the family names of those who entered and settled lands that later became Blount County, Alabama. Congressional Township information and Federal land patent awards revealed family names of individuals who settled in the Village Springs area. THE EARLY YEARS The community of Village Springs, Alabama is located in two counties; the southern part of Blount County and the northern portion of Jefferson County. The county line almost equally dissects the community, half of the community in Blount and half in Jefferson. Over the years the population of Village Springs has grown from the early 1800’s through the early 1900’s. The area around Village Springs was blessed with fertile farmland and numerous springs that provided the early settlers with good tillable soil and an abundant supply of good sweet water. In the early 1800’s it grew from a few early pioneers to several hundred people in the early to mid 1900’s. In 1917 a tornado devastated the main portion of the growing and vibrant little community. In the late 1960’s the main highway’s route through the community was altered and, as a result, a large portion of the Village was eliminated. The community has been in a state of population decline since. As was the case in all Alabama communities in the early to mid 1800’s framing was the main occupation. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, mining of iron ore, coal and limestone, became chief occupations for the support of the people of Village Springs. One of L & N Railroad’s main lines ran through the center of Village Springs and was a source of employment in the early to mid 1900’s at the depot, post office and on main line section gangs. As transportation improved and the Village’s close proximity to Birmingham with its burgeoning iron and steel industry, members of the community traveled there daily for employment. Early Settler Pathways It is probable that many of the early pioneers of the Village Springs area made their way into Blount County, Alabama by way of “The Old Huntsville Road”. The road followed the path of an old Indian trace and opened up the interior of Alabama in the 1816-1819 time frame. In 1816, the Creek Indian Nation ceded large land holdings to the US Government. Soon after the Cherokees ceded parts of their land. After this time settlers from the Madison County area and the state of Tennessee poured into the central parts of Alabama on their way to claim fresh farmland. Many settled along the way, while many continued their westward movement. Most of these early settlers were originally from Tennessee. The Old Huntsville Road ran generally from Triana in Morgan County, Alabama near the Tennessee state line through the central part of Alabama, including the Village Springs area. The Road continued further south through what is now the town of Moundville in Hale County, Alabama and eventually off-shoot trails lead on into Mississippi (See Map below) (Walker 1983, iii). A newspaper article (People and Things from the Blount County News and Dispatch, 1898 –1903, p. 138) noted that every fertile spot near the road was settled by 1817. Great numbers came down from Tennessee by way of the river, landed at Gunter’s Landing (now Guntersville), traveled south through Brooksville and made their way through Murphree’s Valley and intersected the Old Huntsville Road at Village Springs. Soon after the Cherokee Nation land cedes, settlers from the Carolinas and Georgia began to make their way west through the former Cherokee lands and on into the area from the east. Historians note that numbers of these settlers moved into the southeastern sections of Blount County that later became a part of Jefferson County. Remlap United Methodist Church Information In his book, Toombstones Along The Old Huntsville Road, J. W. Walker, Jr. (Walker 1983) provides insights into some of the early pioneers who settled in and around Village Springs. He surveyed cemeteries in Marshall, Blount, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, and Hale counties that bordered areas along the route of the Old Huntsville Road. One of the cemeteries he surveyed was located at Remlap United Methodist Church, Remlap, Alabama. The Remlap community is located four miles north of Village Springs. Cemetery records show that this was one of the early burial grounds for people from the surrounding area, including Village Springs. From Walker’s survey of tombstone information, we are able to identify some of the early pioneers of the Village Springs, Alabama area. Based on dates of births shown on grave markers, general conclusions can be drawn as to those who were of the age to head households in the late 1820’s and early 1830’s, and therefore, may have been among the first settlers to make the trek down the Old Huntsville Road to claim new land and to establish communities and settlements in or near Village Springs. Among those listed as buried at Remlap Cemetery are: Robert C. Johnson, h/o Nancy Johnson, 1762 – 1852; Elijah Cowden, h/o of Anna Peddigrew, War of 1812 soldier, 1790-1837; Anna Cowden, w/o Elijah Cowden, married 1811, 1791-1860; William Cowden, h/o Catherine Cowden, 1782 – 1878; Catherine Yates Cowden, w/o William Cowden, married 1812, 1788-1860; Beverly Cornelius, May 12, 1794 – 1880; Wm. H. Higginbotham, Mar. 20, 1818 – Jul. 23, 1893; Mary Higginbotham, Mar. 12, 1817 – Feb. 20, 1903; Nancy Johnson, w/o Robert Johnson, 1779 – Illegible; Robert D. Cowden, h/o Louisa Palmer, Sep. 11, 1813 – Feb. 4, 1886; and Solomon Palmer, no dates. Congressional Township Information Blount and Jefferson county Congressional Township information also provide insight into some of the earliest landowners in the Village Springs area. The main portion of Village Springs lies in Township 14-S Range 1-W in Blount County. Some of the earliest land patents went to the following people: Samuel Bland, 1821; John Davis, 1823; Lewis White, 1825; Solomon Palmer, 1826; West Gurley, 1826; Robert Higginbotham, 1833; Milton Yates, 1833; John Yates, 1833; David Gillispie, 1834; Elijah Cowden, 1835; Joseph Posey, 1835; Greenberry Harrison, 1835; William Farley 1837; Robert Harrison, 1838; Henry Barton, 1838; John Little, 1838; and Moses Posey, 1838. Numerous other land patents were issued to newcomers in the Village Springs area in the 1840’s and on into the 1890’s. In Jefferson County, the land around the Village Springs area is located in Township 14-S Range 1-W and Township 15-S Range 1-W. Some of the earliest Jefferson County land patents were claimed by the following people: James Walker, 1823; William Spradling, 1823; Edward Sims, 1823; Jesse Self, 1823; John Lockhart 1823; William Taylor, 1824; Greenberry Harrison, 1825; West Gurley, 1826; William Burleson, 1826; David Gillespie, 1834; and Elisha Hicks, 1838. Other names familiar to the Village Springs area received land patents in these Townships up through the early 1900’s. Census Record Information Census records also revealed the names of families who settled in and around Village Springs during its first hundred years. The names of early inhabitants of the Village Springs area are shown in Federal Census Records from 1830 through 1930. From these records families who came early and remained in the area over a number of years were identified. Many of these families’ descendants continue to reside in the general Village Springs area at the present time. Some familiar surnames such as Higginbotham, Palmer, Cowden, Little, Hallmark, Self, Edwards, Cosby, Posey, Price, Hullett, Spearer, Gillispie, Cornelius, Massey, Hicks, and Walker appeared consistently in census records from 1830 to 1930, in both Blount and Jefferson counties. THE BREWER MAP OF 1910 A map prepared by Mr. Joe E. Brewer served as a valuable resource for identifying many of the families that resided in Village Springs in the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s His map also confirmed names and locations for a number of businesses that once operated in the small community. His map is shown below: Mr. Joe E. Brewer, a long time resident of Village Springs, drew the above map to depict the community as it was laid out in 1910. Mr. Brewer drew the map in 1978 based on memories he obtained while growing up in the Village. The sizing requirements necessary for printing the map in this booklet reduced the size of the text and diminished its readability considerably. Since the map proved to be such a valuable resource for authenticating the general layout of streets/roads, businesses, and family residences in Village Spring around the turn of the century, the following explanatory notes are presented. For ease in following along with the explanation information, the map was roughly divided into four quadrants; upper left, upper right, lower left and lower right. The railroad tracks and public road in the center of the map naturally mark the quadrants. Two or three major map features are evident and easily identified. The Birmingham Mineral/ L & N Railroad main line and siding tracks are shown prominently at the center of the map. The Lehigh branch railroad track veers off of the main line track and intersects with the “Wye” spur toward the bottom of the map. The “Wye” was used for turning trains around on the main line. The main highway from Birmingham to Oneonta ran through the center of Village Springs in 1910 and is shown just above the main line railroad tracks and was named East Railroad Street. In the upper left quadrant the Old Springville Road is shown branching off of East Railroad Street. McDill’s Shop is the first structure shown bordering East Railroad Street. Two buildings labeled “store” are shown, followed by building labeled “Store and Odd Fellows Hall.” Next, the home of Jim Griffith is shown, followed by a building labeled “store.” Then the home of Pinkney Higginbotham is shown. In the upper right quadrant the first large structure facing East Railroad Street is labeled “Wells Store and Post Office and “Old Danforth Hotel and Store.” Moving south along East Railroad Street the homes of Ellis Higginbotham and Buck Higginbotham are shown, followed by a structure labeled “Blacksmith Shop.” The A. H. Shower and Malcomb Campbell /Harrell homes are shown next. Moving to the alley behind East Railroad Street, the only structure shown is labeled “Old Baptist Church.” The first structure on Mountain Street is labeled “the Sims Home”, followed by “The Methodist Church and Masonic Lodge”, then the homes of “A.L. Baggett, Asa Griffith, and W. R. Childs.” Looking up to the alley above Mountain Street, the homes of “Mr. And Mrs. Claudson and “Oliver Campbell” are shown. In the lower left quadrant the prominent large building labeled “New Baptist Church” is shown facing the “Compton and Selfville Road. Five homes are shown facing a main road (at one time named Old Tennessee Road) The five structures are labeled the “Jennings Home, Clayton Home, Massey Home, Hardin Home, and Little Home”. Up and to the right, facing the L & N Tracks, a small building labeled “store” is shown in the forks of the road, followed by the “Danforth Home”, a small “store” and the “New Danforth Hotel.” Two rental houses and the “Livery Stable” are shown in the lower section of the quadrant. In the lower right quadrant the L & N Depot is shown facing the railroad tracks, followed by a structure labeled “Agent House.” Looking right a circle is labeled “Water Tower” followed by a second circle labeled “Old Turntables.” The structure to the far right is labeled “school.” The structure facing the Lehigh Branch Railroad Track is labeled “Sand House.” NOTE: From Mr. Brewer’s map and wording it seems evident that not all structures shown and named existed at any one time, but probably over the time span Mr. Brewer lived in the Village. EARLY VILLAGE SPRINGS STORES AND BUSINESSES Little factual information is available about what stores and businesses operated in Village Springs prior to the early 1900’s. Between 1850 and 1900, census records for the Village Springs area listed four blacksmiths, three merchants and one stonemason. The 1850 census, Subdivision 18, Blount Co., AL listed J.J. Blackburn , Blacksmith; Marcus F. Posey, blacksmith; Israel Posey, blacksmith; Wyth Posey, stonemason. In 1860, Andrew J. Brown, merchant was shown. In 1870 no business related employment listed. The 1880 census records, Township 14, reported Thomas Woods, merchant; George Massey, merchant; Joseph Burchfield, blacksmith. Whether those tradesmen operated public businesses is not known. As with all small communities in Alabama during this era, farming was the major occupation for folks living in the Village Springs area. However, in the 1900 census a number of men listed their type of employment as “ore mines” or “rock quarry.” This census information was evidence that a number of Village Springs’ men had gained employment in what was known as the Compton Mines. The J. W. Worthington & Co. operated iron ore mines and limestone quarries in an area near Village Springs known as Red Valley. The mining operation began perhaps as early as 1887. The operation was located at a place that became known as Compton. A newspaper (People and Things from the Blount County News and Dispatch, 1890 – 1897, Thursday, April 3, 1890, p 17.) published an article entitled “A Trip to Compton Mines.” The article noted the newly formed community of Compton was the most populous town in Blount County at that time, even though it was only three or four years old. An article published a little over a year later in the same newspaper (Thursday, September 10, 1891, p. 88) stated that over a 1000 people lived in the Compton community and over 500 were on the company payroll. Also, the Lehigh Coal Mine was in operation around this same time. The L & N Railroad ran a spur line from Village Springs to the Lehigh Mines to transport coal to the Birmingham iron industry. The mine was located some ten or so miles to the northwest of the L & N main line at Village Springs. These early mining operations were early businesses in the Village Springs area and proved to be good sources of employment. In the 1900 census, (Blount County, Precinct 14, Remlap) William Cowden listed his occupation as dry goods merchant. Joseph Cowden, Pinkney Higginbotham, and George Wilder were shown as blacksmiths. The exact locations of these men’s shops or stores are unknown, other than they were in the general Village Springs area. From this census record the importance of the Birmingham Mineral/L & N Railroad in the daily life of the Village became evident since a number of men listed their occupation as railroad workers. However, farming remained as the chief occupation for the great majority of people living in Village Springs. In the 1910 census, (Blount County, Precinct 14, Remlap) Robert L. Higginbotham is shown as saw mill owner; Taswell A. Danforth as grocery merchant; Pinkney Higginbotham as blacksmith; Benjamine S.Clayton as medical doctor; William M. Latham as dry good and grocery merchant; Zophey Methias as blacksmith; and William D. Cowden as furniture merchant. Other noted occupations listed were railroad, rock quarry, iron ore and coalmine worker. From the Southern Democrat Newspaper reports covering the fire of 1912 and tornado of 1917, a number of specific stores and businesses were identified. The report stated, “the general merchandise stores of Wells and Arnold, A. T. Danforth, and J. H. Walker were destroyed.” The report covering the 1917 tornado identifies several stores and businesses that operated there as well. Specific businesses and the extent of damage noted were: 1. “The storm approached from the west and the first house hit was probably the hotel.” 2. “The roof was lifted from A.T. Danforth's store”. 3. “The next business house was the little grocery store of Ellis Higginbotham.” 4. “The store of Tom Chamblee was leveled”. 5. “J.D. Arnold's store stood the test better than any of the business houses.” 6. “Mr. Arnold's warehouse was completely demolished.” 7. “I. R. Killough's store house is gone and only a few goods remain.” 8. “Bud McDill's shop was made into kindling.” So, at least one hotel, one saw mill, one medical doctor, two blacksmiths, five or six grocery/dry goods stores, one warehouse and one shop operated in Village Springs during the 1910 – 1920 era. In the 1920 census, (Blount County, Precinct 14, Remlap, Town of Village Springs) A. T. Danforth is shown as retail store merchant; E. Brewer as a furniture salesman; C. E. Brewer as retail store merchant; and R. Bird as retail store merchant. Mathias Zophy, born Switzerland, and owner of a blacksmith shop. Perhaps, Mr. Zophy was the Village Spring’s blacksmith that our elders told us about. Railroad, rock quarry, cement plant and mine related jobs were listed by a number of men as their occupation. In the 1930 census, Blount County, Precinct 14, Remlap, Will Edwards was listed as a dairyman; Mike Opanchyk as a blacksmith; Robert Smith as automobile mechanic; and Knox Franklin as retail store merchant. The 1930 Jefferson County, AL Census, Precinct 15, shows Mike Opanchyk, blacksmith; Albert Elkins, retail merchant; and Joe Cannon, dairy manager. Railroad, rock quarry, cement plant and mine related jobs were listed by a number of men as their occupation. While growing up in the Village in the 1950’s some of us remember stories told by the older generation of the community about days gone by and how hotels, livery stables, blacksmith shops, grocery stores and other business establishments once graced the streets of the little community. Records and community lore confirm that at least two hotels existed. The Joe E. Brewer’s map (see p. 5) identifies sites of two hotels, one site labeled “Old Danforth Hotel” and the other referred to as the “New Danforth Hotel.” The Southern Democrat Newspaper (May 31, 1917) account of the 1917 tornado that hit Village Springs noted, “The storm approached from the west and the first house hit was probably the hotel which was being run by I. R. Killough and wife.” Whether the Killough’s were owners of the hotel or employees of the Danforth Hotel is unknown. The newspaper article in the Southern Democrat ((People and Things from The Southern Democrat, 1908 – 1914, Oneonta, Alabama, p.232) regarding the big fire in 1912 confirms that A. T. Danforth lived in the Village and that his store was consumed in the fire. Census records from 1910 and 1920 also show that an A. T. Danforth resided in Village Springs and was a merchant and storeowner. THE VILLAGE SPRINGS POST OFFICE The U. S. Post Office at Village Springs was established June 26, 1823. Joseph Rutherford was appointed as the first Post Master and served until May of 1826. The exact location of the first Post Office is unknown at this time. The following chart shows a complete list of Village Spring’s Postmasters and dates they served. The Post Office at Village Springs was among the early post offices to be established in Blount County. Records show the first post office in Blount County was established in 1821 in an early indian village and trading center known as Bear Meat Cabin (later Blountsville). Whether post offices were established in other Blount County locations prior to the one at Village Springs is not known at this time. The original location(s) of the post office(s) at Village Springs from 1823 through 1912 is unknown. Information in the Southern Democrat Newspaper article (“Fire” 1912) revealed the post office’s location beginning in 1912. In that article, it was noted that the fire consumed the Wells & Arnold Store and that the post office housed in the building was also destroyed by the fire. From this account we know the Village Post Office operated out of the Wells and Arnold Store in and around the 1912 era. One of the owners of the Wells and Arnold Store was Mr. Jesse D. Arnold who was appointed postmaster in 1913. Based on a review of the Brewer Map, it is believed the Wells & Arnold Store was located on the East side of East Railroad Street and across from the old Birmingham Mineral/L & N Depot. Two long-time inhabitants of Village Springs stated that the post office was at one time located in what was known as the Blackmon home. It is believed that the Blackmon home was the former home of the Alexander and Mary Ann Danforth family. In the early 1940’s the home was known as the Bollen home. That house was located on the West side of the Birmingham Mineral/L & N Railroad main line tracks near the center of Village Springs. That location for the post office apparently was used for a short period of time, perhaps as a temporary location. The time frame of that location would have been sometime in the late 1930’s to the early 1940’s. Mrs. Leona Blackmon served as postmaster at that time. From the early 1940’s to the late 1960’s, the post office was located in what was known as Mrs. Alma Higginbotham’s Store. “Mrs. Alma’s” store was located at the North end of the community on the East side of East Railroad Street and the L & N Railroad main line tracks. Those who grew up in the Village during those years fondly remember that location. Mr. Richard Oliver Campbell served as the postmaster there from 1941 through 1953. Mrs. Alma Higginbotham then served as postmaster and storeowner until sometime in the early 1970’s. The post office was continuously operated out of that store from the early 40’s through the late 60’s. In the late 1960’s the Alabama Highway Department began an upgraded of highway 75 to four-lanes from Oneonta to Birmingham. The new highway was routed through the center of Village Springs resulting in many of the community’s homes being dismantled or moved to other locations. During this time, the home of Jack and Flora Little was moved from its original location to what was once the center of the Village. In the late 1960’s or early 1970’s Mrs. Alma’s store was dismantled and the post office was moved across East Railroad Street into the Jack Little house and remained there until the Village Springs Post Office closed on April 30, 1971. Mail was then delivered to the community out of the Mt. Pinson Post Office. THE CHURCHES Like many Alabama communities in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the churches of Village Springs played a major role in the social and spiritual stability and growth of the community. Many of the community’s social and spiritual events were sponsored by or supported by the churches. The Village Springs United Methodist church served as an important spiritual resource for the community. God’s Word was faithfully preached there for 123 years, 1867 to 1993. The Village Springs Baptist Church has served the community admirably for 102 years and continues to share the Word on a regular basis. The Village Springs United Methodist Church The Village Springs United Methodist Church was formed in 1867. The location of the first meetinghouse for the church is unknown at this time. It is known that on Sunday, May 27, 1917 the Village Springs United Methodist Church was completely destroyed by a tornado (The Southern Democrat, May 31, 1917, Oneonta, Alabama, front page). The church constructed a new meetinghouse on the east side of Mountain Street soon after the tornado. The church held regular services at that location until it closed in 1993. The old church building still stands there today (2010) as a private home. Reverend J. Lancaster of the Elyton District was appointed to serve as the first pastor. He served during 1867 and 1868. Over the next 121 years the following pastors were appointed and faithfully served the congregation at the Church: Photograph courtesy of Kay Wilson Wolfe 1869-1870 Hoyle A. Roy (Elyton District) 1870-1871 W. H. Stursell [?] (Huntsville District) 1871-1872 Thomas Wiley White (Jasper District) 1873-1874 R. J. Snow (Birmingham District) 1875-1876 J. W. Addington (Birmingham District) 1881-1882 H. W. Lawley (Birmingham District) 1882-1883 J. B. Miller (Birmingham District) 1883-1884 Christopher C. Burson (Birmingham District) 1884-1886 P. H. Miller (Birmingham District) 1886-1887 H. F. Freeman (Birmingham District) 1889-1890 P. W. Blackwell (Birmingham District) 1890-1891 J. W. Stewart (Birmingham District) 1891-1892 J. W. Heatherly (Birmingham District) 1924-1925 M.M. Canady (Listed as Village Springs Circuit) 1925-1938 No church or circuit listed North Alabama Conference, The Methodist Church 1940-1941 G.C. Corley (Listed in Chalkville Circuit) 1942-1943 C.P. Hamby (Listed in Chalkville Circuit) 1943-1944 Largos P. Martin (Listed in Chalkville Circuit) 1945-1946 D.H. Miles (Listed in Palmerdale Circuit) 1946-1948 V.F. Smith (Listed in Palmerdale Circuit) 1948-1950 James Goodwin 1950-1951 Paul Cosby 1951-1954 Harry Moore 1954-1955 To Be Supplied by Wayne Vickery 1955-1958 W.D. Peoples (Listed as the Village Springs Circuit) 1958-1961 R.H. Compton (Listed with Bethlehem UMC) 1961-1962 R.P. Garrett; Paul Owen, associate (Listed on the Remlap Circuit) 1962-1963 J.B. Hughes; Edgar Hughes, associate. (Listed on the Remlap Circuit) 1963-1966 H.B. Johnson (Listed with Lee's Chapel 1963 - 1973) 1966-1968 L. M. Morton North Alabama Conference, United Methodist Church 1968-1971 Franklin D. Ellison 1971-1972 Shad T. Sumners 1972-1973 Golbert C. Bishop 1973-1978 Aubrey S. Miller (listed alone) 1978-1979 Vernon Moore (listed with Hopewell UMC from 1978 - 1993) 1979-1985 Jesse E. Bynum 1985-1986 To Be Supplied (Carl L. Toodle serving as Lay Speaker) 1986-1987 To Be Supplied 1987-1993 Thurston E. Hamby This photograph shows Mrs. S. P. Massey and her Village Springs United Methodist Church Sunday School Class. Mrs. Massey is shown at the far right side. The original photograph was dated 1917-18 on the back. Photograph courtesy of Larry Brewer The Village Springs United Methodist Church ceased operation in or soon after 1993. The Village Springs Baptist Church The first Village Springs Baptist Church was organized in 1908 in a school building with five members. The official name chosen by the congregation was Village Springs Missionary Baptist Church. Since that time the location of three known church buildings have been identified. The 1910 Brewer map identified the first location on the dirt street to the east of East Railroad Street going up the hill towards Mountain Street and the Methodist Church. The building sat on the south side of that unnamed dirt street. That church building was fully destroyed by the tornado of 1917. The second location of Village Springs Baptist Church was next to State Highway 38 (now highway 75) between McCollister/Gamble home and the Walker/Baker home on lot 3 of the 1903 Posey Addition to Village Springs. Construction of that building was finished in 1918. The new church facility was dedicated that same year and is shown to the left. In the late 1960’s, that church building was torn down when Highway 75 was widened to four lanes. The third and present location the Village Springs Baptist Church is on the north side of Old Compton-Red Valley Road just off highway 75. Photograph courtesy of Village Springs Baptist Church Rev. H. A. Mullins was chosen as the first pastor in 1908 and Mr. J. D. Arnold was elected deacon and church clerk. Rev. H. A. Mullins, first pastor and the Rev. R. L. Durant, second pastor, held services in the first building purchased which was a residence. Records show that the first convert by experience and baptism was Mr. Sims Garrett. Rev. Sally was chosen as the third pastor of the church. The Rev. D. D. Head became the fourth pastor and oversaw the construction a new church building. The new church building was located on property donated by Mr. George T. Posey. Construction on the new building was started in 1909 and was finished and dedicated in 1911. The fifth pastor was Rev. Heptinstall and Rev. Talt Brannon served as the sixth preacher for the church. The church was destroyed by a tornado in 1917. The pastor resigned, saying he would be unable to serve during the rebuilding. Rev. D. D. Head was called again and served while the church was rebuilt at a new location. The new location was on the west side of the L & N Railroad Tracks on what was known as Selfville Road (Compton Road). The new church building was completed and dedicated in 19l8. The first Sunday School teacher was Mr. M. S. Brewer. The first marriage performed in the church was for Miss Stella Massey and Mr. W. C. Howton. The first funeral was conducted for Mr. Ace Griffith. This was the church building so familiar to those living in the Village in the 40’s 50’s and 60’s. It was not only as a place for our spiritual growth, but a place for our neighborhood to bond and for making friendships to last a lifetime. This was a quaint, old white-framed building with no plumbing, no air conditioning, no fans, except hand-held ones. The nearest bathrooms and water was at someone’s home. Space heaters kept us warm. The foyer had a hall tree for our coats and a long rope that was used to ring the church bell on Sunday mornings. The pews were rows of wooden fold up seats like those at the movie theaters. We all took turns cleaning the church. We never asked if we were going to church, we knew on Sunday morning you got ready to go to church with family and friends, usually about 25-50 people in attendance. Our lives centered around the church, because in the Village there was no other place to go and our parents demanded it. Our choir consisted of about 12 people with no choir robes. Mrs. T. S. (Myrtle) Edwards was the church pianist and was always faithful in her attendance. The choir director was anyone who would lead. Special music was every Sunday, whoever would sing. Baptisms were conducted at the nearest lake or at the “ole swimming hole” in Gurley’s Creek, just up the railroad tracks and over in Mr. Carter’s Dairy pasture. Eventually church baptisms were held at Palmerdale Baptist Churches’ baptistery. Parents and church leaders made sure young people always had a lot of activities: Sunbeams, RA’s, GA’s, B.Y.P.U. and Youth for Christ. Christmas was always a wonderful time of the year at Village Springs Baptist Church. Mrs. Frances Cherneski and a host of eager volunteers always made sure the church was decorated with fresh cut pine branches that sent a wonderful fragrance all throughout the church. A beautiful, large cedar tree was decorated with lovely handmade ornaments. There was always a Christmas play where Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus were always the focus of everyone’s attention, young and old. Young people from the Village always looked forward to being in the play and memorizing their lines. It was such a special and meaningful time for all of the children, young people and their parents. Most of the pastors lived in other nearby communities and drove in on Sunday and Wednesday for services. On Sundays they were usually invited by different church members to go home with them for lunch after preaching. After lunch some of our preachers would visit with various church members during the afternoon before conducting evening services. We always had one-week revival services twice a year, with evangelists coming from around the county or some place close by. It was a wonderful place to worship and have Christian fellowship and for keeping young people busy. Below is a list of other pastors in the order they served the church: Eighth Rev. Jackson Nineteenth Rev. H. C. Kimbrell Ninth Rev. Francis Reed Twentieth Rev. M. T. Absher Tenth Rev. I. N. Patterson Twenty First Rev. A. Garner Eleventh Rev.. McMillen Twenty Second Rev. Lee Franklin Twelfth Rev. Ira Tidwell Twenty Third Rev. C. C. Roger Thirteenth Rev. L. Findley Twenty Fourth Rev. Cameron Bryant Fourteenth Rev. R.A. Tuck Twenty Fifth Rev. Ernest Walker Fifteenth Rev. J. A. Smallwood Twenty Sixth Rev. Homer Marsh Sixteenth Rev. Halfacre Twenty Seventh Rev. Bobby Moore Seventeenth Rev. W. A. Mathews Twenty Eighth Rev. Walter Thomas Eighteenth Rev. Ray Walker Twenty Ninth Rev. R. B. Sanford In February 1961 the State Highway Department purchased the property where the church was located for a new highway. The white, framed church by Highway 75 would be just a memory, but a special one. In the fall of 1961 the members voted to accept property, donated by Rufus L. Vincent and wife, Lillian Posey Vincent, where the present Village Springs Baptist Church is located. The Rev. R. B. Sanford was pastor at that time. Mr. Vincent designed and supervised the building of the church. Ground was broken in October 1961. Mr. Vincent became ill in April of 1962; however, construction had progressed far enough that the first service was held near the end of March in 1962, and was conducted by Rev. Sanford. Mr. Vincent was unable to continue work on the building due to his illness. Mr. Vincent passed away in May 1963. Services have continued to be held regularly and work has been done all along to keep the church in good repair. Today the church has a membership of 80, with only about 14 active members. Pastors from 1969-Present: Rev. Kenneth Rickles Rev. L. D. Brookshire Rev. David Strickland Rev. George Zbinden Rev. Joe Withers Rev. George Miller Rev. Raymond Bradshaw Rev. Mathew Benson Rev. R. E. Tollison Rev. Leslie Duke Rev. Olend Wilson Rev. Fred Anderton Rev. Tim Andrews Rev. Ronnie Graves (Current Pastor, 2010) Rev. Rick Johnson The Village Springs Baptist Church held its 100th year anniversary on Sunday October 5, 2008 at 10:30 am. Thanks to a lot of dedication, endurance and faith by members and pastors, the work of the church has been blessed and many lives have been changed over its 100-year history. Photograph courtesy of Betty Baker Pate THE GEORGE MORROW MASONIC LODGE The George Marrow Masonic Lodge # 507 Free and Accepted Masons was chartered in Village Springs in 1891. On August 16, 1900, the Remlap Lodge merged with the George Morrow Lodge. The Lodge was housed in the second story of the Village Springs United Methodist Church building. The Lodge and Methodist Church building was destroyed in the tornado of May 27, 1917. The Church building was rebuilt soon after the 1917 tornado. The new Methodist Church and Lodge building was rebuilt in it original location on Mountain Street where it still stands as a private home. Old Lodge Minutes reported that a voted on October 1, 1904 granted the Odd Fellows of Village Springs the right to rent the Masonic Hall as their meeting location for the sum of $4.00 per month. In July 1906, $12.00 was paid by the Lodge for a brass band to travel by train from Birmingham to play at a picnic at the “Springs” for the installation of the officers of the Lodge. By 1914 the price was raised to $40.00. The Masons were a big part of the social life of the Village. In the early days some of the names of members were Cowdens; Brewers; Childs; Mizes; Higginbothams, Rookers; Campbells. Mathias Zophy was Lodge Secretary for a very long time The Lodge played a very large and important role in the Village Springs community in the 1900’s through 2000 when it was finally closed and merged with the Locust Fork Lodge. THE VILLAGE SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL We do not know the exact years of operation of the elementary school at Village Springs at this time. Based on Mr. Joe E. Brewer’s Map (page 5) of Village Springs in 1910, a school location was shown just south of the community in Jefferson County, Alabama. Also, a newspaper (The Southern Democrat, May 31, 1917) account of the 1917 tornado that struck Village Springs verified that a school existed when it noted, “The public school building was blown off its pillows and badly wrecked.” In the late 1930’s Village Springs children attended either Remlap Elementary/Blount County High or Palmerdale Elementary/Jefferson County High depending on their county of residence. So, we know the Village Springs Elementary School was in operation before 1910 and had ceased operation by the late 1930’s. It is our thinking that Mr. E. E. Orr and his wife Talithia purchased the old school building sometime following it being knocked off its foundation by the tornado of 1917. They probably added the front section for their store entrance and the side sections for their living quarters. The Orr building shown in the photograph to the left was a well-recognized Village Springs landmark. At some point in the early1950’s, Mr. Orr sold the store to a Mr. Nelson who used the building as a mercantile store and tavern. The tavern was widely known as the “First Chance” to those traveling south from Blount County and the “Last Chance” for those traveling north from Jefferson County. Upon review of the photograph the rear portion of the building is noticeably higher than the front. It is believed that the rear portion of the building once served as the Village Springs Elementary School. THE RAILROADS The Birmingham Mineral/Louisville & Nashville Railroad The early growth and settlement of the Village Springs community was due primarily to its location on an old indian trail that later became the Old Huntsville Road. As noted earlier, The Old Huntsville Road opened the central parts of Alabama to early settlers and pioneers from Tennessee and North Alabama . As a result, Village Springs grew and prospered in the early years of the 19th century. In the late 1800’s the railroad became the impetus for growth and prosperity for the community. Kerr (2000) in his book, The Louisville & Nashville Railroad, 1850 to 1963 noted: “In 1889, or thereabouts, some 60 miles of additional miles were added to the BMR trackage. Included in this addition was a line from Boyles to Champion, a distance of 36 miles.” This new branch line of the Birmingham Mineral Railroad ran through the center of the Village on its way to Champion, Alabama and became a major source for jobs and community stability. The Birmingham Mineral Railroad was owned and operated by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Co. Early on a track siding was laid at Village Springs and served as the passing point for trains using the line. Deed records confirm that the L & N laid the Lehigh Branch Spur sometime before 1903 at the Village and ran over to the Lehigh Coal Company Mines. Later a spur line was added to create a “Wye” that was used as the lines main turn around point. The railroad was an important source of employment for men who lived in the Village. Railroad maintenance required a large workforce to perform the manual labor necessary to keep roadbeds in repair and passable. Several “section gangs” (work groups assigned to maintain a specific section of trackage) were active in and around Village Springs in the late 1800’s to the mid 1900’s. Names of railroad men were well known. In the early 1900’s William Calvin Brewer and John Brewer were known section gang foremen. William R. Childs was an early telegraph operator. Later in the 1940’s Mr. Staton was a long-time section foreman. Names and occupation listings from the 1910, 1920, 1930 census records for Village Springs show a number of men employed in railroad work. Names such as John Jennings – night watchman; Herman Gliland – flagman; Ed Brewster – RR laborer; Arselene Shower – RR work; Percy Cloudus – railway clerk; Creed ilBlackwell – RR operator; 1930 Leeman Atkinson – Asst. Foreman section gang; Albert Barker – RR laborer; Luther McCuller – RR laborer; James & Adam Brown – RR laborer. A number of men from the Village worked at L & N’s Boyles Yard in Tarrant City. In the 1940’s, Bollen, Higginbotham, Bailey, Egerton, Brewer, Brown, Brewster family members were employed in railroad related job, many of them in the Boyles Yard. As early as 1899 the The Birmingham Mineral Railroad, a subsidiary of L & N Railroad, had established passenger train service to Village Springs. An 1899 Time Table (See Appendix 1) shows Birmingham Mineral Train # 45 from Birmingham to Oneonta scheduled to arrive there at 11:10 am and Train # 44 returning from Oneonta and arriving Birmingham at 2:55 pm. A long time resident of Village Springs reported that his father told him during 1910’s era four passenger trains provided daily service through the Village. He said high school age children from the Village who lived in Jefferson County rode the passenger train to and from Jefferson County High School at Tarrant City. A 1946 photograph of L & N Locomotive #205, Train # 86 in the Birmingham Station. This is the passenger train that served Village Springs in the 40’s & 50’s. We believe it was train # 86 when northbound and train # 85 when southbound. Photograph courtesy of Larry Brewer In the 1940’s, passenger & mail service was provided by the northbound morning # 86 train and the # 85 southbound train back to Birmingham in the late afternoon. The mail for the Village was dropped off in the morning and mail going out was picked up on the afternoon run. Mr. Oliver Campbell, postmaster, was a familiar figure in the Village at that time. He would meet the train in the morning to take the mail bag if the train had to stop to pick up a passenger, if no passengers pickup were scheduled, he would pick up the mail bag after it was tossed from the train as it passed through. In the afternoon he would attach any out going mail to a hoop type apparatus and the mail clerk on the train would simply run his arm through the hoop and the out going mail would be hoisted onto the train as it moved through the Village. During some of those years Mr. Pink Sims also met the train to handle the incoming mail and to see that outgoing mail was placed onboard in the afternoons. Sadly, the era of passenger service to Village Springs came to an end in 1951. During WWII, L & N steam locomotives pulling long cuts of freight cars rumbled through the Village with regularity. On many occasions these trains transported war materials, tanks, jeeps, and other vehicles used by our military. Many of the war material trains were so long they required multiple steam locomotives, one in front and one in the rear. On occasions a third locomotive was needed in the middle of the train. As young boys, we would try to count the number of cars in these long trains a they passed. Our count often reached a 100 or more freight cars. Troop trains carrying young soldiers from Fort McClellen to points around the country were familiar sights during the war years. This was the golden era of railroading for all boys growing up in the Village at that time. With the large volume of train movement at this time there always seemed to be a train on the siding. When southbound trains sided, the locomotive would stop close to the center of the Village. That gave all of the boys an opportunity to beg the engineers and firemen to come aboard the engine for a tour while they waited for the north bound trains to pass. A tour of one of those steam locomotives was the dream of every boy in the Village. Boys who grew up in the Village still have vivid memories of the thrill of being on board one of those living, breathing, steam locomotives of the golden era of railroading in Village Springs, Alabama. Also, in the 1940’s Loveman’s Department Store in Birmingham would add to the railroading activity in the Village. They would charter a passenger train to transport their employees up to Mount Pinson for an all day company picnic at Pearl Lake (a local swimming and picnic area). After dropping off the passengers, the train would be moved up to Village Springs where it would be turned around on the wye, enter the side track and wait until the appointed time to pick up the Loveman passengers for the trip back to Birmingham. TWO MAJOR DISASTERS STRIKE THE VILLAGE The Fire of 1912 On Sunday June 9, 1912, records show that a fire consumed a portion the small community of Village Springs. The June 13 edition of the Southern Democrat Newspaper (People and Things from The Southern Democrat, 1908 – 1914, Oneonta, Alabama, p.232) ran the following article outlining details of the fire. “Village Springs Had Disastrous Fire Sunday. A disastrous fire broke out in Village Springs Sunday afternoon that came near destroying the whole town, but for the heroic work of the citizens. The fire is supposed to have originated in the feed house in the rear of the store of 'Wells & Arnold, and had a strong headway when it was discovered. The residences of P.W. and A.L. Higginbotham and Mrs. E.M. Chiles were destroyed and the general merchandise stores of Wells & Arnold. A.T. Danforth and J.H. Walker. The railroad station was saved on account of the tin roof. Many other buildings in the town were endangered. Wells & Arnold carried a $5,000 stock, besides the post office, and the entire stock and building had only $2,000 insurance. The other merchants carried heavy stocks and light insurance. Work will commence immediately for the rebuilding of the buildings and in a short time the enterprising town of Village springs will he rebuilt and doing business as of old.” Based on the above description of the fire and a study of the Brewer map, the fire apparently consumed a good portion of the center of the Village Springs community. The burned structures appear to have been located on the east side of East Railroad Street and north of Water Street. Based on the Brewer map the three residences and three business establishments lost to the fire were in close proximity to one another, with the blaze moving from structure to structure down the east side of East Railroad Street. The Tornado of 1917 The evening of Sunday May 27 brought devastation to central parts of Alabama. Nature’s fury in the form of tornados swept over the Mississippi line and into the Alabama communities of Carbon Hill, Bradford, Sayre, Village Springs and on over Pine Mountain. The morning following, The Birmingham Ledger (Sloan, May 28, 1917) reported the death toll statewide at 35 and 200 to 250 injured. The storm almost wiped Village Springs off the map. Sloan noted, “Village Springs has been absolutely demolished, and when I passed through there this morning the distress was in danger of becoming acute.” The following account of the tornado appeared in the Southern Democrat Newspaper (Village Springs Swept Away by Cyclone. The Southern Democrat, May 31, 1917, Oneonta, Alabama, front page): “Village Springs Swept Away By Cyclone. Thirteen Dwellings Completely Demolished, Eight Others Wrecked Beyond Repair. All Business Houses Destroyed, and All Churches Blown Away, School House Wrecked. Only One Fatality, Two People Seriously Injured-A Score of Others Sustained Bruises. The cyclone which swept over the country between nine and ten o'clock Sunday night almost completely destroyed the little town of Village Springs, 16 miles South of oneonta. Every business house in the town was blown down or badly wrecked, thirteen dwellings were completely demolished and eight others badly wrecked. Every house in the little Village was more or less damaged. The only person killed was a little four year old negro girl, the daughter of Wes Deaver. Prof. H.L. Aders is perhaps the most seriously injured but the physicians are of the opinion that no bones were broken. He is badly bruised up and is in a very serious condition. R.L. Little is also in a pretty serious condition from injuries he received. Among the others who were more or less injured were Grady Wells, Jack Little, Charley Brewer but they were able to be up looking over the ruins. The storm approached from the west and the first house hit was probably the hotel which was being run by I.R. Killough and wife. In this building were Mr. Killough, his wife and two children. J.0. Robinett and wife and baby and a young man whose name we did not learn. This was a two story frame building and it was completely blown to pieces, none of the walls remaining. The people in this building had gathered in a room in the southwest corner of the building. The roof was lifted from over them, the weatherboarding and ceiling ripped off board by board until the entire walls were removed and they were left on the hare floor, one of the sills from under that part of the building being the only timber left on the floor These people escaped without serious injury. The A.T. Danforth residence, near the hotel, was blown to pieces. One of the walls blew over the piano and didn't fall flat. Mr. and Mrs. Danforth were near the piano and escaped uninjured. They were the only people in this building. Prof. H.L. Ader’s residence was completely blown to splinters nothing remaining except the floor. He and his wife and seven children were in the building and all were more or less bruised up but none seriously except Prof. Aders himself who was bruised about the chest and hips. R.L. Little's residence was blown to pieces. In this building was Mr. Little and wife, and their son and daughter. Mr. Little was pretty seriously hurt hut no bones were broken and he is expected to recover. Jack Little was blown across the road, a distance of about 40 or 50 yards but was not seriously hurt. Grady Well's residence is a mass of ruins. Some of the inner walls are still standing but the other parts of the building are gone. Mr. Wells and his wife and baby were in the building and escaped serious injury. Mr. Wells had one of his legs badly bruised and wrenched but was able to be up looking over the ruins Monday morning. Judson McCay's home was blown away but he and his wife and Henry Wilson, the only occupants, came out with only a few scratches and bruises. George Massey's house is a complete wreck but the walls of the main building are still standing. A large piece of timber from the Baptist Church shot a hole completely through this building. There were several people in this building but none of them were injured. Mr. Massey's barn was also blown away and his horse crippled. Al Baggett's home was badly wrecked but not torn to pieces. No one was hurt there. J.D. Arnold's house was badly damaged and his barn blown away. His horse and cow were killed but none of the family were hurt. The residence of Tom Chamblee was completely blown to pieces but no one was hurt. E.S. Brewer's home was lifted off the pillars and otherwise damaged but is still standing. Pink Higginbotham's residence opposite the depot was one of the buildings that stood the fury of the storm but the porches were stripped off and roof was damaged. The building belonging to W.D. Ware and occupied by Alvin Gillespie and family was another building that stood the test. The porches were blown away but the building itself remained in fairly good shape. The home or A.H. Showver was badly damaged on the inside but the outside walls remained intact. It is said that the doors blew open and the wind ripped the ceiling from the petition walls without doing serious injury to the outside walls. No one was hurt. Four negro houses were destroyed on the east side of the town. Wes Deavers’ home was completely blown away and his four year old daughter was blown considerable distance and killed. The other members of his family were only slightly hurt. Zack Hardy was another of the negros to lose his home. His wife was pretty badly hurt. Henry Harris and Jim Deavers were the other two negroes to lose their homes in this section. Geo. Massey also lost a vacant house in this section. Four negro huts were blown away on the West Side of the town but no one was hurt. Lum Marsh lost his home on the western side of the town but no one was hurt. The roof was lifted from A.T. Danforth's store and set down by the side of the building. The walls of the building were partly blown away. Quite a lot of the goods were left but they are badly damaged. The next business house was the little grocery store of Ellis Higginbotham. This was blown away and practically all the goods were gone. The building belonged to Tom Chamblee. The store of Tom Chamblee was leveled to the ground but his goods were not all blown away but were badly damaged. J.D. Arnold's store stood the test better than any of the business houses. The roof is off but the walls are still standing and the over head ceiling has been propped up. The post office is located in this building. Mr. Arnold's warehouse was completely demolished and only the floor and some of the heavier articles remain. I. R. Killough's store house is gone and only a few goods remain. Bud McDill's shop was made into kindling. The tin roofing was stripped from the depot but the decking remained uninjured. The windows were nearly all blown Out. Several box cars were blown off the track. Where the Baptist church once stood now remains nothing but a few bricks, the remains of some of the pillars. The building was literally torn into kindling and scattered in every direction. None of it remains on the grounds where it once stood. The Methodist church is a mass of ruins. It is completely leveled to the ground but the debris are left on the church yard. The Masonic Hall was in the second story of this building and all the paraphernalia was destroyed. The Hall used by the Odd Fellows and Red Men was over Chamblee's store and their effects were also destroyed. The negro Baptist church was also blown down. The public school building was blown off its pillows and badly wrecked. There are about six or seven dwellings on the south side of the town that were only slightly damaged. Quite a number of barns and out houses were blown down and stock killed and crippled. On Blount Mountain South of Lee's Chapel seven houses were blown down and several people hurt. Joe Tyler and his wife were seriously hurt and it was reported that Mrs. Tyler died Monday morning hut this was contradicted later. There is only slight hopes for the recovery of either of these parties. On the mountain east of Oneonta minor damages arc reported. W.R. Tidwell's barn and cotton house blown down and 19 apple trees uprooted. John Daily's and Lemon Wester's houses were blown off their pillars. Arthur Wadsworth's house was partly unroofed. Walter Buckner's, James Blakely's and Bud Wester's barns were blown down and W.R. Ryan's orchard was badly damaged. Ben Higginbotham who lived just over the line in Jefferson county near Bradford Mines was killed. Nineteen negroes were killed at Bradford and the mining camp was almost wiped off the map. In another part of this paper you will find an account of the damage done in other parts of the State. According to late reports there were 50 deaths and more than 200 serious injured. Some of the people at Village Springs have lost all they had and are in destitute circumstances and it is going to be up to the people of Blount County to help them. The relief work was started there Monday but it is going to take a considerable sum to put these people on their feet again. They must have help and they must have it at once. Quite a number of people went from here Monday to help remove rubbish and a number oc carpenters went down on Tuesday to help people rebuild their home or provide temporary shelter.” The following photographs show the extent of the tornado’s damage to Village Springs. This photograph shows tornado damage along East Railroad Street (the communities main street). The Price/Little house is shown to the left. The Sim’s house is shown up the hill looking East. The damaged rooftop in the center is unknown at this time. Map records note that the Village Springs Baptist Church once stood on the lot directly behind the damaged rooftop. The identity of the house up the hill to the far right is unknown. This photogtraph presents a view looking South toward Palmerdale. The view to the far left shows East Railroad Street. The railroad tracks are shown in the center of the photograph. It’s interesting to note that as far back as 1917 a side track existed. The railroad station and the water tank are shown further up in the center of the photograph and apparently were spared major damage. The debris to the far right is believed to be the remains of the New Danforth Hotel (not fully proven at this time). This photograph presents a view looking north toward Remlap. The debris to the front left foreground is believed to be the remains of the New Danforth Hotel. The debris to the upper left shows what is left of the Alexander Taswell Danforth home (later known as the Bollen home). A railroad car is shown in the center of the photograph. The frame structure to the far right is believed to be what came to be known as Bill and Alma Higginbotham’s Store (Mrs. Alma’s as it was known in later years.). The store was on the East side of East Railroad Street. The Old Springville Road split off of East Railroad Street just beyond Higginbotham’s Store and ran northward over the crest of the hill and is shown in the right center of the photograph. From this account of the tornado, it seem evident that in 1917 Village Springs was a growing and vibrant community with a number of businesses, churches, fraternal organizations and private dwellings. When the life and times of the community is assessed in relation to the community’s condition in the late 1930’s through the early 1960’s, it is evident the devistation from the tornado took its toll and ended the growth and prosperity of the little community. GROWING UP IN VILLAGE SPRINGS IN THE 30’S, 40’, 50’S & 60’S Village Springs Children of the 30’s – 60’s Even though Village Springs was a small community, probably not more than 30-40 families, there always seemed to be lots of children growing up in the community. In the 1940’s and 50’s that was the case. Listed below are more than 90 names of children who lived in and around the Village in those years: Edna Allred Ruby Anderson Jesse Ruth Baggett Betty Baker Billie Baker Jerry Baker Marty Baker Steve Baker Wanda Baker Genera Blackmon Miriam Blackmon Emma Bell Bollen Franklin Bollen Geneva Bollen Julia Mae Bollen Robert Bollen Dan Brewer Larry Brewer Betty Jean Brown Doris Brown Ruth Brown Eva Nell Brown Gail Britt Jerry Britt Jim Britt Linda Britt Martha Britt Peggy Britt Sara Britt Sarah Katherine Campbell Billy Joe Carter Rita Bell Carter Sylvia Carter William “Bill” Chiles Adalene Cowden Allen Cowden Edward Cowden Johnny Cowden Marjorie Cowden Robert Cowden Basil Cox Wayne Cox Byod Eagerton Bennie Elkins George Elkins Johnny Elkins Mary Ann Dennison James Gamble Lanny Gamble Marion Gamble W. T. Gamble Francis Pierce John Allen Pierce Helen Green Evelyn “Bear” Harrell Floyd Harrell Helen Harrell Jesse Higginbotham Jimmy Higginbotham Ila Sue Higginbothem Judy Higginbotham Mable Higginbotham Pauline Higginbotham Peggy Higginbotham Sara Higginbotham Virginia Higginbotham Fred Higginbotham Flo Higginbotham Joe Higginbotham Snead Higginbotham James Earl Higginbotham Marie Higginbotham Ollie Hulsey Charlie Hughes Cunningham Hughes Fred Hughes Glenn Hughes Robert Hughes Bailey Little Lee “Hap” McClendon Brenda Nelson Carolyn Nelson Charles Nelson Edward Nelson Jeanette Price Mary Lou Price Geneva Price Miriam Price Evelyn Rooker Ray Rooker Hazel Sims Perry Smith Annette Stephenson Audry Stephenson Bobby Stephenson Bonnie Stephenson Floyd Stephenson Jeanette Stephenson Joyce Stephenson Sylvia Stephenson T. C. Stephenson Wayne Stephenson Clarence Sullivan Arthel “Bobby” Waid Artis Waid Dorothy Waid Jimmy Walker Dean Watkins J. T. Watkins Mavis Watkins Wanda Watkins Carolyn Watts Donald Watts Herbert Watts Carl Wesson Dorsey Wesson Jewel Wilder Buddy Wilson Gail Wilson Hilda Wilson Kay Wilson Ethel Grace Woodson Jo Woodson Mary George Woodson Village Springs WWII Service Men We remember the following men who proudly served our country during WWII. We also remember that all of them volunteered as young 16 & 17- year old boys, many of whom had not yet finished high school. We remember one of these young men who had been turned down for military service due to a physical problem talking his relatives into paying for corrective surgery so that he could serve. We remember our parents placing the “Gold Star Flags” in the windows of their homes to display their patriotism and pride that their sons or daughters were fighting for our country. The Village Springs community was proud of their country and their young troops who unselfishly went off to war. So, we pay a special tribute the following men for their military service: Bill Chiles; Albert C. Elkins; George W. Elkins; Robert Erwin Elkins; Lee McClendon; Howard Morris; Fred Higginbotham; Bailey Little; John Allen Pierce; Marion Gamble; W. T. Gamble; James Gamble; Robert Cowden; Ed "Tex" Cowden; Johnny Cowden; Floyd Harrell; & Red Staton. The “S” Curve Back in our days of youth, the 1940’s and 1950’s, State Highway 38 was the main route from Birmingham to Oneonta and ran through the center of Village Springs. A section of that highway was known far and wide as the “S” curve and was the site of numerous auto crashes, especially on Saturday nights. It also seemed to be a challenge to many of the local drivers, especially the younger ones, to see just how fast they could drive through the “S” curve. To say the least, it was a dangerous place and many lives tragically ended there. Photograph courtesy of Bobby Arthel Waid Even during the day it was dangerous and as children our parents would not allow us to walk through the curve and over the bridge that crossed Gurney’s Creek. But being kids, we often slipped off from home and crossed the bridge so we could play with friends on the other side. My brother and I lived on the north side of the bridge about one half mile down Compton Road. Lanny Gamble and Franklin Bollen lived about a half mile on the south of the bridge. To play with them, we had to cross the bridge in the "S" curve. Our father told us he would give us a whipping if we crossed the bridge. Well guess what, we slipped off and crossed the bridge and got a whipping. Later on Mr. Wells, who owned the service station at the "S" curve in the 1950's, built a wooden walkway to the side of the highway so people could go back and forth and be safe. Most people who traveled back and forth through the "S" curve respected it, but on weekends someone would challenge the curve and generally lose. Sometime in the early 1970’s the State Highway Department began a project to straighten the old highway and the “S” and Gurney Creek Bridge became a secondary road for local traffic. But for those of us who grew up in the Village, the “S” curve is still a part of our memory. Bobby Waid, Sumiton, Alabama, March 2010. Gunfights at The Stave Houses Back in the late 30’s and early 40’s there were two large buildings that we called “The Stave Houses.” They were located near our house beside State Highway 38 and between the Lehigh Railroad Branch Line and the connecting wye line. The buildings were very large, probably two or three hundred feet long and fifty feet wide. The L & N Railroad probably owned the buildings since thousands of bundles of barrel staves were stored in the houses. The staves were used to make barrels to hold railroad spikes. Even though the buildings were for business purposed, they made wonderful places for Village kids to play. All of the boys in the Village at that time had homemade rubber guns that were used primarily for putting a good stinging whelp on your best friend’s back or behind. The round bundles of staves in those houses were just right for stacking and building our make believe forts for protection from the bad guys, all of whom were armed with powerful rubber guns. If the weather was not too hot, we would play cowboys and have all day gun fights, only to go home at the end of the day with lots of scrapes, scratches, stinging whelps from head to toe, and good memories. Lanny Gamble, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, March 2010. Mrs. Alma’s Store After more than 60 years, the memories of Mrs. Alma Higginbotham’s Store are still vivid. To all of those growing up in the Village during the 40’s, 50’, or 60’s, the store was known simply as “Mrs. Alma’s.” I lived only a good 100 yards from the store, so I made frequent visits. I usually made at least one trip a day to pick up our mail from the post office that was located in her store. Too, mother sent me there frequently to fetch a loaf of bread, a box of matches, a gallon of coal oil (kerosene) or hundreds of other things she used around the house. Going to Mrs. Alma’s was one of the few chores I was eager to attend to quickly. All of the items for sale there fascinated me and I usually dallied a bit to look at all of the merchandise. I remember several brands of “Snuff” were always prominently displayed; Bruton’s, Garrett’s, Tube Rose, etc. As a boy, the snuff displays fascinated me to no end. I guess my attraction was partly because it was forbidden stuff for a growing boy. My parents warned me of snuff’s dangers, that it would ruin your teeth and that it was not for young boys. Jewel Wilder, a long-time resident of Village Springs, reads a notice in front of Mrs. Alma’s Store in Feburary of 1954. Photograph courtesy of Jewel Wilder Woodruff Of course, the candy cabinet magically drew me to it. I remember peering into the little glass case for long periods, observing what seemed like hundreds of luscious candy bars. What would that one taste like, or that one or that one? Time stood still. I guess that is why my mother always wanted to know what took me so long when I arrived home with the mashed loaf of bread. After I started to school my father allowed me to charge ten cents a day at Mrs. Alma’s store; but not one cent more. In the afternoon the school bus stopped just across the railroad tracks from her store. What luck! In a skip and a jump I was in Mrs. Alma’s store opening my five cent RC Cola and my five cent Merita Devil’s Food Cake. You know, the cake with two chocolate layers filled with vanilla cream. Five days a week, that was my staple in the afternoon after school. Weather permitting I always enjoyed my snack outside sitting on the crosstie steps leading into Mrs. Alma’s store. I remember talking with Mrs. Alma some years later and she told me “she would always remember me sitting out front of the store with my RC and devil’s food cake.” At times I would go to the store with my mother. Had I been a little more observant during those trips, I would have been able to determine what my next shirt or pair of underwear would look like. Mother spent considerable time examining the bags of self-rising flour or bags of animal feed, paying particular attention to the floral designs on the various bags before making her purchase. Sure enough, I would soon be the proud wearer of a new homemade shirt that looked just like the bag of flour she had purchased only days before. Mrs. Alma’s Store, what a place! As they say now, “life was good.” Lanny Gamble, Tuscaloosa, AL, March 2010. WWII & War Ration Books Children growing up in the WWII era had the great privilege of learning first hand about our great country and the lengths to which it would go to survive one of the world’s most perilous times. During that time all of the children of Village Springs observed their parents, neighbors and other children as they skimped and saved materials of every kind and description to support the war effort. We watched our parents do their part as they tried to cope with shortages of most daily necessities. The U. S. Government rationed tires, gasoline, sugar, food items, medicines, shoes, clothing and most other goods in order to supply our fighting men and women. They issued what was called “War Ration Books” to the citizenry throughout the country. My parents took great care to protect their War Ration Books; just like they did their hard earned dollars. Even if they had the money, without the stamps from those books they could buy very little. I remember that stamps to buy gasoline and automobile tires were highly treasured, especially by those who traveled each day from the Village to Birmingham to work. At one point, my mother had one stamp good for a pair of shoes that she badly needed. But I remember talking mom into using her only stamp to buy me a pair of shoes. Also, sugar was in very short supply and those stamps were highly coveted, especially by our mothers. But through it all, I still remember the important lessons and love of country that were learned by probably every child living in Village Springs during this time. My Mother, Anne L. Brewer, lived through the depression and war years and, like most people of that time, saved everything. The picture below shows one of her “War Ration Book” that she saved after the war ended. I learned a valuable lesson about the need to save for a rainy day from my parents by watching them save and sacrifice during the war-rationing period. Because of that learning, I have saved my mom’s War Rationing Book all these years. Larry Brewer, Oneonta, Alabama, March 2010. Photograph courtesy of Larry Brewer Walking the Railroad Tracks All children in the Village competed to see who could walk the furtherest while keeping their balance on the railroad tracks. Almost everywhere we went involved walking down or up the railroad tracks. To Mrs. Alma’s store, to the swimming hole, to Gurley Creek to fish, or over to the Narrows, involved getting there by walking the railroad track. So, why do just plain ole walking? It was a lot more fun to bet your buddy you could stay balance on the rail longer than him. I remember trying to walk the tracks all the way from my house to Mrs. Alma's grocery. Mother had sent me to get a loaf of bread. I walked back on the rail carrying the bread under my arm. By the time I teetered and tottered down the track on my way back home the fresh loaf of bread was pretty well mashed flat. My Mother let me know in no uncertain terms that the bread was not worth eating. But my best memory was when we would walk down the Lehigh track to spend a few hours riding our homemade cart down a steep mountainside. Our cart path was steep enough and bumpy enough for the cart to gain sufficient speed to go airborne when it hit the bumps. We all had to get our courage up to make the run. I still remember the frightening thrill of whizzing down that hill, soaring over those bumps and at the end of the run, crashing into the honeysuckle vines to bring the cart to a sudden stop. Memories of those days spent having fun with Lanny, Artis and Franklin on that old homemade cart were, and still are, special to me. I am still surprised no one got seriously injured. Bobby Waid, Sumiton, Alabama, March 2010. Growing Up in Village Springs I was privileged to live in Village Springs from age 4 to 11 (1946-1953). It was an idyllic childhood of which I have many memories: Going to the springs for drinking water, sloshing most of it out on the way home. Playing in the culvert near the springs, having been forbidden to do so. Trying repeatedly to climb the cliff near the Village store. Going to Aunt Alma’s store after school for the mail and a candy bar. Watching “I Love Lucy” at Aunt Alma’s house on Monday nights. Seeing the inauguration of Queen Elizabeth on the Campbell’s TV. And so on. However I also learned ecumenical theology before I even knew the meaning of the words. The Methodist Church and Baptist Church figure largely in my memories. We shared Bible School, revivals, Christmas plays, etc. Each church had a minister on alternating Sundays. Sometimes, my dad, a Methodist lay minister, would take us to the Baptist Church for preaching service after attending Sunday School at the Methodist Church. At one Baptist revival, I must have been 5 or 6 years old, I woke up on the pew alone in the dark. Imagine my panic and outcries, even though my family was standing just a few feet away in the next area. In later years, I have sometimes told people that I am “half and half” when referring to my religion. It was a magical time for a child of the 40’s and early 50’s. As in the rest of live, there were times that were difficult but those times are far outweighed by fond and happy memories. Kay Wilson Wolfe, Pleasant Grove, Alabama, March 2010. The Ice Man In the early 1940’s, as far as I know, everyone in the Village had an “icebox” to keep perishable foodstuff somewhat cool. Electricity was available at the time; however, the money to purchase one of those new fangled electrified appliances called the “refrigerator” was not. The ice used for cooling iceboxes had to be replenished with some degree of regularity. The icehouse in Mount Pinson supplied ice for all of the iceboxes in the Village. Mr. Pete Brown was the iceman who delivered ice to the Village for several years. Like clockwork, Mr. Brown, delivered ice to the Village three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. During the hot summer months the children looked forward to the appointed hour for his deliveries. His bright yellow truck would swing on to the dirt road in front of our house right on cue. Mr. Brown would bound quickly from his truck, throw the big tarpaulin back off of the truck bed revealing huge chucks of crystal, clear block ice. The good part was when he began to chip away on a large block of ice to get our standard 25-pound block that just fit our icebox. As he chipped away, the group of children that had surrounded his truck would scramble for cool, refreshing slivers of ice that seemed to fly in every direction. The memory of that clear, cold sliver of ice on the tongue takes me back to a much simpler time. Hot July or August days in Village Springs, Alabama were made a lot more tolerable for a group of ragtag kids by a simple visit from the iceman. Lanny Gamble, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, March 2010. Halloween in the Village Halloween was always a fun time at the Village. We had fun trick or treating! A group of boys insisted on playing tricks on the Baker household. They would always find somewhere new to put our three piece metal lawn set; on the top of our garage, on the Last Chance Sign or on a fence post somewhere in the Village. They could be very ingenious. Mom and dad were good sports! Betty Baker Pate, Pinson, Alabama, March 2010. Memories of Church Christmas Plays at the Village Memories come to mind of the Christmas plays we had at the Baptist and Methodist Churches. It was always fun and enjoyable to be involved, whether it was decorating, reciting a poem, singing in the choir, being in the Christmas play or just attending. Jo Woodson Pigford, Homewood, Alabama, March 2010. What I Remember Most About Growing up in Village Springs. Having good friendly neighbors and all the kids to play with. How well we kids got along in elementary and high school. My how things have changed today. How we used to play cops and robbers on our bicycles. Played in the woods behind Mrs. Alma’s Store. Walked bare foot on the water pipe line in the hot summer. Made our own “go carts” out of old wagon wheels and scrap lumber. Made our own racetrack down the mountain beside the railroad track and trussle going toward Trafford. I had so many good times it’s hard to choose one or two of the best. Franklin Bollen, Nectar, Alabama, March 2010. My Memories of Village Springs The Harrell Family moved to Village Springs in 1939. We bought the house from C. C. and Myrle Blackwell. My mother lived there until her death in1979. We had some good times and made lots of memories. Sunday afternoons we walked the woods, explored caves, and walked along the creek banks. Sunday nights to BYPU at the Baptist Church and then we walked up the road to the Methodist Church for League. Jessie Ruth Baggett could play the piano, and sometimes afterwards we had a singing. One night we stayed so late my Daddy came to send us all home, as Monday was a school day. Sometimes Mrs. Sudie Cowden Hicks would invite us to her house for pancakes and waffles after church. That was good eating. Frances Pierce and I were good friends. We loved to dance. We'd go to Orr’s Store and if Mr. Orr wasn't there, Mrs. Orr would put records on and we would dance around the kitchen table. After I learned to drive Daddy would let me take the car and friends to Pearl Lake or Tapawingo. One Christmas, my brother got a nice football. When the boys in the Village wanted to play football they would come borrow the football, usually on Sunday afternoons. One Christmas Bear, my sister Evelyn, wanted a bicycle. She was told she couldn't have one. We went to the Christmas Program at the Methodist Church and my Daddy played Santa Claus. Mother invited everyone to the house for hot chocolate. Everybody in the Village knew she was going to get the bicycle. It was a well- kept secret. Sure enough on Christmas morning there it was. Bear was very excited. I will have to tell this one. Bear had gone to Gadsden on the train to visit an aunt. On her return we were all at the station to welcome her. Ed Cowden, her boyfriend and later her husband, was there. Frances and I talked Ed in to giving Bear flowers as she got off the train. We picked them for him. But, all we could find was bitter weeds. When the train stopped, Ed walked toward it. Bear thought he was going to get her suitcase. Instead, he gave her the bitter weeds. She was soooo mad. The passengers on the train saw it all. Bear knew that Frances and I had put Ed up to it. Eventually, she forgave us. In the late 1930’s & 40’s the passenger train delivered the mail to the Village. It went north to Oneonta in the a.m. and south to Birmingham in the p.m. Every one would gather at the post office around those times to see if they had mail. Another good memory is when my daddy made us a tennis court on the creek below George and Stella Woodson's house. For the net mother sew toe sacks together. Still, we had fun! We all lived good, fun lives that kids today can't and wouldn't understand. We had little money, but we were happy. There is a lot more I would like to share, but space is limited. Helen Harrell Dennis, Pinson, Alabama, March 2010. FIPS Snack Shack My sister, Frances Irene Pierce, was an energetic and active teenager when I was born. Some of my earliest memories of the Village are of tagging along with her doing lots fun things. One of the fondest of those memories is when she became the owner, operator and proprietor of what was probably the first short- order cafe in the Village Springs community. Her friends knew Frances as FIP (Frances Irene Pierce). Since she wanted to have a place where her friends in the community could gather, have a coke, buy a hamburger, dance and have a good time, she named her new adventure “Fip’s Snack Shack.” Frances somehow got our parent’s approval to use one of her grandparent’s old store buildings right across from our house on then State Highway 38. I remember our mom and Frances spent a lot of elbow grease getting the little place ready and presentable. It was a tiny place, not more than 30 x 30. Fip’s Snack Shack opened sometime during WWII, probably 1942 or 43. I am not sure but I think she opened only on weekends because she worked at Steiner Bank in Birmingham during the week. But I do remember when she was open there were lots of teenagers having a good time. Even though I was pretty young, I remember having a good time too. Kids from the Village, from Red Valley, Remlap and other little communities close by were regulars. I vaguely remember the Rock Ola was a hit with everyone, especially those who liked to dance. A lady who lived in the Village at that time said there were not many boys to dance with so the girls danced with each other. I remember there was one young man who came in fairly regular. Frances called him “Lucky Teeter.” Everyone said he was lucky because he could drive his car through the “S” Curve at unbelievable speeds. I admired his sleek, maroon colored 1940 Mercury sedan. He said it was the fastest car in Alabama and I believed him. I have often wondered what ever happened to him. I do, however, remember what happened to Fip’s Snack Shack; it was short lived. Frances met a handsome Canadian solider, named Johnny Cherneski who by chance came to the Village with a soldier friend who was dating another girl from the Village. Matrimony followed in 1944 and ended the good times at Fip’s Snack Shack. But, being a good businesswoman, Frances convinced her new husband to convert Fip’s Snack Shack into their new living quarters. Some of my most cherished memories are of the fun times at Fip’s Snack Shack and of all of the time my sister and I spent together while she was a teenager and I was just a tot. Lanny Gamble, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, March 2010. One Special Memory of Our Visiting Preachers During a revival or a Sunday meal, we would have our preacher or the visiting preacher for a meal. At such times, funny things would happen. We had a young preacher from the Methodist Church to eat Sunday dinner with us. We had fresh strawberries and cool whip in a Reddi Can. Mother could not get the cool whip started from the can, so the visiting preacher took over. That was when the fun began. He got it started and could not get it stopped. He ran around the table putting cool whip on everyone’s plate, including the vegetables, meat, dessert and even mother’s skillet of cornbread. Jo Woodson Pigford, Homewood, Alabama, March 2010. Memories of Sand Valley In the early 1940's I lived about 3/4 of a mile up Sand Valley Road on the right. Across the road from our house there was a pasture with a creek running through it. Overflowing springs were all over the place. My father built a springhouse out of railroad crossties over one of the springs and that is where we kept our milk, butter and vegetables. The creek made a curve and that is where my mother would do her weekly washing. She had her old black wash pot in which she heated water to do the wash and a bench to put her tubs on to rinse the clothes. When she finished washing for the day, she would always carry her pots back home with her but she always left the black pot and the wash bench on the creek. Well, one summer on July 4th a family of Italians came out from Birmingham to picnic and play in the creek and springs. They would also play on the footlog going across the creek. The city kids enjoyed doing this since they didn't have anything like that in town. One day at lunchtime I was sitting on the fence rail watching them when one of the men told a boy to go get the bench but he misunderstood what was said and he picked up the wash pot by mistake. The man began shouting no, no. The boy dropped the wash pot off his shoulder and when the pot hit the ground, it cracked. They told my mother what had happened and said they would have it repaired. The pot was returned after being repaired which in turn brought on a lifetime friendship between my family and them. This was a long time ago but I still have fond memories of the creek and springs. I still miss that old home place. Bobby Waid, Sumiton, Alabama, March 2010. Gurley Creek and The Springs About a mile down Old Compton Road, just past the two-story house, was an area where people would come from far and near to picnic, rest, play and spoon. You could wade, wash your car, and fish in the creek or get a drink of cool clear water from the spring. A foot log across the creek to be used when the water was too high to ford it. I lived on the hill across the road from the area and carried water from the spring each day. I spent a lot of time watching as the people enjoyed a fun day at one of the special places in Village Springs. Bobby Waid, Sumiton, Alabama, March 2010. Photograph courtesy of Frances Pierce Cherneski Religion in The Village Back in the days when we were growing up, in about the mid 40's, there were four of us close buddies, Franklin, Lanny, Allen and myself, Larry. Allen was the oldest, about 10 or 12 at the time. In the summer time, our favorite recreation was to go to the swimming hole. In Village Springs, we were always together. We were ready-made targets for one Baptist preacher, Brother Bryant. The first time we saw him, he came towards us in his old Model "A" Ford. He introduced himself and wanted to know who we were. We told him our names and then we had prayer meeting right on the side of the road. He explained to us about how the devil was going to get us, and we would spend eternity in hell, in a lake of fire! He scared us bad! Thereafter, when he would see our little group, he would drive over and stop us. Again he would warn us that we had better change our ways or we would burn, forever. So, after several of these meetings, when we saw his model "A" coming we would run to the woods and hide. We were scared to death just to see him coming. Later that summer, the Baptists were having their revival. In Village Springs, the Baptists and Methodists shared revivals and Christmas celebrations. When my family and I (we were good Methodists) entered the Baptist Church, Ole Brother Bryant was the visiting evangelist, much to my horror. Brother Bryant preached a very loud sermon, full of fire and brimstone, nearly raising the roof off the church. After the sermon, he opened the doors of the church, inviting people to join. No one responded to the alter call. The preacher glared at the congregation and shouted to the high heavens. I could tell he was looking directly at me. I decided I had better answer his call because I sure didn't want to go to hell. So I went down to the front and told him I sure wanted to join. After he blessed me and welcomed me to the church, the service was dismissed. My Dad went down and explained to Bro. Bryant that our family had always been good Methodists, therefore, I wouldn't be joining the Baptist church. Larry Brewer, Oneonta, Alabama, March 2010. Jack Little’s Spring Water Growing up in Village Springs, the youth had to find things to entertain themselves. Of interest to all of us was Mr. Jack Little’s Spring that consisted of a long, black cast iron pipe that came out of a bank with the freshest, coolest water you could ever drink!!! It was an artesian spring that flowed continually. When riding by on our bicycles on a hot summer day it was so refreshing to stop by and get a cool drink of water and throw a little water on each other. It also made a wonderful cooling agent for our milk and other drinks when we didn’t have a refrigerator or our ice in the icebox had melted. Everyone the community would use it. We also loved to play in the water. Watercress grew in the water and the boys loved to catch crawfish and play with them. We also liked to have water battles, the only thing Mr. Jack sat on his front porch rocking and he knew every move we made. A privet hedge grew between the spring and his house, and when we saw him starring over that privet hedge at us, we knew we had better make tracks!!!! Nevertheless, we all have wonderful memories of the clean refreshing water from Mr. Jack Little’s spring. Betty Baker Pate, Pinson, Alabama, March 2010. Yankee Troops in Village Springs When I was growing up in Village Springs in the 1940’s & 50’s, I got a regular job cutting grass for Mrs. Nan Massey. I was about age 10, and would push our old reel lawnmower from our house to Mrs. Massey’s and she would pay me .15 cents to cut their grass. The Massey’s lived across the road from Lashon and Mildred Baker’s. Mrs. Massey was quite elderly (her picture is elsewhere in this booklet, with her Methodist Church Sunday School class in 1917). She once told me that when she was a little girl, a group of Yankee soldiers camped out across the road (where the Baptist church stood at this time.) She said a boy about 10 or 12 years old was with the group. He was their drummer boy. Mrs. Massey’s mother was very upset because the boy was so young. She insisted that he come into their house and have dinner with the family. This he did. Later, a Yankee Officer gave her mother a yellow scarf. Mrs. Massey went to a trunk and took out a yellow scarf to show me. I don’t know what ever happened to that scarf, but I sure hope someone has kept and preserved it. Larry Brewer, August 2010. THE BIRMINGHAM INDUSTRIAL WATER SUPPLY PIPELINE COMES TO THE VILLAGE A joint project by PWA and WPA to construct Inland Lake Dam and a 60-inch water pipe line from the dam to Birmingham was initiated in 1930. The project was finished in November of 1937. The pipeline was laid along parts of L & N Railroad Right of Way from Inland through Village Springs and eventually terminated at a distribution reservoir at Keytona near Tarrant City. The only known stretch of pipe laid above ground was at Village Springs and ran uncovered for less than a mile. But, the children of the Village made good use of the uncovered pipe by using it as a walkway to the “old swimming hole” at Gurney’s Creek. In the summer time it was not usual to see several children doing their best to keep their balance as they teetered and tottered their way up the pipeline toward our favorite swimming hole. This photograph presents a view looking south toward Palmerdale and shows PWA- WPA construction workers laying the Birmingham Industrial Water Supply Line through Village Springs in the 1930’S. The L & N Railroad right of way is shown up to the left in this picture. The house to the upper right was the home of Jack and Flora Little. Photograph courtesy of Artis and Bobby Waid This photograph shows PWA-WPA construction workers laying the Birmingham Industrial Water Supply Line at a point between Village Spring and Remlap. It appears the work site is near an area known later as the Pittman Farm. Photograph courtesy of Artis and Bobby Waid References: Birmingham’s Industrial Water Supply: Joint PWA-WPA Project Expected To Stimulate Growth of District. The American City. Vol. 51, May 1936. Boyd, Gregory A. (2005). Family Maps of Blount County, Alabama: Homestead Edition. Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Publishing Company. Gipson, A. M. (1893). Report of the Geological Structure of Murphree’s Valley and It’s Minerals and Other Materials of Economic Value. Geological Survey of Alabama, 65-68. Kerr, Kincade, A. (2000). The Louisville & Nashville Railroad, 1850 to 1963. The University of Kentucky Press (p. 87) Lexington, KY Sloan (1917, May 28). Distress Already Accute at Village Springs. The Birmingham Ledger, Birmingham, Alabama, Front Page. Walker, James H., Jr. (1983). Toombstones Along The Old Huntsville Road. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Instant Heirloom Books. (1917, May 31). Village Springs Swept Away by Cyclone. The Southern Democrat, Oneonta, Alabama. (1908 – 1914). People and Things from The Southern Democrat, 1908 – 1914. The Southern Democrat, Oneonta, Alabama. (1898 – 1903). People and Things from the Blount County News and Dispatch, 1898 –1903. The Blount County News and Dispatch, Oneonta, Alabama. (1890 – 1897). People and Things from the Blount County News and Dispatch, 1890 – 1897. The Blount County News and Dispatch, Oneonta, Alabama. APPENDIX 1 APPENDIX 2 1945-1955 MAP OF VILLAGE SPRINGS The map depicts Village Springs as we remember it between 1945-1955. It shows homes, businesses, and churches by numbers and their approximate locations. The map identifies inhabitant families and, if known, former inhabitants families who lived in the homes or owned the businesses. The legend follows: 1. Pop Posey Store; Grady Wells Service Station & Store; 2. Henry and Mary Harris Home; 3. George T. and Nannie Massey Home; 4. Perry and Cora Smith Home; 5. Jonah King; Fred & Donnie Walker; Lashon & Mildred Baker Home; 6. Jennings Home Site and Oscar Cornelius Trailer Site; 7. Clayton Home; William (Bill) Fredrick and Alma Higginbotham Home; 8. Jack and Flora Little Home; 9. The Village Springs Baptist Church (Second location); 10. Monroe & Lola Price Home; 11. John R. McCollister; W.T. & Alice Gamble Home; Britt Home; 12. W. T. & Alice Gamble 2nd Home; 13. John Robert & Frances McCollister Stores; 14. Alexander Taswell Danforth Home; Robert Bollen Home; 15. Alma Higginbotham Store (Mrs. Alma’s); 16. Pinkney Higginbotham; Price/Little Home; 17. Old Barn; 18. R.R. Depot; 19. Wilson Home; 20. Pinkney and Grace Sims Home; 21. Claudson Home; Lester J. Wilder Home; 22. The Village Springs Methodist Church; 23. Paul L. and Mary Higginbotham Home; 24. Al and Pearl Baggett Home; 25. Richard O. & Hattie Campbell Home; 26. Asa Griffith Home; Joseph E. and Ann Brewer Home; 27. A. H. Shower Home; George & Stella Woodson Home; 28. Malcomb Campbell Home; Floyd & Sue Harrell Home; 29. William and Viola Childs Home; 30. Jim Brown Home & Syrup Mill; 31. ???Egerton Home; 32. Village Springs Elementary School; E.E. Orr Store; Nelson Store; 33. E. E. Store and Service Station; 34. Ruth Billings Store; 35. E.E. and Talithia Orr Home; 36. John Elkins Home; 37.Self; Marie Higginbotham Home; 38. Frank Higginbotham Home; 39. Paul & Mary Higginbotham Home; Arthur and Corene Waid Home; 40 Watkins Home; 41. Homer Green Home; Arthur & Corene Waid Home; Watts Home; Vincent Home; 42. The Village Springs Baptist Church (Current location); 43. Maude Whitaker Home; 44 Butler Home. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/blount/history/other/communit43nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/alfiles/ File size: 96.0 Kb