Calhoun County AlArchives News.....Interesting and Historic Memories Of Old Settlers, Old Families and Old Homes of Calhoun County 1917 ************************************************ 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: Shirley Mellon Dewberry dewberry@cableone.net July 28, 2013, 5:09 pm Anniston Star 1917 Source: Old Newspaper Article Anniston, Alabama Date: Abt. 1917 Interesting and Historic Memories of Old Settlers, Old Families and Old Homes of Calhoun County By J. A. Roberson Barnett McCulley was, for many years, a citizen of Calhoun county living for a time at Alexandria and later at Oxford Lake. When he first came to Alabama, all the territory now embraced in Calhoun and the greater part of Cleburne counties, was designed on the map as Benton county, and Oxford was known as Lickskillet. At that time the wild Indians roamed through the untilled vales and climbed the steep hills in pursuit of game. McCulley was a native of Ireland. He came to America when a lad only eight years old, coming with his father and family, and touching shore at Charleston, S.C., in 1819 – fully 98 years ago. For a number of years he lived in Anderson county, S.C. In his early life he acquired the snowmaker’s trade, and after reaching his maturity of age, came to Alabama and settled at Alexandria where he plied his trade and conducted a farm. His Alexandria residence is still in existence, standing on the south side of the Jacksonville and Morrisville road some one hundred feet east of the crossing of the roads. It originally had two large rooms in front, between which was a wide hallway, and two shed rooms in the rear. Mrs. Sarah Forbes, of Anniston, a daughter of Mr. McCulley was born in that house 77 years ago. After several years Mr. McCulley bought a quarter-section of land from John Yeatman, at what is now Oxford Lake park, and built a home there. That house is till standing and forms part of the pavilion and dance hall on the summit of the hill in the park where Manager L. W. Jackson now lives. The timbers for the sills and the lumber for the entire structure was gotten from the mountains and hauled there with ox teams. For a kitchen Mr. McCulley utilized for many years, and old log hut built by the Indians. W. F. McCulley, a son, now of Brownwood, Texas, was born in the above house. It was while hauling the heaving hewn sills for the home at the part that Robert McCulley, an eight-year-old son of Mr. McCulley, was thrown off the loaded wagon and his breast crushed in by one of the wagon wheels passing over him. He died a few days later. All this happened 68 years ago. At that time Oxford was known as Lickskillet, and the business of the town consisted of one store, a wood shop and a blacksmith shop. Later, W. F. McCulley, the son of Barnett, above mentioned, established the first lake at the park for a fish pond. It covered three or four acres. That lake was the nucleus of the present lake and possibly the inspiration of the park, as W F. McCulley later sold his lake of water and considerable land to the Minnie Lula Lake Co., L. D. Miller conducting the negotiations on behalf of the company. During Barnett McCulley’s residence at the lake home, quite a number of stirring events transpired. The Civil war came on with all its horrors and harassments. Detachments of the armies of both friend and foe were scurrying back and forth through the county, and there was fear and anxiety. Many citizens are yet trying to determine from which side they received the worst treatment. The Confederates took everything they could get because they needed it. The Yankees did the same for the purpose of the afflicting the people whom they hated. And there was still to be dealt with the hateful camp-follower who could play this or that to suit the case and steal and rob at will. \Fierce times, those. It was on Sunday. Mr. McCulley and his family had driven in the family carriage to the Oxford Methodist church to attend worship. The train came in and passengers alighting from it reported that just down the road comes a considerable body of Yankee soldiers towards Oxford, burning houses and destroying property like vandals. Consternation and alarm spread like wild fire among the people, and the congregation was broken up. Everybody went scurrying home to hide valuables or to look after their families or to do they knew not what. Mr. McCulley, with his family, returned to his home at the lake to hide meat lard, flour, clothes, anything that could be hidden in the shortest time. Bidding his negro men to assist him, wagons were loaded with valuables and necessities as quickly as possible and started in great hast to the mountains. All the negroes were ordered to join the hike to the hills. The men went with the teams, but the negro women loitered. Like Lot’s wife, they looked back, and the Yankee soldiers dashed upon them. :where is your master?” they demanded. “He done gone over dar into de mountain wid de meat, flour, clothes, hosses an’ everything,” they answered. “Well, we’ll see if the old rebel can scare us like that,” said a leader, and he plunged off in hot pursuit, followed by a bank of his fellows. Mr. McCulley was overtaken and his goods wantonly wrecked and scattered through the woods. And the negro women? They joined the Yankees and went away with them, leaving their babies to be cared for by Mrs. McCulley and her girls. The Yankee burned the Oxford depot and lot of government stores and went away. Then came the camp-follower and got the best mule and lot of meat from the woods where Mr. McCulley had hidden a lot of stuff form the Confederates. He attempted to take a fine young horse which one of Mr. McCulley’s daughters sat upon and begged him to let her keep. I should have mentioned at the proper place that among the family relics yet kept by Mrs. Forbes is the old popular bench upon which her father sat to make shoes. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/calhoun/newspapers/interest1876gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 6.3 Kb