Dale County AlArchives Photo Place.....Hughes Home Burned May 1993 ************************************************ 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: Christine Thacker CGT714@AOL.com February 22, 2005, 3:43 pm Source: Ariton Alliance Photo can be seen at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/dale/photos/gph1416hughesho.jpg Image file size: 96.2 Kb OLDEST HOUSE, 140 YEARS OLD, BURNED By Naomi J. Weimer Just at sundown on April 22, 1993, we heard the screaming of many fire trucks, rushing somewhere. There was Ozark, Brundige, Clio, Elamville, Hamilton Crossroads, besides Ariton, which was the first one on the top of this tragic scene. It was the big, beautiful home of Max and Betty Hughes. When Melanie, the oldest daughter, happened to look out of her window, toward the old home, she saw fire but thought it was the rays of the sun shining through the patio glass, but then she saw smoke. She ran hollering for help all the way to the house, thinking her parents were in the house. She grabbed a brick and broke the patio glass to open the door, but was driven back by smoke and flames. This house was built from solid heart pine, which had been cut from the building site. Nothing burns faster or hotter than fat pine, as anyone who has watched it burn, knows. Max and Betty had gone to see grandpa Hughes, who was very ill. Melanie was relieved to find them already gone. She was so relieved, that she could face the house burning, knowing that they were not in it. By the time someone thought to call Max and Betty, and they could gel back home, the house was already destroyed. Traffic immediately jammed three roads and the fire trucks had trouble getting through, however, it was so far gone that they could not have saved it. People came to help, but all they could do was stand and watch it burn, and cry, trying to console Max and Betty, and the rest of the family. Betty Hughes had decorated this house at Christmas every year since they bought the house. Each year she added to the decorations and soon people were slowing down to just look at the home. From these first home decorations, grew that dream that became Christmas City, and three million lights. The history of this house goes way back. In fact all the way back to "OLE VIRGINNY". In 1809, a son was born to Hansel Sammons and his second wife Nancy Mannery. They named him Jame after his grandfather James the IV. This little boy had a sister just two years older than he, named Winfred. When James was a little over three years old his mother died in childbirth. Hansel was devastated. He had already laid to rest one wife and tWo children in the old family graveyard, in the big orchard in the back of the big house. Now there was another grave, his beloved Nancy and her last little one. So many members of his family had died, and some had migrated to South Carolina. Hansel talked with his old father about South Carolina, but his father did not care to disrupt his settled lifestyle at his age, so decided to stay at the old home place with some of the children and grandchildren and his old faithful servants. Hansel bought the biggest covered wagon outfit he could find and 3 fine saddle horSes and two saddle ponies for the children. He had an old negro couple his father had given him when he was (missing) with all the necessities for camping on the road, as well as sleeping facilities for them all in bad weather. Up to the morning of departure Hansel had told his children they could stay with Grandpa or go with him. Of course Grandpa hoped they would go with him, as he missed the loss of the wives and other children so badly. He thought at times he could not stand it. The children decided to go with their father, which made him feel better. It was a long, hard and tiresome trip. Some days not making more than ten miles. The days and miles seemed endless, but at long last they pulled into Darlington District South Carolina. The first thing they saw was a big sign reading "Morris Wheelright and Blacksmith Shop." What a relief. The horses and wagon all needed care, and here it was the first thing in this new area. Across the road was a big old fashioned house, and Hansel learned that it was the home of Mr. Morris' daughter in law, who had turned it into a boarding house since his son, her husband, was killed while hauling mahogany and teak lumber from the coast. She had several children for Winnie and James to play with. They moved into the boarding house, and Hansel went to work for Mr. Morris. Hansel was a cabinet maker, and also made beautiful coffins. This was sometime between 1809 and 1812. Hansel was at an estate sale in Darlington District with sales recorded, in 1809, and he was in the war of 1812 with a regiment from South Carolina. Sometime after he returned from the war, he and Elizabeth Ann (Polk) Morris were married. She had taken care of his children, Winnie and James, with the help of Isham and Martha while he had to be away in the war. Elizabeth became a mother to them all, and Hansel became a father to them all. He and Elizabeth had three children of their own, David, Suzanna, and Hester Ann who became my grandmother. Hester Ann was born in 1825. OLDEST HOUSE cont on page 8. "OLDEST HOUSE cont from page I" Hester Ann depended on James after their father Hansel died in 1834, when Hester Ann was nine years old. James became head of the household for his stepmother and saw all the girls safely married and Hester Ann and her family had moved to Alabama. James had married Sarah Hatchell and had four children and the family decided to go to Alabama, too. In February of 1851, we found a deed in Section I Township 7, Range 23. Patent it was called then made out to James Sammons, which is the land on which Max and Betty Hughes house stood. When James and famlly arrived in Alabama he located his land He found a spring on the land, pitched tents, and parked the big wagon under some huge trees. He began to clear the land. He had taken the advice of George and Hester Ann and with some difficultY had brought along a saw and set up a saw mill. It was the first saw mill in this part of the country. With only help of his two little boys and Sarah, they began to make progress. George and Hester Ann were about 100 miles in Montgomery County, and could not help. James first consideration was for his animals. He first built a shelter for them, for without animals he would be helpless. James finally got to work on the house. He knew what they wanted. A small scale of the old homestead, with separate kitchen. In 1853, he finished it and moved his family into it before winter. He and Sarah had eight children, four of them born in South Carolina, the other four in Alabama. Simeon Wesley, William Fletcher, Elizabeth E., and Mary A. were all born in South Carolina. James was the first child born in Alabama. He was born in August of 1853, in the big old wagon under the tree. Benjamin Erwin, Martha Ann E, Thomas Jefferson were the others. Elizabeth was never very strong, and in the winter of 1852, she caught pneumonia, and quietly slipped away from them. That was the first heartache in this beautiful courageous family. James had just bought another parcel of land across the road and there was a very pretty sunny spot on the hill where Sarah wanted to start a graveyard for the family. The little Pine knot headstone read Elizabeth E. Sammons, Born 1847, Died 1852. She was the first occupant of the graveyard on Clio road. James gave the ground for a graveyard forever. You could often see Sarah and the other children going to the little graveyard with flowers. The family prospered and the new house rang with laughter for a long time. It is a great loss, but thank the Lord, most of all, that durning this tragedy, not one of the family members were hurt. The Lord kept them safe and guarded in His care. Volume III Number 4 May 1993 – Ariton Alliance ( the Newspaper was a Monthly Newspaper, Established 1991, by Dr.Charles W. Gann , the Paper is no longer in business , All articles from this Newspaper are from the files of Mary Vic Paramore of Ariton. ) Ariton Cemetery Sammons, James Ira bAug.16,1853 d.Sept.5, 1902 Row 6 Sammons, William F. 1845-1920 Row 6 Sammons, Mary Ann July 31 1847-June 20, 1930 W/o Wm. F. Row 6 Sammons, S.W., Sept.27, 1843-Feb. 8, 1915 Row 12 Sammons, Sarah A.Yarbrough, Sept, 9, 1845- Aug. 22, 1904. (CGT) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/dale/photos/gph1416hughesho.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 8.8 Kb