Where everybody knows your name… and your business
Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Mackenzie Free and Contributed Photos
Mornings at Shaw’s Barbecue in Ashville are a lot like evenings at the “Cheers” bar of 1980s television fame. It’s a place and time “where everybody knows your name.”
Day after day, week after week, the parking lot at Shaw’s is filled with the same cars and pickup trucks. Most of them arrive around 7 a.m., when the place opens. Inside, the tables are filled with the same men in overalls and work shirts, jeans and tees and baseball caps. They are farmers, construction workers, bankers, wrecker service owners and bodyshop repairmen. They are hardworking men and retirees. Sometimes they are politicians, too, when offices are up for grabs.
Southern country staple foods are a big draw at Shaw’s
They eat from Shaw’s menu of traditional Southern vittles like eggs and grits, pancakes, sausage and biscuits, with stout, hot coffee. What they really come for, however, isn’t on the menu. They’re there for the daily dish of tall tales, comedic retorts and a side of answers to the world’s woes.
“Hang around here long, and you’ll get dizzy,” says Ray Stevens, retired owner of a local service station and towing business.
Stevens sits at the same table with the same three men every day: Bobby Welch, owner of B&W Construction; Jim Wilson, retired owner of C.D. Wilson Contracting; and Jeff Corbin of Corbin Services. It is variously called the Wisdom Table, the Table of Knowledge or the Think Tank. An unknown female customer dubbed it The Gauntlet because, as the table nearest the door, a customer has to pass it to get anywhere.
“The amount of wisdom that comes from our table can’t be consumed in one day,” says Welch. “Before I came here, I was seeing a therapist twice a week; now I see one four times a week.”
And so the repartee begins.
“The Wisdom Table holds court, picks the topics of conversation,” says Skip Shaw, owner of Shaw’s Barbecue for almost 40 years. “Leave your feelings at the door when you come in.”
“The biggest thing we do is solve all the problems of the city,” says Dennis Moyer, a retired Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy and former Ashville rural mail carrier. “We tell the city how to run it, but they don’t listen to us.”
Once you get past The Gauntlet, you’ll find Phillip Gleason and Matt Sims eating together at another table. Gleason, a veterinarian, comes to learn about what’s going on in St. Clair County. “I come for the fellowship every day but Wednesday, when I have a meeting elsewhere,” he says. He lives in Steele, and swings by on his way to Argo Animal Clinic. “We learn stuff here before it becomes public.”
Pointing to Carl Smith of Smith Farms, Gleason proclaims, “That’s the Chandler Mountain tomato man.” Pointing to Cody Green, he says, “That’s the Straight Mountain tomato man.” It’s a friendly rivalry, but it helps delineate between the two. Smith grins and responds with, “They call me Mater. I’m here every morning. Shaw’s serves really good food, and I enjoy the company. The topics run A to Z.”
Skip Shaw (right) often works the register
Matt Sims, known as Matt-Matt, lives by the Ashville Stockyards, about a mile away. Someone at the Wisdom Table points out Matt’s big feet. “You know what that means,” one of the guys says. Wink, wink and raucous laughter follow. Dennis Moyer says Matt-Matt, described by Skip Shaw as a jack of all trades, is always fun to be around, always has a smile. “We kid him about his women problem, try to fix him up, but we are always a failure,” he says. “He’s a jovial guy.”
Asked why he tolerates the teasing, Matt-Matt grins broadly and replies, “Cause I learn what’s going on in the county.”
Pete Morrow, retired from ACIPCO, sits at the same table every morning with Dennis Moyer. “The food’s good, but I come to get knowledge from these four,” Morrow says, gesturing toward the Wisdom Table to his right. “I come to learn how to run a business, how to treat people. I came here before Shaw bought it. It was Sharp’s then. Everybody knows everybody here, it’s good food, and on Friday nights they have fried catfish.”
Moyer says he goes because the food there is hot and homemade from scratch, and because his wife won’t get up and cook breakfast. “I usually eat something simple like eggs, but she (the cook) makes good pancakes, biscuits and gravy.”
He says he goes for the camaraderie, too. “It’s a bunch of us old guys, like the old Round Table that used to meet at the drug store (Ashville Drugs). We meet and throw our brains out and come up with a solution. Pete and I sit next to the Table of Knowledge, wheretwo are cattlemen and two are retired bankers. Skip has a herd, too.”
According to Moyer, the regulars talk about things the city is doing. “The big topic now is the subdivision Lyman Lovejoy is developing near the Industrial Park,” he says. “It’s a big subdivision for Ashville. We talk a lot of politics, too. It got very heated when (St. Clair Commission Chairman) Stan Batemon was running. He was hot and heavy there during that time. (Former Alabama Chief Justice) Roy Moore comes in from time to time. We have all kinds of dignitaries stopping by.”
The crowd doesn’t cut politicians any slack, either. They once took a former Ashville mayor to task for taking credit for a civic project that he had little to do with. Then a candidate for re-election, he left in a huff!
John Harrison is another regular who comes for the food. He likes to eat at small, local places rather than large chains. “We settle the world’s problem here,” he says. A semi-retired farmer, he’s only there two to three times a week. “It’s mostly gossip and B.S. around here,” he says. “Skip talks to everybody, he doesn’t miss nobody.”
In fact, Shaw’s daughter, Lori, who sometimes helps out at the restaurant, says that Skip is the main reason most of the regulars are there in the first place. “All these guys come for dad … and stay for the food,” she says.
As if on cue, Skip Shaw sits down beside Mater. Wilson hollers, “Get him to tell you about his lady friend and the $150 bottle of wine.” It’s a running joke that refers to an auction that benefitted Shoal Creek Community Center. They tease Skip mercilessly about the auction, and the price of the wine gets higher with each re-telling.
“It’slike the movie, Groundhog Day, same thing every morning,” Mater says. “They always bring up the story about Skip and that woman.”
Shaw bought the place in 1984, and says he eats his own food. “I’m a product of it,” he says, patting his belly. “A third generation of folks (customers) come to eat here now, lunch and supper. I would not be where I am without my customers.”
He says a fire during the COVID pandemic shut him down temporarily and almost did him in. “It was an electrical fire in the back,” he says. “We were closed for eight months. That was back in 2020-2021. I thought about closing. But the place needed a facelift anyway, so here we are. I’ve been back in business about two years now.”
You won’t find any thin-skinned folks there each morning, Shaw says. “The guys who are here are hardy folk who don’t get their feelings hurt easily.”
There are few women in the early-morning crowd, although they begin to drift in with their dads and husbands around 9 a.m. When Barbara Stevens walks in, Jeff Corbin yields his seat to her at the Wisdom Table. She’s Ray’s wife. Soon, a few more regulars drift in, including Don Sharp and Joe Jinright, both retirees. Jackie Vaughn of Vaughn Body Shop plops down nearby.
Ray Stevens decides to call local real estate mogul Lyman Lovejoy, another regular who, for some reason, hasn’t dropped by yet this particular morning. But he’s there within five minutes of receiving Stevens’s call. “These guys could be lawyers,” Lovejoy says, “because they tell the truth in a lot of different ways.”
Stevens nods toward Lovejoy and says, “His Bible has only a front and back cover, no pages between.” Then Stevens gets taken to task for blocking the fire hydrant in front of Shaw’s with his truck. “No problem,” one of the guys says. “Ashville hydrants are dry anyway.”
Jeff Corbin agrees. “I watched my place burn down one day after the fire department tried three hydrants and couldn’t get water from any of them.”
Jim Wilson says primary cook Amanda Leftwich is the one who keeps the place going, “without a shadow of a doubt.”
“I kid everybody, tell ‘em she runs the place, I just work here,” Skip Shaw says of Leftwich. “She’s the main cog that makes everything turn. I’m fortunate to have her.”
His sister-in-law, Debra Meadows, makes the pies. “We do four – apple, peach, chocolate and coconut,” Shaw says. “Sometimes she adds sweet potato in the fall. We serve sandwiches, plate lunches, beef, chicken, smoked turkey. Our menu is pretty well-rounded, with something for everyone. We have salads, too, and daily vegetables. I’ll smoke meat maybe, but Amanda does most of the cooking. We have three or four women working here every day, and sometimes my daughter, Lori, helps out, too.”
Leftwich has been working for Shaw for 12 years. “My customers are very good to me,” she says. “You know that old saying, ‘Don’t believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see,’” she remarks. “It applies here.”
“What you say here WILL be held against you,” says Skip Shaw, emphasizing the word, “will.” “We have selective memories: We select everything and remember all of it!”
Horse Pens’ Songwriter Festival inspiring music on the mountain
Story by Roxann Edsall Photos by Richard Rybka
There is no doubt that music is a powerful tool, touching our heart strings and transporting us through time and space. The words to certain songs speak to our hearts when, oftentimes, nothing else will. Alabama-raised songwriter Mutt Cooper explains, “I always hope the words connect to the audience and that we’re all in the same emotional space at the same time.”
Cooper, who now lives in Georgia, started playing the guitar and writing music when he was just 10 years old. He now works as an occupational therapist, specializing in traumatic brain injury.
A navy veteran himself, he works with veterans at Martin Army Hospital in Fort Benning. He uses his songwriting skills to address the pain and emotional scars of the wounded, whether they’re military, children or just ordinary people navigating daily life. His song, Tom, has received a lot of attention from Vietnam veterans groups because of its powerful, relatable lyrics.
He wrote the song about his cousin, who served in Vietnam. The cousin, Tom, came back from Vietnam a changed man, a change so profound that he had to live with Cooper’s family and spent most days playing guitar to help him process the pain. “He died in Vietnam, but he didn’t know. He’s got a lot of scars that don’t show,” the haunting lyrics say.
The lyrics to another of Cooper’s songs address the simpler, but broader, issue of aging. The words to I Knew Him When are easily relatable to anyone who has noticed a wrinkle or a grey hair as birthdays come and go.
Staring in the mirror, it’s easy for me to see. The same young man who lives inside of me. Well, it makes no sense, and how can it be? There’s an old man in the mirror looking back at me.
Cooper recently spent a weekend with more than a dozen other songwriters at the Horse Pens 40 Songwriter Festival on Chandler Mountain. The festival’s organizer, Paul Ensign of C&P Entertainment, has been providing the venue and stage to showcase the talents of local, regional and national touring songwriters for four years. “These guys and gals get up on stage, not just to sing, but to give you the emotion behind the words, the experience that helped to write the song,” explains Ensign.
Cass Hunter and Mutt Cooper
Texas-based songwriter Thom Shepherd, also a festival participant, agrees. “Everybody’s here to really listen to the lyrics and hear the stories behind the songs.” He and his wife, fellow songwriter, Coley McCabe, have both won awards through the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and have been named Duo of the Year by the Trop Rock Music Association for the past four years. She has played at the Grand Ole Opry four times.
The two met when they were working with different Nashville publishers housed in the same office building. They were married by an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas in 2015. They tour regularly and enjoy going to songfests to meet new writers and to reconnect with others. They even hold their own songwriter’s festival in Texas called Lonestar Luau. (Editor’s note: You can check them out at Lonestarluau.com.)
“Write for yourself,” says Shepherd. “That’s what a publisher told me years ago. I’d moved to Nashville to perform. Everyone said you’ve got to be able to write, so that’s when I started working on that. I struggled at first, but then I was counseled to write for myself, about things that have had meaning to me. That’s the place that hit songs come from. That’s when I started thinking about things like my love of cars.”
His love of old cars is what made him reminisce about seeing his first car again after selling it to an old friend. He went back to visit the man and saw the car, sat in the driver’s seat and opened the glove compartment. “That’s when I started to imagine. What if this car had been owned by someone else and what if that someone had left a note in the glove compartment,” says Shepherd excitedly. “And what if that owner had been a young man going off to war who left the note to the new owner in case he didn’t come back? And what if the car was a Corvette?”
With that story in mind, he collaborated with songwriter Wood Newton and wrote the 2001 hit single, Riding with Private Malone. The song was recorded by American Country Music artist David Ball. “You always hope one of your songs will touch people’s lives, and this one has,” says Shepherd. “I hear from people who say this was a particular soldier’s song, and he didn’t make it back. It reminds them of that soldier. Others tell me this song is the reason they joined the military.”
Christina Crystal and Megan Kuehner
Coley McCabe wrote Don’t Open That Door as a response to the loss of her sister, Tracy. The song was later recorded by country star Loretta Lynn. “I wrote it after Tracy passed, never meaning for it to be recorded,” says McCabe. “But it was pitched to Loretta, and she recorded it. I ran into her a few years later and told her I’d written it. It was shortly after her husband had passed. She sang the chorus to me with a tear in her eye. It was sweet!”
Strong family ties also fuel the fire for fellow songwriter Christina Crystal. She has just turned 30 and has been writing songs for 16 years. At the songwriter’s festival, she explained to the audience the background behind several songs she and her husband, songwriter/producer Nick Biebricher, have written and produced, including the very personal Ultra Sound, a ballad about the experience of expecting the birth of their son.
Another of Crystal’s favorites is a playful lyric that she wrote and performed called, Dolly, Would You Pardon Me, a fun, upbeat song with a nod to vocal great Dolly Parton. The song was nominated for best country song of the year in 2019 at the Independent Music Awards.
“Hit songs begin with words that make people feel something,” says Shepherd. Pure joy and fun are a hallmark in his huge hit summertime party song, Redneck Yacht Club. Written by Shepherd and recorded in 2005 by country music’s Craig Morgan, the lyrics are an invitation to “Meet us out at party cove. Come on in, the water’s fine. Just idle on over an’ toss us a line.”
If you’re out on this lake this summer, you’re sure to hear it. The power of music is fueled by powerful lyrics.
“Success is based upon a spiritual quality, a power to inspire others.” — Vince Lombardi
Story by Roxann Edsall Photos by Richard Rybka
Coach Pete Rich is one successful man. He must be; he has a stadium named after him.
The reason for that honor, though, is somewhat of an anomaly. His namesake stadium is home to the Pell City High School Panthers. He never lead his Pell City football team to the most wins of any coach. He did not even serve as head coach the longest. His fame is less about statistics and more about relationships.
His biggest victories are still being realized in the lives of the young men he inspired in his 34 years of coaching high school football. And those former football players, many whom are now retired from successful careers, say Coach Rich was a powerful force in shaping them into the people they are today.
Pell City High School jerseys, jackets and other memorabilia
On a Saturday afternoon, more than 50 former players and coaches gather at the Municipal Building. They’ve come from as far away as California and New Mexico to honor their former coach and mentor on his 88th birthday. Just as they did in the lock room decades ago, the men form a huddle and Coach begins their time together by leading them in prayer.
One of those in the huddle was Alabama State Senator Lance Bell, who played nose guard from 1987 to 1989. Senator Bell read a resolution from the Alabama Legislature honoring Coach Rich for his many years of service to the people of Pell City and the astate of Alabama.
“Coach Rich was like a second father to me. He taught us about discipline and about life,” the senator remembers. He recalled a time that he suffered a significant injury to his knee during a game. “The call from Coach,” he said, “was the first phone call I received checking on me.”
“He was a father figure for all of us,” adds former tight end Leslie Smith. “He is bigger than life. I mean, the man still lifts weights at 88 years old!” Coach Rich has had that weight room at his home since he started coaching Pell City football in 1969. And it has always been open to any of his players.
“Coach truly saved my life,” chimes in Bobby Watson, tight end and linebacker from 1975 to 1978. “He got me into weightlifting when I was 18 years old,” he tells. “That habit saved me later in life, when, in 2014, I suffered a bilateral quad rupture. I was told I’d never walk again.” Watson credits Coach Rich with teaching him the value of strength training through weightlifting. Weightlifting, rehab exercises and sheer determination, he says, helped him to regain his mobility. Not only is he walking again, he is now a strength coach and weight strength coordinator for the Trussville YMCA.
Sammy Brown, played defensive end during the ’74-’75 season and again the next year. He gets emotional talking about Coach. “He was always open to listen. I could go to his house and sit outside with him and when I left, it felt like a huge burden was lifted. He cared so much about others.” When Brown later had a wife and children of his own, he said Coach would often come to his home after his own family Christmas and share in the Brown family celebration.
A hometown boy, Pete Rich grew up in the Avondale Mill Village, played football for Pell City High School, and worked at the mill during the summers. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1957 and immediately started coaching football, baseball and basketball at Jones Valley High School.
He started coaching at Sylacauga High School in 1961, where he stayed for eight years. He returned to Pell City as head coach in 1969. After five years as head coach, Rich stepped down from head coach to spend more time directly with his players as defensive coordinator. Rich retired from coaching in 1991, having served on the coaching staff at Pell City High School for 22 years.
In total, he coached for more than three decades. In that time and since then, he has touched the lives of countless people, who consider him a friend and mentor.
His former players are devoted to him and, when you meet him, it’s easy to see why. When he’s involved in a conversation, he is committed to it. He does treat people as if they are the most special person in that moment. His sense of humor is part of his charm. He’ll often start a story off with “I ought not tell this …” and then chuckle as he tells it.
Former players talking with coach
Coach admits to working his boys hard, but it was second nature to him. “I made sure my kids worked hard. It was just the way I was raised,” he says. “My mama always made sure I worked hard as a kid. I remember coming home from school one day and mama said to get ready because I was about to be picked up to go out and help plow the fields.”
Although he had plenty of opportunities to advance in the world of coaching, he was committed to his community and remained with Pell City High School.
He and his wife, Gwen, raised their two children, Lori (Billingsley) and Brian, in Pell City. “We always had people around the house, either visiting my dad or using the weight room,” says Brian. “It was like Grand Central Station, but it was good. Both Mom and Dad are great. I feel like I won the parent lottery with them!” Brian did play some football and basketball, but tennis turned out to be his best sport.
Former player Jerry Posey was not quite as lucky in his childhood experiences. His dad suffered from alcoholism and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Coach Rich, he says, was one of the first positive influences in his life. “I was from the housing project, and he was from the mill village,” said Posey. “He treated everyone the same. He was an unbelievable influence for me.”
As the lights come on and fans file into Pete Rich Stadium for Pell City home games this fall, just maybe some will think of the lessons Coach Rich taught. “Nobody’s more special than anybody else,” he said. “I’ve just always tried to make sure everybody felt equally special.”
As the weather warms up, many of us start feeling that spring fever and want to head outdoors to one of Alabama’s many beautiful hiking areas.
From the new Big Canoe Creek Preserve – whose trails open soon in Springville – to neighboring Cheaha State Park, you won’t have to go far to find those opportunities to take in the natural world outdoors. And while you don’t have to be a seasoned pro to enjoy hiking in Alabama, thru-hiker and Pell City native Bennett Fisher offers some tips for the rest of us.
After all, he was a novice once himself. He jumped in as a hiker full-speed, hitting the Appalachian Trail (AT) on his first backpacking trip after graduating from Pell City High School in 2015.
Hiking at Big Canoe Creek Preserve
Along with his dad, who was also a novice hiker, he completed the entire 2,190 miles of the AT from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Katahdin, Maine. Since then, Jolly, as he is known on the trail, has also thru-hiked the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT) and about half of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). He is still recovering from the foot injury that sidelined his CDT hike.
His first piece of advice for the beginner is to prepare, but take it easy on yourself. “There’s a lot of gear to choose from. Don’t get discouraged. Form your own opinions. Do your research and take advice, but then try it and form your own opinions.”
After the father-son duo set out on their quest to conquer the AT, it wasn’t long before they were questioning their choices. On subsequent hiking trips, they explored different gear options and weeded out what didn’t work for them and added what they missed.
Local hiking gives you many more options on items you may want to bring for comfort. “If taking a camp chair helps you get outside and enjoy yourself,” says Bennett, “then take it. It’s all about what you will use to make your experience better. But don’t weigh your pack down if you don’t need it. If you don’t use it, just don’t bring it next time.”
Next, he says, evaluate the same gear in different weight options. “On one of my first hikes, I brought sandals to wear around camp that were about a pound each. What I really needed were dollar store flip flops that weighed only a few ounces.”
Good hiking shoes, he adds, are an essential piece of equipment. “A lot can go wrong with shoes.” That sentiment is echoed by Trey Staples, manager of Gadsden Outfitters. “My number one tip is to be sure you have a good sock and a good shoe. You’ve got to keep your feet dry. Get help from an outfitter who will take the time to fit you for the shoe that’s right for your feet and your activity level.”
For easy cleanups, Staples recommends bringing wet wipes, which are easy to pack. He also recommends repacking items to bring less waste with you and be sure to pack out whatever trash you do have.
Getting a backpack that fits your body is important if you’re doing more than day hiking. “Get a pack that fits you,” says Staples, “and that means going somewhere where they’ll measure your torso to get it right.” For day hiking, a small pack is useful for storing your water, food, rain gear, first aid kit and snacks.
“It’s also a good idea, no matter how long a hike you’re on,” adds Staples, “to let someone know where you’re going and when you’re expecting to be back.”
Water is a critical safety component of any hike of any duration. “If you’re on a day hike,” says Fisher, “definitely bring your own water. But for multi-day hikes, you’ll want to bring along a water filter.” Also, he says, you don’t have to buy professionally packaged backpacker food. “It’s pretty expensive, and you don’t need it.
Just bring things you like to eat and will look forward to eating. I’ve brought food before that I thought I needed that was healthy, but it just lived in my backpack because it wasn’t appealing to me, so I didn’t eat it.”
Developing a passionwith each step
Fisher and his dad came back from their AT thru-hike having solidified their love of hiking. Fisher says he spent quite a bit of time hiking at Cheaha State Park before moving to Utah in 2018 and earning his degree in Outdoor Product Design from Utah State in 2020.
He has since launched his own outdoor clothing line with the tagline, “Where fun meets functional.” You can check out his products at Jollygear.com.
Unexpected bonus nets Springville couple a business on the water
Story by Scottie Vickery Submitted photos
When Beverly and Robert Shaffer started house hunting just over a year ago, their main goal was to find a place where they could raise some chickens. They ended up with a house on 19 acres in Springville, and at recent count, four goats, two tortoises, 19 rabbits, 23 chickens and 15 guinea fowl. Oh yeah, they also got a kayak rental business that came with the property, as well.
The perfect place for outdoor live music
That turned out to be a happy surprise, and operating Big Canoe Creek Kayaking has been as big an adventure for the family as it has been for the paddlers who come to enjoy some peaceful time on the water. “We ended up with much more than we were looking for, but we love it,” Beverly said.
Although they weren’t in the market for a new business, Beverly, who owns a childcare center in Birmingham, said they knew a good opportunity when they saw it. She and Robert have four children – Ashley, Hollis, Lyons and Thomas – and two of them were in need of summer jobs. Ashley works at the childcare center, and Hollis lives out of state, so Lyons and Thomas were the perfect candidates to run the kayak business.
Both students at Auburn University, the brothers weren’t exactly sure what they were getting themselves into last year, their first season. “It was definitely a lot more work than I expected, but it ended up being a ton of fun,” Thomas said. “Now that I know what to expect, I’m definitely more excited about this year.”
They open for the season on May 13, and the Shaffers expect to be even busier than last year. The owners of Yak Tha Creek in Ashville decided to close shop earlier this year, so Big Canoe Creek Kayaking is now the only kayak rental facility in St. Clair County. After purchasing half of the other business’ boats, the Shaffers now have a total of 50 kayaks, including seven doubles.
Kayaking is the most popular form of paddle sports, according to The Outdoor Foundation, and Big Canoe Creek is the perfect spot for all ages to get their feet wet. Lots of families and friends come to take advantage of the opportunity to unplug, get away from it all and enjoy nature.
“It’s really peaceful, and it’s very beginner-friendly,” Thomas said of the 3.85 mile stretch of the creek. It’s an easy float, and if visitors don’t want to do a lot of paddling, they can just sit back and enjoy the ride. “We have lots of kids doing it,” Thomas said, “and people take their dogs all the time. A lot of people go fishing, and they all seem to catch a lot.”
The scenery along the creek is breathtaking
The watershed is home to 50 species of fish and eight species of mussels, according to The Friends of Big Canoe Creek, which was founded in 2008 to protect and preserve the creek and its tributaries. The 246-mile watershed, which runs from northeast Jefferson County, flows through northern St. Clair County, eventually joins the Coosa River in southwest Etowah County. It is also a great place for bird watching. Owls, egrets and eagles are among the species that have been spotted.
The Shaffers’ animals are a big draw, as well, and children particularly love the goats and rabbits, Thomas said. There are picnic tables onsite, so visitors can pack a lunch and plan to stay for a while. “Everyone seems to really enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a fun way to spend time together, and it’s super relaxing.”
Big Canoe Creek Kayaking is open Friday through Sunday, although groups can be accommodated during the week. They open at 8:30 a.m. and the last kayaks go in the water at 3:30. Rentals are $40 for a single kayak and $50 for a double, and the cost includes paddles and life jackets. Visitors are shuttled to the drop-off point and picked up nearly four miles down the creek. The trip typically takes two to three hours, and paddlers with their own kayaks can have their boats shuttled for $20.
In addition, there are five campsites – each with a grill, picnic table and fire ring. The cost is $25 for the first tent and $10 for each additional tent. The campground is open 7 days a week.
For more information about Big Canoe Creek Kayaking, located at 6545 Alabama Highway 23 in Springville, call (205) 452-9553 or find them on Facebook at Big Canoe Creek Kayaking.
A sweeping driveway and parking lot lead one up to Rocky Zion Missionary Baptist Church’s brick sanctuary on 16th Street South in Pell City overlooking The Legacy Center and a community of interconnecting streets.
Before integration of schools, today’s Legacy Center was the location of the St. Clair County Training School, serving Black students locally as well as those from Moody, Margaret, and Ragland.
Today, no one knows how the name “Rocky Zion” was chosen, although one can speculate. In the Old Testament, “Zion” was another name for Jerusalem, the City of God. In the Christian era, Zion referred to the New Jerusalem, Heaven.
Historic church with rock foundation
The old hymn, Marching to Zion, speaks of “marching upward to Heaven, the beautiful City of God. But how does “Rocky” come in? There does not seem to be a definitive answer but considering that the church was organized by freed slaves during the last year of Reconstruction in Alabama and scarcely 11 years after The Emancipation Proclamation was signed freeing some slaves, it could refer to the difficulties slaves and freed slaves faced in worshiping together. Those were hard years, and the roadway to declared freedom was rocky.
The name of the first pastor is unrecorded, but three of the early pastors were Rev. Dave Forman, Rev. Chester Beavers and Rev. Markus.
From oral history passed down and put into writing, the church was organized in Cook Springs in 1874. At this writing, no record has been located to indicate where in Cook Spring the church met. Older people there remember that both races attended Cook Springs Baptist during the first half of the 20th Century. One of Esta McLaughlin’s sons recalled his mother’s comment when integration came, “We’ve gone to church together all our lives, what’s the problem?”
From Cook Springs, the church moved to the Whitesville-Harrisburg area. Samford University’s Davis Library has copies of the Rushing Springs Baptist Association minutes which list Rocky Zion as located in Eden in 1892, for Eden was the post office location.
The church is listed in the 1893 and 1894 minutes as well. Membership with an association has been inconsistent over the years, according to Deacon Terry Young. Therefore, historical data is rather sporadic. This Whitesville-Harrisburg building burned on an undocumented date. It is believed Rev. Conner pastored the congregation.
A third move
This tragedy resulted in the church being moved to a third location, 16th Street South, Pell City. A Mrs. Pryor and perhaps other Whitesville citizens would walk from their homes across town to the new location. During the construction, the church met for worship at First Baptist South and for Sunday School in the home of Rev. M.C. McCoy.
Written information regarding the church in Harrisburg has not been found. However, tombstones have been discovered near the church site. Some of the names that remain visible on the markers show the surnames, Willingham, Bradford, Shelton, Johnson, Murphy, Ware, Allen, Simmons and Foreman, who were possible ancestors of some members whose names are on the present church roll.
An old photograph shows this building’s foundation and basement being constructed of local rough fieldstone, perhaps in honor of the name “Rocky.” Traditionally, the stone was collected in a wagon with a loose board in the center. When the loaded wagon came up to the building site, men worked the loose board out and the rock fell to the ground. This type construction was used throughout the South in the early 20th Century.
We can perhaps establish that this third sanctuary was completed prior to 1917 because of a Birmingham News article, dateline “Pell City, Ala., June 2, [1917].” The article reports that the rally that the Pell City Black community held “…at Rocky Zion Baptist Church was a success Friday night. It was called by the Rev. A. J. Davis of the Baptist Church and supported by the Rev. L. J. Shelton, pastor of the Methodist Church. Both made addresses urging patriotic action and pledging the support in the prosecution of the war.” The United States entered World War I on April 4, 1917.
Throughout the years
When the wooden building was finished, Rocky Zion called Rev. Thomas to be the pastor. He served the church for approximately one year. After Rev. Thomas, the church called Rev. A.H. Lee, and under his 16 years of leadership, the membership increased, and the church flourished in the community.
Following Rev. Lee’s 16 years, Rev. Oscar Henry served approximately two years. However, the next pastor, Rev. S. L. Woods, served the church for 20 years. He shepherded his flock faithfully, and they responded to his leadership accordingly. The church’s brief written history states under Rev. Woods’ tenure, “The Church underwent major renovations. The membership greatly increased during this time. Members and friends enjoyed worship services on the first and third Sundays of the month.
Another brief, written history records that “Deacon Charles Crowe, Deacon Emmitt Brand, Deacon Johnnie Coleman, Deacon Roosevelt Shealey, Deacon Amos Avos and Deacon Joe Carter were ordained during Rev. Woods’ 20 years pastoring Rocky Zion Baptist Church.”
Those who remember Rev. Wood speak of him with great affection. “Rev. Woods baptized me, and he was the only pastor that I knew for years,” Peggy F. Threatt recalled. “We had an outside baptizing pool that was in the ground, and you walked down into the pool. It was made of cement blocks and painted blue.
Verhonda Embry, Peggy’s sister, added, “We all grew up under Rev. Woods – everybody 60 and older grew up under his ministry. He was from Ragland and had a big family.”
Floyd Waites was mentored by Rev. Woods who encouraged him in his piano playing. For Floyd, playing “by ear” came naturally. He would hear a tune on the radio, go to the piano and play it. Gradually, he became proficient and accompanied Rocky Zion’s Children’s Choir. “Rev. Woods,” Floyd recollected, “liked for the Junior Choir to go with him when he preached at other churches. And I would go to play for them when they sang. Rev. Wood was an inspiring minister.”
After graduating from the St. Clair County Training School, Waites moved to New York City and became an established pianist in the churches of the city. In one church there, he met gospel singer Marie Knight, who admired his piano style and hired him as her accompanist. Floyd traveled with her to Spain and other European countries, accompanying her in concert.
“However,” Floyd confessed, “my heart was always in Pell City and Rocky Zion.” When he retired from working in the education system of New York, Floyd returned to Pell City, where he and his wife had built a home for retirement. Floyd is still known for his beautiful singing voice as well as his artistry on the piano. Today, he ministers at Coosa Valley Baptist Church in Vincent and has no interest in retiring from music.
Church, school, community
During the years prior to integration, Rocky Zion had close connections with the St. Clair Training School, for church and school were community in those days. “The church stands as a beacon of light in the community,” Peggy said. “Due to overcrowding at the St. Clair County Training School, the church provided space for some classrooms during the late 1950s and the mid-1960s.”
“The St. Clair County Training School held the third grade class in the basement of our church,” Deacon Terry Young recalled. “I went to school here. My teacher was Miss Ida Wantana Baker. I never will forget her name!”
A school P.T.A. meeting was not just a school event, it was a community event with spiritual emphasis, as reported in The St. Clair News-Aegis of April 29, 1954. “The P.T.A. observed its 27th Anniversary Sunday, April 25, 1954, at the Rocky Zion Baptist Church. Rev. A. Clark, pastor of St. Peter’s Primitive Baptist Church, Bessemer, Alabama, delivered the message. A huge crowd attended. The P.T.A. and Principal are proud and grateful for the wonderful aid and co-operation the patrons have given the P.T.A.”
Mrs. Lillie B. Curry, pianist, was remembered in Rocky Zion’s 1988 Memory Booklet for their 114th anniversary: “From the early 1930s until the late 1950s, she studied and worked untiringly with the chorus (choir). When she needed assistance, she would have Prof. Banks, her instructor, come and work with the choir at her expense.”
The music program at the Training School contributed to Rocky Zion’s choir ministry. Professor Walter Kennedy is remembered as having trained a host of singers during his tenure as principal of the school. Sisters Peggy and Verhonda both recalled the fine choir of the Training School and Professor’s influence on students – especially students from the Waites family and the Moseley family. “Choir Day was a big event at Rocky Zion,” Embry added. “We had a youth choir, a male chorus, and then we had the combined choir.”
Rev. Woods enjoyed leading the singing during each summer’s Vacation Bible School week. Each church would have it a different week so that children and youth could attend all if they wished. Peggy and Verhonda especially remember his leading them in We are climbing Jacob’s ladder, and how he would gesture climbing higher and higher. “He had a very pleasant voice. Rev. Wood and his family had a special place in our hearts.”
Mrs. Mary Frances Embry, Mrs. Ora Mae Allen, Mrs. Rose Crowe and Mr. Charles Crowe were Sunday school teachers. Mr. Dave Allen was superintendent. Mrs. Crowe and Mrs. Embry instructed the Baptist Training Union. Mrs. Embry was director of the Youth Department for many years.
Peggy and Verhonda almost spoke in unison as they recalled that at her home, Mrs. Embry would have the youth over for homemade ice cream and hot dogs. “She lived right next door to the church,” said Verhonda.
Aiming for perfect attendance
As to Sunday school and church attendance, the sisters had no choice. They got up each Sunday morning, dressed in their church dresses and attended. Both sisters enjoy recalling those mornings. “We lived about three blocks from the church,” Peggy reminisced. “We had our little path up to Rocky Zion for Sunday school and church service. We had a lot of young people back then. We don’t have very many now.”
Verhonda, who was the baby of the family, added, “We knew that we had to get up and go to church and Sunday school. I tell people that on Sunday evening, we had Baptist Training Union, and I preferred being down at the park with my friends. And my Mama would ride to the park with one of our neighbors, because Mama didn’t drive, and I had to leave my friends and come to the church on Sunday evenings for BTU. It was just a part of life. We had to do it. We had no choice. But now, they let the kids make the choice.”
Deacon Young lamented the absence of youth in church today. “You know, the difference between now and then? Our parents didn’t ask us, ‘Are you going to church today?’ You knew the day was Sunday, and you knew to get up and start getting ready to go to church. My daddy got killed on his job when I was 7. My mama raised nine of us, and I was the baby of the nine, but she made sure that I had a way to Sunday school and church and BTU. She saw that I attended just about every function that went on in church. But things really changed over the years. Today, the youth are down at the park on Sunday.”
Revival Time
Summers brought revivals to Baptist churches throughout the South from the late 19th Century until about the 1970s. During revival week at Rocky Zion, there would be both morning and evening services. Recalling those days, Verhonda commented, “During the revivals, each day someone fed the pastors, and they came to your house and had dinner before revival. And so, Mother and others fed the pastors during revival.”
Peggy joined in, “You know, back in the day, I’ve often heard that when the pastors would go around to have a meal, the children couldn’t eat until the pastors ate.” She chuckled before adding, “Not at our house. Mother, Lizzie Forman, always made sure we ate first.”
Sunday preaching at Rocky Zion for many, many years was first and third Sundays of the month, for a pastor usually ministered to two congregations. On the second and fourth Sundays, Rocky Zion members would attend services at First Baptist South. The church moved to meet for worship every Sunday during the pastorate of Rev. Johnnie Whetstone, who came as pastor after Rev. Woods. For some it was difficult to adjust to that, for the fellowship between First Baptist South and Rocky Zion had existed for so long that, understandably, it left a void in some members’ lives.
When Rev. James Adams was called as pastor, he ordained as deacons, Terry Young, Harry McCoy and James Truss Sr.
During a powerful storm on March 11, 1973, lightning struck the wooden sanctuary and severely damaged it. The church members worked together to repair the building and make it usable again. During the repairs, the congregation met for worship services at the Jacob Chapel C.M.E. church on Sunday afternoons.
In June 1996, the church called Rev. John E. Herd as pastor. Under his leadership, the church flourished. Choir membership increased, and worship services were enhanced by a praise team. The pastor reactivated Wednesday night prayer meeting and Bible study, organized New Year’s Eve Watch Night services, established Easter Sunrise services, and instituted programs for Black History Month so members could learn of their history. Rev. Herd ordained Deacon Ken Sheelton.
A new sanctuary
From the 2001 Church Dedication Booklet, we learn that Rev. Herd “…had a vision from the Lord,” and he “approached the congregation with the idea of building not just a fellowship hall but a church with a fellowship hall. The body agreed,” and a brick sanctuary was constructed.
In an article announcing the new sanctuary, The St. Clair Times of Sept. 13, 2001, Gary Hanner reported that to bring the wooden structure up to code would have cost more than to build a new church. He quoted Deacon Wayne Johnson, who said of the new sanctuary, “It is something that will stimulate their (the members’) spiritual growth and is something they can be proud of for years to come. … Having the new facility will be an asset to the community.”
The dedication of the new sanctuary occurred on Sept. 23, 2001, and was a gala occasion. The congregation met outside the church for responsive readings. Then the contractor presented the keys of the new building to Deacon Young, who presented them to Deacon Truss. Rev. Herd and Deacon Young cut the ribbon, and Deacon Johnson opened the doors to the sanctuary. Someone rang the old church bell, and the congregation entered the church to the processional hymn, “Alleluia.” Rev. Herd prayed the consecration prayer, and the afternoon was filled with a joyful worship/dedicatory service in the new building.
After Rev. Herd, Rev. Woodrow Johnson came as pastor, and the church continued to flourish. Rev. William O. Robinson was called as pastor after Rev. Johnson. Rev. Robinson ordained Deacon Willie J. Forman. Deacon Stanley Nobles moved back home to Pell City and rejoined Rocky Zion.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which required churches to have online services, had a lasting effect after it subsided. Rocky Zion’s Sunday attendance is low, for many still watch online, and the choir is now a praise team. “It’s only four members,” observed Young, “but they sound like a choir.”
Another milestone
In 2024, the church will observe its 150th anniversary, and with COVID causing the interruptions it did in community and church, memories have focused more on the past than on recent memories. However, throughout church history, the pendulum has swung toward “good years and lean years” of attendance, and church members hope for increased attendance in days to come.
Rev. William O. Robinson, pastor, shepherds his flock in the present and looks to the future. “I am now in my 10th year serving as pastor of Rocky Zion MBC,” he noted, “and I can honestly say it has been challenging – mainly because it’s my first pastorate. Yet through all of the tests and trials, I can truly say that I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy preaching, teaching, singing and serving in any other capacity the Lord has required and equipped me to do.”
For uncertain times in which we live, this positive attitude is a must for any pastor. Rev. Robinson observes, “I have seen spiritual growth but also recognize there’s much growth needed. I have learned as much because from my members, as I hope they have learned because of me. Being afforded the opportunity to grow together according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit is what I believe makes us more than a group of people that go to a church building. For we are truly “a family for Christ” that is dedicated to displaying the pure love, faith and obedience He has called us to do as the body of Christ.”
Rev. Robinson ascribes to the challenge of Matthew 28:19-20 to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
“Our mission is to be a Christ-centered family environment that effectively brings others into the household of faith through corporate worship and also evangelism and outreach.”
Empowerment for future
As pastor of the church, he sees his duty in preaching and teaching as building solid believers who are equipped for ministry in both church and community. From his heart, he comments, “We believe in the spiritual development and growth of the body of Christ through love, humility, unity and prayer which comes through salvation through Christ and an ever-growing relationship with Christ. I call it ‘Empowering People for Kingdom Building.’”
Ms. Posey, oldest member of Rocky Zion
The COVID-19 pandemic brought great changes to churches because of “sheltering in place” and not meeting together for worship along with absence of choirs and congregational singing. Rev. Robinson reflected, “Even though we have been challenged to serve and minister within our community and church in a variety of ways due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are yet excited about the movement of God at Rocky Zion MBC.” And he asks that community and church pray “… that the Lord will look upon any and all threats designed to hinder Rocky Zion’s laboring for the kingdom of God. That He will continue to grant us all boldness to speak His Word, stretching out His hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done though the name of Jesus Christ.”
Rocky Zion Missionary Baptist Church has served God and community for 149 years and sits on the hill above school and community as a lighthouse of hope. Peggy F. Threatt observed that “Rocky Zion Baptist Church is definitely a foundation of faith,” and that faith gives the church’s members comfort and peace.
And as the old Isaac Watts’ hymn proclaims, may Rocky Zion MBC continue progressing and singing for another hundred years.
“We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion,
We’re marching upward to Zion,
the beautiful City of God.”
Mrs. Rosey Posey, Rocky Zion’s most senior member at age 97, would give a witness to that with a resounding, “Amen!”
