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The Looney House

Efforts begin to save one of St. Clair’s most storied structures

Story by Robert Debter
Submitted Photos

The story of the Looney Family, among the first settlers in St. Clair County and one of the oldest in state of Alabama, begins over 200 years ago on the high, east bank of Tensaw Lake, which had been from an old channel of the Alabama River at a place named Fort Mims.

Remaining structure after the fire, below

The fort began as the fortified plantation of early settler Samuel Mims and consisted of 17 buildings, a blockhouse and a log palisade.

Following the victory of the Red Stick Creeks at the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek on July 27, 1813, over 500 settlers from the surrounding area sought refuge at the fortified home. Maj. Daniel Beasley and 70 volunteers of the Mississippi Territorial Militia were sent to garrison the fort, while another 100 volunteers were sent to other nearby posts and forts.

At noon, on Aug. 30, Red Stick warriors, led by William Weatherford, or “Red Eagle,” assaulted the haven by rushing though the fort’s open gate and firing through the gun ports. Maj. Beasley and his militiamen fell during the first part of the enemy’s attack.

It fell to Capt. Dixon Bailey, a Creek, and his force of Americans and Creeks who repelled the hostiles for four hours. The battle ended when the fort’s buildings were set ablaze. The casualties numbered from 300 to over 400, mostly women and children.

Gov. Willie Blount (pronounced “Wylie”) of Tennessee was quick to react and the state legislature authorized him to summon 5,000 troops to defend the Mississippi Territory. Major General of the Tennessee Militia, Andrew Jackson, who was recovering from a near fatal brawl in Nashville, was given command of the volunteer forces.

On Oct. 7, with his arm in a sling, Jackson and his second in command, Gen. John Coffee, departed Camp Blount in Fayetteville. They made their way south and later erected Fort Strother along the Coosa River in present day Ragland.

The Creek War came to a close following the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on March 27, 1814, and many familiar names of places in Alabama came about as result of this often-forgotten war, such as: Moulton and Somerville and the counties of Blount, Coffee, Jackson, Lauderdale, Montgomery and Wilcox.

St. Clair beginnings

Among the brave Tennessee volunteers were John Looney and his son Henry, of Maury County. During the war, they had come through this land, helped construct Fort Strother, and fell in love with the beautiful country that surrounded them during the campaign.

In the aftermath, father and son returned to Maury County and in 1816, John began selling his land. In late 1817, he, his wife Rebecca, and their children left Maury County, bound for the land described by Julia Tutwiler, as “Goodlier than the land that Moses climbed lone Nebo’s mount to see.”

Trusting in the Lord with their hearts and leaning not on their own understandings, the John Looney Family settled in Beaver Valley in 1818, and the site they chose was near a sparkling spring, not far from Little Beaver Creek. They soon began work on their house and were finished by the winter.

The new spring brought with it swarms of mosquitoes, illness from fever and chills and a flooded home. A new home place was found nearby, and the house was moved to higher ground where it has stood ever since.

John Looney became a prominent leader in the young St. Clair County, serving as a justice of the peace and foreman of the first jury. After his death in 1827, Henry became head of the family and married Jane Ash, the daughter of Ashville’s namesake John Ash, on Oct. 25, 1838. Henry departed this life in 1876 at the age of 78 and was interred at Liberty Cemetery in Odenville. Jane moved to Texas around 1888 to live with her son George and died there in 1900, aged 85. She was laid to rest in City Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford, Texas.

Henry’s siblings were Jack (married to Lucinda Cooper), Asa (Joyce Cooper), Absolom (Nancy Chenault), Sophia (John Cooper), Elizabeth (Wylie Yarbrough), Isaac (Elizabeth Hammond), Wylie (Laurinda Little) and Melinda (Hugh Cooper).

The Looney House, with all its history and dovetailed, heart of pine logs, was sold in the late 1800s by D.W. Looney to John and Eliza Lonnergan. It remained in the Lonnergan Family until it came into the possession of Col. and Mrs. Joseph R. Creitz.

The house, once the perfect picture of pioneer architecture and Southern resolve, was now without a roof, missing many of its window panes and overgrown with honeysuckle. In March 1972, the couple offered the house to the county or any historical organization that would vow to restore the property.

Historical Society steps in to save structure

On April 8, 19 people attended the founding meeting of the St. Clair Historical Society at the Odenville Community Center. On Sept. 15, the house and property were given to the St. Clair Historical Society for $10 and by the end of the society’s first year, its membership measured over 500.

Mrs. Mattie Lou (Teague) Crow valiantly led from the front and organized the restoration of the home. A cedar shake roof was installed, window panes were replaced, and the grounds were cleared, with much appreciation being extended to the Ashville Garden Club and the John Pope Eden Career Technical Center.

The front porch was restored by Jack Bowling of Rainbow City for the cost of around $2,600 and it was said, “It’s as near to the original as we could build it,” as a great deal of research was conducted to determine how the first porch looked.

The rock steps, quarried out of Beaver Mountain and hand hewn, date back to the 1860s and were donated from the old Cox house in Beaver Valley. Wild roses and four o’clocks were planted. For the inside of the house, Miss Nan Young made the rugs and Miss Nellie Patterson made the briar-stitched curtains.

Furnishings and decorations were donated from treasures found in the homes of many St. Clair Countians: Karl Scott donated a pegged rope bed; Ann Riser gave a lovely chest of drawers which opens into a desk; Elizabeth Teague donated a period rocker; and the Rankin Family gave a beautiful wardrobe.

Howard Hill gifted a set of candle molds, which belonged to his grandfather, and his wife, Elizabeth, the great-granddaughter of county pioneers Littleton Yarbrough and Reuben Phillips, donated a reel, for arranging thread, from her great-grandfather Reuben Phillips’ plantation and a butter mold used by her mother, Sallie (Phillips) Hodges.

The first of the St. Clair Historical Society’s Annual Fall Festivals took place over the weekend of Nov. 23 and 24, 1974, and the grand opening of the museum was attended by a crowd of over 2,000. The ribbon cutting was officiated by Dr. James McClendon, the father of Sen. Jim McClendon, and music was provided by the Springville and St. Clair County High School bands.

The Looney House was soon added to National Register of Historic Places and on Feb. 15, 1975, a certificate, signed by Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace, recognizing this achievement was presented to the St. Clair Historical Society.

In 2018, descendants of John and Rebecca Looney came together from all over Alabama, as well as Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Utah in a homecoming celebration as part of the St. Clair County Bicentennial.

Until a tragic fire destroyed it on Aug. 6, 2022, it was considered one of the oldest-standing, two-story, dogtrot houses in the state of Alabama.

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Stitching memories

Tracy Rybka turns old clothes into heirloom quilts

Story by Elaine Hobson Miller
Photos by Richard Rybka

You might call Tracey Rybka a “memory preservationist.” She turns old shirts, used quilts, scruffy housecoats and fabric scraps into quilts that preserve memories of the people who wore or used those original items. She calls them T-shirt and memory quilts. Her customers call them wonderful.

“My dad always wore overalls,” says Vicki Buckner of Springville, a happy Tracey’s Stitches & Designs client. “When he passed away in 2020, I took his overalls to Tracey, and she made miniature overalls for 20 teddy bears. I gave those bears to my nieces and nephews – his grandchildren – for Christmas that year, and they loved them. All of them are in their 20s and 30s, and they say they bring back lots of memories of their grandfather. Tracey did a wonderful job.”

Jacket made from ‘scrappy quilt’ with pieces that would have ended up in landfill

Tracey has been sewing since she was a child. Her first project was a skirt for 4-H Club, and her first quilt was for her own granddaughter. “My mother sewed and quilted, and she has quilts all over the world,” Tracey says. “Almost 10 years ago, my daughter went through some fertility issues. After five years, she and her husband gave up, then she got pregnant. I wanted to do something special to honor my mom and my new granddaughter, so I made a baby quilt. I was hooked.”

Between them, she and her husband, Richard, have five children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Tracey has made quilts for all but a couple of those descendants. “I watched YouTube and read quilt magazines,” she says. “I still do. I probably have 50 magazines.” She keeps several projects going at the same time and estimates she has made 50-60 quilts in the past 10 years. “The majority have been memory quilts and T-shirt quilts,” she says.

Her sewing room in her Springville home contains boxes of fleece, rolls and bags of batting, plastic see-through bins of zippers, threads and fabric scraps. Three clothes racks are draped with WIPs (works in progress), including quilts and some finished Christmas stockings. Several fabric animals watch from atop the bins, awaiting their final touches. She makes dogs, bears and bunnies from the same basic pattern, changing the length of their ears for the various species.

Often doing her hand work in a chair draped with the first adult quilt she made, she has a 10-foot long-arm machine nearby for the quilting process. Originally, she quilted on her mother’s long-arm, a 1950 Singer A1 built for use in a sweatshop. “I used it my first four to five years, but it got hard to find parts for it,” she says. “So, I bought another used one.” She in fact has two working long-arms – her mom’s being disassembled and packed away.

She works from home Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., teaches sewing classes for all ages on Wednesdays at Sewing Machine Mart in Springville, then heads to Mentone with Richard, a photographer. They stay through Sundays, working from her shop from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tracey opened the shop Aug. 1 and teaches classes there on Saturdays. She and Richard hope to buy land and move to Mentone someday. For now, they have a camper on leased land.

“We fell in love with Mentone 20 years ago,” she says. “It has a touristy, creative atmosphere.” Her shop is in a 115-year-old school building, formerly Moon Lake Elementary School, that has been turned into Moon Lake Village. Rooms are rented to artisans such as Tracey. “We have the fourth-grade classroom,” she says.

In her Springville classes she has taught 9- and 10-year-old Girl Scouts from Trussville, and her eight-year-old granddaughter is getting private lessons at Tracey’s home. “Mine are one-day classes lasting two to five hours each, and the students walk away with a finished project, such as 2-by-2-foot scrappy quilts, pillow cases and zipper bags,” Tracey says. “I usually furnish them a kit with all the materials they’ll need.”

While she orders most of her fabric online because of quality issues, choices, and the ease of getting it – not to mention wholesale pricing – some of her best work has been from scraps. “I save everything,” she says. “I make scrappy-fabric wall hangings from old sheets and pillowcases, stained shirts and torn jeans.”

An example of a “landscape quilt” hangs on a wall of her shop. Another WIP, it is a farm scene with a red truck, ducks, a barn and a house. She cuts wavy strips of fabric for the mountains in the background and the fields in the forefront. “I sold one last year with a swing made of fabric and jute that actually moved,” she says.

She encourages her students to use whatever materials they have on hand. “A quilt backing can be an old sheet, or you can make a quilt reversible with scraps on both sides,” she explains. “Then you just have to buy the batting. Actually, you don’t really need batting if the fabric is thick enough.” Although she pieces her quilts together on a sewing machine, she has no issues with those who prefer to do it by hand. “I’m not the quilting police,” she tells her students.

Dubbing her scrap-method “up-cycling,” she took a king-size quilt with holes and stains, cut all of that out, and made baby quilts, lap quilts, diaper bags and pillows. “That carried on the memories of that quilt,” she says. She has made jackets and vests from old quilts, too. “So, you don’t have enough tees or whatever to make a quilt? Add fabric,” she teaches.

Her T-shirt quilts are made primarily from kids’ tees and sports tees. The memory quilts are made from shirts, gowns and housecoats, overalls, blue jeans, baby clothes and just about any other type of clothing. “I’m working on T-shirt quilt now with a little boy’s leather vest in it,” she says. “The vest is a tiny thing. The boy is now in college, and his mom is having it done as a Christmas gift.”

She also makes cork wallets and purses. “I learned about cork on YouTube,” she says. “Thecork is grown in Portugal, where cork oak trees are stripped, and the best bark is used for wine stoppers. The remainder is graded for other uses.”

According to an online article on cork fabric, the outer section of the tree bark is harvested with axes, not machines, then peeled back to reveal the cork layer. The cork is laid out to dry for six months, then boiled in water, flattened and molded into whatever material it’s going to be. “It’s pressed and then pressed again but with fabric the second time, to make cork fabric,” Tracey explains. Stripping the bark does not hurt the trees, and the bark grows back. It can be harvested every 9 to 12 years, causing no harm to the tree, so it’s eco-friendly.

“You can’t sew with cork on a domestic or household sewing machine, though,” Tracey says. “I use an industrial-grade machine. I buy patterns off YouTube. My bread-and-butter is the T-shirt and memory quilts, but my fun is making purses and wallets.”

Denise Key believes she was one of the first people to hire Tracey to make memory quilts. Her husband’s parents had died, and hers were already passed away. While going through each parent’s belongings, she came across some old quilts made from clothes that were, in turn, made from flour sacks, and quilts made from old children’s dresses. “I had quilts made for our children and grandchildren,” Denise says.

There were some items too worn for Tracey to do anything large with, but she made them into small throws and pillows. “My nieces got a baby bag and all kinds of cool things from them,” Denise says. “Tracey probably made a dozen or so things for each side of my family. She would put a new backing on or whatever was needed to preserve it.”

Rhonda Reece commissioned Tracey to make six lap quilts and several pillows from her dad’s shirts. She gave those to her children and grandchildren, then had a tote made for her Bible, a hobo purse and doggy-doo bags to carry doggy bags when she walks her four-legged friend. “The doggy-doo bags are so cute,” Rhonda says. “She does wonderful work. And she’ll sit down and explain how she’s gonna make it or will custom make it the way you want it.”

It’s these kinds of comments and the emotions evoked by her work that give Tracey so much satisfaction.

“One of the first memory quilts I made was finishing one started by a woman whose dad had passed away,” she says. “It was made from his shirts. Her mom had dementia. The day the woman picked up the quilt, her mom was with her, and didn’t know who she was or where she was. But when her daughter put the quilt in her mom’s lap and asked, ‘Do you know what this is?’ the elderly woman looked at it and said, ‘I think this is your dad’s shirt.’ The daughter and I cried alligator tears.”

Editor’s Note: You can find Tracey’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/TBRdesigns.

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Rotary Club of Pell City

Where leaders meet

Giving, serving guide Pell City Rotary Club

Two years of a pandemic certainly changed the way Pell City Rotarians have operated, but their actions have never wavered from their guiding principle, “Service Above Self.”

As daily routines return more and more to normalcy, Rotarians have emerged with renewed vigor – a new determination – to do even more for their community. A synergy is taking hold as a new generation of leaders are stepping up to build on the legacy of making its community a better place.

“I joined Rotary when I attended Smiths Station High School after learning about what Rotary did for our community,” said Casey Cambron, one of Pell City Rotary’s newer members. “We stayed active in our town, visiting veterans’ homes for Christmas, area cleanups and other various community volunteer activities. As an adult, I still believe in volunteering in our community and found that Rotary was active in my area, and I wanted to give back to my community.”

And give back, he has. In addition to volunteering for a number of causes around the city, he has been involved in Rotary’s Father Daughter Dance. “I have helped with the Father Daughter Dance and seen many young girls spending time with their fathers. Seeing them dance together, spending quality time is an amazing experience.”

Rotary at Work: J.P. Dailey and Don Smith help out on on a playground project.

One of the local club’s most anticipated events of the year in the community, it wasn’t held in 2021 because of the pandemic, but resourceful Rotarians found a way around it. They created colorfully decorated boxes filled with treats and ideas for special activities for fathers and daughters to share quality time together. Within a week more than 100 boxes had been given away.

In 2022, the dance was back – bigger and better than ever.

“I have had the chance to be involved in multiple fundraising and service projects, but one of the most rewarding has been the Father Daughter Dance,” said Rotarian Matthew Pope. “To see those fathers all dressed up and the sheer joy on the girls’ faces is so awesome.

“As fathers, we have a duty and obligation to show our daughters how they deserve to be treated,” he said. “Hopefully, we are doing that daily, but this gives a specific event where we can be intentional about loving them and ‘modeling’ what their future relationships should look like.”

Rotarians Meg Clements, a lawyer and mother of two, and Blair Goodgame, tourism coordinator for St. Clair County, make the evening a perfect picture by creating an almost magical atmosphere for fathers and daughters with a themed event that follows through with elaborate decorations and attention to every detail. The memories last a lifetime.

The two also team up on a tennis tournament Rotary holds each year around Halloween, and it’s nothing short of being ‘spooktacular.’ One of the club’s major fundraisers, the community comes together around this tournament – participating, sponsoring, cheering – and it offers an opportunity for competition in a variety of categories.

The club’s oldest fundraiser, chaired by longtime Rotarian Joe Paul Abbott, is the Pell City Rotary Charity Golf Tournament Ray Cox Memorial, another communitywide event that draws golfers from near and far to compete in this impressive display of community spirit.

“The golf tournament brings so many people together for a good cause,” said Abbott. “From the sponsors to the volunteers to the golfers, themselves, it’s a fun-filled day, and the bonus is that the money raised goes right back into the community.”

“When I was in high school, the phrase ‘Service Above Self’ was a quote from Rotary,” Cambron said. “That phrase has stuck with me my entire life. I truly believe that helping your community builds a better community.”

Why Rotary?

“Ihave met many great people with our Rotary Club,” Cambron added. “I have been given opportunities outside of Rotary to volunteer with other organizations that are directly connected to Rotarians.”

When Pope joined, he recalled, “I wanted to be part of an organization that focuses on the community and gives me opportunities to serve the community I live in. I also love the networking and social aspects of Rotary. I have made some lifelong friends and have developed relationships that have helped me learn and grow in my personal and professional life.”

Rotary, he added, is “100 percent focused on the community. As a service organization, our conversations constantly center around ways we can improve, support and strengthen our community and community partners. We help support other nonprofits with monetary donations and service projects. We also fund two scholarships each year for a local high school senior” that can be renewed throughout their college experience.

Lunch, learn, network

Weekly meetings of the Rotary Club are more than just a meal. “Our lunch meetings allow me to network weekly with leaders in our community,” Pope said. “We also have fantastic speakers and programs where we have the opportunity to hear inspiring stories, learn about local businesses and organizations and receive updates about things and events going on in our area.”

The benefits are many, members say. Rotary is an investment, but the return is so much greater. “To be able to point to dozens of Rotary-supported worthwhile causes – people and organizations doing great things for our city – to see our city grow, makes me proud,” said Serge Brazzolotto, the club’s president-elect.

“I joined Rotary several years ago only because of its service to community pledge. I spend as much time as I can serving the club needs and fundraising. I came from another country and have been here for many years, and Pell City and its citizens have been good to me. I have been retired for 10 years and since then, I have tried to give my time to help those in need and serve the community and to give back. Rotary was a perfect fit.”

He noted the pride in seeing Rotary’s hand in the Christian Love Pantry, Education Foundation, Community Clinic and a host of others benefitting and flourishing “because of our support,” he said. “In turn, we must thank the community. Because they give us a service that we all need, so it is our duty to give back to them and support them.”

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Robert L. Curl

D-Day vet remembers that day, many more, at age 97

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Richard Rybka

Robert L. Curl was just a boy, like so many others, when he enlisted in the Navy. It was the summer of 1943, just a day after graduating from Minor High School in Adamsville. He had to take his dad with him to sign his enlistment papers because he was only 17. “My dad told me he wished he could go with me,” remembers Curl. “He was the best man I’ve ever known.”

The next three and a half years would take him all over the world as a member of the special amphibious unit, “Scouts and Raiders.” A precursor to the modern-day SEAL teams, these special forces were expected to identify landing beaches for troops during World War II and to lead forces to those landing zones.

Veteran Robert Curl shows a V-mail he sent to his sweetheart during World War II.

Curl was a radarman aboard a Landing Cruise Control (LLC) headed to Normandy leading up to D-Day. It was his job on LCC-10 to find Omaha Beach and lead the first two waves of soldiers ashore. “That morning I was scared to death,” he recalls, “But I told myself I’m going to do my best. They had me wear an impregnable suit with a special armband that would change color to let us know if the Germans were using poison gas.”

They had already practiced the invasion during a top-secret mission called Operation Tiger, performed less than two months before. To prepare the Allied Forces as much as possible, this full-scale rehearsal for D-Day took place on the south coast of England. “It’s a good thing we did it,” said Curl. “There was a problem with what they called the Mae West lifejacket. During Operation Tiger, these were new, and the soldiers didn’t wear them right. So many people died in the waters because of that. They learned from it and taught people how to use them right.”

At 97 years old, Curl is sharp as a tack and recalls stories with vivid detail. Despite the wartime and personal tragedy he has experienced, he is one of the most positive and genuinely happy people you could ever meet.

He spent more than 70 years with the love of his life, whom he met just before the war. When he talks about his Nell (Spring) Curl, his face beams.

He met her the first Sunday after his Methodist minister father moved them to a new town. “When we got to church that day, I saw the most beautiful girl in the world doing the devotion,” Curl tells. “I leaned over to the guy next to me and told him I was going to marry that girl.”

He had to wait until the end of the war, but in 1946, he married his sweetheart. He shows me a piece of Victory Mail (V-Mail) that he sent to her during Operation Tiger dated “April 1944 – from somewhere in England.” Though she passed away in 2015, he still talks to her every evening before bed.

Curl still drives and often goes on road trips with his two sons, Rick and David. He tells of his first car, long since traded. “Ever heard of a Crosley,” he asks. “I had a ’46 Crosley and it had a whopping 46-horsepower engine the size of a carton of cigarettes,” he adds, laughing.

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Home of the brave

Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home a model for the country to follow

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Richard Rybka

As the country honors its veterans this Veterans Day, Pell City is celebrating the 10^th anniversary of its innovative Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home. This year’s celebration includes a party with special guests, along with a road trip to participate in the 75^th Birmingham Veterans Day Parade.

Twelve years ago, construction began on a state-of-the-art facility for veterans on 26 acres of land in Pell City donated by the St. Clair County Economic Development Council. After two years of construction, the $50-million home opened its doors. Named for Col. Robert L. Howard, a highly decorated United States Army Special Forces officer from Opelika, it was one of a handful like it across the nation.

What’s different about Pell City’s veterans home is both the design and management. It was built using the “Green House Model,” a design concept that features residential houses built in small neighborhood-style configurations. This contrasts the more typical multi-bed, multi-hall, single-building style of nursing home.

In the case of the Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home, the 240,000-square-foot facility has three neighborhoods, each with three 14-bedroom houses. The houses also have their owncommon spaces, including living rooms, dining rooms, staffed kitchens and porches. A single roof connects all three neighborhoods, so residents and staff do not have to go out in the weather to get from one place to another.

Gone, too, are the bustling nurses’ stations. Instead, smaller “home offices” contain the computers and information nursing staff need to assist the residents of a particular house. Specialized nursing equipment is tucked neatly away in storage rooms.

The structures are designed to feel like single-family homes, with services in the neighborhood like you might find in a typical town. Residents can go to the main building, called the “Town Center,” for services including dining options; physical, occupational or speech therapy; and even a haircut. Residents can use the onsite medical director as their family doctor, while still going off property to see specialists.

An unexpected benefit of the smaller-home style of skilled nursing care became evident at the onset of the pandemic. “Having private rooms and smaller units definitely helped keep COVID from spreading,” said director Hiliary Hardwick.

The Green House Model advantage is not just about facilities, though. The staff offer residents choices in most aspects of the daily schedule. Whether the choice is what time to get up, what to eat, or when to eat, the choices at Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home honor the veteran’s dignity and quality of life.

Over the past decade, delegations from several different states have come to town to see how this model facility works. Most recently, the veterans home hosted groups from Mississippi, Idaho and Oklahoma looking to experience the real-life application of the Green House Model prior to planning for their own veterans homes.

The Pell City veteran residents are happy to have been among the first in the country to take advantage of the new style of home.“I want to thank the people of Pell City and all of Alabama for building this place,” says WWII veteran Robert Curl. Showing the day’s menu choices, he adds, “Look at what we get to eat! I tell everyone I live in a country club. It’s a really great place.”

Talladega native and veteran Kenneth Scoggins agrees. He moved in just four months after it opened and has served as president of the residents’ council for the last seven years. “It’s great, very clean and none of those smells you smell at other places,” he says. “I told someone (when I moved in) that I must have died and gone to nursing home heaven. We do things all the time, even go to ball games and out to eat.”

“We do have a lot to do around here,” agrees Hardwick. “There are always activities offered. We have Bible studies, pet therapy visits, musical guests, and special speakers. James Spann, author and weatherman from ABC 33/40, was recently here with us.”

The facility does have a waiting list of nine months to a year, but Hardwick encourages anyone who qualifies to fill out an application. Qualifications include having served a minimum of 90 days of active duty, with at least one of those days having been during a period of war; having been honorably discharged and having been evaluated for medical needs.

Hardwick was a nurse at Trinity Hospital before leaving to help open the Pell City veterans facility. It’s a move she is very happy to have made. Her enthusiasm for her work is evident when she talks about the residents she spends time with each day. “I love being here where I get to interact with and help people who lived and breathed the history I’ve only read about in history books,” she says.

The 254 residents look forward to all holidays, Hardwick says, but none as much as they do Christmas. “At Christmas time, it looks like you’ve gone to Gatlinburg, we have so many trees decorated,” she explains. “We have an angel tree that we do for the veterans. People can take an angel off the tree and buy a couple of things a veteran wanted. Then at their Christmas party, they have gifts to open.”

Hardwick encourages anyone to get in touch with her if you would like to participate in the angel tree, help with the home’s benevolence fund or even donate bingo prizes. They also have in-person volunteer opportunities for those who might like to spend some time visiting a veteran.

Editor’s Note: To apply to the Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home, contact them at www.va.alabama.gov. For volunteer opportunities, contact Hiliary Hardwick at 205-338-6487.

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Hiking St. Clair

Sport finds new home in Pell City

Story by Scottie Vickery
Submitted and archive Photos

When the day-to-day demands begin to get overwhelming, Urainah Glidewell knows it’s time for a little outdoor therapy. That’s when she laces up her hiking boots and heads for the woods in search of the road – or trail – less traveled and the joy she finds out in nature.

“Hiking is one of my favorite things to do,” she said. “Getting away from technology and the stresses of life is very peaceful and calming. It really helps to clear your mind. We focus on the things around us, and when the things around us are calming, you feel more calm within.”

Glidewell doesn’t have to go far to find the peace she craves. St. Clair County, nestled at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, has an ever-growing list of beautiful options for getting away from it all. And fall, with its cooler temps and breathtaking colors, is the perfect time to plan an escape.

It’s one of Josh Reyes’ favorite times to head to one of his preferred places, Horse Pens 40, an historic park at the top of Chandler Mountain in Steele featuring ancient rock formations. Although Reyes, an avid boulderer, goes for the climbing, he usually can’t resist heading to the end of the trail that overlooks the valley. “It makes for some gorgeous sunsets,” he said. “It’s a beautiful view you don’t have to work hard to get to.”

Enjoying the beauty that St. Clair County has to offer is the main draw for Glidewell. “For me, it’s being out in nature, enjoying the flora and fauna and seeing If I can spot any animals,” she said. “I’m not as focused on how many steps I’ve taken. Pretty soon, I’ve hiked five miles, and it doesn’t feel like it. Five miles on a treadmill feels a lot different.”

Regardless of whether you have time for just a quick trek or a full day to explore, finding a change of scenery and mindset is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other. So, when you’re ready to hit the trails, here are some places to start:

Camp Sumatanga

Sumatanga Camp and Conference Center, founded as a United Methodist camping ministry in Gallant, offers a one-mile Mountain Trail that ends at Creel Chapel at the top of Chandler Mountain. There is also the paved Rosenau Lake Trail that begins at Pool Camp, the historic center of the facility that includes eight original cabins and winds around Lake Sumatanga.

The trails are open to the public from August to May but are reserved for campers during June and July, according to Camp Sumatanga’s Leslie McClendon. Visitors are asked to check in at the lodge, where trail maps are available, so the staff can know who is on the property. Dogs must be leashed, and no one is allowed on the trails at night.

“Sumatanga” is the Himalayan word for a place of rest and vision, and that’s exactly what hikers can expect to find. Although considered a more moderate hike, the Mountain Trail is the most popular because of the beautiful view from the chapel. “It’s just you, nature and God,” McClendon said. “We always say that if you can’t find God at Sumatanga, you can’t find God.”

For information and directions, visit www.sumatanga.org.

Double Cove Park

Part of The Preserves, Alabama Power’s public-use properties, Double Cove Park was previously known as Logan Martin Dam Park. The day-use park, open from daylight to dusk, features a beach and swimming area, two fishing piers, grills, picnic tables, restrooms, and pavilions, as well as a view of Logan Martin dam. The park also boasts a playground and several trails ranging from just over a mile to just under two miles. Although leashed dogs are allowed on the trails, they are not allowed at the park.

“This, for me, is a hidden gem,” Glidewell said. “They have some absolutely beautiful trails going back through the woods with some wonderful benches and gazebos tucked away.”

Alabama Power offers more than 70 public-use properties around 12 reservoirs on the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black Warrior rivers. Some are boat launches or picnic spots while others, like Double Cove, have a number of amenities.

“We have some wonderful recreation sites, and they’re all free for everyone’s use,” said Josh Yerby, a team leader for Alabama Power’s Shoreline Recreation.

For more information and directions, visit www.apcpreserves.com.

Horse Pens 40

Horse Pens 40, with what Reyes calls its “corridors of beautifully sculpted sandstone formations,” is well known and respected in climbing circles and is one of three sites in the Triple Crown Bouldering Series.

“We have a lot more people from out of state than in-state come visit,” said Ashley Ensign, a member of the Schultz family that operates the park. “We have people who come out and stay for an hour or come and stay all day. There’s lots to explore.”

The park is home to 60 rare, threatened, protected or endangered species, and Ensign said it’s like an undeveloped Rock City. “There’s no concrete pathway, nothing is paved,” she said. Instead, the trails wind around the ancient boulder field, ending at the overlook that Reyes and others have come to love. “It’s a beautiful place with absolutely beautiful trails and a lot of history,” Glidewell said.

Billed by the family as “the South’s best kept secret,” Horse Pens 40 was occupied by Native Americans, including the Creeks and Cherokees. “The first humans to see the mountain would have considered it a huge fortress that could provide them protection, shelter, food and water throughout the year,” according to the website.

The boulders form a natural corral, and “it’s called Horse Pens 40 because the Native Americans chased wild horses and herded them up so they could break them and tame them,” said Reyes. He lives in Jacksonville but has become something of an expert about the park he’s been visiting for 20 years, usually two or three times a month. “It reminds us that we weren’t the first ones here.”

In addition to trails and boulders, the park, open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., offers primitive camping, RV hookups, eight cabins, picnic areas and a playground. No dogs are allowed in the park, and the day use fee is $10 per person. Children under 10 are admitted free.

For information and directions, visit www.hp40com.

Lakeside Park

If you want proof that getting away from it all doesn’t mean you have to go far, look no further than Lakeside Park in Pell City. Next to the Civic Center on Stemley Bridge Road, the park is built on 65 acres and is a beautiful oasis bordering Logan Martin Lake.

“If you have a quick 15 or 30 minutes and want a nice place to get out and experience some beautiful nature and get some exercise, it’s a great place to do it,” Glidewell said. “If people are just starting out it’s an easy trial. The walking track goes along the lake and there’s a trail through the woods as well.”

The Native Plant Walking Trail, a project of the Pell City Garden Club that spans two acres, is only one draw of the park, where many people go to spend the day.

Along the way, discover Wetlands Boardwalk Project, an effort by Logan Martin Lake Protection Association to preserve Logan Martin’s wetlands area and to raise awareness about the critical role wetlands plays in the environment and to educate youths on its importance.

A hand-built, 70-foot walkway guides you into the natural wetlands, and a 40-by-12-foot observation platform allows you to take in the scenery and sounds of nature. Signs from the platform identify the plants seen from the boardwalk and observation deck.

But the walking trail doesn’t end there, it also winds around the park, which features a beach and swimming area, boat launch, restrooms, picnic tables, pavilions, fishing piers and an amphitheater available for rent, and a newly rebuilt Kids Kastle playground that is a hit with kids of all ages. During the summer months, the Splash Pad is a popular destination.

The park is open from 6:30 a.m. to sunset. Dogs are allowed but must be on leashes. For more information, visit www.pell-city.com/lakeside-park.

Ten Islands

Another of The Preserves’ offerings, Ten Island Historic Park in Ragland, has a long and storied past. Some speculate that the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, crossed the river at this point in the 1540s, according to Alabama Power’s website for the Preserves.

The indigenous Creek first named the site of this park “Oti Palin,” which means Ten Islands, after a series of small islands along the Coosa River, the majority of which no longer exists. The Creeks settled on the largest island, Wood Island, which was later used when Neely Henry Dam was constructed.

Today, the park, which is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is part of the Alabama Birding Trails, is considered one of the best public spots for bird watching. Ten Islands offers a boat launch, beach and swimming area, restrooms, multiple picnic pavilions and tables, two fishing piers and gazebos. And although the trails, which total nearly two miles, have long been a big draw, the opportunity to travel through the woods has been opened up to even more people.

“We’ve cut another trail into the woods with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant slopes,” Yerby said of the project that was scheduled to be in September. “It runs alongside the other trail and connects them at certain points, so it will add about another ¾ of a mile.”

The new trail will give those who use wheelchairs “the experience of being in a truly wooded area on a nature trail,” he said. “We have projects like this going on all over the state.”

Dogs on leashes are allowed on the trails, but not in the park area. For information and directions, visit www.apcpreserves.com.

Coming Soon

Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve, a 422-acre Forever Wild property, will soon offer even more options for hiking in St. Clair County. The groundbreaking for the project was held in March, and plans call for a series of trails that will eventually cross the preserve.

For more information, visit springvilleparksandrec.com or bigcanoecreekpreserve.org.

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