It was 1863, and America was imploding, ravaged by the effects of the Civil War. Brother met brother in battle, homes were burned and cities destroyed.
In Bennington County, Vermont, 46-year-old Jane A. Stickle channeled her energy, creativity and wartime grief into creating what is now one of the most famous quilts in the world. She stitched into one corner of her masterpiece the simple, yet haunting words – “In War Time 1863.”
Stickle’s quilt, now called the “Dear Jane” quilt, is a sampler, meaning that each of the squares is unique. Unlike most sampler quilts which typically use blocks created by different quilters, Stickle created each of the elements herself. She created most of the patterns for the blocks herself, utilizing established patterns for less than a third of her quilt. She also did not repeat a patterned fabric in any of the blocks.
The Dear Jane quilt has been housed in the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont, for nearly seven decades. To protect the integrity of the fragile fabrics, the quilt is only displayed for one month each year, with thousands of quilters making the pilgrimage from as far away as Europe and Australia to view the piece.
County historian Joe Whitten talks history of quilts in special presentation
Rhonda Humphries has not yet been to see Stickle’s Dear Jane quilt but has spent thousands of hours on her own replica. Humphries, a member of the Friendship Quilters Guild of St. Clair County, was encouraged in the project by other guild members and her friend and mentor, Brenda Franklin.
Undaunted by the 5,602 individual pieces it takes to make the project, Humphries worked for two and a half years until the 169 five-inch blocks, 52 triangles, and four corner kites came together in her own finished masterpiece.
Humphries used Civil War era reproduction fabric and followed patterns created by Brenda Manges Papadakis, who viewed Jane’s original quilt in the museum in 1992 and meticulously traced each piece.
Papadakis so admired Stickle’s work that she was inspired to write a book published four years later called The Two Hundred Twenty-Five Patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle Quilt, which included the patterns quilters could use to reproduce the quilt. Many quilters are inspired by the Dear Jane Quilt, and many bring their finished pieces when they make the trip to the Bennington Museum to view the original.
Like the Dear Jane Quilt, Humphries’ quilt is hand-pieced and hand-stitched, an effort that took incredible patience, perseverance and precision. “The most difficult part,” says Humphries, “was one block with a star inside. It’s made up of 30 pieces and, by itself, took three days to complete.” She has been quilting for eight years and has made 40-50 quilts but hadn’t done many quilts at the time she took on this challenge.
“Most people who start this quilt do not finish. It’s pretty involved,” admits Humphries. The blue ribbon and people’s choice awards from her recent entry in a quilt show pinned to the top say the effort has been well appreciated.
Humphries’ quilt was on display recently in a special exhibit at the Museum of Pell City, along with dozens of other quilts made by members of the Friendship Quilters Guild. Looking at each quilt is like looking at fine art in a gallery. Each quilt tells a story, whether one of whimsey or of more important historical matters.
Naomi Kircus is the creator of The Underground Railroad quilt. Its blocks relate the story of the freedom seekers during abolition. Created with Civil War replica fabric, the quilt is made up of 16 blocks, each a reproduction of one that would hang in the windows of safe houses. “When the slaves were running for their freedom, people would have safe places for them to stay,” explained Kircus. “They would display quilts [in the windows] where each of the squares was a message they were communicating to those they were helping.”
The personal narratives and messages communicated through quilting continue to be a source of pride and precious history for families and communities today. Quilts are handed down from generation to generation, becoming treasured heirlooms.
The Friendship Quilters Guild occasionally offers classes in quilting for those wanting to learn the skills and process. The guild has been together for more than 25 years and meets on the second Saturday of each month at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Pell City.
Rhonda Humphries and her Dear Jane Quilt
Organizer of the quilt exhibit and guild member Deb Cearley adds that the group has a passion for service. They make covers for cancer ports, fidget quilts, hospital bedrail bags and full-size quilts that they donate to area hospitals, cancer centers and hospice groups.
“Service is the main thing we do,” said Cearley. “I came to a program here for Veterans and saw many of them come in with their blankets on their laps in their wheelchairs, and that just inspired us to make more.” They also provide placemats for Meals on Wheels and pet beds for Pell City’s animal shelter.
Florence Kerr, one of the oldest standing members of the organization, adds one more benefit to quilting, beyond its artistic and storytelling value. “Quilting is therapy,” she says. “It’s therapy because you have to be in a quiet place and really focus on the process.”
Perhaps the process really is the heart of the matter for the quilt’s creator, though it is the product that inspires the rest of us.
Story by Paul South Photos by Mackenzie Free Submitted Photos
At James and Margie Sanford’s winery, nature’s bounty is on full display. While seven varieties of native bronze and black Alabama muscadines ripen on the vine as they ready in the rich soil for future harvests, eagles soar overhead.
Red foxes prowl the 21-acre property, where the breathtaking scenery, like a perpetual postcard, changes daily.
So, the name of their vineyard fits – Bella Vista Winery – Italian for “beautiful view.”
During the holiday season, indeed all year long, Bella Vista is open to serve an array of wines and to host celebrations of every kind, from small weddings and events to everyday visitors who want to raise a glass at one of St. Clair County’s most breathtaking spots.
As a way to realize return on investment until they were ready and approved by the state for the winery, the idea for an event space took root. A pavilion was built in early 2024.
Customers enjoy the atmosphere
“We knew (the winery) was a little bit down the road (timewise), so we invested our time and money into building this nice, covered pavilion,” she said.
So far, Bella Vista has hosted several weddings, with more on the calendar in the future. To be clear, the business markets itself as a winery that can also host small events – micro-weddings, baby showers, birthdays and the like.
“If it can be done with 50 people max, (the winery) is a good fit for that,” Margie said. “In the pavilion, we can handle 80 people or more. But if it’s rainy on the day of your event, we have to have a backup space to bring it inside and be comfortable.”
She added, “We’re not going to advertise ourselves as a venue going forward. We’re going to advertise as a winery with space for small events.”
For Margie, who spent more than 20 years as an event planner in the Birmingham area, and James, who worked in sales, the winery is a dream come true.
“Margie and I enjoy traveling, and we enjoy going to wineries,” James said. “(Opening a winery) is something we’ve talked about for a long time. It’s something we decided to dive into with both feet.”
In their winery wanderings, they learned lessons they now apply at Bella Vista. The laid-back vineyard vibe is different from the volume-driven restaurant business.
“One of the things that we found when we were going to all these wineries was a synergy in the kind of people that come to these places,” Margie said. “And it’s people who are looking for a place to meet their friends and get away and enjoy an afternoon and not feel like they are having a meal and being rushed away so the table can be flipped for somebody else.”
Charcuterie board a hit
Here, “we want people to come hang out with their friends,” she added. “We encourage people to bring a board game or something that they enjoy doing.”
The Sanfords are candid: This is not a kid-friendly place. “It’s a place for adults to come chill out, have a glass of wine and get things off their minds for a little while,” James said.
The Sanfords have obtained a license to sell wines obtained through distributors. Bella Vista sells wine from Georgia’s Chateau Elan Winery & Resort and from Childress Vineyards, a Lexington, N.C., winery owned by famed NASCAR team owner Richard Childress. But Bella Vista’s inventory also has a global perspective, carrying wines from all over the world.
Bella Vista Winery has an eye on the future. “We named it a winery for marketing purposes, with the hopes to have a local producer/distributor that could sell us wine made with our own fruit under a private Bella Vista Winery label.”
Along with the Muscadines, the winery property is home to peach, pear and apple trees that are still maturing, awaiting harvest time a year or two down the road.
The Sanfords are also considering planting other varieties of grapes.
While wine, fruit and fauna are the stars of the picturesque property, vineyards are a human endeavor. What have the Sanfords learned about themselves? It seems they are perfectly paired, like a nice cabernet with gruyere cheese. Thirty-three years of marriage and 40 years together can build that kind of pairing. You could call it a classic vintage. They met in high school.
“I’ve learned that my wife is the backbone of this whole thing. As far as dealing with the bureaucracy and the paperwork and that kind of thing, she is the backbone,” James said. “She studies and makes sure all the I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed.”
Margie agrees. But also trumpets her husband’s building skills. The pavilion is his handiwork.
“I’m the business end. But James has been in construction. He has the ability to take something that’s not working and figure out a workaround,” Margie said. “We’re very much doers ourselves, and I’ve always thought he can do anything. If I can dream it, he can do it.”
She added, “We’ve learned that where one doesn’t necessarily have a strength, the other can kind of lift up. We balance each other.”
The vineyard regularly hosts “Sip, Paint, & Repeat” nights that have been a big hit. The nights can involve painting on wine glasses or other media with the help of local artists.
Toasting another fun experience
The vineyard, in cooperation with the St. Clair County Health Department, serves flatbread pizzas and charcuterie. The winery is also open for small groups and businesses to host holiday celebrations. A photographer was onsite in late November for Santa pictures or Christmas family portraits.
As winter closes in, the low-maintenance native Muscadines bide their time. They seem to pair perfectly with Bella Vista’s chilled out atmosphere that Margie and James Sanford have created, perfect for small events and gatherings, all enjoying great wine.
“We’re not a party place,” Margie said. “It’s just more laid back.”d someone would come in and not love it the way we do and tear it down,” Tami said. “It doesn’t need to be torn down; it needs to be loved.”
Home of Broadway actress, Springville teacher being restored with ‘love’
Story by Scottie Vickery Photos by Mackenzie Free
After leaving a career on Broadway during the Great Depression, Margaret Byers took center stage in the hearts of Springville residents. She was a little person – not much bigger than the first-graders she taught for decades – but she made a tremendous impact on everyone she met.
That’s a big part of the reason why Nancy Tucker and her daughter, Tami Spires, have taken such care while renovating the home where “Miss Margaret,” as she was affectionately known, lived most of her life. “We just felt like we needed to honor her,” Tami said.
Tami and Nancy take a break on Miss Margaret’s porch swing
The home, which Miss Margaret’s parents built in 1891, has some unique features, including doorknobs that are much lower than typical to accommodate their daughter’s small stature. “She just quit growing as a child,” Tami said. “No one really knows why.”
One of Nancy’s favorite features of the home, which boasts 14-foot ceilings, is an old phone nook that’s built into a wall and is only about 2 feet off the ground. “She had a little chair that sat next to it,” Nancy said. “It’s such a unique house, and we’re so happy to have it.”
Neither of the women was in the market for a new home when Nancy first saw the “For Sale” sign while walking with a friend one morning last summer. In fact, they both live right down the street from the Byers home, with Nancy’s house directly behind Tami’s.
Still, Nancy had a feeling she just couldn’t shake. “When I saw it that morning, I thought, ‘That’s going to be ours,’” she said. “I wanted it the minute I found out it was for sale, before I even went in it.”
Nancy immediately called Tami, who contacted the real estate agent and scheduled a tour. A few hours after the walk-through, Nancy had a contract on the yellow house that stands directly across the street from Springville Middle School.
“We walked across the threshold, and she said, ‘I’m buying it,’” Tami said. Nancy wanted it so badly, in fact, that she didn’t even get an inspection on the house before signing the papers.
“I bought it like it was a loaf of bread,” Nancy said with a laugh. “I didn’t even think about the structure of the house or anything like that. I just loved it.”
Fortunately, they’ve since learned that, despite being more than 130 years old, the house is in pretty good condition. “There was no mold, no leaks, nothing wrong with the foundation,” Tami said. “We got lucky.”
They replaced the knob and tube wiring that is common in historic homes and can pose safety concerns, as well as some rotten porch boards. They covered up the fireplace in the dining room, one of four that were in the original house, and had the chimney removed because it was in bad shape. They also had new kitchen cabinets, which were not original to the home, and new countertops installed.
Everything else has been done by the mother/daughter duo. “Mom and I have singlehandedly done 95 percent of everything inside the house that’s been done,” Tami said. “Every weekend, we’re either here working on the house or shopping for things to furnish it. The shopping is more fun.”
While they love the history of old houses – Tami’s home was built in 1885, and Nancy’s was built in 1926 – they are especially intrigued with this one just because it belonged to Miss Margaret.
She was a beloved first-grade teacher for decades, and Nancy, Tami and Tami’s daughter, Rebekah Wester, are all teachers, as well.
Nancy taught Business at Springville High School for 26 years before retiring in 2000. A former English teacher at Moody Middle School, Tami is currently the counselor at Springville Elementary School. And Rebekah, who will live in the home once renovations are complete, teaches English at Ragland High School.
“We kind of feel a kinship with Miss Margaret because she was a teacher, and we are three generations of teachers,” Tami said. A member of the Springville Preservation Society, she leads walking tours of Springville for the fourth-grade students each year and for the public each spring. “This has always been my favorite house to talk about,” she said. “I love telling everyone about Miss Margaret.”
Small stature, tremendous impact
As a young woman, Miss Margaret dreamed of a career on the stage. Born into one of Springville’s pioneer families, she went to Huntingdon College in Montgomery after graduating from high school. A singer and dancer, she also attended an arts school in Chicago, according to an article on the “Tiny Teacher” that appeared in The Birmingham News in 1953.
Margaret Byers teaching reading
She moved to New York as a young woman and appeared in several Broadway productions in the late 1920s and early 1930s. “We’ve always been told she was a munchkin in the Broadway production of The Wizard of Oz, but we have not confirmed that to be true,” Tami said.
She did, however, play children’s roles in several productions. According to Broadway databases and other sources, she was cast in Merry-Go-Round, which played in 1927 at the Klaw Theatre, and in Her Unborn Child, which played in 1928 at the 48th Street Theatre. In 1929, 1930 and 1931, she played Bo-Peep in Babes in Toyland at the Imperial Theatre. She also was in a traveling theater troupe at some point, according to The Birmingham News article.
“She got to play a lot of the children’s roles on Broadway,” Tami said. Child labor laws were strictly enforced at the time, and at one theater, child welfare officials came after the director because they thought she was working too late at night. “She had to show them her ID to prove she was a grown woman,” Tami said.
A few years into the Depression, Miss Margaret returned home to Springville. “She was told to find another career because people just weren’t going to the theater anymore,” Tami explained.
Miss Margaret enrolled at Jacksonville State University and earned an education degree. She started teaching first grade at the Old Rock School, now an historic landmark. “If you got Miss Margaret, you were somebody,” said Nancy, whose son, Jamey, was in her last first-grade class. “I was so excited when I heard she would be his teacher. I thought I would absolutely die if he didn’t get Miss Margaret.”
Sandra Jones, a Springville native who now lives in Pell City, was another one of the lucky students. In 1994, she wrote a column about her former teacher for the St. Clair News Aegis and included a memory of the first time she met the woman who “was practically a living legend in Springville.”
“Margaret Byers wasn’t much taller than I – even in her tiny high-heeled shoes,” she wrote. “I studied the pert, pixieish woman as she darted about, smiling and chatting. Her face reflected warmth and there was a pleasant lilt in her voice. As I watched her, my fears suddenly melted away. In an instant, I came under the spell of ‘Miss Margaret’ – a spell that still lingers even after all these years.”
Even though she left the stage, Miss Margaret still loved to perform. She had an upright piano in her classroom and would often sing songs for her students. “She knew all the latest tunes: ‘Sugartime,’ ‘Catch a Falling Star,’ and ‘Mr. Sandman’ – and we sang them all,” Sandra wrote.
One of her fondest memories is of the day Miss Margaret let Sandra wear her shoes. “I had a pair of those play high heeled shoes that I had carried to school for Show and Tell. She traded shoes with me and let me wear her tiny high heels all day,” Sandra said. “They fit perfectly.”
Although she was well-prepared for second-grade, Sandra said the life lessons she learned from Miss Margaret were as important as the curriculum.
“Though she was small in stature, she was big on life; a buoyant bundle of boundless energy,” she wrote in her column. “And though she taught me ‘reading, writing, and arithmetic,’ I think the most valuable lesson I learned from her was the importance of blending work and play. She taught me that life is held in balance with the right portion of each.”
It needs to be loved
Those are the kinds of stories Nancy and Tami love hearing now that they’ve bought the house, which has had several owners since Miss Margaret passed away in 1987. Since taking possession of the house on Aug. 1, they’ve spent all their free time renovating it together.
“We have probably spent more time together in the past few months than we have in the last year, and she lives right next door,” Tami said with a laugh. “We’re not afraid to tackle anything. We’ll try anything once, and we’ve learned a lot.”
Margaret Byers with her class in front of old rock school in Springville
They’ve painted every room in the house, which was no small feat with the tall ceilings. “I was here by myself one day on top of a ladder, and I thought, ‘That’s kind of stupid, being 88 and being up on top of a 14-foot ladder,” Nancy said. “We decided after that neither of us would get on a ladder unless someone else was here,” Tami added.
They hung new wallpaper in the bathroom, which still has the original cast iron tub. When they pulled off the previous owner’s, some of the sheetrock came with it, so they decided to paint over the wallpaper hanging in the living room. “It’s not professionally done at all, but everything we’ve done has been done with love,” Tami said.
She replaced the kitchen backsplash, and she and Nancy have spent countless days painstakingly scraping linoleum off the kitchen floor and trying to save the hardwood floors in that room. When they needed a break, Tami set up her sewing machine in the sitting room and made all the curtains, which are 108 inches in length.
Through the years, previous owners made some changes to the house. The kitchen was originally located in the back of the house, with an attached butler’s pantry. A maid’s room was just across the back porch. Now, the kitchen is in the center of the home, and the back room has been turned into a bedroom. Tami and Nancy hope to eventually turn the pantry into a second full bath.
“The layout is not ideal for modern living, but it is what it is,” Tami said. “That’s kind of the charm.”
Now that the inside is nearing completion, the focus will soon turn to the outside. They want to clear the brush off the side lot and restore the yard to its former glory. They also plan to paint the outside of the house, and Nancy has decided that’s a job for someone else.
“We talked about doing it ourselves and just taking a section at a time,” Tami said. Nancy wasn’t convinced. “She talked about it, not me,” she said with a grin. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, and you have to wait on one thing to finish another. We don’t want to get new gutters until we paint the house, and we don’t want to paint the house until we get some of these limbs cut.”
Once the renovations are finally complete, Nancy and Tami want to host an Open House for all of Miss Margaret’s former students. “Ever since we bought the house, people have been sharing so many wonderful stories about her, and we want to get everyone together and get those stories written down,” Tami said.
“Miss Margaret was loved by the whole community,” Nancy added. “She was loved by the other teachers, she was loved by the students, she was just loved by everyone.”
And that’s why they feel honored to be the next caretakers of the house that shaped the little woman with the big heart. “We were so afraid someone would come in and not love it the way we do and tear it down,” Tami said. “It doesn’t need to be torn down; it needs to be loved.”
It has become an annual tradition at Museum of Pell City each November as it seeks to honor, preserve and promote its military history in Salute to Veterans Nov. 7.
Now in its third year, the museum is redesigning and expanding its military exhibit space, increasing its focus on more modern-day wars and conflicts and adding an impressive interactive display – a fighter jet simulator. It will open Nov. 7, kicking off with a special reception at 10 a.m. in the banquet room of the Municipal Complex below the museum.
Existing military displays getting redesign
Headlining the event will be St. Clair County District Attorney Lyle Harmon, a veteran helicopter pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Much of our exhibit space to this point has been on earlier wars – World War I and II, Korean and Vietnam,” said President Carol Pappas. “What we wanted to do is provide a more comprehensive picture of our military history – bringing in more photographs and artifacts from the Persian Gulf War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We have so many veterans from those conflicts in our community, and we wanted a way to preserve and share their stories.”
One of the centerpieces of the new exhibit will be photos and artifacts from the estate of Admiral Dennis Brooks, who served as Commander of the Joint Forces in the Persian Gulf. His long and storied career includes a visit aboard his ship from then President Ronald Reagan. His flight jacket as a fighter jet pilot in earlier days is on display among many other artifacts.
“We’ll have oral histories from his son, Mark Brooks, who also served as a fighter jet pilot and rose to the rank of …, who relates his father’s stories of achievement, sacrifice and the principles that guided him. We have other veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, who share their own story, all of which will be presented in our own documentary,” Pappas said.
Challenge coin memento given to veterans at inaugural salute
“An examination of this era must also include the painful transition of coming home, and we will feature on film the story of a mother whose son took his own life, an all too familiar account, and her fight to help other veterans.”
Excitement is building as museum designer Jeremy Gossett and pilot consultant Donnie Todd put together the fighter jet simulator exhibit. “I won’t spoil the unveiling, but I can promise that it will be an attraction for all ages,” Pappas said.
This project could not have been possible without community support. “In an effort led by our treasurer, Zachary Gentile, and Museum Coordinator Erica Grieve, we were able to raise nearly $7,000 to bring this plan to fruition. We thank donors Glenda Harris, Paula Hereford, Inpac, St. Clair County Airport Authority, Dream Home Inspections, David Smith, Alan and Sandra Furr and Donnie and Ellen Todd. They stepped forward in a big way to make this project happen.”
As is the museum’s custom, a reception honoring all veterans with a keynote talk by Harmon will be held at 11 a.m., followed by the exhibit opening, tour and film showings.
“We invite everyone to this special tribute,” Pappas said. “It is truly a community event, and we are honored to present it.”
If you should travel a St. Clair County backroad some afternoon and arrive at Willie Mae “Snookie” Beavers’ home for a visit, she might respond to a question by saying, “Now, back in them days …”
If she does, sit up and listen, for she has lived almost a century of Pell City history. She will converse with you in her Southern dialect that is as soft and melodious as Mahalia Jackson singing, “Precious Lord Take My Hand.”
Both Pell City and St. Clair County need to know what she can tell us about how it used to be with farming, gardening, killing hogs, preserving vegetables and fruits, playing the church piano and sewing old-timey quilts. She is one-of-a-kind, as all treasures are.
Born Jan. 9, 1927, to James and Bessie Moore Turner, Willie Mae was the first of the 10 Turner children. The family farmed Turner land in the Coosa Valley, south of Seddon, and she began working in the fields as soon as she was big enough to work.
“We farmed, raising cotton and corn and sugar cane. My parents worked in the fields, and I worked right there beside them,” Willie Mae says matter-of-factly. “I think I worked harder than any of the others cause I was the first one. And I didn’t just work in our fields, I worked in other folk fields, too. If they needed somebody, I went. Whatever was in the field, I was in there, and I did it. What the plow couldn’t do, we did with a hoe,” she laughed. “And after I got married, I still went to other folk fields and worked. Back in them days, that’s the way I had to make my money.”
Willie Mae married William Beavers on June 18, 1948, and they were parents to six children: Shirley, Connie, Wilma, William (BeBop) Jr., Bennie and Rodrick. All seven are still living. As the babies arrived and grew up, Willie Mae continued “working in fields” until she took a job with Pell City Cleaners.
She started working at the cleaners before she was 62 years old, but doesn’t remember the exact date. She started drawing her Social Security at age 62 but didn’t retire until she was 96. When asked why she retired, she laughed and said that one of her daughters told her she was too old to keep working, that she needed to retire. Willie Mae told her, “Well, the bossman said I was doing the work …. But she told me that if I didn’t come out, she’s gonna tell ‘em to fire me, and I believed she would’ve, so I come out.”
Her hardy laugh showed she was enjoying telling this. “I don’t know if he’d a-fired me or not, if she would-a told him to.”
Other than a brief time as a teenager washing dishes at the St. Clair County Training School, the Pell City Cleaners job was the only work she did other than farm work.
Gathered produce had to be preserved for the winter months. Willie Mae helped her mother can vegetables as they came in. As to fruit, they canned peaches for they were too juicy to dry, but they dried apples by the peck. “That’s where I learned how to can,” Willie Mae recalled. “I did what my mama done, I just couldn’t do it as good as she did.” What cucumbers they didn’t eat they pickled. She spoke of smokehouse pickles as quite delicious.
When the sorghum cane was mature, it was time to make syrup. Her dad set up the syrup mill and the boiling pan. Willie Mae and sisters stripped the cane and cut it in pieces ready to be fed to the mill as the mule walked round and round turning the mill, squeezing the juice from the cane into buckets. Poured into a boiling pan, the juice cooked down to syrup. “We poured the syrup in cans,” Willie Mae recalled, “and we ate biscuits and syrup.” She didn’t say it, but that was some good eating.
Willie Mae’s Trip Around the World quilt in a local collector’s home
When asked about wild game for food, she said, “We loved rabbit and squirrel. That was good eating.” She paused, then laughing, said, “And possum. Mama did all the cooking, and everything she made was good.” Obviously enjoying remembering, she continued, “She made good dressing, good cakes, good custard, good biscuits.”
When hog killing weather came, Willie Mae learned from her mama about sausage, souse meat, and chitlins.
They used some less desirable cuts of pork to grind up for sausage, adding pepper and sage to the mixture. Willie Mae’s dad had a smokehouse where they hung the sausage, but the other cuts of meat they salted down in a wooden saltbox.
Asked about old-timey head cheese or souse meat, Willie Mae smiled, “I always made the souse meat. Made it out-a the head, and out-a the feet, and out-a the ears. We had a big pot, and I’d put it all in a pot and boil it till it got done, I’d pick all the bones out of it, and start mashing up the meat with my hands. Then I’d grind that all up with the sausage grinder. And that’s when I’d put different spices in it.” They formed the meat into a loaf shape to let it set until it was firm. Some call souse meat the original deli meat, for it makes delicious sandwiches.
Nothing about the hog went to waste, not even the intestines. They cut them into short pieces and washed them over and over until they were clean. “We’d get as much fat off as we could,” Willie Mae said. “We cooked ’em in a boiler for several hours with salt and pepper. Some folks fry ’em, but we didn’t, we just boiled ours till they got done. To me, that was some good eating.”
Willie Mae’s baby photo
Today chitlins are regarded as solely a Black culture soul food, but Rev. Larry Adams of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Springville can attest that chitlins are served in restaurants in France. Rev. Adams was on a teaching mission trip in Paris with Pastor Chipley Thornton and Pastor David DuPre from Springville First Baptist Church. For lunch one day, the three went to a Paris restaurant. Unable to read French, Pastor DuPre pointed to a picture and ordered it. When their meals were served, Rev. Adams looked at his friend and said, “You’re eating chitlins.” His friend said, “No.” Rev. Adams said, “I know chitlins, and you’re eating chitlins.” Sure enough, when they translated the menu offering it was chitterlings, or in Alabama, chitlins.
What Willie Mae learned growing up, she continues today, which includes growing vegetables. “Folks need to raise stuff,” she vows decisively. “If they don’t, they not gonna have anything to eat. The stores ain’t gonna have it. If you don’t raise it, you ain’t gonna have nothing to eat.”
She now gardens with baby brother, Larry Turner, and their garden is weed and grass free. When asked what they grew, she laughed, “We grow everything that can be raised – turnip greens, mustard, onions, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and all such stuff as that. Anything that can be raised. We always had a good garden. Larry had a jam-up garden. Me and him been raising a garden.” She paused, then said, “They say I’m lazy, but I just done got old.”
She may have slowed down, but “lazy” is not a word that fits Willie Mae Beavers. No lazy person on God’s green earth sews quilt tops and quilts them by hand. Willie Mae does, and her quilts are treasured by family, friends and folks she’s never met. A commendation from the Alabama House of Representatives read by Representative Hall on May 16, 2017, records that “…her magnificent quilts are displayed in homes across the United States,” and that “…many have received one of her famous quilts in celebration of a significant life milestone.”
Willie Mae’s love of quilts perhaps started with her grandmother, Henrietta Turner, whose house was a short walk through the woods from Willie Mae’s. “We walked over there to her house every day. She never acted like she got tired of us. She was a good grandmama.” And her love of quilts may have started with her grandmama, for she recently reminisced, “I used to enjoy looking at her quilts. She used to have these frames that you hang up in the house from the ceiling, and you had to hang ’em by their four corners. She hung it up and let it down to quilt on it. She used what she had to make ‘em: old clothes, pants and things.” Then, laughing, she said, “You know what, I went to the library the other day and saw these cotton carders, and I said, “Oh, my mama had some of these.” Carders were used to separate cotton from the seeds so the cotton could be used as the inner batting (padding) for the quilt.
Willie Mae enjoys talking about quilts. “I treasure quilts, but young folks …” she paused and shook her head, leaving the “don’t” unsaid, then continued on a happier note. “Mama always quilted. She made pretty quilts. My quilting’s not as pretty as hers.” She used cloth flour sacks, feed sacks and fertilizer sacks, when she began learning to quilt.
Bought fabric in quilts was unheard of among rural folk in the 1930s and ‘40s.
“I’d get the empty ones,” she said recently, “and wash ’em and I started making quilts from them.” Then came the phrase, “Back in them days, you didn’t buy anything. You had to use what you had. So, I would quilt, and I didn’t really have patterns then, it would just be blocks that they called the Nine Diamond.”
She still makes the Nine Diamond, but other quilt patterns she likes include Trip Around the World, Monkey Wrench, Stars and Bow Tie. “Nothing fancy. These real fancy quilts with a whole lot-a pretty little bitty pieces – I don’t do that,” she laughed. “I don’t know how old I was when I started quilting. But I been doing that all my life. I’m 98 years old, but I’ve been quilting – piecing and quilting all my life. My mama did it, and what I did, I tried to do it like her.”
An ear for piano
One thing Willie Mae does that she didn’t learn from her mother is playing the piano. Knowing her daughter wanted a piano, Mrs. Turner went to a piano store in Anniston and bought one. “I know she got tired of me playing, but she never told me to stop.” Willie Mae pauses to reflect, “If somebody ask me to play in the key of C or F sharp, I wouldn’t know what they was talking about. The Preacher one time asked me to play ‘Precious Lord’ in C. I played if for him, but I didn’t know if I played it in C,” she laughed.
She never took piano lessons, but she could play on the piano whatever she heard sung or played on the radio. At age 14, she began playing piano for Blooming Light Church, and she recalled how that happened. “I’m sure they had other players, but Mr. McHugh came to Papa and said, ‘I heard your daughter played the piano.’ And I started from there.” She couldn’t remember what month and year she started, but she continued as pianist and music director until in her 90s when COVID kept her and the congregation away from church services. “The first song I played at church,” she recalled fondly, “was ‘The Old Account Was Settled Long Ago.’” The last song she plays in church is yet to come.
Willie Mae and good friend Johnnie Mae Green
Willie Mae’s baby brother, Larry Turner, says folks need to know that she was not only the pianist at Blooming Light but that she was also the Minister of Music there and was Minister of Music for Riverside and for Rocky Zion for a while as well.
“I played for Rocky Zion,’ Willie Mae reflected, “and I played for Riverside, and for Peace and Goodwill.” Her dad, Rev. James R. Turner, was pastor at Peace and Goodwill at Riverside.
Asked if she played piano for her dad, she answered, “I played for him. Mama told me, ‘You got to.’ I went to all the revivals. That was fun.” She pauses a few seconds and adds sadly, “But church ain’t like what it used to be back in them days. We never sung anything but the old songs. ‘The Old Account Was Settled.’ ‘Oh How I Love Jesus.’ ‘Precious Lord.’ Old songs.” She laughed and said, “Now, I can play for old folks, but I can’t play for teenagers.” Lots of people agree with Willie Mae that the old songs are the best songs.
Larry Turner is proud of his sister and fondly affirms, “She’s legendary. Everybody knows her. Everybody loves her.”
Recently someone asked her, “What would you tell young people about your secret to living almost a hundred years?
“Now, you’re not the first one to ask me that,” she laughed. “And I tell ’em, well, ‘I can’t tell you, cause I do not know.’ She pauses, then says, “I tell ‘em, ‘I come up poor; I worked in the fields … I’ve worked in the fields all my life. I worked in my daddy’s field, and after I got grown, I worked in other folks’ fields. And I’m still here for some reason.”
You’re still here, Willie Mae “Snookie” Beavers, because you’re a St. Clair County and Pell City, Alabama, treasure and we need you. We need the harmony of your music, the beauty of your quilts, and your example of “work hard and live long.”
Most of all we need to hear you telling us how it was “back in them days” so we don’t forget the stamina and character of our ancestors and how they lived and worked and reared families.
You are one-of-a-kind, as all treasures are, and we thank God you’re still here.
As a little kid, Alex Wise was shy, almost painfully so. Even the at the thought of him growing up to act or model professionally seemed a long shot.
Now 17 and after making a splash last summer at a New York acting and modeling competition, Alex has signed with an agent and is taking acting lessons from some of the most respected names in show business.
For Alex – to borrow from the old standard – this could be the start of something big.
Alex with Joan Hawkins Photo by Beth Boldt
Wise competed in 13 categories – seven in acting and six in modeling at the International Modeling and Talent Association – and medaled and placed in all categories. Overall, he finished second in the Actor of the Year competition and third for Model of the Year in the 15-17-year-old category and was second as The Most Sought-After competitor.
“It was a big achievement,” said his mom, Christi Wise.
IMTA bills itself as a: “gateway for aspiring models and actors.”
Founded in 1987, it offers a platform for aspiring actors, models, singers, dancers and songwriters to present their talents to agents, casting directors and other leading entertainment professionals.
It boasts of some A-Listers who were discovered through IMTA, including Ashton Kutcher, Katie Holmes and Eva Longoria.
For Alex, the opportunity “fell into his lap,” Christi said.
“He plays baseball, so I entered him into a contest where if he were chosen, he’d get a big metal picture,” Christi said. “He won, and afterwards he asked if it were possible to make money for modeling. I told him yes.”
His response? “I think I could do that.”
Before long, Alex connected with Joan Hawkins of Cameo Model Management in Birmingham and with Clair Sinnett, an acting coach and former casting director who has worked with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt and the late James Earl Jones.
“Once (Alex) decided to go to IMTA, he had six weeks to prepare,” Christi said, “All of this happened within a year.”
Before the competition, he had an acting class with Sinnett. The veteran acting coach gave him rave reviews.
“She said he had the ‘It’ factor,” Christi said. The factor is charisma that can capture a magazine cover or the silver screen. James Dean had it. So did Paul Newman. And after the IMTA, a Los Angeles management agency saw that in Alex Wise.
A centerfielder for Ashville High’s baseball team, Wise’s commitment to acting matches his commitment to baseball.
“The key quality that Alex possesses is dedication,” the agency said in an e-mail. “The best actors are those who continuously strive to improve. Alex is committed to bringing the same discipline he has for athletics to learning and growing in his craft as an actor, whether through classes, mentorship or experience on set. His work ethic is truly impressive for his age, and we know that he will show up prepared and eager for every role. His commitment to improvement will make him stand out in an industry that constantly demands innovation and depth and will lead to his success.”
Photo by Dorothy Shi
Wise brings charisma and a “thoughtful presence,” the agency said. “He grabs attention, not by being the loudest or most outspoken person in the room, but by having the ‘good human’ qualities that make people want to be around him, and as an actor, want to watch him. That charisma often translates to how generously he engages with his peers, even in competitive situations.”
At IMTA, “we saw Alex demonstrate camaraderie and support for his fellow competitors, a truly admirable quality to observe. When combined with his dedication, Alex’s charisma and genuine caring for others will make him an unforgettable young actor, creating positive impressions that will help him build a long career.”
The entertainment business is tough, but for the Wise family, there is peace. There’s also a strong belief that for Alex, this is not a career, but a calling.
“We have a lot of faith,” Christi said. “We have definitely prayed for every door opened to be opened and for every door that’s shut to be shut. I really feel like Alex’s life has prepared him for this, that his steps have been ordained.”
She added, “He’s very grounded. He’s very rooted. A lot of kids his age don’t know who they are. But he knows who he is, and he doesn’t let the world influence his thought process That’s why I don’t worry about him because he knows who he is and what he wants to achieve.”
Even with all the attention, Alex is still just a kid from Ashville who plays baseball, attends small group Bible studies with friends and who has done the hot, hard work of cutting and baling hay. Family members describe him as a “natural born leader.”
For his part, Alex enjoys the process of modeling and acting for a variety of reasons.
“I like getting myself out there and opening myself up. Growing up, I was super, super quiet, scared of everybody. I didn’t really talk to anybody. Now, in the last year or two, this has helped me tremendously.”
Alabama has had more than its share of people who made it in the entertainment business, from Jasper’s Tallulah Bankhead to Birmingham’s Walton Goggins. Alex Wise has a message for aspiring performers, especially small-town kids like him.
“He wants people to know you can be from a small town and do this,” Christi said. “These dreams are reachable.”
Making dreams come true isn’t easy. Alex Wise knows that.
“It’s not as easy as it seems,” he said. “It’s going to take hard work and dedication. But it’s also going to take a strong person, period … It takes a strong person to stay in this business.”
