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Joe Whitten

Historian, storyteller, teacher: A life well lived

Story and photos by Jerry C. Smith
Submitted photos

The usual love triangles pale in comparison with Odenville educator and historian Joe Whitten’s quadrangle of passions. In no particular order, they are St. Clair County history, Gail Elaine McGeoch, hundreds of grateful students and the Lord, whom he credits for bringing it all together.

Joe was born in 1938 in Bryant, Alabama, a Jackson County town that dangles near the edge of Sand Mountain, almost in Georgia. His father, Nathan Whitten, died that same year. Joe’s mother, Lorene Hawkins Whitten, remarried four years later to John Armstrong, a teacher and Cumberland Presbyterian minister.

Under his stepfather’s surname, Joe went to Glencoe High School in Etowah County until the 12th-grade, then was sent to Bob Jones Academy in Greenville, South Carolina, to complete high school prior to beginning college at Bob Jones University.

Graduating in 1960, his first degree at Bob Jones was a speech minor in English. While at the Academy, Joe reverted to his birth name of Whitten, as he had never been officially adopted by his stepfather.

Joe’s involuntary exile to Bob Jones became a godsend, for many reasons. Not only did he have his old name back, but he had also escaped a strict household where he’d never been able to make any decisions of his own. “I had a new name, new friends, a new place and never looked back,” he says.

After graduation in 1960, he sought employment suited to his education and ambition, but only succeeded in finding work at a sauerkraut factory in Seattle, Washington, that he wryly defined as “the most miserable job ever.” Vowing to do better, he returned to Bob Jones in 1961 to continue his studies.

This time, he specialized in education courses. After graduation, his mother, who worked at Jacksonville State University, urged him to explore Calhoun and Etowah counties for an entry-level teaching position.

After months of fruitless search, Joe had almost made up his mind to join the Air Force when he got word of an opening in a school that was being built in a tiny burg called Odenville in St. Clair County. He’d heard of the place, but had never been there.

Young teacher hired

At his interview with Principal Dodd Cox, Joe was told that the job was in a new grades 7-12 school currently under construction. “I’ll take it,” he quickly replied. The principal reminded him that he didn’t know a thing about the position and should probably hear the rest of the offer before making up his mind.

Joe says their conversation went something like this:

Principal: “You will be teaching eighth-grade English, ninth-grade English and seventh-grade Math.”
Joe: “I’ll take it.”
Principal: “But wait, the school isn’t even finished yet. …”
Joe: “I’ll take it.”
Principal: “It only pays $350 a month for 10 months a year. …”
Joe: “I’ll take it.”

And thus, on the day after Labor Day in 1961, at age 23, Joseph Whitten began a career that made him a living legend in Odenville education. In all, he taught more than three generations of St. Clair youngsters before retiring at the turn of the century and is a revered guest at every class year reunion.

“Mr. Whitten” was only 5 years older than some of his students, but Mr. Cox insisted his teachers control everything in their classrooms.

Joe relates, “The last thing you wanted to do was take a student out of class and march him to the principal’s office. You took care of it yourself. All us teachers knew it and, more importantly, so did the kids.”

Among his students were those who would one day make a difference in St. Clair County: Sheriff Terry Surles; Coroner Dennis Russell; practically everyone on the Odenville Water Board; Pell City businessman Connie Myers, who would later become principal of St. Clair County High School; and retired teacher Mary Kelley, who taught physical education and health at Odenville before being assigned to the Board of Education, where she served until her retirement in 1999.

“Mr. Whitten was different from any teacher I had ever met,” Mary says. “He was very talented, witty, educated and respected by his students as well as the community of Odenville. As an English teacher, his objective was for students to learn the information and participate in class discussions. These skills worked well – in school and in later life – by providing us with the self-confidence and ability to communicate well with others.”

As the school counselor, Joe’s door was open to students, teachers and support personnel. His professional knowledge provided students with advice and encouragement in the resolution of school and personal issues.

Of his demeanor in class, several respondents agreed that, while Joe was outwardly easy going and gentle, he had ways of getting attention when needed, and everyone knew when to shut up and listen.

Odenville’s Scott Burton tells of his shouting out during an unruly moment in his library class, “Silence, you vile wretches!,” and remembers a sign posted on Mr. Whittten’s desk that fairly warned one and all: CAUTION: DISPOSITION SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

Both Mary and Scott said everyone wanted to be in his classes. They found his delivery quite entertaining as he acted out various passages from English literature. He always found ways to make education fun and still managed to help them learn and retain what they’d learned.

According to Scott, Mr. Whitten’s adherence to classroom decorum extended even to paperwork that students turned in. He would not accept sheets torn from a spiral-bound notebook because of their ragged edges, and was known to call kids to the front of the class, hand them scissors and demand they remove those “frizzy” borders. Scott also credits him with being the only English teacher who could make sentence diagramming understandable.

There are enough Mr. Whitten stories told by former students to fill a small book. A local favorite involves one of his Speech classes in which he asked various students to stand and speak on some subject with which they were most familiar.

One boy eagerly volunteered at the beginning of class and took his place at the front of the room. This boy was Odenville’s legendary Slow-Talking John, who was a master at taking forever to tell anything.

His chosen subject was “How To Build A House.” John began by drawing a rectangular set of lines on the blackboard, then said, “This … is … the … footing …,” then proceeded to describe in agonizingly slow, ponderous detail exactly how to dig a foundation wall, pour concrete, etc.

Joe says that by the time John’s house had reached its interior walls, the bell had rung, and he was too numb to do anything but dismiss the class.

While they were sitting on Joe’s front porch some 14 years later, Joe mentioned that day to John, who laughed out loud and explained that the other kids in class had taken up a collection and paid John to speak first so they would not have to recite their own work.

Scott says the one thing that really sticks with him to this day as a result of having Mr. Whitten for a teacher is a deep appreciation for the works of Charles Dickens, Joe’s favorite author. Scott recalls the kids acting out speaking parts while reading Oliver Twist and David Copperfield aloud in class. Scott adds that he would love to do A Christmas Carol today, with Mr. Whitten playing Ebeneezer Scrooge.

The creation of the Odenville/St. Clair County School System is a historical epic in its own right. From its very beginnings in 1864 as a one-room cabin at Hardin’s shop on Springville Road to today’s sprawling campus just east of town, its establishment was an uphill battle all the way.

The school’s history is far too complex to explore here, but the entire saga is neatly summarized in Whitten’s Odenville, Alabama, A History of Our Town 1821-1992.

Many local pioneers and other notables were heavily involved, including entrepreneur Watt T. Brown, Governor Comer and Judge John Inzer. They took special pride in the fact they had beaten Pell City for the honor of having one of the first county high schools in the state.

In 1960, the main building was razed, and a third-generation structure of impressive proportions and excellent design was built. Now grades 1-12 were all on the same campus, divided only by clever architecture. Over the years, he taught English, speech, mathematics, and also served as librarian and counselor for the grammar school. One might feel that Joe and the new school grew up together. As he once remarked, “I wasn’t born in Odenville, but I got here as fast as I could.”

Gail, a love story

A beautiful young lady in Miss Mabe’s Bible class at Bob Jones raised her hand to answer a question. Joe, who was sitting behind her and had wanted to answer first, grabbed her arm to try to lower her hand. This incensed her, and she reminded him in no uncertain terms that this school had a rule against opposite sexes physically touching one another.

Like many relationships, theirs got off to an unusual start, but Joe Whitten and Gail McGeoch of Cambridge, New York, quickly became friends and remained so for the rest of their stay at Bob Jones. They went their separate ways after Gail’s graduation in 1961.

After eight years of being completely out of touch, Joe received a letter which Gail claimed God had told her to write. She was in Pensacola, Florida, at the time. Joe phoned her, and they talked for nearly three hours. He said the long-distance phone bill was horrendous, but he never regretted paying a penny of it.

They married in 1971, thus beginning a long, beneficent, storybook life together that would warm everyone they met. Gail often defined their marriage as a “strange and wonderful relationship,” always adding, “You’re strange; I’m wonderful.”

Gail and Joe resided in a vintage house built by an Odenville newspaper editor named Luther Maddox. When Joe first came to Odenville, he lived at the Cahaba Hotel, which no longer stands. Later, he boarded with the Bartletts, who lived next door to Maddox. Joe said its restoration was a real challenge, but today it is of museum quality inside and out.

Gail taught school at Ragland for a while, then transferred to Odenville, where she taught in the elementary grades. Her classroom was next to the library where Joe worked at the time.

Every person I’ve interviewed admires the same things about Gail – her wonderfully warm smile, loving, benign personality and immaculate reputation. The Whittens were very popular with all the students. Together, they were a dream team.

Scott added that Mrs. Whitten loved the snow and always got all excited over the first flake that fell. He also tells a rather amusing story about her coffee habits.

Every day she would make fresh coffee, but first she would carry the pot to an open window on the second floor, holler YOO-HOO, then throw out the old coffee and grounds, never looking to see if anyone was standing below. Everyone quickly learned to avoid that area during morning hours.

Gail played piano and sang in the choir of several churches, as part of a musical family that included Joe on the church organ. Joe praises Gail for proofreading his historical works, and helping to make them the useful volumes they became.

She led an exemplary life, but her greatest moments were yet to come.

Joe, the historian

As if taking scores of St. Clair’s kids under his wing wasn’t enough, Joe also became an educational outlet for the rest of us. If you’re seeking obscure information about almost any historical aspect of St. Clair County, you will sooner or later work with Joe.

Between Joe and recently-retired County Archivist Charlene Simpson, there’s practically nothing one can’t learn about our history. I’ve used both resources for many stories you read in this magazine, as well as my own published works.

Both Charlene and Joe will hasten to say they learned at the hands of veteran chroniclers such as Rubye Hall Edge Sisson (From Trout Creek To Ragland), Mattie Lou Teague Crow (History Of St. Clair County and Diary Of A Confederate Soldier) and Vivian Buffington Qualls (History Of Steele, Alabama).

Joe has published several books of his own, as well as scores of historical society periodicals, papers, meeting minutes and surveys. He worked extensively with the late Garland Minor, who located and annotated hundreds of Civil War burial sites in our area, obtaining markers and other memorials for them.

Joe joined the St. Clair Historical Society shortly after it was formed in the early 1990s by the legendary historian and writer, Mattie Lou Teague Crow, in order to save the historic Looney House from demolition. Joe’s contributions include a nicely-done periodical called Cherish, which is still archived in many local libraries and is an excellent source of research material.

Charlene recalls his frequent visits to her St. Clair County Archives when it was in the Ashville Library building as well as two later locations on the town square. She says Joe was always pleasant, never declined to pause in his own work to help others and added much to the usefulness of that department.

Charlene says his favorite thing was going through archival copies of old St. Clair newspapers, looking for interesting, poignant or just plain funny wedding announcements, epitaphs and other bits of Victorian-era news for his two books, By Murder, Accident & Natural Causes and Wedding Bells &Funeral Knells, both of which are still available.

His first published books were a genealogical study of his Hawkins family, a history of St. Clair High School called Where The Saints Have Trod, a compendium of 18 local church histories called In The Shadow of the Almighty, and the aforementioned Odenville, Alabama – A History of Our Town. All these works still find heavy usage as research materials, especially from St. Clair youngsters working on yearly history projects for a statewide contest with finals in Montgomery.

All his reference works have proper indices, often a large proportion of the book itself. He considers a wasted effort any reference book that is not properly indexed, and totally useless if there’s no index at all.

Joe also serves as a board member for County Archive as well as Odenville’s Fortson Museum. Over the years, he’s donated countless display items and reference works to both places, including a wonderful old foot-pump organ that now graces the Fortson collections.

Joe, the poet

One of Joe’s favorite pursuits is writing poetry, particularly oddly-punctuated verse that doesn’t rhyme. He’s an active member of the Alabama State Poetry Society, and his works have fared well in regional contests. He’s printed several chapbooks of his poems, and at one time was the official Poet of the Year of Alabama.

Joe’s love of poetry goes all the way back to his high school days, when he often penned satirical works about his teachers, much to their chagrin and the delight of his fellow students.

One of his proudest possessions is a framed piece of sheet music with one of his poems, Evensong, as its lyrics. Written especially for Joe’s poem, the music got a lot of exposure as part of a Year 2000 millennium project sponsored by the White House Millennium Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Evensong can be found in Joe’s latest book of poetry, Learning To Tell Time.

Joe takes special pride in helping to connect an American family with a group in France working to erect a memorial to American flyers who had crashed there during World War II. One of those flyers was Richard Smith, whose family had contacted Joe for further information from an obituary he had collected. Smith’s family was invited to France for the dedication ceremony.

Dark clouds gather

A few years ago, Gail was stricken with cancer, marking the beginning of an epic struggle that gave courage to many others who were fighting their own battles. Her unflappable persona remained unchanged for the entire ordeal, always beaming that special smile that could not help but warm those around her.

Her passing in 2010 marked the end of 39 years of an idyllic marriage for Joe and Gail Whitten and brought hundreds into mourning.

Joe says she was cheerful until the very end. He recalls one of their last conversations on the day before her passing, when she was heavily infused with pain medicine and somewhat groggy.

He asked, “Do you know who I am?” She replied sweetly, “Of course I know who you are, Joe.” Some hours later, he leaned over close and whispered a final “I love you.”

Her answer: “I love you, too, whoever you are,” her eyes dancing as she spoke.

Finding peace

Joe says that God moved into their home after Gail passed and has kept him company through his years of loss and resolution. He’s since become involved in mission work to Ecuador as well as extensive world travel and plans to write a few more books.

Perhaps the first stanza of his signature poem, Evensong, tells it best:

The world is quieter now.
Mist rises to mist
and a quietness comes to me
like the quietness of an old house
that whispers long-loved contentment
to past and present.

Ashville, Alabama

Storied past; promising future

Story by Paul South
Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.
“Ashville, the county seat of St. Clair Co., Ala., is a dignified old town, seeming to possess the even tenor of its way at peace with all mankind.”
—Mary T. Whitson, The Southern Aegis, Feb. 9, 1910
When Mayor-Elect Derrick Mostella returned home to Ashville after six years in Memphis, he went to his father-in-law at Teague Hardware. There, he’d talk politics with customers, who’d share their ideas and concerns about the town. During slow spells at the store, he’d take walks and drink in all that made his hometown special. And there, he made a decision.

“I knew I wanted to make my impact in Ashville,” he said. “I had a sense of responsibility to come back and be part of something of a renaissance. I think we’re at that point right now. There’s a new feeling that’s taken over the city. We’ve got people that are active, involved and engaged and ready to see good things happen in Ashville.”

It indeed seems that St. Clair’s original county seat is on the cusp of a renaissance. The town is emerging from the housing recession that began in 2007. St. Clair County government and private entities have made some $8 million in investment in its buildings downtown, including $1.5 million in the administrative annex, transforming cramped government offices and meeting rooms into welcoming spaces.

Phase I of the expansion added 4,725 square feet of space on the east side of the Administrative Building. Cubicles were removed and nine new offices, along with a chairman’s office and a conference room, improved the functionality of the building. The St. Clair County Commission Chambers were also expanded, which allows major events, as well as Probate Court, to be conducted in more spacious surroundings.

A second-floor expansion provides more space for the Information Technology Department, the Revenue Commissioner and the Probate Office.

Two manufacturers, Valmont and Grooms Aluminum have also made multimillion dollar reinvestments in their plants, generating additional jobs. In total, the two firms invested more than $3 million.

Grooms – a family business — began operation in Ashville in August of last year. A favorable location, as well as Ashville and St. Clair County’s business-friendly climate, drew the Grooms family to open in Ashville, said co-owner and spokesperson Tammy Grooms.

“We researched and looked for land. We found a few different spots. Cost influenced it, of course, but Ashville and St. Clair County were just really good to deal with. They made the process easy. We found a location that worked for what we needed and what we do. It was great working with Ashville,” she said. “They’ve gone out of their way to try to help.”

Grooms receives and cleans scrap aluminum from customers, then melts it into ingots called “sows.” The sows are returned to the customer, who then sells it to other clients to be made into a product.

Other private concerns have invested in the historic downtown, providing yet another shot in the arm.

“As far as job creation, this has been an incredible last couple of years for (Ashville),” said Don Smith, executive director of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council.

Unlike other municipalities, Ashville has taken a more practical approach to economic growth. With a population of less than 3,000, practicality is key.

“It’s been more of a refocus on working on what you can control,” Smith said. “Historically, Ashville has had some limitations as far as infrastructure and utilities to be able to handle large growth. That is being worked on now. I think there’s a renaissance of community pride and a focus on improving what can be improved, and do the things that can be done to help the community take that next step.”

Steeped in history

There is something of an eternal elegance to Ashville, a town that has preserved many of its historic landmarks that go back to the state’s earliest days. And when John Ash and his family first explored the area in the early 19^th century, a tragedy struck that would offer no clue as to the future. A tiny gravestone would be the symbolic cornerstone for the future county seat of St. Clair County.

In January 1817, John Ash, his wife Margaret and their three daughters and seven slaves were part of a party of a half dozen families on a wagon train en route to Shelby County when they decided to explore Beaver Valley. According to legend, wrote the late historian Mattie Lou Teague Crow, John Ash shot a deer. Ash was near the team of horses when he fired, and little Betsy Ash was thrown from the wagon and suffered a fractured skull. She died of her injuries days later. Reluctant to leave their little girl, the Ash family settled nearby. The Ash home still stands today. John Ash would later serve as a judge, county commissioner and state legislator.

St. Clair County was created in the Alabama territory in 1818. In 1820, the governor appointed Ash and other men to a board of commissioners. The board purchased 30 acres of land from a man named Philip Coleman for $10,000. Sixty-four lots were created from the purchase, including land for the courthouse.

Like other towns in St. Clair County, changes in transportation – the railroad, US 231 and the interstate highway system transformed the town. But the town lots, laid out in the first map of the town in the early 19^th century, remain unchanged, with its heart in the Courthouse Square. The first court hearings were conducted at the home of Alexander Brown, according to Crow’s writings.

And the descendants of many of the families who first built Ashville – Ash, Box, Inzer, Newton, Byers and more, remain in modern-day Ashville.

Across the years, history has rolled through Ashville, bringing with it harmony and progress, disagreements and disputes. The town, like the rest of the county, was divided over the issue of secession on the eve of the Civil War. Col. John Inzer had opposed secession, but went on to fight for the Confederacy. He would distinguish himself at the battles of Corinth, Shiloh and Chickamauga before being taken as a prisoner of war. After the war, he would go on to a distinguished career in public service in government and was also a trustee of Howard College (now Samford University). His home, the Dean-Inzer home is one of the town’s preserved treasures of antebellum architecture.

Asked how she would describe Ashville, Laura Lawley, clerk to the St. Clair County Commission called it a town “near to God’s heart.” And indeed faith has played a role in the town’s history.

Methodists have worshipped in Ashville since 1818, served by a circuit-riding minister in those days. The Masonic Lodge was shared by the Methodists and the Masons until 1892. Baptists constructed a new house of worship in 1859 and Presbyterians in 1879. The original Presbyterian church now serves as a Church of Christ congregation.

These days, churches are still growing in Ashville. Flow of the Spirit Church now worships in the former Burton Foods building, while First Baptist Church is developing plans to expand in anticipation of the anticipated growth in Ashville, according to local real estate executive and developer Lyman Lovejoy. He serves on the building committee of the Baptist church.

One of the gems of the town is Ashville High School. The first school in town was Ashville Academy, founded in 1831. It later became Ashville College and in 1910, Ashville High School.

Ashville has also had an impact in popular culture, both locally and on the world stage. The “Upping Block” is an important local landmark, marking where politicians and orators took to the stump. It’s also where ladies were helped up to their horses. World famous archer Howard Hill, married and buried in Ashville, made his mark in Hollywood, using his skills in a number of films, notably Errol Flynn’s 1938 classic, The Adventures of Robin Hood.

And, Ashville has been named one of Alabama’s coolest small towns by the online site onlyinyourstate.com, one of a dozen towns selected. Ashville was third on the list, behind Alabama’s seafood capital, Bayou La Batre and the Walker County town of Cordova.

Of Ashville, onlyinyourstate.com wrote: “Ashville, the county seat of St. Clair County, was established in 1822. This historic Alabama town offers a wonderful city park for family outings, in addition to Greensport Marina, the perfect place for boating and fishing.”

Preserving past with eye to future

But with all the changes, Ashville remains true to its history and traditions, preserving it as a family would hold dear to an heirloom quilt or pocket watch. Lunch at Shaw’s Barbecue, greeting strangers and friends on the street and church on Sunday are deeply woven into the quality of life.

St. Clair County Commission Chairman Paul Manning and outgoing Ashville Mayor David Thompson are optimistic about the town’s future and believe economic growth is on the horizon, both downtown and on the Interstate 59 corridor, but that Ashville will never lose its hometown feel.

“Ashville is unique,” said Charlene Simpson, who succeeded Crow in the role as town historian before her own retirement at Ashville Museum and Archives. “It still has one stop light. And the courthouse is still the center of town. It’s a place where people still speak to you on the street. It’s close to big cities, but it’s still a little country town.”

A number of historic homes – some nearly two centuries old — still thrive as residential or business properties in Ashville. For example, the Alameth Byers home, built in the 1820s, is home to Kell Realty. The Byers family came to Ashville from South Carolina, where they were indigo farmers, Simpson said.

Alameth’s brother, Amzi Byers also owned one of the historic homes downtown. The home was built in 1835, constructed by Richard Crow. The house was eventually owned by Judge Leroy Franklin Box, who presented it to his daughter, Stella Box Hodges, as a wedding gift in 1889, Simpson said.

The Bothwell home, owned by Dr. James J. Bothwell, one of the town’s first physicians, is also still thriving today. It was also built by Richard Crow in 1835. It was given as a wedding present by Judge Box to another daughter, Lula Box Embry.

“Ashville is a small, close-knit town,” Simpson said. “A lot of the houses were family-owned for a long time, and the families worked to preserve them,” Simpson said.

In the last several years, efforts have been made to preserve historic homes and buildings in Ashville, one of St. Clair’s two county seats.

“Hopefully, that’s going to continue,” Simpson said.

A strong foundation

To a person, it seems a universal feeling that Ashville is poised for a revival of sorts. Josh Kell, the owner of Kell Realty, says his firm has enjoyed its best year since the 2007 recession. Low interest rates, affordability and quality of life have driven the recovery.

The founder of Kell Realty, his father, Paul Kell, passed away in 2011 after more than two decades as a respected real estate executive and developer. A former president of the St. Clair Association of Realtors, Paul Kell was also involved in a variety of charitable, civic and church activities, including Relay for Life and The Children’s Place.

The family business is located on the Courthouse Square in one of Ashville’s many historic homes, the Alameth Byers home built in the 1820s. Among the historic buildings are the Looney House – listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as are the John Inzer Museum and the Dr. James J. Bothwell House. The Dean-Inzer house now serves as the John Inzer Museum.

The Dean-Inzer House also serves as the headquarters for the local Sons of Confederate Veterans. The Inzer family also donated the land for the historic Masonic Lodge and Mattie Lou Teague Crow Museum next door.

One of Ashville’s landmark business families, the Fouts family, has operated gas stations, a car dealership and now a tractor business in downtown Ashville for some 80 years, across four generations.

“It’s been some sort of family business for over 80 years,” said Fouts Tractor President Pat Fouts. His grandfather, C.P. Fouts, and great-grandfather, W.O. Fouts, founded the business.

Downtown revitalization, as well as the shift in population north from Jefferson to St. Clair County has boosted Fouts’ business.

“I think the future should be good. The main thing that’s helped us is the population growth from people moving out of the Birmingham area. It continues to come this way. The more people that come this way, the more customers you’ve got. So if you keep doing business the way you’re supposed to do it – the right way – you should be able to stay successful.”

Downtown revitalization of historic buildings and restoration of historic homes – like the Looney House and the Masonic building – also has had a positive effect, Fouts said.

“Anytime anything is redone, gets better or is improved, it’s got to be at the very least a positive impact because at least it doesn’t look like something that’s run down. There are several towns… where the downtown gets torn down and run down. “(Revitalization) gives you a sense of ‘Hey, this looks pretty good. Maybe I’d want to do stuff here, live here, buy stuff here.’ So it’s definitely been a positive.”

One of those positives is the renovation of the historic Rexall Drug location in the heart of town. Once in disrepair like a badly-aging debutante, the tall structure with a front full of glass now shimmers, thanks to local dentist Dr. Joseph Labbe.

Labbe had practiced in an office on a dead end street for about two years when the Rexall building became empty. He watched as years took its toll on the drugstore that once teemed with customers.

“I liked the building a lot and I wanted to build a new practice,” Labbe said. “I needed to remodel my building, but I really liked the (Rexall) building. I put in an offer and was able to buy it. I thought it would be great to be down in the town square. I thought the town square needed more businesses on it.”

When Labbe first came to Ashville a dozen years ago, the Rexall was the second building he noticed after the historic St. Clair County Courthouse.

“I thought it was really neat,” he said. The courthouse square and the drugstore sparked memories of his childhood in Selma.

“We had drugstores downtown when I was younger, and it kind of reminded me of that, Labbe said. “I hated to see a really nice building like that just fall in. At the time I was looking at building a new practice, looking at land down the highway,” he said. “When this building came open, I thought ‘That would be perfect.’”

Labbe was attracted by the possibility of more foot traffic to the downtown corner office, as well as the courthouse renovation.

He liked the shape of the front of it, a tall building right on the corner of a main intersection in town. “It had a lot of windows in the front and kind of took up the whole corner. It’s just a neat looking building.”

The move to the courthouse square in July has boosted his practice, Labbe said. “We actually have a lot more people walking in,” Labbe said. “Before we were on a dead-end street, and I don’t think too many people knew we were out there. It was mostly word of mouth and advertising.

“Once we started working on the building, people realized that we were here. And when we moved in, I think a lot of people wanted to see what the building looked like. We’ve picked up a lot. We have a lot more patients walking in who want to make an appointment.”

Bright future ahead

Blending old with new has been a good growth strategy for Ashville. “It’s an attractive place for people to live,” said Josh Kell. “We’re 45 minutes from Birmingham and 20 minutes from Gadsden, so while you’re not in an urban area, you’re under an hour in both directions from anything you need. It’s convenient. You can be to the Atlanta airport in less than two hours.”

And, along with homes in town, there are also larger lots outside town, as well as Neely Henry Lake, one of the county’s “best-kept secrets,” Lovejoy said. Ashville, he added, is a community on the move.

“It’s not where the rest of the county is, but for the first time since we went through the recession, things are looking better up there,” said Lovejoy, former chairman of the St. Clair EDC.” People are doing some renovation downtown that we haven’t seen in a long time. It was a little slower coming out of the recession than these other places were, but it’s definitely on the rise.”

Optimism is bubbling in Ashville, from county political and economic development leaders, to young attorneys like Meg Clements. She practices with the Robinson Law Firm, which has represented clients for generations in town.

“I really believe the sky’s the limit for Ashville,” Clements said. “I believe Ashville will be able to keep its small-town feel. I think Ashville can (grow) the right way, working around the interstate and in the industrial park, while keeping its small-town feel.”

Many believe Ashville will be the next community to experience significant growth. Clements supports the idea of slow, steady growth. She remembers when U.S. 231 was four-laned in Pell City. Growth occurred steadily over 25 years.

“I think that’s important,” Clements said. “I think there’s a lot of potential here.”

As a new administration takes office in November, preparation is critical.

There’s been a ton of money invested in our downtown. We’re seeing progress. It’s slow, but we’re getting there,” Mostella said. “At the end of the day, we have to create the kind of environment that’s conducive to growth. That’s what we want to do.” Whatever comes our way—residential, industrial commercial, we want to be prepared for it.”

Teddy the Wonder Dog

Four-legged friend learning to help others

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Teddy has the kind of face guaranteed to make you smile. Wavy chestnut-colored hair frames a pair of big brown eyes – if you can see them through the hair – that reveal the gentle spirit that resides within.

Around the St. Clair County School System, where he often visits, they call him “Teddy, the Wonder Dog.”

To his owner, Melinda Splawn, director of personnel for the school system, he’s just plain lovable, huggable, affable Teddy whose personality is perfect for bringing comfort to those when they need it most.

Teddy is a Wire-Haired Pointing Griffon who will one day be a Hand in Paw therapy dog, offering that same lovable, huggable, affable personality to people who are in need of a sizable lift in spirits. They may be nursing home residents, Alzheimer’s patients, children in cancer treatment or a weary caregiver. Teddy will be there to brighten the roughest of days.

Teddy’s story begins with a specific search for just the right puppy, according to Melinda. “I wanted one who doesn’t shed. He had to have the temperament for Hand in Paw.” And, because Melinda’s father was an avid bird hunter and she treasured those outings with him, she thought, “if the dog could be a bird hunter, that would really be cool. I didn’t think such a dog existed.”

But as fate usually intervenes in everyday life, Melinda spotted the object of her search or at least the idea of it.

One Saturday, she was at Birmingham’s Pepper Place, an outdoor market, buying fresh vegetables. One of the vendors had a dog with him, and she remarked how “beautiful” the dog was and inquired about the breed.

She asked about his temperament, and the man replied, “He sleeps in the bed with us. He doesn’t shed.” Then, he added, “He loves to swim. He has webbed feet.”

That’s all it took. “Oh my gosh, that dog is wonderful!,” she recalled saying.

Then, she set out to find one just like him. She started looking for online breeders with a simple email message to each one: “Do you have any pups?”

Several answers were “no,” but then she received a reply from a breeder who said he had a puppy, but it was picked out to go to a family with special needs although he was rethinking that decision and would have to know more about her.

Melinda wrote back, pouring out emotions about “my dad’s love of bird hunting, my desire to continue work with Hand in Paw and the opportunity to continue enjoying special times with my dad and brother.”

The breeder said he and his wife spent the night talking about the letter and concluded, “ ‘Your home seems like the perfect place for the dog.’ ”

When she picked him up he was 12 weeks old. Melinda said the longer puppies are with their mother the better it can be. “He bonded with me just that fast. It was amazing.”

But then it was time for a name. She had just watched the Ken Burns’ documentary on the Roosevelts, where his family called Teddy Roosevelt “Great Heart” because of his blend of strength, courage and gentleness.

When she looked at her new puppy, she saw the same attributes. “Although he loved to run and play, this puppy loved to be loved on. He was gentle. That’s the Hand in Paw side, gentle and sweet.”

And that was all it took. “I think we have a Teddy,” she said.

Teddy has already demonstrated his gentleness. He diffused a couple of emotional incidents at the school system, offering comfort merely with his presence.

As he progressed toward the Hand in Paw goal, Melinda took him to a trainer, who exposed him to other people – old, young, children. He was exposed to elevators and electric doors, anything that he might encounter on a Hand in Paw mission, to make sure his reaction was positive, even-tempered. Teddy, of course, passed.

An apparently gifted student, he passed bird training, too.

At 2, Teddy is a bundle of boundless energy, regularly galloping at a frenetic pace through the woods at his favorite exercise spot – the cross country course at St. Clair County High School. He disappears momentarily to take a swim in the marsh among the towering reeds. He emerges, soaked, his tongue swinging back and forth like a pendulum.

He’s unmistakably one happy fella. And judging by the looks of him, he is on the trail of making others who need a lift just as happy.

Features

O Canada

Wonder of Canadian Rockies fulfills ‘bucket list’ for Pell City group

Story and photos by Carol Pappas
Submitted photos from Friends Bound for New Horizons

I heard the phrase so often along the way, the name just stuck. It was indeed a “bucket list” trip, the descriptor made famous by the 2007 Rob Reiner film starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman – a list of things you need to do before you ‘kick the bucket.’

As we made our way through the Canadian Rockies, it was almost as if you could hear the sound of each member of our group – pencil in hand — crossing it off of their own list.

The trip was part of an annual trek by Friends Bound for New Horizons, a group formed to travel the world while helping raise money for the Pell City Schools Educational Foundation and the Pell City Library. What an intriguing concept. Through travel, we learned our own lessons about the world, which in turn, will in myriad ways provide resources for children and adults alike to learn about the world.

These ‘friends’ came from Pell City, Atlanta, Jasper, Trussville, Talladega, Calera, Charleston, S.C. and Centre. They were friends of friends and strangers who all became friends in the end, brought together by their bucket list bond.

Pell City’s Deanna Lawley, a member of the education foundation board, captained the trip. A retired teacher, her passion for learning – and teaching – cannot be disguised. Her unmistakably well-researched anecdotes punctuated the narrative of our German-born guide, Karina. Together through the miles, they painted a story of this land, its mountains, glacier-fed lakes and its people that came to life for all of us at every stop along the way.

As Deanna puts it, Collette Travel, the company she partnered with to organize the trip, puts the “fun” in fundraising. In 2016, the trips had earned $25,000 for the community – teacher grants, enhanced library programs and support for the YWCA’s Our Place shelter for abused women.

We began our journey in Calgary, Alberta Province, Canada. Mounties stationed at the airport were our first hint that something special was about to unfold before our very eyes. Looking in virtually any direction from then on, and a sea of cowboy hats met your glance. It was the eve of the Calgary Stampede, the world famous rodeo billed as “The greatest outdoor show on earth.”

The Stampede had its beginnings in 1912, when Vaudeville performer and trick roper Guy Weadick pitched a six-day event to would-be investors called the “Frontier Day Celebration and Championship.” According to the Stampede’s history, he envisioned “a world-class rodeo competition that would celebrate the romance and culture of the “disappearing” Old West.”

In July 2016, this world championship rodeo, extravaganza of events, entertainment, shows and a nightly explosion of fireworks, arguably second to none in the world, drew a cumulative 1,088,039 people over its 17 days.

We anticipated we were about to experience something special early on our first morning when the Calgary Stampede opening day parade marched through the immaculate streets of downtown Calgary. The pageantry, the impressive floats, the music and the pride of a country in its heritage were unmistakable as tens of thousands lined the sidewalks to get a closer look.

We were among them, wide-eyed as the rest.

Donning our own white cowboy hats, our group then headed to the Stampede, joining the opening day chorus of ‘oohs and ahhs’ from attendees, mesmerized by everything from world class bucking competitions to barrel racing to name brand musical entertainment under the stars. A fireworks show like no other shot across the Canadian sky that night, offering its own exclamation point to an unforgettable day.

Movin’ on up

Early the next morning, it was time to move on to higher ground, but not before a breakfast spread worthy of even the hungriest of cowboys and a shot size sampling of a Bloody Caesar, a Clamato juice cocktail concoction invented in 1969 at our very hotel, the Calgary Inn, now the Westin. It was originally created as the hotel’s signature drink in celebration of its new Italian restaurant at the time.

Aboard the motor coach with everyone accounted for, we were off on our adventure. Next stop: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, located where the foothills of the Rocky Mountains begin their rise from the prairie.

The name and the subject matter are none too palatable, but their historic value in how First Nations (akin to our Native Americans) hunted its game is nonetheless interesting. It involves the stampeding of a herd of buffalo to the edge of a cliff, but I don’t think I need to finish the story for you.

High atop, though, the scenery is spectacular and illustrates some modern day applications along with the storied history. A mule deer wanders nearby as you take in the panoramic view of prairie land, an iridescent blend of green and gold plants that will eventually become canola oil. A contraction of Canada and ola, meaning oil, it is the world’s only Made in Canada crop.

Wind turbines off in the distance tell the story of the push for clean energy.

According to the Canada Wind Energy Association, the country has 259 wind farms and 6,066 wind turbines. They produce 5 percent of Canada’s domestic electricity demand, which is equivalent to 3 million Canadian homes powered by wind.

Back down the mountainside and into the town of Fort McLeod for lunch, a noon time march of mounted police through its main street was an ideal dessert.

Scenic drive

We headed toward Waterton Lakes National Park. Parks Canada describes it as the place where “the prairies of Alberta meet the peaks of the Rocky Mountains…Clear lakes, thundering waterfalls, rainbow-coloured streams, colourful rocks and mountain vistas await hikers and sightseers. With an exceptional diversity of wildlife and wildflowers and a cozy little waterfront town to serve as a home base, Waterton packs a big natural punch into a relatively small and accessible area.”

Postcard perfect views there and along the way were nothing short of awe inspiring. At Waterton, where we would spend the night at the Prince of Wales Hotel, snow-capped mountain peaks towered over deep blue water. The multi-story glass windows overlooking it all from our lodge framed the entire scene perfectly.

Waterton Lakes is the Canadian side of Glacier National Park in Montana, and we ventured back to America the next day to see it. We made our way to Logan Pass, elevation 6,646 feet, along the Continental Divide and at the summit of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. It is the highest point at which you can drive a vehicle.

Our mode of transportation was in Red Jammers. These are specially designed vintage 1930s buses with four rows of seats. The fabric tops can be rolled back on pleasant days for passengers to gain a better vantage point of the views as they head up to the pass. That day was a pleasant day in more ways than just the weather as we climbed higher and higher in our Red Jammers with incredible views all around.

Actually, the buses are called reds, and the bus drivers are called jammers because of the sound the gears would make when shifted on the steep roads. The “jamming” sound came from double clutching. The drivers would pause now and then at scenic overlooks and other points of interest like glaciers, waterfalls and wildlife. You could actually stand with your head above the open roof to snap a photo or two. “Prairie dogs up!,” shouted by your driver, meant you could stand up in the vehicle, much like the prairie dog stands on his hind legs. “Prairie dogs down” warned you it was time to sit.

It became a running joke among our group when you wanted someone to stand up or sit down the rest of the trip.

On the way back as we talked over the majestic sights, we crossed the continental divide, thankful for what we had seen. It seemed the perfect spiritual moment for a blessing by fellow traveler Linda Prewitt and an inspiring acapella rendition of “Amazing Grace” by Donna Watkins. And it was.

On to Banff and Lake Louise

Up and out of the Prince of Wales Hotel early the next morning, we headed to Banff. I had seen photos of the Banff Springs Hotel, where we would be staying for the next three days, and the beauty of Lake Louise. A photograph simply cannot do those sights justice, but we all tried just the same.

Banff is a mountain town, quaint but bustling. The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel sits high above, like a European castle carved into the mountainside. In fact, they call it “Castle in the Rockies.” From the window of our hotel room, we overlooked the picturesque Bow River flowing between two mountain ranges with a dusting of snow on scattered peaks in the center.

The Banff Springs Hotel is a magical place. Built more than 125 years ago, its architecture inside and out is grand, luxurious and stunning. The next morning we were on our way to Lake Louise, but not before a stop at Ski Louise Lodge, where we rode a gondola – an open or enclosed ski lift – to the top of a mountain to get a bird’s eye view of Lake Louise. The top was 6,850 feet above sea level. My sense of adventure kicked in unexpectedly, and I chose the open ski lift.

On the way up, we had a view of a different sort – a grizzly bear who seemed unfazed by the pairs of legs dangling overhead from the lifts. He seemed a bit more interested in foraging. We had a contest to see who got the best photo of the grizzly. Mine, of course, was the wrong end of the bear, and Jackie Reinheimer and Carolyn Hall emerged with award winning, full-faced grizzlies.

The stop at Lake Louise was as promised – breathtaking. Shimmering, turquoise water flanked by snow-covered mountains and a glacier that feeds into it, creating that precise color. It is hard to imagine a more impressive backdrop or a water’s hue more vivid.

But in that same day, we visited Peyto Lake, seeing it from a perch high above. The turquoise color was as unbelievable as Karina, our guide, had said. She described it as looking as though someone had created that distinctly beautiful color of paint and poured it right into the lake below.

Walking on a glacier

Our final day of excursions was the perfect ending. Not much could top it. We walked on a glacier. There was no fear of falling through, though. It was 1,000 feet thick, the largest accumulation of ice south of the Arctic Circle.

We started our trip early that morning, traveling on the Icefields Parkway. Along the way was a kaleidoscope of cliffs, waterfalls, rushing rivers, glacial peaks and snow covered mountain ranges. In short, all were sights to behold in awe.

We boarded Ice Explorers, bus-like vehicles with tractor-type tires as tall as we are. We inched our way down a steep incline of ice and slush and then up again to the glacier.

The Ice Explorer stopped, the door opened, and we descended, precariously making our way across the ice. Exhilarating, giddy, inspired…those are the first few feelings that come to mind as I recount the experience.

Karina waited at the top near a glacier stream, where you could fill a bottle with pure glacier water, the turquoise color its unmistakable signature. When we were on the motor coach, she had told us of her tradition – a shot of Crown Royal Canadian Rye on the glacier – “because I can’t think of any place cooler to drink rye on the rocks.”

A few of us, admittedly, found our way to Karina and had the most memorable toast in the most unforgettable place.

The next day we headed home, full of memories to last a lifetime and a bucket list wish fulfilled. l

Editor’s note: To learn more about or join Friends Bound for New Horizons, contact Deanna Lawley or the Pell City Library.

Special thanks to fellow travelers: Steve and Judy Hager, Gayle Wood, Cherry Bass, Pam Foote, Barnett and Deanna Lawley, Lois Harris, Michal Hopson, Mike and Marion Lowe, Nan Strickland, Jackie Reinheimer, Carolyn Hall, Debbie Jordan, Billy and Kaye Cloud, Hilda Moon, Diane Ray, Randy and Donna Watkins, Bill and Judy Hardwick, Bill and Sandra Norton, Bill and Linda Prewitt, Steve and Donna Prewitt, Lewis and Ann Freedman, Dianne Cleveland, Barbara Money, Darlene Norris.

O Canada Trip

71 photos

Features

A Good Place

Finding faith, hope and love at the Red Barn

Story by Jane Newton Henry
Photos by Mike Callahan

Located on the banks of the Little Cahaba River in Leeds, the Red Barn is a haven for children and adults with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities or special circumstances.

According Joy O’Neal, executive director, this equine-assisted therapy center is a place where children can have a good time, and veterans can reconnect with their families.

Before Randy came to the Red Barn, he had a difficult time talking, and other children at school made fun of him when he tried. He became embarrassed to speak, so he chose not to speak at all.

But as Randy began to ride horses, he learned to depend on his voice. He spoke commands to his horse, telling him to “Walk” and “Whoa.” Riding gave Randy the confidence he needed to speak more clearly.

“To me that’s the heart of what we’re trying to teach,” O’Neal said. “If learning to ride a horse makes your life better and gives you the skills that you need to get your words or your needs across, that’s what matters.

“When children with physical disabilities ride horses, their bodies become stronger. The movement of a horse improves muscular coordination and gives riders a fun activity they can talk about with friends. When they’re up on a horse, you can’t tell that they might have a hard time walking.”

Programs breed success stories

The Red Barn offers three main programs: Saddle Up, Horse Play and Take the Reins.

Saddle Up consists of weekly individualized therapeutic horseback-riding lessons.

Horse Play camps are held year-round for children with disabilities and their typically developing peers. These traditional day camps incorporate art, music and outdoor education with horses. The program also offers classes and other recreational and educational activities for individuals and groups from other non-profit agencies and schools.

Birmingham-area artist She She Vaughn teaches art classes and lessons as a part of the Horse Play program. “Art uses the creative process and allows children to communicate when they may be uncomfortable or less capable of expressing their thoughts aloud,” O’Neal said. “Art also aids the students in stress relief, social skills and developing a positive self-image.”

Take the Reins serves veterans, active and inactive military personnel and their families. It gives veterans time to reconnect with their families after deployment or just a place to be together.

All about the horses

The 11 horses at the Red Barn were given from the community. “We get retired show horses, and we get horses from people who are looking to re-home their horse,” O’Neal said. “Sometimes it’s because they can no longer care for them, or they are looking for a place where the horse can still have a useful life.

“Every day is different at the barn, so it’s important that our horses are sound and tolerate a lot of people,” O’Neal said. “With 70 riding lessons and 30 campers a week, along with parents and volunteers, you need a horse that really likes people, is adaptable and doesn’t mind change.”

Making good things happen

“We have the best folks in the world working here,” O’Neal said. “They are slobbered on and thrown up on. They put up with a lot, and it’s physically taxing work.”

In addition to employees and volunteers, the Red Barn hires about three interns a semester from local universities. Some interns have come from as far away as Missouri, Delaware and California.

The facility holds orientation and training programs for its staff, volunteers and interns, and trains others who want to work in a similar industry,

Funds that pay for programs and expenses at the Red Barn come from individual contributions, programs and grants. And the Red Barn holds two major fundraising events annually.

The Take the Reins 10K race was held for the second time on June 11 in Birmingham. “The race is run in memory of Cpl. Anthony Clay Ward, who died after returning from military service. He was the brother of Abbie, one of our first students,” O’Neal said. “Last year was the sixth anniversary of Clay’s death. His friends run in the 10K, and I am thankful to the Ward family for sharing their story.”

The second major fundraiser is Bluegrass and Burgers. “It’s more of an open house. We invite people out to see the place. They come to see what we do and how we do it.”

‘That changes you’

O’Neal expressed surprise about one aspect of working at the Red Barn: “You think it’s about changing others, but what it does instead is change you,” she said. “You think you are coming to be a side walker in a kid’s lesson, and you see the bravery of what they face. You see this kid who can’t speak, and other kids might make fun of him or maybe he doesn’t have friends. You watch the courage of that child every single day. And that changes you.

“You also see the goodness in the people who work here — out in the sun, cold and wind. You see them give of themselves, and you think about how many good people there are in the world. You see people come together and cry, and it becomes a community, and you think, wow, this is what God intended us to do.” l

Accredited by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship and the Certified Horsemanship Association, the Red Barn is located at 2700 Bailey Road, Leeds, AL 35094. It is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax-deductible. For more information about the Red Barn’s organization and services, go to: www.TheRedBarn.org.

Features

Odenville, Ala.

Growing community‘A place to call home’

Story by Paul South
Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

There’s a story Joe Whitten likes to tell, a story that speaks far more loudly about Odenville than about himself.

In 1961, Whitten was a newly-recruited teacher to St. Clair County High School, a stranger in town. He’d been given a 10-month contract, paying $350 a month. And he was scared.

“I’d been in town for about three weeks, and parents of the kids were calling me and inviting me for an evening meal. I don’t remember exactly what was served, except it was good home-cooked food. But what I remember is that these people invited me into their lives and into their community. I’ll never forget that acceptance.”

Whitten, now 78, would go on to teach in Odenville for more than 35 years and write histories of Odenville and St. Clair County High. He still lives in town, on some nights, he’s lulled to sleep by the gentle rumble of the CSX train as it rolls slowly through town.

“God put me here,” he said. “I love it here. It’s wonderful.”

Stories like Whitten’s – of welcome and acceptance — are told over and over again by newcomers and lifelong residents to this town of less than 5,000, 3,585 according to the 2010 census. Even as the town has expanded out to Interstate 59, the heart of the town hasn’t changed.

Beginnings

Peter Hardin, a blacksmith and Presbyterian pastor, led the first band of settlers to what’s now Odenville in 1821, two years after Alabama was granted statehood. It was the first of several key historic milestones for the town once known as Hardin’s Shop. Odenville was incorporated in 1914, but no one is sure exactly how it got its name, Whitten said.

In 1903, the Seaboard Airline Railroad (now CSX) helped tie Odenville to Birmingham, Atlanta and the northeast. Not only that, but along with good-paying jobs and company-built homes, the railroad boosted local businesses. The Cahaba Hotel was one of them, offering room and board for travelers. The now-gone landmark once was a favorite of Odenville’s children, according to Odenville Library director Betty Corley.

“There was a candy store on the first floor of the hotel, “she said. “And kids used to love to go there to buy penny candy.”

Whitten recounted how townsfolk would gather near the tracks to wave at Miss Alabama each year, as she traveled northeast to Atlantic City, N.J., for the Miss America pageant.

Strictly freight rides the rails now through Odenville. But in its prime, the passenger line even provided transportation to school for rural St. Clair County schoolchildren to the St. Clair County High, which once housed grades 1-12 under one roof.

The high school and where it would be located sparked spirited debate between the editors of the newspapers of Odenville and Pell City. Whitten has written a history of the high school (Where the Saints Have Trod) and of Odenville (Odenville, Alabama: A History of Our Town,1821-1992).

“The editor of the Pell City paper (The Pell City Progress) wrote that he was afraid the state would regret “ ‘putting a $10,000 school in a thousand-dollar town.’ ” And the editor of the Odenville paper countered that Pell City was fine for a mill town, but not for a school. It was something,” Whitten said.

Odenville won the school, and St. Clair County High remains to this day. The original school opened in 1909. Today, a state-of-the-art high school has replaced it.

And while the trains no longer haul passengers, they carry a multitude of memories for Odenville residents like Jimmy Bailey, Odenville’s Mayor Pro Tempore and the manager of Odenville’s water system, the county’s largest water utility. Bailey’s father was a conductor on the Seaboard Airline train that ran through Odenville. Bailey often rode with his dad to Atlanta and back in a day.

Among his treasures are his Dad’s uniform, his briefcase and a timetable.

“I’ve always loved trains. What stood out to me was the Atlanta Terminal Station. They had a big model railroad set up there,” Bailey said.

But while the passenger trains are gone, more people – and businesses – would come to Odenville and St. Clair County.

An expanding footprint

If a key word could describe Odenville’s growth, annexation springs to mind. In 2007, the town of Branchville merged with Odenville after a landslide approval. A subsequent annexation has expanded Odenville’s footprint to the Springville/Odenville exit on Interstate 59. Four new businesses have already located there. The town is hopeful for more, city leaders say, and there is a daily drive to recruit new businesses. The city has developed a reputation that may lead to success.

“Odenville is the most business-friendly city in the county,” said longtime real estate executive and developer Lyman Lovejoy. “They are out recruiting every day.”

Evidence of Odenville’s growing footprint is Legacy Park, an approximately 250-acre mixed use development near I-59. Four businesses are already open at the site. A Foodland Plus grocery store is also on board for the multi-million-dollar project, according to Greg Bratcher, building inspector and revenue officer for the City of Odenville.

On the residential side, an apartment complex with an estimated 242 units is planned for the site.

“As this site is developed, this will provide extra funds for the surrounding communities, employing hundreds of people, which will have a large impact for Odenville, Springville and St. Clair County, Bratcher said.

The anticipated economic bounce is also expected to provide more money for police and fire protection, Bratcher said. And the City of Odenville has purchased a 65-acre tract in the community to provide a multi-purpose park.

Like many of its neighboring communities, Odenville wrestles with managing growth, while preserving the history and character of the city. It’s a delicate waltz of preservation and progress.

Traffic is a problem, particularly during school hours. But on the other side of the coin, the town has invested in preserving historic buildings, like the old Odenville Bank building and city hall, where the “Sis” Fortson Museum and Archives now resides. The town also converted one of Odenville’s historic homes into the police station and is working on other preservation projects.

Pride is the driving force behind the preservation of the past in Odenville, Mayor Rodney “Buck” Christian said. The city is “full of public servants,” committed to making their town better.

“They’re proud of their history and where they came from, and hopefully they’re encouraged about where we are headed in the future,” he said. “There are people in our community who would prefer no growth, I’m sure. But it’s coming our way, whether we like it or not. How you manage and accept that growth is critical.”

The reality of growth is evident in developments like Legacy Springs, where hundreds of homes have already been built. But there is hope for more restaurants, motels and other businesses, to meet the needs of the citizens. But Christian makes it clear, the heart of Odenville has to be preserved.

Asked his vision for the town moving forward, Christian said, “Obviously we want more economic development, a stronger revenue stream and an improved road system, but at the same time maintaining our identity as a small, close-knit, family-oriented, Christian community.”

Bailey agrees. He’s witnessed the demands of residential growth firsthand as manager of the water system. Now with 7,300 customers, the board also sells water to the Cook Springs Water Authority, the City of Margaret and the Northwest St. Clair Water Authority. In the early 21^st century, he said, residential development took off. He points to 2006, where there were some 20 subdivisions under construction within the water system, a good bit of that construction within Odenville.

To put the growth of Odenville’s water system in perspective, when Bailey began as the system’s only full-time employee –aside from office staff—in 1979, the utility had 550 customers. Now with more than 7,000 customers, the system will begin selling water to Rainbow City in November of this year, Bailey said.

“Fortunately, we have always had a board composed of members that wanted to see the system grow and provide water service to those that needed it,” Bailey said. “Also, the growth (of the utility) enabled the creation and development of local jobs, which was a priority for me and the board.

As growth continues, Bailey believes “smart growth” is critical.

“That is a big part of it,” Bailey said. “Upgrading infrastructure is a constant thing. Most of the growth is residential. There’s a small amount of commercial growth that has come with it. One of the challenges that we face is that the residential growth outruns the commercial growth. People who move here expect services and amenities that are in larger towns, and we still don’t have the tax base to provide. We’re constantly encouraging new businesses and commercial development to increase our tax base.”

The heart of the city

But beyond tax bases and infrastructure, the heart of a city is its people. Talk to enough Odenville residents and their stories sound a lot like Joe Whitten’s. The people are in love with the town and deeply care about each other.

Trese Mashburn has lived in Odenville for 15 years after marrying her husband Marlin, an Odenville native whose family owned the Cahaba Hotel. She wears a lot of hats – Odenville columnist for the St. Clair County News-Aegis, account representative for a local radio station, 94.1-FM, The River, and she was the creator of the Odenville Area Business Association, a business networking group that on most Mondays, draws 50 business representatives.

She also directs the city’s Christmas parade and in the past has been involved in charitable efforts and two music festivals in Odenville.

The Birmingham native calls her adopted hometown, “a little slice of heaven.”

“It doesn’t have a big bang as far as big business, but we have what we need,” she said. “It’s close-knit and wonderful.”

What makes Odenville special?

“To me what makes it unique and special are the people. Everybody there, even if you’re a transplant like myself, once you’re part of the community, you’re part of the community,” Mashburn said. Everyone there is so helpful and thoughtful and looking out for each other. Anytime there’s a person in need, we pull together and help those people.”

Lifelong St. Clair resident Joanie Mardis knows personally how the town pulls together. She and her husband Bruce operate Seasons of Adventure Travel, a full-service travel agency they operate in a home passed down from her grandparents.

While to folks in big cities, a travel agency in a town of less than 5,000 may fly in the face of conventional wisdom, Seasons of Adventure has flourished since opening in 2010, with customers in St. Clair County, throughout Alabama and in other states.

“The house that was in the front yard was probably 75-80 years old, but it burned when my dad was a little boy,” Joanie Mardis said “They had an old-fashioned barn raising and everybody came and built my grandparents’ house. They were without anything. Everyone worked together to help everyone else.”

The same has happened for Seasons of Adventure. Odenville and surrounding communities have supported the Mardis’ efforts.

“People might think that people in small towns don’t travel,” Joanie Mardis said. “But let me tell you, they travel.”

Dr. Mike Hobbs had never traveled more than 30 miles from his home in the rough-and-tumble Ensley neighborhood on Birmingham’s west side. Burglar bars on the windows and doors were common. While a student at Jefferson State Community College, he befriended an Odenville native, Shain (cq) Wilson. The two became fast friends and encouraged each other through school and remain friends to this day.

Hobbs remembers the first time he visited Wilson’s home.

“I was like, ’Wow, this is almost to Atlanta,’” he said with a laugh. There were no burglar bars. In fact, Wilson told him, there were some nights folks didn’t lock their doors.

Fast forward a few years. While a student at UAB, Hobbs met a St. Clair County girl. The two dated and eventually married. Bachelor’s, masters and doctoral degrees later, and the Hobbs family has settled in Odenville, where there are no burglar bars. In fact, the only additions to the doors and windows are Christmas lights in December. Hobbs may be Odenville’s Clark Griswold of Christmas Vacation movie fame.

Hobbs, dean of enrollment at Jeff State for the past 18 years, loves Odenville.

“I knew this was the place for us,” Hobbs said. “Everybody just welcomed us here like we’d been here our whole lives.”

‘A Place to Call Home’

In Odenville, there’s a Hall of Heroes, honoring all of the city’s men and women who served in our nation’s military. There is a fragile, 1652 volume of John Milton in Latin in the library. The family of comedian Pat Buttram lived here, as did the Western writer Ralph Compton. Football stars Dee Ford of Auburn and the Kansas City Chiefs and former Jacksonville State standout and NFL player James Shaw call Odenville home.

But what you hear about most in Odenville is love and kindness and family. And you hear about memories, of bluegrass being played years ago at an old blacksmith shop, or students and parents leading a new teacher around town, schooling him on the history of his new community.

Historian and retired educator Joe Whitten – the new teacher back in 1961 — probably described Odenville best.

“It’s a place to call home.”