Stepping Stones, Milestones

Jeff State Community College celebrating 20 years in Pell City

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Bob Crisp and submitted

Looking forward from a starting point, some might call those stepping stones up ahead. But looking back on the 20-year history of Jefferson State Community College in St. Clair County, one would be hard-pressed not to conclude they were all milestones.

The late Jefferson State President Judy Merritt could not only see the proverbial forest – and the trees – she saw a community college campus thriving like the pines and hardwoods towering above her at the time.

Mayor Bil Pruitt (right) presents Jefferson State President Keith Brown and Dean of Economic Development Guin Robinson with resolution commemorating anniversary

Joined by staunch advocates of greater access to higher education closer to home, former Pell City Mayor Guin Robinson, St. Clair Economic Development Executive Director Ed Gardner Sr., St. Clair Commission Chairman Stan Batemon, EDC Chairman Tommy Bowers and Realtor and community leader Dick Whatley, the vision took shape.

What would grow from those woods a stone’s throw from Interstate 20 is the thriving community college they envisioned. At the 20-year mark, the proof is in the numbers:

  • 10,000+ students served.
  • 2,076 non-credit students benefitting from learning opportunities.
  • 1,131 high school students earning college credits in dual enrollment.
  • 514 nursing graduates filling much needed roles in the healthcare sector throughout Alabama and beyond.

“From the beginning, this community embraced Jefferson State,”  said President Keith Brown at a community breakfast celebrating the 20th anniversary. “We thank you for welcoming us, and all you do for the college.”

“Community partners, Pell City leaders, the St. Clair Economic Development Council, and Judy Merritt and the college, all came together,” said Robinson, now Jefferson State Dean of Economic Development. “The vision was never about a building, but it was to create opportunities that did not exist close to home. Jefferson State has become integral to the community, and its success belongs to the entire community.”

State School Board Vice Chair Marie Manning with former State Sen. Jim McClendon

Officials talked of the opportunities it has provided over the past two decades. They cited examples like the scores of first-generation college students and a 40-year old mother going back to school, a step she would not have taken had it not been close to home.

In a video marking the anniversary, Batemon, a Jefferson State alumnus himself, noted that the college’s local presence has “affected economic development in a very positive way.”

Former State Senator Jim McClendon, instrumental in securing state funding for expansions and improvements at the college, talked of its importance in the everyday lives of citizens. “It produces people working in our county and taking care of folks.”

Marie Manning, former superintendent of education for St. Clair County Schools and vice chairman of the Alabama State School Board, reasoned that the college has meant “more than can ever be expressed,” providing countless educational opportunities for St. Clair Countians.

Shiloh Swiney, chief nursing officer at UAB St. Vincent’s St. Clair, has seen firsthand the value in the hospital’s partnership with Jefferson State and its Nursing and Allied Health School at the Pell City campus.

“We have students doing their clinicals here nearly every semester, and their students are always top notch. They are good with the patients. They’re able to come here and gain real world experience.” In turn, the hospital’s hiring benefits from filling positions with skilled graduates.

“It’s a powerful opportunity for both,” Swiney said. “We are honored to play a role in their education and development. We are so glad to have them here.”

State Sen. Lance Bell with former Sen. Jim McClendon

In presenting a Pell City Council resolution recognizing the anniversary, Mayor Bill Pruitt called his tenure “an incredible opportunity to be a part of a lot of growth and development from the groundwork laid decades before,” adding “thanks to those that came before us.”

Robinson offered his thanks to the community “for everything you’ve done and continue to do. This grew from years of community conversations. Residents needed greater access to higher education and workforce development without leaving the area.”

That presence began in Moody, gained momentum and settled in a larger, bolder vision in Pell City. “It came together around workforce development and economic development,” Robinson said. They asked questions like, ‘What does it look like?’ and ‘How can we best serve for the long term?’

“Judy Merritt’s leadership cannot be overstated. If Judy Merritt got behind a project, it happened.” Her successor, Brown, was on the team overseeing the building of it. Now, he oversees its success story.

Robinson singled out other early movers and shakers that led to the opening – Industrial Development Board Chairman Bob Barnett and former Mayor Bill Hereford, who gave the first donation for the campus. “They recognized what a community college presence could mean.”

At 20 years and counting, it provides an opportunity not only to reflect but to look ahead, Robinson said. “Jefferson State allowed students to get a college education and training in their own community, and it has made a tremendous difference in the lives of students and their families. Our responsibility is to build on 20 years and continue. Our greatest days are ahead.”

VETERANS: Honoring those who serve

Museum of Pell City readies for annual salute to soldiers

When Museum of Pell City opened its doors in March 2023, its first major project focused on paying tribute to veterans, a tradition that has continued each November since.

Keynote speaker Jason Nunley

That first year, the museum built a major military exhibit and culminated a months-long oral history project with a video featuring  veterans of World War II, including D-Day, Korean War and Vietnam War called War and Remembrance.

Interviews of veterans from Pell City’s Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home as well as other local veterans recounted their experiences in military service and the grim realities of war.

Crowd enjoys watching veteran take a flight on simulator at 2025 event

On Nov. 6, the museum will present its annual Salute to Veterans with a focus on coming home and the difficult transition from battlefield to homefront. A reception will be held in the banquet room of the Pell City Municipal Complex at 10 a.m., followed by keynote speaker, Jason Nunley, a special operations veteran with deployments including Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa. After military retirement, he rose through his family’s pipeline supplier business and is now its president and chief executive officer.

The museum will premier the latest video in its veteran series: A Soldier’s Return, A Mother’s Battle. The video features an intimate interview with Michelle Tumlin, mother of a returning soldier who took his own life after struggling through the transition of coming home.

She has turned the tragedy into her own battle to help veterans, founding a nonprofit to assist returning veterans. She created a shop in downtown Pell City called Houston Project in honor of her son, Houston Tumlin. The shop sells military-themed  apparel and products with all proceeds going to vets.

Michelle Tumlin at the Houston Project

In addition, she joined another mother, Sharon McDaniel, in lobbying successfully for a law in Alabama that provides gun safes at gun stores for veterans who may be contemplating suicide or other harm. It’s a voluntary, temporary firearm surrender program for veterans – no questions asked.

The Houston Hunter Act, is actually named for those two mothers’ sons, who were lost to suicide – Houston Tumlin and Hunter Whitley.

“We talk often about service and sacrifice in war, but in growing instances, we see that the battlefield is not the only struggle soldiers face,” said Museum President Carol Pappas. “Michelle’s story gives us a better understanding of a battle of a different kind – coming home.”

The museum’s military exhibit is being redesigned and expanded and will be open for tours following the program. l

Editor’s Note: Museum of Pell City is located in a 4,000-square-foot suite on the second floor of the Pell City Municipal Complex. It is open to the public free of charge on Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Big things ahead for Big Canoe Creek

New pavilion, nature playscape and more on the table for preserve

Story by Molly Gilbert
Photos from Big Canoe Creek Preserve

Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve has come a long way, and there’s more on the horizon. Another 72.5 acres adjoining the Preserve has been nominated for Forever Wild Land Trust consideration, which could eventually bring the protected area to nearly 500 acres. That process is still in its early stages.

New construction projects are taking shape that will give visitors even more ways to explore, learn and enjoy this special area of Springville.

“We have three major projects going on – everything is in the development stage,” says Doug Morrison, manager of Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve.

Plans for the open-air pavilion are expected to go out for bid soon, with completion projected for May 2027. The Preserve has received septic tank approval, and Forever Wild Land Trust has already funded a waterline, both important steps toward future restroom facilities.

Concept design for the Nature Center

Once complete, the pavilion will give the Preserve a place to gather, adding another dimension to a property that has become increasingly popular for outdoor recreation and education.

The nature playscape is also working its way toward the construction phase. Most of the funding is in place, and the design is being adjusted to fit the available funds and take a phased approach. Morrison hopes work can begin in 2027.

For families, the playscape will offer another way for children to experience the outdoors through play, exploration and discovery – the kind of experience that can turn a visit to the Preserve into a lasting memory.

Then there is the Big Canoe Creek Nature Center, which will bring the Preserve’s educational mission into the heart of Springville.

The Nature Center will be located in the historic Rock School (built in 1921) rather than on the Preserve itself. Thanks to community support, the Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners are renting the building from the Springville Preservation Society, and grants have helped move the project into the design phase. A designer is currently working on the interior, while construction documents move through the approval process. Physical work inside the building has not yet begun.

Doug sees the project as a natural fit for the community: a historic building being preserved while creating a new place to learn about the natural world around it.

“It is a really special place,” he says.

A COMMUNITY BUILDING WITH IT

The projects may still be in development, but people are already investing their time and energy in the Preserve.

This past spring, about 150 people came out for the Biggie Stomp 5K, an event that brought runners onto the trails with the added fun challenge of spotting Big Foot in the woods.

Scout troops have donated several projects. One group installed a picnic table, hitching post and horse step along the Easy Rider Trail.

“It’s good to see the broader community buy into the vision with their contributions,” Doug says.

Springville Library has become another important partner. Librarian Jamie Twente secured a grant for science-based kits that can be used with homeschoolers, opening opportunities for children to explore subjects such as fireflies, butterflies and other local wildlife.

The library also helped secure funding for interpretive signage along the 0.6-mile paved trail. A storyboard walk is planned with interchangeable 18-by-24-inch story panels that can bring nature-themed stories to the trail.

These additions may seem small compared with the larger construction projects, but together they reveal something important about the Preserve’s future.

It is a place where people can come to do something – walk, run, play, learn, gather – or simply slow down and notice what is around them.

And there is still plenty to discover right now.

The Preserve is open Wednesday-Sunday, with regular visitors continuing to return to the trails and new visitors finding their way there.

The next chapter is already underway. For those who have watched Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve develop over the years, these projects offer something new to look forward to. For those who have never visited, there may be no better time to start exploring.

The stories beneath our feet

St. Clair native’s journey to preserve the people, places and memories that built our community

Story by Molly Gilbert
Submitted photos

Sometimes history hides in plain sight.

For St. Clair County native, Austin H. Stone, it was tucked away inside an old iron lockbox hidden in his great-grandfather’s house in Whites Chapel.

After purchasing the home from his grandparents in 2022, Austin was exploring a small area where an old water heater had once been when he made an unexpected discovery. Inside the lockbox were employment records, safety certifications and other documents connected to the Acmar mines – a chapter of local history that had largely faded from public memory.

“I couldn’t believe nobody had looked at this before,” Austin said. “I felt like I was meeting my great-grandfather and learning all about the community I grew up in at the same time.”

That discovery sparked years of research and ultimately led to the publication of The Ghosts of an Empire: The History of the Alabama Fuel and Iron Company in St. Clair County.

But for Austin, the story was never just about coal.

It was about people.

It was about family.

And it was about preserving the stories of his hometown.

Discovering the Story Beneath Familiar Places

Austin grew up surrounded by reminders of the area’s coal-mining past, though he didn’t fully understand what they meant.

Like many local kids, he spent his childhood exploring the woods, riding around town and gathering with friends in familiar places.

“We used to hang out in the old church, but didn’t know it was built by the company,” he said. “We’d see street signs for Acmar Road, but we never really thought much about it.”

As a teenager, Austin admits he was one of many who looked around and thought there wasn’t much worth noticing.

“I was one of those teenagers who said there’s nothing here,” he said.

The lockbox changed that perspective. Suddenly, the places he had known his entire life began revealing a hidden story.

“I didn’t even have a name of the mining company until I found that paperwork,” he said. “It kind of snowballed from there.”

Following the Trail

Austin began digging through newspaper archives and historical records, searching for answers.

Eventually, his research led him to the University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections, where he worked through five archival boxes containing corporate records from the Alabama Fuel and Iron Company.

The deeper he dug, the larger the story became.

At one time, communities such as Whites Chapel, Margaret, Acmar and surrounding mining settlements were part of one of Alabama’s most significant coal-producing regions. The Alabama Fuel and Iron Company grew into one of the state’s largest coal producers, employing generations of local families and helping shape the economy and identity of western St. Clair County.

“It used to be a big deal in our town,” he said. “I couldn’t believe how important they were.”

Austin learned that the company played a significant role in supplying coal during World War II and that entire communities grew around mining operations, supporting schools, churches, homes and businesses.

What surprised him most, however, wasn’t the scale of the industry. It was the sacrifices made by ordinary people.

Appreciating What Came Before

The more Austin learned about his great-grandfather’s life, the more personal the research became.

His great-grandfather spent 25 years working underground in the mines while raising five children – one of whom had special needs – during some of the most challenging years of the 20th century.

Exploring mouth of main entrance to Acmar No. 3 Mine. An explosion in 1922 killed 11 men in same mine

“The more I learned about the Great Depression and what my great-grandfather had to deal with, the more I became really appreciative of all the things he did,” Austin said. “It really brings to the forefront of your mind what it really took to get to where we are today.”

Just as important were the women whose stories often go untold, so Austin made a point of including their contributions in his book. While miners spent long hours underground, wives and mothers were growing food, washing clothes by hand and taking care of the children.

“It wasn’t just the men. They couldn’t have done what they did if the women weren’t keeping everyone fed and taken care of.”

For Austin, these stories offer a new appreciation for previous generations and the obstacles they faced.

It’s an important reminder that the communities we enjoy today were built through countless sacrifices made by people whose names may never appear in history books, but whose impact can still be felt generations later.

Preserving What Could Be Lost

As St. Clair County continues to grow, Austin sees another challenge emerging.

New subdivisions, businesses and developments are transforming parts of the landscape. While growth brings opportunity, it can also erase physical reminders of the past.

Stone’s generations of family from left, front row: Carolyn Lawley, Vivian Newton Lawley (great grandmother), John Lawley (great grandfather, coal miner at Markeeta, Acmar; Imojean Lawley Walker (grandmother), Helen Lawley Brown, Brenda Lawley Stewart, John Clayton Lawley

Many historical sites have already disappeared, and others survive only in photographs and memories.

“I have a problem with the way things get lost to history,” Austin said.

That concern became one of the driving forces behind his book. Rather than leaving fragments of stories scattered across archives, newspaper collections and family records, Austin wanted to create a single resource where others could learn about an industry that shaped the area for decades.

“I really wanted to make an even and concise record so anyone can go to one spot and get the information.”

His work continues beyond the pages of the book.

Austin has helped identify individuals in historical photographs, worked with local historians and residents who have shared family artifacts, and is involved in early efforts to establish historical markers connected to significant events in the area’s mining history.

A Gift for Future Generations

Austin and Jennifer Stone with daughter, Margaret, 3, at local book signing

As the father of a young daughter, Austin often thinks about the family members she will never meet. That reality has reinforced his belief that preserving history isn’t something to put off until later. He encourages readers to become historians of their own families, whether it’s a family story, an old photograph tucked into a drawer or memories shared around the dinner table.

“I would encourage people to ask questions of their older relatives while they still can,” Austin said. “If it’s important enough to you to remember, it’s important enough to write it down.”

In many ways, that’s exactly how The Ghosts of an Empire began – with a few forgotten documents, a sense of curiosity and a determination to honor those who came before us.

“The people who built these communities are gone, but their stories don’t have to be,” Austin said. “If we take the time to ask questions, write things down and share what we know, future generations can understand where they came from and what it took to build the places they call home.” l

Editor’s Note: The Ghosts of an Empire: The History of the Alabama Fuel and Iron Company in St. Clair County is available through Amazon. Readers can also follow Austin on Facebook for future author talks and community history presentations as Austin continues sharing the stories he uncovered along the way.

St. Clair Training School

Historic site receives official marker

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted Photos

Jennifer Gover gazed up at the historic marker with gold letters etched across the deep blue background and smiled.

It was that unmistakable look of satisfaction at the end of a long journey home, her work was done. St. Clair County Training School is now an official, historical landmark.

The school is already listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. Thee marker with the official seal of the Alabama Historical Association was erected by the St. Clair County Training School Alumni Association, led by President Don Allen and Vice President Barbara Collins.

Thelma O’Neal Jones addresses the crowd at the dedication

In late June, alumni unveiled the marker in a special ceremony at the Pell City school site, now known as The Legacy Center, during the Alumni Association’s reunion weekend.

The marker tells the story of the school and its origin – history Gover researched and worked in collaboration with the Historical Commission to develop.

It was dedicated in 1922 as “the Colored Industrial Institute, also called the Rosenwald Negro School at Pell City.” It began as a one-room classroom on two acres with one teacher. The land purchase and construction were made possible through the Julius Rosenwald Foundation and local community matching funds totaling $2,900.

A 1922 Birmingham News story described it as “the largest and best equipped school for Negroes in St. Clair County.”

In 1934, the state Board of Education was requested to change the name to St. Clair County Training School and add an extra teacher. Four years later, the St. Clair Board of Education approved extending the high school department to meet training school requirements and the state department approved the name change.

Willie Mae “Snookie” Turner Beavers, the oldest living alumni at 99

As part of the federal New Deal Program, the Public Works Administration allotted funds to build two more classrooms and make repairs.

From its beginning in 1922, the school educated Blacks in the surrounding communities of Pell City, Cropwell, Riverside, Piney Woods, Ragland and Acmar with the final class graduating in 1969 when the school closed for integration – 15 years after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision called for an end to “separate but equal” schools.

Over 100 people attended the June ceremony, where former elementary school principal and SCCTS alumnus Thelma O’Neal Jones delivered the keynote address. “Our grandparents dreamed of a better future for us,” Jones told the crowd. “We were the first generation of education achievements,” many of whom went on to college. 

The lessons they learned there extended well beyond academics. They were lessons “upon which our lives were built,” she said. “We celebrate more than a building. We celebrate a legacy.”

Videssa Woods talked of the history of the school and its importance in all of the alumni’s lives. “Without history,” she asked them to remember, “there is no present.”

Deanna Lawley’s dedication

Pell City educator honored by library

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted Photos

When Deanna Lawley was a child, a less-than-harmonious trip to the dentist one day with her mother ended abruptly when Lawley bit the dentist.

Her mother was “horrified” with the actions of her 6-year-old, she recalled, “and she turned me over to my daddy.”

But her father had a deal to dangle in front of the precocious, albeit challenging, child that just might make the next visit a bit less dramatic.

He coerced her into behaving at the dentist’s office with the promise that he would buy her that book she had been wanting – Black Beauty – “the one with the shiny cover.” The father-daughter ‘deal’ was struck, and it not only became the key to a smooth office visit that day, it unlocked a lifetime of love for reading. “24 hours later I had my book,” she said.

And she’s been reading ever since.

As a career path, she naturally chose teaching English and for decades, she shared her passion for the written word with countless Pell City High School students. In retirement, she paints books through travel.

Forming a group called Friends Bound for New Horizons, Lawley guides trips across the globe. They have become learning adventures that have raised nearly $100,000 for the Pell City Library.

The first trips generated funds for Pell City Schools Educational Foundation and later grew successful enough to support the library and after that, Museum of Pell City, a nonprofit she co-founded.

Among her early travelers were Library Director Danny Stewart and Carolyn Hall, a longtime library supporter. One day Hall wryly told her, “There’s no reason why you can’t give money to the library,” which led to years of travel – and funding – for the library.

Guild members sought to honor her in a special way, and they named a room in the library for her.

Actually, there were two rooms that needed naming – arts and crafts and teens – and Lawley chose arts and crafts. She picked arts and crafts, not only for the creativity and imagination found inside, but she joked she had years of teaching teens, and “most” were not too entertained. “Arts and crafts are fun for any age – my PCHS teens, not so much. They were getting ready with research and Shakespeare for college.”

“She wanted to see the happy, fun part,” said Stewart.

“There was a desire to have something to pay her back for all the money she has raised over the years,” Stewart said. “We thought it was only fitting to name a room after her.” She shares the honor with husband Barnett, who not only has helped her with the trips over the years, he has given back to the community as a public servant, a conservationist and a volunteer in many different arenas.

“How deserving,” Stewart said. “They are a great couple in philanthropic endeavors.”

A reception in her honor featured a meet and greet hour on a beautifully decorated patio at the Municipal Complex followed by dinner in the banquet room. “The ladies of the Guild were extremely good hostesses. It was so much more than we anticipated. It was such a lovely event, and the patio was a perfect venue for such an occasion.”

Making it even more special was when she learned her good friends, John Wandrisco of United Distributors and St. Clair Commissioner Bob Mize supported the event, making it “such a fine affair.”

Lawley sees her fundraising work on the library’s behalf as a labor of love. “I’ve always loved to read. I am very pleased to be connected to the library,” she said, recounting childhood memories in Newnan, Georgia, where the library was housed in a historic Carnegie building on the courthouse square. It was “holy ground to me. It was a major influence on me as a child.”

And now, she gets to give that gift back in her own way, helping new generations learn to treasure the riches of the library just like she discovered so long ago.