Watson-Byers Home

Built of tradition, family roots and love

Story by Joe Whitten

Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Submitted Photos

The white column c. 1910-1911 Watson-Byers House rests on a grassy knoll in Odenville, gleaming in summer sun as lovely as a jeweled tiara resting on a green velvet cushion.

A St. Clair County vintage home, indeed, but for those nurtured by previous Watson parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, it is a house of unconditional love. Talk with any child, grandchild or cousin, and you hear only happy memories.

The original owner, William Clayton “Will” Watson, was born March 4, 1861, in White Plains, Benton, later Calhoun County, to William Alvin P. and Eliza Ann Hart Watson. Eliza’s father, Andrew Hart, ran Hart’s Ferry on the Coosa River, ferrying between St. Clair and Calhoun counties. The Harts owned and farmed the land where Andrew Jackson constructed Ft. Strother in 1813.

 William Alvin P. Watson died at Vicksburg in the Civil War. Widowed Eliza Ann Hart Watson married John Lonnergan in 1869. John and Eliza Lonnergan eventually owned the two-story double dog-trot log home built by John Looney in Beaver Valley. In a recent interview, Will’s grandson, Frank Watson, recounted that family oral history said that “Grandpa Will, when he was 18, rode the horse over to the Looney’s and bought the house for his mother, and then the Lonnergans moved in.” Frank added, “Now, I haven’t checked this out; that’s family lore.”

Will attended Southern Normal School and Business College in Bowling Green, Ky., graduating in 1887. Then, two years after graduating, he married Mentie Cox of Ashville on October 9, 1889. Will and Mentie lived in the Ragland area of St. Clair County, where Will at various times worked as postmaster at Lock Three and as a teacher. Grandson Frank treasures the school bell his grandfather used in his school.

Will and Mentie had a large family of 12 children and desired them to have the best education possible. Therefore, when Odenville was chosen as the location of St. Clair County High School, Will began planning to move his family from Ragland to Odenville.

“It was about 1909 or 1910 that Will bought the land here in Odenville … and they built the house and moved here in 1911,” Frank recalled. Saraharte Watson Byers’ notes indicate it was completed sometime in 1910.

“He cut all the timber over there where he lived and shipped it here by rail, and this house was built out of rough timber,” great-grandson Jimmy Byers added. One of Will and Mentie’s daughters died in 1908, and their last child was born in Odenville. Eleven of their 12 children attended St. Clair County High School. Daughter Roberta graduated in the second graduating class in 1913.

In a conversation with this writer many years ago, Saraharte Watson Byers recounted how that after the house was completed, Will shipped their furniture by rail from Ragland to Odenville. Then the family came by train to their new home and new town. Arriving at the Odenville depot, the Watsons got off the train and walked to their new home. Father led the way, mother behind him, and the children behind her from oldest to youngest and like a moving staircase marched up the road.

For many years, the Watson-Byers House has had the square columns on the front, but those were not on the house originally. Frank reminisced: “It originally had double porches, not columns. I remember when it got changed. Uncle Hop, Will’s son who lived in the house, got tired of that upper porch. It was before they had treated lumber, and he got tired of replacing it; so, they took the upper porch off and put the little portico up there and put up the columns. Originally, a long, wide pathway wound uphill to the porch and visitors always entered at the front door. But the house hasn’t been changed much inside. Maybe the only change in the old house is the kitchen windows. They are double now, and they were single back then.”

Inside the home, a central hall extends front to back with high-ceiling rooms on either side. Most visitors today enter at the kitchen, furnished with table and chairs of the period of the home. The cook-stove looks like a wood-burning stove from 1911 but really is an electric stove that Saraharte Watson Byers had shipped from Canada after she and Alvin became owners. She also installed hardwood floors in all the rooms except the dining room, which retains its original pine flooring, the standard flooring of that day.

The rooms are large as was the turn-of-the-century custom, with tongue-and-groove pine walls rising ten feet. Those tall ceilings made the rooms cooler in the summer, but they could also make for cold rooms in the winter. The house was originally gaslit from a Delco gas system from which gas was piped into the light fixtures. One gas-lamp globe survives in Frank’s possession.

 A stairway leads to the second floor where several newlyweds started their married lives —Saraharte and Alvin Byers, Jimmy and Karen Byers, Al and Donna Byers, as well as cousins lived up there.

Frank remembered that the garage and the men’s toilet were across today’s U.S. 174, which did not cut through the property until years after the house was built. The ladies’ toilet, however, was located on the hill behind the house.

Deeply rooted family tree

Frank was only five years old when his grandmother, Mentie, died in 1938 and barely remembers her. However, he recalls well his grandfather, Will. “Granddaddy loved to tell ghost stories to us grandkids, and he would frighten us all to death. He could tell good ones, and he had a knack of telling the punch lines. … He’d tell Civil War ghost stories about when they lived at Lock Three.

“After he came to Odenville, he was a merchant. But he went out of business during the Depression — let too much out on credit. In his later years, he would go down to the local store every day, and he would always carry his long umbrella. The guys teased him about that, and he’d say, ‘Pshaw! Pshaw! It might rain.’ But he was using it for a walking cane!”

Will died in 1950, and his funeral service was held at the house he’d built, just as Mentie’s had been in 1938. Both are buried at Liberty Cemetery, Odenville.

Will’s son, Hobson “Hop” Watson and wife Sally Robison Watson lived in the house with Will, caring for him until his passing. When he died, Hop and Sally became owners of the home and lived there with their daughter, Saraharte, called “Sade” by many friends. She grew up loving the old home, her family, Odenville and the people of the town. Saraharte graduated from St. Clair County High School in 1945. She attended the University of Alabama but earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Jacksonville State University. Later she earned her Ed.S. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Saraharte Watson married Alvin Byers in 1947. Alvin had dropped out of school in 1944, his senior year, to fight in World War II. When the war ended, he returned to St. Clair County High School and graduated in 1946. Alvin attended JSU and earned a degree in education.

The Byers had three children. Jimmy married Karen Turner, and they have three children Matthew, Adam and Joshua. Al married Donna Colley and they have three children, Rodney, Jeremy and Zeke. Lynn married Jed Brantley and they have two children, Jacob and Rachel. Alvin loved sports and all three children got involved in sports. Lynn could play as well as her brothers. Her comment was, “He taught me to play anything that had a ball in it!”

Both Saraharte and Alvin had careers as teachers in Odenville. Alvin taught various subjects and coached various sports and is well-remembered for his baseball teams and both boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. Both teams went to state playoffs at various times. Saraharte taught elementary grades and retired as head of the elementary school.

Hop and Sally Watson lived in the house until their deaths. Saraharte and Alvin became owners at Sally’s passing. Then Alvin died in 2001 and Saraharte in 2003. After her death, great-grandson Jimmy Byers and wife Karen became owners/caretakers of the lovely old home.

The first thing Jimmy and Karen had to face was the bat infestation in part of the house. And not just any bat, but the protected brown bat, requiring that they be relocated. Only a wildlife relocator could do this. Jimmy located one of American Indian lineage who successfully got them out of the house and relocated. “We probably had a thousand bats,” Jimmy said. “The porch ceiling was sagging from guano. We had to redo the ceiling on the porch and redo two walls in the living room.”

When talking with Jimmy and Karen, their son Matt, and Jimmy’s first cousin, Judy Gibson Banks, one hears memories of loving parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles spilling out as refreshing as a fire hydrant at full flow on an Alabama summer day — memories of a house full of loving kindness.

Jimmy lived his first three years in this house, for Saraharte and Alvin lived upstairs in the house until they could build a home in Moody. Karen commented, “They brought Jimmy home from Leeds Hospital to the Watson House. Saraharte talked about having the heater upstairs and how they had to keep it warm for Jimmy.”

Jimmy’s face broke into a wide smile when this interviewer asked about his memories of his Granddaddy Hop and Grandmother Sally. He chuckled as he began. “Granddaddy was my buddy. I loved him with all I could love anybody. When I was a little fellow, I guess it was in ’54, Granddaddy bought a Shetland pony. We took the back seat out of the car, and we brought the pony home in the car. We named him Buckshot and he actually lived to be 34 years old.

“Later we had horses, but we had Buckshot before we had anything else. And because me and my brother Al were just kids and weren’t good with the reins yet, so Granddaddy would lead us all over the pasture — us on Buckshot.”

When Jimmy paused to reflect, Karen added, “Jimmy talked about Granddaddy riding him and Al around the pasture; well, he did the same thing with our boys. He would sit them on the pony and ride them around the pasture and they loved it. Our boys loved their Grandmother and Granddaddy Watson.”

“This happened later,” Jimmy continued, “but Granddaddy was — how can I put this — was feeling pretty good one day, and he brought Buckshot up the steps and into the living room and Buckshot messed in the floor. Needless to say, Grandmother put him and Buckshot back out of the house!”

Judy Gibson Banks and her sister Wanda grew up in the Byers’ home under the guardianship of their Uncle Alvin and Saraharte. Hop and Sally happily added them as grandchildren. Judy lovingly remembered “Grandmother and Granddaddy” and the good times she had at their house on the hill. “The horses were up there at the Watson House. Wanda and I started working with the horses, and we rode horses all over that hill. But Granddaddy would worry about us, so when we were riding — no matter where we were on that place — we could look up and Granddaddy would be somewhere on that hill watching to make sure we were OK.”

Hop and Sally loved their grandchildren and the grandchildren’s love for them comes shimmering through in interviews. Karen commented, “Hop and Sally, were two of the most giving people you would ever meet. She welcomed everybody into this house. The football team — Jimmy and Al would bring folks home, and some of ‘em stayed. She was so good about that. Always had food for them, cooked for them.” 

On the way to school each morning, Sade would drive her family to school, stopping at Sally’s to check on her. Every afternoon they would stop by again. A fond memory that lingers is how almost every afternoon Grandmother Sally would have divinity, or pound cake, or some snack for the grandkids after a long school day.

When Jimmy started college in Jacksonville, he recalls that when he and David Veasey commuted together, “I’d pick up David in Moody and then we’d come by here every Sunday evening when we headed to Jacksonville. And she’d fix us snacks for the week and feed us before we started up there.”

Legendary fried chicken and more

Sally’s cooking was legendary in the family. Jimmy remembered, “Every weekend we ate up here at Grandma’s house. And on Sunday — she had the best fried chicken you ever would eat. In all my life, I’ve never tasted any as good as hers.” He said that eating at Grandma’s on Christmas was like eating at a cafeteria she had so many dishes. “She was a diabetic,” Jimmy noted, “but she cooked it all!”

Jimmy’s sister, Lynn, joined the dinner-memory choir, saying, “Sunday dinner at Grandmother’s was amazing. She made the best fried chicken around.”

Lynn also spoke of her love for Granddaddy Hop. “I loved just spending quality time with my Granddaddy. He was one amazing man. I loved listening to all the stories Granddaddy would tell us.”

Another occasion for family meals occurred Easter Sunday. The family would attend church and then to Grandmother and Granddaddy’s house for a big meal — and of course it included Sally’s fried chicken! After lunch, the kids hunted Easter eggs hidden over the hilltop.

The family enjoyed telling about Hop’s pipe and Sally’s cigarettes. “Granddaddy smoked Prince Albert tobacco in his pipe,” Jimmy related, “and Grandmother smoked cigarettes. Well, she got tired of buying rolled cigarettes, so she used a brown paper bag. She would cut the paper bag up and roll her cigarettes using Granddaddy’s Prince Albert tobacco and smoke those brown sack cigarettes.” Sally bought cigarettes only when they visited relatives.

Sally did all the driving, for Hop never drove a car. The grandchildren told how when school was out in the spring, Sally would load the family in her car to visit relatives in various towns in north-central Alabama. “Granddaddy always went with us, but he had little patience with visits and was ready to leave soon after arriving,” Jimmy remembered.

Although Hop never drove an automobile, in his later years, he bought a riding lawnmower and had a good time riding it all over the home-place hill. Today, where he had such a good time, his descendants had enjoyed festive occasions. In the past several years, the hilltop has been used for wedding events.

Quiet home weddings have occurred in the home, including Donna Colley and Al Byers and Judy Gibson and Curtis Banks. However, Jimmy and Karen, wanting family members to continue enjoying the old home place, have hosted the garden weddings and receptions for family members. The first one of these was for Lynn and Jed’s daughter, Rachael. The ceremony took place on the wide front porch with guests sitting in chairs set up on the lawn. A white tent in the back, where Hop drove his lawnmower, served for the reception and dancing with a live band.

 One can hope that Hop and Sally and Sade and Alvin (should he be interested), somehow get a glimpse of those festive events at their well-loved old home.

Great grandchildren also have delightful memories of Hop and Sally Watson. Matt Byers in a college essay wrote this:

“The greatest man I ever knew was Hop Watson, my great-grandfather. … No child could have known a more caring, loving and understanding human being.  … I remember the look in his eye when his ‘little man’ would do something he’d taught him and do it right! From riding mop ponies to real ponies, I learned it all from him. He taught me so many things about life, the land, and most importantly, about love. … When my brother, Adam, came along, I had to share my granddaddy. That was tough for me, but I managed. … With the help of our granddaddy, we thought we could do anything. He loved us dearly and we loved him. After Granddaddy passed on, I made a promise to myself to let everyone I cared about know it. … I still think about him today. His influence over my life is still prominent and I owe him a lot. I just wish that I’d told him how much I loved him. So, to ‘the greatest man I ever knew,’ I love you.”

In a recent conversation, Matt joined the “Hallelujah Chorus” of Sunday dinner at “Nana’s and Granddaddy’s house. My great-grandmother fried chicken like nobody else. Her recipe, which to my knowledge has not been matched in St. Clair County, drew people from miles around. Everyone wanted some of that delicious, crispy-hot poultry. Granddaddy Watson had fresh corn and other vegetables to go with it. And if it was July, you could thump the watermelons and enjoy something delightful. Those were the days!”

A Christmas tradition

Shawn Banks, Judy and Curtis’ son, remembered Christmas time. “Some of my happiest memories are of Christmas at Granddaddy and Nana Watson’s home. Each year, a week or two before Christmas, Granddaddy would gather the grandchildren and set out to find the ideal tree. After traipsing down the hill, across the highway, through the woods along the creek, we would find our tree.

“When the tree was in place, everyone would gather in the living room to decorate our prize. We hung the stockings and … when the decorating was finished, Nana would say, ‘Isn’t that pretty?’ My favorite time was topping the tree with the star. Not an elaborate star; just a simple one that Granddaddy had made of cardboard and covered with tinfoil. Each year, a different grandchild got to put the star on the tree. It was an exciting time when my turn came around.”

To Shawn, the memory of that homemade Christmas star is “…a spark of inspiration. A little spark that could relight the ashes of burnout, until we spring forth like the Phoenix, finding a new zest and appreciation for family and happy memories.” Today, the cherished star radiates memories throughout the year from its protected place in a curio cabinet.

Sally and Hop were icons in Odenville, as were Sade and Alvin. Their many years of teaching in the elementary and high school bring fond memories to Odenvillians, many now in the senior citizen years.

Ode to Sade

Sade’s students undoubtedly remember her love for Alabama and Odenville history. She diligently collected local history and shared it with her students. When an Odenville history project was under way, she tracked down vintage photographs and located individuals who could contribute to the needed information. She was a cheerleader for Odenville.

Family members agree that Sade was the “Rock of Gibraltar” of the family and her heart was full of love for family and friend. Karen recalled Sade’s love for people and how she wanted everybody welcomed who came to the house, making sure that each had been introduced around to the others. Having grown up in a loving home, Sade knew how to love generously. That is a beautiful legacy expressed by her poet grandson, Matt Byers.

“Sade”

The picture of what love should be

Was seen upon her face.

The matron of our family

Displayed her love with grace:

Examples of how we should live

In order to bear fruit —

Examples of the way

To give to others as our root —

For Sade was more than we could see,

A wife, a mom, a saint.

A Mimi’s grandiosity

Whose ways were calm and quaint.

She cared for all as if her own

And never so for gain.

Her seeds of love were aptly sown,

Forever to remain.

Some sunny day, should you drive by this lovely home, think on this:  Happy memories are built on love, and love endures long after a dear one has left us behind. Such is the history of the Watson and Byers families.

Legacy Farms

An agriculture masterpiece

Story by Scottie Vickery
Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Every morning, Jackie Gleason sits on her back porch at Legacy Farms in Steele, gazes across the rolling pasture, takes in the spectacular view of Chandler Mountain, and just breathes.

The day, no matter which one it is, promises to be a full one. There are animals to feed and water, hay to bale, two full-time careers to juggle and the usual whirlwind of ball games, practices and school events that come with raising two teenage sons. For most, it would be overwhelming. For Jackie and her husband, Philip, it’s just another day in paradise.

“It’s time consuming and there’s a lot of sacrifices, but it’s worth it,” Philip said. “I don’t see myself doing anything else.”

Voted Best Farm by the readers of Discover, The Essence of St. Clair magazine, Legacy Farms has a little bit of everything. The Gleasons breed quarter horses, cattle, border collies and red heelers while also raising a menagerie that includes chickens, ducks, turkeys, a goat, a Great Pyrenees, an ever-growing collection of cats including one with six toes, and a pig named Trump who was born on Inauguration Day.

While running a working farm is a full-time commitment for most, the Gleasons aren’t the type to put their feet up. Philip is a veterinarian at Argo Animal Clinic and a member of the Steele City Council while Jackie works full-time as a pharmacist at CVS in Jacksonville. Just to make things really interesting, she recently started hosting weddings at Dayspring, her family’s farm in Springville, and has 21 events already booked for this year. 

“I don’t think there’s a day we can just sit around and relax,” Jackie said. “It’s a lot of work, and at the end of the day you’re exhausted, but you feel like you got something accomplished.”

A way of life

Farm life was an important part of both Philip’s and Jackie’s childhoods. Philip grew up on 25 acres across the street from where the couple’s home now stands. Although Jackie lived in Gadsden as a child, she spent most weekends at her grandparents’ Dayspring Farm and grew up showing horses and Simmental cattle. The couple, who married in 2002, tried living in a subdivision while their boys were young, life on the farm kept beckoning. They eventually bought Philip’s family farm and some additional acreage and made themselves a home.

“It’s such a calming place,” Jackie said. “We tell the kids, ‘learn how to slow down.’ On your worst day, if you can’t go out in that pasture and walk around and feel a little bit better, I don’t know what else could help you.”

Today, the Gleasons work about 250 acres of land between the two farms. Philip breeds Angus cattle while Jackie’s domain is the quarter horses and dogs. Rece, 16, is leaning toward a career in poultry science while 13-year-old Cade can most often be found on a tractor. “Everybody has their role out here,” Jackie said.

Her first love is the horses. “I started showing horses when I was 3 and started breeding them when I was 13,” said Jackie, adding that she has two stallions, 11 mares and 10 to 12 foals on the ground each year. These days, her pride and joy is Top Side Secret, the 17-year-old grandson of Triple Crown winner Secretariat. “He is one of three grandsons left in the U.S., and his dad is the last living son,” she said. “He’s got the best temperament, which is rare for a stallion. He’s been such a great boy, and he’ll always have a home here.”

Philip said his focus is on breeding the best Angus cattle. “We want to produce that great taste,” he said, adding that 50-60 calves are born each year. “We’re a seedstock producer; we’re producing the genetics. All of the animals have a DNA profile and everything is done by artificial insemination or embryo transfer.” While some are sold locally, Philip sends most of his bull calves – usually 25-30 at a time – to Gardiner Angus Ranch in Kansas, which markets them.

“I start at 5 a.m., then go to work and sometimes I’ve been breeding cows at midnight,” he said. “It’s a lot of work and at times it’s frustrating, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

Saying “I do” to weddings

Late last year, Jackie decided to add another business venture to the mix. Although she and her father still raise cattle at Dayspring Farm and many of her horses are there, she knows the farm will be hers one day and she’ll need another source of income for it. Since its wide-open pastures nestled between two mountain ranges make for some spectacular scenery, she decided it would be the perfect place for a wedding venue.

She held her first wedding last November and hasn’t stopped since. “There’s no way I could ever sell this place, so I decided to figure out some way to make it pay for itself. I didn’t think it would take off as fast as it did. Most barn venues are barns built for weddings, but here the animals wander up to the fence and guests get to pet them. I think that’s what the draw is. We take it for granted because that’s how we grew up, but not everyone gets to enjoy that.”

Creating a Legacy

That’s what the Gleasons wanted for Rece and Cade, and it’s the main reason they decided to move back to the farm. “It’s the best thing we could have done for the boys,” Jackie said. “They may never want to raise cattle and that’s one thing, but they’ve learned to appreciate the land, the scenery and animals.”

Not long after the move, the Gleasons were in church when the sermon focus was on creating a legacy. “We looked at each other and said, ‘That’s what we’re going to name the farm,’ ” Jackie said. “Our hope is that each of the kids will get one of the farms one day. If we are going to leave a legacy for them, we wanted it to be a different lifestyle, a peaceful lifestyle.”

A Capital Idea

Economic Development Council marks
20 years of collaboration and success

Story by Paul South
Photos by Graham Hadley
and Jamie Collier

In a sense, economic development is like growing a garden. Everything comes in season – tilling, planting, watering and fertilizing, waiting for the effort to blossom. For the past 20 years in St. Clair County, government, industry, small business and the citizenry, have come together like seed, soil, sun and rain to grow one of Alabama’s fastest-growing counties.

With a basketful of projects in progress or in prospect, plus a recent capital campaign meeting its fundraising goals, the St. Clair County Economic Development Council appears poised for another bountiful harvest.

The EDC has just completed raising its $500,000 goal in its annual capital campaign, Partnership for Tomorrow. The fundraising effort not only fuels the EDC’s regional, national and international recruitment reach that extends from Europe to the Pacific Rim, but also foots the bill for things as mundane as paying salaries for the EDC’s small staff and keeping the lights burning.

“We’ve always been very fortunate to have community support in these endeavors. We have a 20-year track record of being both good stewards of the funds given to us and being very productive in utilizing those funds,” said EDC Executive Director Don Smith.

The EDC is also about to embark on a new five-year plan, crafted after feedback from business, government and St. Clair County citizens. Education and workforce development, job recruitment and retention, marketing and leadership development remain as goals from previous plans.

The new plan includes a focus on developing tourism, an effort to trumpet the county’s rich history, attractions and natural resources. A slice of the capital campaign includes raising an extra $100,000 to hire an individual to promote and market tourism.

The practice of crafting and executing five-year plans began under former EDC Executive Director Ed Gardner Jr., who succeeded his father, Ed Gardner Sr., in the role. Gardner Sr. was the EDC’s first executive director. He laid the foundation for the EDC’s history of success.

And the five-year plans begun under Gardner Jr. have helped build the EDC into the success it is today. This will be the second five-year plan on Smith’s watch. It’s hoped the tourism push will, like a stone skipping across one of the county’s cherished waterways, have a ripple effect in all sectors of the county’s economy. The Coosa River, Neely Henry and Logan Martin lakes, Little and Big Canoe creeks, Chandler Mountain and Horse Pens 40 are the surface of the county’s tourism treasures. Through the efforts of the EDC’s push, the county has embraced the Forever Wild initiative, aimed at preserving the environment for future generations.

An important note, tourism-driven initiatives spark high return on investment

“Tourism really does feed into the other areas on which we have previously been focused, Smith said. “This will help bring new residents into the area, which will increase our workforce pool. It will also bring in new sales tax and tourism dollars, which will be beneficial to the funding of the municipalities, schools and also bring more sales to our small business owners in the county.”

In this, Alabama’s bicentennial year, the county’s history is also something to be celebrated through festivals around the county.

“I believe that what we want to do is really market our strengths. We are blessed in this county with beautiful lakes and streams, mountains and valleys, a variety of wildlife and foliage. We want to make sure we have opportunities for people who are here to spend time outside and enjoy what we have here. We want to pull people from the urban areas, to be able to enjoy outdoors activities as well.”

Tourism can also spark the county as attractive for retirees or for families seeking a second home.

“Our philosophy is the more people that come and visit St. Clair County will only create more believers that this is one of the best counties in the state,” Smith says.

Along with the tourism push, the county will continue its efforts in manufacturing and retail recruitment, workforce development, education and building future generations of leaders through Leadership St. Clair.

The EDC works closely with Jefferson State Community College and the St. Clair County, Leeds and Pell City Schools to train workers and connect them with recruiters.

“I believe with things like creating a new apprenticeship program, developing a site-ready pad in the Cogswell Industrial Park in Pell City, and really engaging the public school systems in the importance of career readiness, allowed us to have success on a grander scale than we had initially thought possible,” Smith says.

Jason Goodgame, vice president of the Goodgame Company, has been involved in the construction and expansion of a number of local industries, including Eissmann. The long relationship has expanded business and created jobs. He has pitched the county’s assets to firms around the globe.

“We have a great source of employment. We have great people that are here. We have a great quality of life with the lakes and the school system and we work to make firms around the world a part of things here. … Relationship is what we do. … We always try to cultivate what we have in common.”

“Currently, our project and prospect level is extremely high,” Smith noted. “We have some 20 projects or prospects we’re managing right now. We’re trying to get a lot of the prospects into an announced project status and a lot of the projects into a ‘completed’ status.” The expansion in Steele at Unipres, Charity Steel’s new location in Riverside, TCI of Alabama, Impact Metals, and Allied Minerals’ new investment in Pell City as well as unannounced retail projects throughout the county are a testament to the economic vitality of all of our communities.”

On top of the new investments, Charity Steel pours a portion of its profits back into the community, Trinity Highway Safety Products was honored with one of Gov. Kay Ivey’s Trade Excellence Awards, and WKW was just named Supplier of the Year for the second straight year by the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association.

The recent large expansion at Eissmann is another reason for optimism. All of this success highlights a high level of collaboration between the county, its municipalities and the business community with the EDC.

“The leadership component is so important. One of the things that we stress is the ability to do great things when we’re all working together, Smith says. One city, partnering with another city to share sewer and water, or police and fire protection is really not possible unless you have good cooperation.”

Joe Kelly, chairman of the EDC board of directors for the past three years, and a member of the board since its inception, credits local governments for allowing the EDC to do its job, sparking strong growth.

“One of the great things about our county and our county leadership is that they not only have allowed the EDC to do its work, they have been a tremendous source of encouragement as our staff goes out and slays the dragon, so to speak.

The future of that working relationship is bright, as St. Clair works with its northern neighbors to grow the Interstate 59 Corridor.

“We’re going to continue to focus on wealth creation, which is the continued recruitment of employers and making sure we have good quality companies coming into our community. We’re going to have population growth that’s going to take place,” Smith said.

“We’re going to continue to educate elected officials on the importance of community planning so we can eliminate the hodgepodge of development that takes place a lot of times, where you have incompatible neighbors. We’re going to continue to plan to address congestion and traffic issues. Those are things we’re going to try to have as part of our plan going forward.”

“Each time, we have exceeded the goals that were put forth for us,” Smith said. “This just adds on to the previous 10 years that the EDC has been in operation. The EDC has been active for 20 years and has an incredible track record of being fiscally responsible, very effective in achieving our goals and growing our county.”

No one could have foreseen the success of the EDC when it began its work 20 years ago, Kelly said. The initial focus was on industrial recruitment and job creation but blossomed into much more.

“That was done, but it has transformed into many other aspects of improving the quality of life in St. Clair County,” Kelly said.

The secret to the EDC’s success in its 20 years? “One of the things that we’ve done best is not talking a lot but listening a lot,” he explained. “We actually solicit that kind of advice from our business community.”

As the EDC wraps up this capital campaign and embarks on the new five-year plan, Kelly reflected on the EDC and its history, seasoned with a basketball analogy. And he praised the staff and the board over the two decades of toil.

“I don’t think when we started, we had the vision that in 20 years we were going to be going and growing, but I do know . . . when we brought in Ed Gardner Sr., it was like when Auburn hired Bruce Pearl. We set a standard when we brought (Gardner Sr.) in, and so we couldn’t back away. And we haven’t,” he said.

“Everybody on the board – past and present – have focused on what’s best for St. Clair County. We’re often asked, ‘How do you do it?’, and it’s the quality of the people.”

John Donalson

A Life in the Skies

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Michael Callahan
Submitted photos

When Jack Fincher and sister, Linda Wood, were growing up in Roebuck, John Donalson’s family lived across the street. Donalson was the first director of aviation for Alabama and after settling into the suburban Birmingham neighborhood, the family lived at the nearby airport in an apartment above his office.

That was before World War II. After the war, he commanded the Air National Guard for the state, was among the inaugural inductees to Alabama’s Aviation Hall of Fame, patented a steel casting process and became a steel company executive.

But what happened in between is the real story, said Fincher and Wood, both of whom now live in Pell City.

Fincher refers to the decorated war hero simply as “Papa.” In later years, Donalson’s wife and Fincher and Wood’s father passed away, and three years after Donalson’s wife died, “he came out here and proposed” to their mother, Almeda “Boots” Hines Fincher.

She had been a nurse and took care of Mrs. Donalson in her final days. Their spouses died a few months apart in the same year.

Humble hero

Fincher and Woods’ story about ‘Papa’ is deeply rooted in those in-between years when Lt. Col. John Donalson led the main airborne invasion of Normandy – D-Day – 75 years ago. More than 800 C-47s dropped over 13,000 paratroopers into the epic battle that would change the course of World War II and history. And Donalson was the commander.

A photo in his hometown newspaper in Birmingham captured the moment back home, his wife, Blanche, his three children, Beverly, 16, and John Jr. and Eugenia – just toddlers – listening to the broadcast of the invasion on radio in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944. The youngest, John Jr., is seen clutching a photograph of his father.

They may not have been able to understand the events as they unfolded in real time, but Daddy would come home with a chest full of medals and would rise to the rank of Major General.

That’s All, Brother

In the years that followed, the plane that took the lead in the invasion, That’s All, Brother, had gone from its pivotal role in D-Day to a post-war commercial stint to a scrap metal yard when it was salvaged, restored and began its journey anew to Normandy for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2019.

As part of the Commemorative Air Force Central Texas Wing, That’s All Brother joined 15 other C-47/DC-3 airplanes to retrace the ferry path – United States to Canada to Greenland to Iceland to Scotland to England. In Duxford, England, That’s All Brother and three other planes headed to Normandy to commemorate the anniversary. Then it was on to Germany to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.

In 1945, the historic aircraft was sold to the civilian market and over the next few decades and through multiple owners, it finally was sold to be scrapped in what the Commemorative Air Force described as “a boneyard in Wisconsin.”

As fate has a way of intervening, two historians from the United States Air Force discovered its whereabouts, the CAF acquired it, and through a Kickstarter program, donors and volunteers, That’s All Brother is flying once again.

Fincher was one of those donors and when That’s All Brother landed in Birmingham in May, Fincher and members of his family boarded for a trip of a lifetime. “I was stoked,” said Fincher. “Everybody sat on little tin seats and buckled up with the original equipment.”

He and members of his family were able to experience a step back into time when Papa flew the skies over Normandy. Members of Donalson’s family did as well, aboard a later flight.

After takeoff, passengers could wander around the airplane and cockpit, which had been fully restored to its 1944 look and condition. “It was like brand new,” Fincher said, noting that not a detail was missed. The original paint scheme, even surplus parts from 1944 were used in the restoration project.

“Papa was the command pilot,” he noted. “There were 82 airplanes in his command.” He selected the name, That’s All Brother, “as a message to Hitler.” The actual pilot that day was David Daniels, also from Birmingham, with Donalson aboard in command of the entire operation. Also aboard that day was a Scottie dog, the pilot’s pet. A stuffed dog to commemorate him is on the present-day flights.

“Papa’s plane was Belle of Birmingham,” Fincher said, “but because a radar beacon was required to be installed underneath the lead aircraft, Papa was loathe to cut a hole in the belly of his beloved ‘Belle,’ so he made the switch.”

Looking back

Wood and Fincher pore over old newspaper clippings and a scrapbook as tall as a three-layer cake. The sense of history and heroism, intertwined, is ever present as they turn each page.

They talk of Donalson’s flight with 80 more planes over the English Channel that fateful night with no lights, no radio.

Wood recently discovered his memoirs – 100 pages handwritten in pencil. In typical form of what has been called the Greatest Generation, “there was very little about D-Day,” she said.

In his own words

But in the family scrapbook is the copy of an official report Col. Donalson filed on June 6, 1944, where he had this to say about the day’s mission:

Our second mission consisted of fifty Gliders, thirty-six English Horsa and fourteen American CG-4A gliders.

All were marshalled, that is placed in a double row with tugs attached, so that they were able to take off starting from the front, one tug and glider every 25 to 30 seconds. We put the CG-4A in front because they could get off better. They were led by Maj. Gates who was to form over the field at 1800 feet and wait until all the Horsas were off and formed at 1200. Lt. Col. Daniel and myself were in the first tug with Horsa. Cawthon was all over the sky trying to keep it trailing. We formed up and got on course a little early in order to make our departure point on time. When we passed Cherbourg on our way in, it was quiet as a church-mouse. Guess they used up all their ammunition the night before. Off to our left, the surface convoy was stretched as far as you could see with boats going to the beaches.

There were a line of battleships and cruisers laying off the shore, all quiet at the moment, but waiting to silence any shore battery that was there and headed for our DZ. I had given all the preparatory light signals and was just ready to give the signal for cutting loose when Capt. Cawthon, the Glider Pilot, recognized his field and cut.

We pulled ahead, dropped our tow rope, and turned to head for our base when some Krauts with tommy guns started hitting us. One explosive shell came through and wounded our Radio Operator and Crew Chief. We hit the deck and started home. On the way back, I was checking to see how many planes we had lost. I could account for all but two. One of those had to re-service before he could make it in. The other made a crash landing in France and the crew got back in a couple of days.

My hat is off to the Glider pilots for they did a marvelous job under fire. They landed right on top of the front line with snipers all over the place. As soon as they got on the ground, they were in crossfire from machine guns and the Krauts had their mortar zeroed on the fields. The Glider pilots started returning the following day and are still coming in. So far we have definite proof that three have been killed and feel sure that three more were killed but cannot confirm it yet. Half of our airplanes were hit with small arms fire with the majority of hits in the engine and gas tanks. They are not leak-proof either.

This was our second mission and they were both 100 percent perfect. Considering the number of people involved in the operation, it is almost beyond belief that everyone would do exactly as he should.

There is not much of a report to make on these missions except all went according to plan.

We were the third group in and when we got back to the DP we were still meeting groups on their way in.

The boys are all on the peg awaiting a chance to go back on another mission and getting ants in their pants.

The memoir

Donalson’s memoir comes from a unique vantage point of the days leading up to the invasion as only he could tell it.

When I got to our field in central England, it frightened me that I would be responsible for everything on the field. They had fields all over England and if you became lost, you got on the radio and said Darkey, and a field would give you a course to fly to the field that you wanted to go to.

These were low output radios that you had to be near the field broadcasting to hear them. The first time the airplanes were out on familiarization flight, about twelve got lost over the North Sea.

Maj. Gen. Ridgeway, in command of the 82nd Airborne Division, was pressing me for a practice jump for his men. Brig. Gen. Gavin, his executive officer, was very impatient I made them wait 3 or 4 days while the pilots became familiar with flying at night over England…

I went with Gen. Ridgeway in his car to the drop zone about 10 miles from the point of take off, and the formation arrived at the prescribed time. Just after daylight we stood on the drop zone and had to dodge helmets and equipment falling. One man broke his leg landing on a frozen river. This drop pleased Gen Ridgeway since the old units returned from North Africa had dropped his outfit in a bombing practice area. I believe that was when he picked the 438th to lead the invasion on France.

The night before

In his memoir, Donalson writes about the night before when a Baptist minister gave a pep talk. …he evidently thought everyone was afraid they would be killed…

I followed with my talk and told the men that they were going to attend the greatest show on earth, and they had earned their ring side seat.

D-Day arrives

D-Day was scheduled for the 5th of June and had to be postponed on account of high wind over the channel. We painted three broad white stripes on each wing with three stripes around the fuselage on the night of June 4th. This was done to prevent a repeat of the invasion of Sicily, where the Navy shot some of the Allied airplanes down.

When Gen. Eisenhower cancelled the invasion on the 5th, no one thought to advise the men and women in the office. Someone notified the American press that the invasion had started and with the difference in time, it hit the headlines in the U.S.A. on the 4th.

We had beefed up until we had 18 airplanes in each squadron…which gave us 81 airplanes. Actually two groups.

We had enough brass to line up along the runway for half its length. Gen Eisenhower had been shaking hands with all the paratroops. Lt. Gen. Brereton was in the lead airplane talking to the paratroops. When I was ready to taxi into position for takeoff, I had to ask him to get out as it was time to move out.

We took off and formed over the field waiting for the second half to get into position for takeoff. This was a little before dark. I had split the group in two. I guess you could say 438th A and 438th B…We flew over the channel over a boat off the coast of Normandy. He flashed us an O.K. with his light in the shape of a cross. Also they had rolls of aluminum tape that could be picked up by the German radar to confuse into thinking the landing was to be made at some other place…

Our two sections dropped their paratroops about ½ mile from each other. Gen. Gavin wrote us up for not dropping his units in the same place. We cut our throttles and glided down to 400 ft. to let the paratroopers jump. As soon as the paratroops were all out, we gave the engines full throttle and climbed to 3000 ft. flying over incoming planes.

Coming home

Donalson came home to Birmingham, returning to a life in the steel industry, Air National Guard and with his family, not talking much about the war except in interviews with media wanting to know more about this hometown hero.

In a television interview after returning to Birmingham, Wood said the colonel described the unprecedented air power that filled the sky that day in simple, but vivid terms: “You could damned near walk from one airplane wing to another.”

A newspaper account from Birmingham when he was home on leave paints a picture of  Donalson, the man. “Calm in manner and voice, the Birmingham colonel has eyes that penetrate. Their grayness have the flash, the sharpness of tempered steel…

“He wears the distinguished flying cross with two oak leaf clusters, also the Presidential group citation. Three battle stars are on his ETO ribbon.”

“Your family were pretty glad to see you weren’t they?,” he was asked. “And the colonel—who made history on D-Day—answered as you or anyone else might have answered, ‘Yeah.’ ”

About the man

An engineering graduate from Georgia Tech in the 1920s, he was an engineer for Connors Steel before and after the war. His diploma, Fincher said, “is on a real sheepskin.”

He later formed his own steel company, and he patented his continuous steel casting formula. He and “Boots” lived happily 10 years in Trussville and two years in Pell City until his death in 1987. “They were well suited for each other,” said Fincher.

“Papa was very close to us,” added Wood. “He loved us dearly, and we loved him. He was the only grandfather my kids ever knew.”

“I think Papa’s modesty prevented our knowing more about his historic actions,” added Fincher. “A natural leader: courageous, capable. It makes me wish we had more like him around today. It’s my privilege to have known him and called him, Papa.”

First Families of St. Clair

The foundation for generations

Story by Joe Whitten

Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Submitted photos

In 2017, Kathy Burttram and Rose Mary Hyatt had a bee of an idea buzzing in their proverbial pioneer sunbonnets. Together, they developed the idea into a reality that is as satisfying to a lover of local history as honey on a hot buttered biscuit was to a family at breakfast in a log cabin. They called their project The First Families of St. Clair County, Alabama, and brought it to fruition during the county’s bicentennial year, 2018.

Having loved local history for years, the two women were knowledgeable and capable of accomplishing their goal. The aim of First Families is to collect and preserve the lineages of families who settled in the county by 1818 or earlier. To be accepted as a member of First Families, the applicant had to provide documented proof of descent from the settler-ancestor.

With plans finalized by late 2017, announcements appeared in libraries and newspapers, and soon requests for application guidelines began to arrive. As completed membership forms came in, the project team began vetting documentation, the number of names on the eligible list increased, and on November 20, 2018, First Families presented membership certificates to 51 descendants of early settlers.

Wendy Smith’s documentation as a descendant of James Ash arrived first. Later, four others joined under his name.

From Franklin County, Georgia, James and wife Nancy Martin Ash arrived in this area shortly after his brother John Ash had settled in Beaver Valley in 1817. James Ash prospered as a successful farmer and acquired much land. He died in 1860, leaving a large estate.

James’ son, William, born in Springville in 1819, also farmed and owned 357 acres in Branchville.

When the Civil War began, William and his sons, James Lafayette and William Gilbert, joined the First Tennessee & Alabama Independent Vidette Cavalry at Bridgeport, Alabama. However, William’s brother, Gabriel Simon, fought for the Confederacy.

In August 1864, William and William Gilbert, with a unit that had loaded cotton for Union use onto wagons, had stopped for the night near Woodville, Alabama. That night, Confederate troops ambushed them, killing all but 14. William and son died. The survivors were taken across the Tennessee River, where they were mowed down in a volley of shots. However, John Kenner survived to tell of the experience.

James Lafayette survived the war and returned to St. Clair County.

St. Clair County had a number of Union sympathizers. In her History of Steele, Alabama, Vivian Qualls noted that only 14 percent of St. Clair landowners owned slaves. Most farmers took care of themselves, with family members doing the work. Mrs. Qualls wrote, “…brothers fought against each other, one with the North and one with the South.”

Twenty persons qualified for membership with ancestor Absalom Autrey. (The name came to be spelled “Awtrey.”) Gerald Tucker, first to qualify as a descendant of Absalom, lives today on the farm that belonged to his great grandfather, James Monroe Awtrey, who was the great grandson of Absalom. James Monroe had inherited the farm from his father, James Henry Awtrey. Gerald Tucker records that James Henry wasn’t a wealthy farmer, but that he gave each of his sons $2,000.00 and “…told them to go out and make their own way.” Tucker also stated, “James Monroe Awtrey, having fought for the North in the Civil War, chose to go to Missouri afterward. He and his wife both died of an illness within five months of each other. James Henry Awtrey brought the two children, Phillip and Zula, back to St. Clair County to live with him.” Frances Leona Awtrey, daughter of Phillip, was Gerald Tucker’s mother.

One Autrey/Awtrey family historian states that Absalom came into our area in 1806 or 1807, settling at the foot of Blount Mountain. Later he owned 153 acres at Greensport on the Coosa River.

However, in a November 29, 2018, St. Clair Times article, qualifying descendant James South stated that the Absalom Autrey family came here toward the end of the 18th Century. “There was an Indian massacre that killed his wife and two or three of his children. He moved back to Georgia territory, and in 1800, he moved back into St. Clair County near Greensport.”

According to oral history, Absalom died November 13, 1833 — the night of the spectacular meteor shower which still lives in state history as “the night stars fell on Alabama.” He was buried near Greensport.

Mary Dearman is the only woman through whom a membership in First Families has come. Moving her family here from South Carolina around 1816-17, Mary is known as the founder of Dearman’s Chapel Methodist Church near Steele — a worthy remembrance by any measure.

Four joined First Families through Revolutionary War veterans Noel Battles and Captain Edward Beeson.

Mattie Lou Teague Crow recorded that Noel Battles lived in Albemarle County, Virginia, in 1776 when he enlisted in “Captain Clough Shelton’s Company which saw service under Colonels Edward Stevens, John Green and Samuel Cabell, respectively.”

At the Birmingham Library, Mrs. Crow discovered on microfiche Noel Battles’ account of his three years in the American Revolution. In an article she wrote, “He fought in the Battle of Trenton and stated that the battle was brief and bloody. The enemy was soon overcome as many of them were drunk after the long Christmas celebration. …The Battle at Brandywine Creek was a painful experience as they were badly beaten by General Howe’s men. Seven hundred were killed or taken prisoner and Noel Battles received a flesh wound in his right arm.” Battles was wounded again at the Battle of Monmouth, June 1777.

After the war, Noel and his wife, Rhoda, moved to Georgia, and from Georgia, into what would become St. Clair County Alabama. He and Rhoda are buried in Old Shiloh Church Cemetery on Highway 11 between Steele and Attalla. This church’s location is now in Etowah County, although it was in St. Clair County when the Battles died. On April 19, 1998, the Etowah County Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution honored the memory of Noel Battles with a grave marker.

According to local records, Edward Beeson / Beason and wife, Ann, settled in today’s St. Clair County around 1814, where they built a log cabin and “…lived among the Indians until they were removed.”

Edward enlisted in the army in the spring of 1778, Guilford County, North Carolina. He was commissioned Captain in April 1779 and served in Captain David Brower’s Company.

Edward and Ann are buried at Union Beason Cemetery. His grave was marked by the Nancy Hart Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Edward’s son, Curtis Grubb Beason, participated in county and state government all his life. He served on the Alabama Constitutional Convention in 1865, according to The Heritage of St. Clair County, Alabama. The antebellum home he built (c1840) still stands, well-kept, in Beason’s Cove between Ashville and Oneonta.

Rev. Thomas Newton and wife Ann Martin Newton were the parents of Margaret Newton who married John Ash, of political renown in St. Clair County. In 1817, both families joined a westward bound caravan from South Carolina as it journeyed through Georgia. The caravan had stopped to rest in today’s Beaver Valley a few miles below present-day Ashville. When a tragic accident left Betsy Ann Ash dead, John and Margaret Ash and Thomas and Ann Newton chose to settle in Beaver Valley rather than abandon Betsy Ann’s grave.

The log home that Ash and Newton first constructed in 1817 stands — the oldest surviving structure in St. Clair County. Both families lived there until John Ash built his own dwelling in 1818.

As years progressed, John Ash added to his home, until it stood a welcoming home in the county.

Some of our older readers will remember the white-painted home standing pristine in the sun; however, the home today stands forlorn in Beaver Valley.

John Ash helped organize the government of St. Clair County. Records show that he was the first elected judge in the county and that he served three terms as state senator. The naming of the county seat Ashville honored the legacy of John Ash. One person provided proof of John Ash lineage.

In his book, Branchville, Alabama: The History of a Little Town, 1819-2007, Kenneth Hodges wrote about Rev. Thomas Newton, stating that, as a minister of the Presbyterian church, “Thomas was an excellent, impressive, emotional preacher with the ability to deliver sermons that would often melt both the speaker and the listener to tears.”

In Georgia, Newton had been a circuit-riding pastor, preaching at a different church each Sunday of the month. Hodges records that when the westward migration began, church membership dwindled as the population of communities decreased. Hodges gives this as a reason for the Newtons joining the westward caravan.

Both a Newton historian and Mattie Lou Teague Crow mention that the Newtons were instrumental in organizing the Presbyterian Church in Ashville. The denomination first met at Mount Pleasant Meeting House, which was also the place of worship for the Methodist and Baptist. In 1879, the Presbyterians erected their own modern Victorian church, still standing in Ashville today.

Three persons gained membership on Rev. Thomas Newton’s name.

Jeremiah Collins arrived here penniless in 1818—according to some accounts. However, Jeremiah Collins’ great great granddaughter, Barbara Goldstein Bonfield, stated in an email interview that Collins researcher, Kathie Collins Jones, “…found land records from South Carolina with Jeremiah and William Collins listed on them, tons of them.” Great great grandson Jimmy Goldstein believes this indicates that Jeremiah didn’t leave South Carolina so poor he had to bring his possessions to Alabama on a sled instead of a wagon, as some researchers have written.

Writing for The Heritage of St. Clair County, Alabama, Bonfield said that Jeremiah settled along the Coosa River and announced his goal of becoming a landowner. Records show that he owned land in Easonville and Ragland in St. Clair County and substantial acreage in Talladega County. Bonfield tells of a deed, dated June 25, 1842, which transferred to Jeremiah 300 acres of land in the “Coosa Land District acquired by the United States in a treaty with the Creek Indians.” President Tyler signed the deed.

Jeremiah achieved his goal of possessing land, but his son, Jesse Collins had other goals —preaching the gospel of Christ. What a disappointment to Jeremiah, who desired his son to become prominent in Alabama politics. Bonfield writes that Jeremiah told Jesse “…he was not raising a son to be a ‘back-woods Baptist preacher.’”

Jesse returned to South Carolina where he continued to study theology, professed his faith in Christ, and became a minister of the Gospel. Jesse returned to St. Clair County with his bride and began pastoring Baptist churches in the county. During his ministry, he pastored several churches in St. Clair, Shelby and Calhoun counties and helped found a number of Baptist churches.

Jesse had obtained his goal of preaching the Gospel, but his father, Jeremiah, had never embraced Christ nor expressed interest in Christianity. Jesse longed for his father to accept Christ and be baptized. His longing was fulfilled, when at age 91, Jeremiah became a Christian and was baptized.

But who baptized Jeremiah? Mattie Lou Teague Crow wrote that “…frail Jeremiah was strapped into a small chair and the preacher son lowered him into the waters of the Coosa River in baptism.” However, Barbara Bonfield records that in a 1927 written document, Jeremiah’s granddaughter, Magnolia Embry, stated that “…her grandfather was baptized by Reverend Renfro in Chocolocco Creek near Schmit’s Mill in Talladega County. Such are the mysteries of family history.

Jeremiah died in 1873, age 94. Jesse died tragically of a pistol shot. The fact that accounts differ on how the pistol discharged doesn’t diminish the Gospel ministry of Jesse A. Collins and the spiritual legacy he left in St. Clair County. Collins was well-known among Alabama Baptists.

B.F. Riley, in his History of the Baptists of Alabama, recorded that “As financial secretary of Howard College, corresponding secretary of the East Alabama Baptist Convention, and pastor in St. Clair County, Mr. Collins rendered valuable service.”

One other minister must be noted. Hezekiah Moor settled in today’s Moody/Leeds area. Moor history is recorded at length in Leeds…Her Story. Hezekiah’s son, also named Hezekiah, was a Baptist minister who helped organize churches in St. Clair County. The record of his death and the vengeance of his son are matters of record.

Rev. P.S. Montgomery wrote in the Southwestern Baptist, February 4, 1864, that Hezekiah was murdered by a bushwhacker on Kelley’s Creek Road during the Civil War. “Having returned home on furlough, he found much mischief was being done by robbers in this county. …Bro. M. gathered a company of men and was indeed successful in catching them. But alas! About the middle of May 1863, as he was returning home alone, a wretch secreted himself by the way, and committed the awful deed and fled.”

The Leeds history states that the man who killed Rev. Moor was Jeff Darty, a soldier who had deserted the company commanded by Hezekiah’s brother.

Hezekiah’s son, Joseph, was eight when his father was killed. When he turned 14, he set out to find Darty in Texas where he had fled. Joseph joined up with a cattle drive, and within three years ended up in the same cattle drive as Jeff Darty.

The cowboys ended a long-day’s drive, and “…after all the cowboys had rolled up in their blankets for a night of well-earned rest, Joe slipped to Darty’s bedroll, took out his knife and slashed Darty’s throat, killing him instantly. Vengeance was his at last. Joe saddled his horse that very night and came back home to Alabama.”

The enchantment of St. Clair County family history lies in such stories as these.

In planning this project, Burttram and Hyatt took direction from First Families projects in other counties in Alabama and other states,

Aware that Etowah County historian, Jerry Bartlett Jones, Sr., had assigned to the Northeast Alabama Genealogical Society any proceeds of his First Families of St. Clair County and Northeast Alabama, Burttram and Hyatt wanted the proceeds from this project to be shared equally by Springville Preservation Society and St. Clair Historical Society.

The Springville Preservation Society, formed in April 1992, helps protect and maintain Springville’s historic downtown and collects and preserves artifacts of the area’s history.

The Preservation Society owns three buildings in Springville: the Masonic Lodge, which serves as a museum and archives on Springville and the surrounding area; the Little White House, which also serves as the Springville Welcome Center and is rented out for special events; and the old Rock School, their current restoration project. Frank Waid is president of the society.

The St Clair Historical Society was organized in 1972 with the purpose of preserving the county’s history. The primary focus of the first years was restoring the John Looney double dog-trot log home, which is the only surviving example in Alabama. Published from 1993 until 2009, Cherish: The Quarterly Journal of St. Clair Historical Society, focused on both history and genealogy. Cherish can now be accessed online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The president of the society is Sandi Maroney, librarian at Ragland Public Library.

There are African-American citizens in St. Clair County whose lineage goes back to the earliest years of our county, and Burttram and Hyatt are hopeful that some will make application for membership. Lineage can be hard to establish, but here are some sources. Antebellum church minutes list first names of slave members, and often gives the slave owner’s name. Antebellum court records, accessible at the Ashville Museum and Archives, can provide avenues of research.

And don’t overlook obituaries of former slaves, for quite a number were published in county newspapers, as in the following.

 “Mar. 2, 1899, Southern Alliance: Oldest Man in the County Dead. Dock Collins, colored, age 106 years, died at his home near Riverside on the 12th day of Feb. 1899. He was born in Lawrence District, South Carolina, in 1793, and was sold at public auction at Lawrence Court House when he was about 7 years of age, and bought by Jeremiah Collins, who was the grandfather of Attorney Jas. A. Embry, of our town. He was brought to this county just after the sale, where he continued to reside up till the day of his death.

“He was also the first Negro to own land in the county and a peaceable law-abiding man all his life. He was owned by the same Jeremiah Collins when freedom was declared, having had no other master since a boy. He was almost a life-long member of the Methodist church, and the good advice which he had always given to his race resulted in many of them securing homes around and near him. The influence exerted by this old man among his people was wonderful, he never failing to advise them to be truthful, industrious and honest.

“During his life, he was married twice, and was the father of 14 children, 5 of whom are now living, and some of them property owners. He died within a quarter of a mile from the old home of his master, and the cause assigned for his death was old age. He passed away seemingly without pain and retained his mental faculties till the very last.” l

Editor’s Note: St. Clair County history is rich and exciting. Discover hopes our readers will become excited as well and join in the task of preserving our treasured past. Since the First Families of St. Clair County is an ongoing endeavor, if your family has roots in our county from 1818 or before please connect with Mrs. Burttram or Mrs. Hyatt at firstfamiliesstclairal@gmail.com. Descendants of families settling here in 1819 through 1820 may apply for membership in First Families as a Founding Family member.

Rooftops and Retail

Upswing in new homes could mean boon to retail

Story  by Carol Pappas

Photos by Susan Wall and Submitted

The saying goes, “Retail follows rooftops.” And if the recent flurry of new housing construction around St. Clair County is any indication, more retail offerings might not be far behind.

Commercial developer Bill Ellison, president and CEO of I-20 Development, knows more than most the importance of residential growth. He has been recruiting commercial business to the Pell City area for more than a decade.

“Retail does follow rooftops, and we just haven’t had enough rooftops to ignite significant growth in the national chain stores and restaurants people would like to see near Interstate 20 and US 231. We have had some successes with Publix, Buffalo Wild Wings and the new Premier Cinertainment movie theater, bowling alley and entertainment complex. But new rooftops coming in gives us an encouraging look at the future.”

St. Clair Economic Development Executive Director Don Smith agreed. “It is important for a community to continue to have a growing population base. Young families are an ideal demographic because they have upward mobility in there new careers, typically shop locally, and are in a high consumption phase of their life.”

He noted that young children require new clothes and supplies on an annual basis. “New residential developments that provide a safe neighborhood with good schools and convenient shopping is ideal in attracting young families.”  

And that bodes well for retailers looking for a place to locate. “New retailers are attracted to communities with a growing population and increasing household income. Many times, it’s not the number of homes that are being built, but the quality of the development that will determine the type of future retailers a community will attract.”    

In Pell City, upper scale, craftsman homes are being built in Hillstone Heights, and Fox Hollow is opening new sectors.

Dave Elmore, president and CEO of Crossings General Contractors, had actually gotten out of the construction business when he was building his own home on Logan Martin Lake. But he “saw an opportunity when not many homes were being built, and Realtors did not have an inventory.” He bought 21 lots in the Hillstone Heights subdivision off US 78 and began building speculative homes. Two have sold already.

“There was an opportunity or a need for more upscale homes,” and he created a gated community there. “They are a little more expensive with more amenities, and the craftsman style trend is what everybody seems to want.”

Plans in Fox Hollow near Interstate 20 and US 231 call for 91 new homes to be built as the final phase of that subdivision. Twenty are already under construction.

According to Brian Muenger, city manager for Pell City, the City issued an average of 30 new home permits a year in the 2012-2016 calendar years. “In 2017 we saw 55 new home permits issued, and in 2018 it surged to 74. With the final phase of Fox Hollow and Hillstone under construction, we should see the trend continue throughout 2019, and hopefully beyond that point.”

He noted that the Horizons lakeside development, which has around 200 remaining lots, was sold last year. “I understand that they plan to begin construction in 2019 or 2020.”

Muenger called the economy in recent years “extremely strong, and the houses that are being built have been moving quickly. The supply of existing lots, specifically in the sub-$250,000 price range, will likely be depleted within two years, and there is a significant need for additional subdivisions to be developed in that price range.”

To encourage additional residential development, the city council enacted a substantial reduction of its impact fees and subdivision fees in 2017, lowering those development costs by more than 40%, he said. “This was done in recognition of the need our area has for additional rooftops, as well as the benefits that additional population has in driving our retail sector.  Current third-party projections indicate that by 2019 there will be more than 44,000 people residing within 10 miles of the city center.”

While not all of that population is inside the city limits, “the entirety of that population is comfortably within our trade area, making the city an attractive market for additional retail development. The city’s existing retailers have seen substantial increases in sales in recent years, which is indicative of the market demand. Statistics show large opportunity gaps in our existing retail landscape, including a gap of over $50 million in the food service and beverage space.”

To the west, Moody is experiencing a sizable surge in new home construction. Mayor Bill Lee said his city is seeing a building boom in the new housing market with an estimated 500 new homes to be built in four new subdivisions. Also under construction is a senior living complex with 26 duplexes being built.

“The housing market does push commercial growth,” Lee said. Moody has made sure it has a good mix of residential options over the years. What is being built now are larger homes, enabling those in starter homes to move up and stay in Moody. With the city’s proximity to the Interstate 20 corridor and the growth it is experiencing in the residential market, “retail is right behind it.”

Longtime Realtor and owner of Lovejoy Realty, Lyman Lovejoy, is seeing plenty of movement in the northern half of the county as well. In Moody’s Edgewater subdivision, “we are selling out fast.” There are several custom homes under construction at the present time.

There are several new homes going up in The Village at Springville, which has 20 lots left. “Spec houses are selling fast across the county, Lovejoy said. Magnolia Lake in Margaret is seeing its share of growth with several homes under construction, and the city of Margaret’s total of construction is more than 40 homes being built right now.

Lovejoy’s Canoe Harbor development on Neely Henry Lake, a joint venture with Freeman Land Co., has enjoyed much success since it opened for development a year ago.

There are 26 lots on the water and 10 off the water. More than half the lots have been sold in the lakeside development that sits between Ashville and Rainbow City. He credits the positive housing market plus no water level fluctuation at Neely Henry with the success in such a short time.

Lovejoy Realty Broker Brian Camp, who owns Waterstone Homes, built 20-25 homes in 2018 in Moody, Odenville, Margaret and Springville areas.

And just as the saying goes, Lovejoy concluded, “If we have enough rooftops, retail will come.”