Columbia, Alabama - Historic Sites & Points of Interest

Purcell-Killingsworth House in Columbia

A charming and historic community nestled along the Chattahoochee River in the Wiregrass region of Southeast Alabama, Columbia is an often overlooked heritage destination that is well worth a visit.

Founded in 1820 as settlement spread across lands taken from the Creek Nation by the Treaty of Fort Jackson, Columbia was an important river crossing and port community even from its earliest days. The arrival of steamboat traffic on the Chattahoochee River just a few years later, however, spurred a boom that made the town one of the most prosperous on the river between Eufaula, Alabama and Apalachicola, Florida.

Old Columbia Jail

The cotton and other commerce for a significant area of the Wiregrass region (named for a tough, wire-like grass that grows in the pine woods) passed through Columbia, where it was loaded aboard paddlewheel riverboats for transport up to Columbus or down to Apalachicola on the Gulf. This spurred a strong commercial district with stores, warehouses and other businesses. The town for a time was even the county seat, although that status was lost as the vast expanse of the original Henry County was carved up into numerous other counties as the population of the region grew.

Columbia remained a vital river port until the railroad was finally extended into South Alabama during the last decades of the 19th century. The town on the river was bypassed in favor of a new community - Dothan - and Columbia's commercial interests slowly faded.

Summer House at Columbia Cemetery

The town survived, however, and today is the center of a unique, picturesque and historic area with many points of interest. The historic Old Columbia Jail, for example, dates from the Civil War and is one of the last surviving original wooden jails in the Deep South. The unique summer house that serves as an entrance way to Columbia Cemetery is more than 100 years old.

There are charming historic homes and churches, including the architecturally unique Purcell-Killingsworth House. Just four miles or so away across the river in Early County, Georgia, stands the beautiful Coheelee Creek Covered Bridge. The southernmost 19th century covered bridge in the nation, it spans a charming little waterfall.

To learn more about Columbia and the surrounding area, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/columbia.

Cedar Falls at Petit Jean State Park - Magnificent Arkansas Waterfall

Cedar Falls at Petit Jean Mountain

One of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Natural State, Cedar Falls plunges 90 feet into Cedar Creek Canyon at Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton, Arkansas.

Fed by Cedar Creek, which flows from the top of Petit Jean Mountain and over the waterfall into a beautiful canyon surrounded by towering pluffs and natural rock palisades, Cedar Falls is perhaps the best known waterfall in Arkansas. A centerpiece of the state's oldest state parks, the falls have been photographed by untold thousands of visitors over the decades since Petit Jean State Park was created.

The area around the waterfall is unique because the impetus to preserve it came not from the state or federal government, but from a group of logging company executives who met there in 1907 to inspect the area's timber potential. After spending a weekend exploring the area and marveling at its stunning beauty, they unanimously agreed that its trees should be allowed to continue their natural growth and that the remarkable setting should be preserved for future generations.

View from Petit Jean Mountain

It would take many years for this dream to be realized. The U.S. Government turned down the land as a national park because the tract was not then considered large enough for park purposes. The effort to donate the land for public use then turned to the Arkansas State Legislature. After negotiating some red tape, the state acquisition of its first state park lands took place in 1921.

The development of Petit Jean State Park, particularly the area around Cedar Falls, was carried out largely by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Company 1781 was assigned to the park and spent the years from 1933 to 1938 building trails, roads, bridges, pavilions, cabins and the beautiful stone Mather Lodge (currently closed for renovation).

Ancient Indian Art

The park today preserves 2,568 acres of stunning mountain scenery. In addition to Cedar Falls and the spectacular canyon, there is a mountain top scenic drive, stunning overlooks, fishing lake, picnic area, miles of hiking trails and the fascinating Rock House Cave, where prehistoric art left by ancient Native Americans can still be seen.

The park is also famed for its legend of Petit Jean, which tells the story of a young French girl who followed her lover to the new world and died at the foot of the mountain. You can learn about the story of Petit Jean's ghost and more about the park and its attractions by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/petitjean1.

Duke Homestead State Historic Site - Durham, North Carolina

Duke Homestead

In the years after the Civil War, the cotton crops that grew across the Carolinas were replaced in many locations by a new cash crop: tobacco.

Much of the reason for this was the inventiveness of a man named Washington Duke. Coming home from the Confederate army in 1865, he returned to his farm almost broke but with a determination to succeed that would lead to the building of one of the largest companies in the world.

Washington Duke

Duke discovered that Union soldiers, who passed through North Carolina during Sherman's Carolinas Campaign, loved the bright tobacco grown in the region. He planted more and came up with the then groundbreaking idea of packaging it cured, shredded and ready to smoke. His first crop sold like hotcakes and the next year, 1866, he and his children produced 15,000 pounds of smoking tobacco.

Over the next several decades, the Duke family grew to become barons of the tobacco industry. The new city of Durham, which was only a station on the railroad in 1865, became the centerpiece of the massive Carolina tobacco business, with warehouses, a market, manufacturing centers and more.

Tobacco Leaves in the Barn

Washington Duke and his heirs contributed massive amounts of the money they earned from their tobacco sales to improving the lives of the Southern people. The money built schools, hospitals and other public facilities. Today's Duke University stands as a shining example of their philanthropy.

The modern tobacco industry and the Duke family fortune began, however, on a small farm in North Carolina. The complex today is a state historic site, where visitors can learn about the tobacco industry, Washington Duke and even the development of modern marketing techniques.

To learn more about the Duke Homestead, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dukehomestead.

Colonial Heritage Center - Greensboro, North Carolina

Colonial Heritage Center

Located just up New Garden Road from the entrance to Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (see yesterday's post), Colonial Heritage Center is a fascinating destination in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Established to help visitors learn more about the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and the colonial era in the region, the center offers a variety of exhibits that bring both the battle and the area's past to life. Among these are a series of full-scale displays that interpret various aspects of colonial life in North Carolina. There is a life-size reproduction of a log cabin interior, an exhibit explaining how water mills operated, displays on farming and a variety of other exhibits.

Part of the Battle Model

In a second area of the center, a large model of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse uses sound and light to interpret the tactics of the battle. It is a great way to learn about the battle and battlefield before actually taking the self-guided tour of the national park.

On the walls surrounding the model display is a collection of original Revolutionary maps of Guilford Courthouse and North Carolina. Included is an original copy of the map used by both Nathaniel Green and Lord Cornwallis during the Carolina campaign.  For map lovers, this collection is a must see.

Outside the center is Tannenbaum Historical Park, site of the farm of Joseph Hoskins, where Cornwallis formed his troops at the beginning of the battle. Interpretive panels and historic buildings explain life on a small farm at the time of the American Revolution.

To lear more about Colonial Heritage Center, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/guilfordcenter.

Battle of Guilford Courthouse - Greensboro, North Carolina

Greene Monument at Guilford Courthouse

One of the most remarkable "victories in defeat" in American history took place at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781.
The battlefield is now preserved at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is one of the few places that visitors can walk in the footsteps not only of American heroes such as Nathaniel Greene and "Light-Horse Harry" Lee (father of Robert E. Lee), but also of British officers including Cornwallis and Banastre Tarleton.

The was one of the largest of the American Revolution. Having successfully outrun Cornwallis in the famed "Race to the Dan" across North Carolina in February of 1781, Greene recrossed the Dan River after receiving heavy reinforcements of Virginia militia. The two armies eyed each other for three weeks, but then on May 15th the British learned that Greene had taken position and was inviting attack at a country crossroads called Guilford Courthouse.

Patriot Graves at Guilford Courthouse

As Cornwallis advanced on the American position, he found Greene's first line posted behind a rail fence that bordered open fields and was backed by heavy woods. Attempting to duplicate on a large scale Daniel Morgan's tactics that had secured a crushing victory over Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens three months earlier, the American general had formed his men in three consecutive lines, each stronger than the one before it.

The heavy tree cover of the battlefield created major command and control issues for both generals as they tried to coordinate the movements of thousands of men. The result was a swirling, confusing battle that slowly turned against the Americans as the British troops forced their way up the battlefield in heavy fighting.

Site of Guilford Courthouse

Greene finally retreated from the field, but in good order and having so bloodied the British army that Cornwallis was unable to pursue. In doing so, the American commander achieved a major strategic victory while suffering a tactical defeat. In losing the battle, he proved to be such a formidable foe that Cornwallis was unable to destroy him. The British were left with no choice but to withdraw to the coast to refit and resupply. From there they turned north to Yorktown, Virginia, and surrender.

A major turning point of the American Revolution, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse - following as it did on the heels of the Patriot victories at Kings Mountain and Cowpens - allowed Greene to reconquer much of the South, while forcing Cornwallis into his final confrontation with George Washington.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/guilford.

Monster Sighting near Two Egg, Florida!!

Strange Footprint found at Monster Sighting Location

There are some strange doings in the swamps about 7 miles from "downtown" Two Egg, Florida!
The latest in a string of eyewitnesses has come forward to report that she spotted the Two Egg - Parramore Monster, known affectionately as the Stump Jumper, during the first week of June. A check of the area around the sighting, which took place about in a swampy area, revealed physical evidence supporting her claims in the form of strange footprints.

The unusual prints appear to have three toes, one large "big" toe and two smaller ones. They were found leading from a swampy area across a plowed fire lane and into an overgrown area of planted pines.

The latest sighting matches previous descriptions of the monster, which is said to be hairy and around 5 or 6 feet tall. It is usually described as being brown or gray in color and is said to run at a remarkable speed. Because it has only been seen at night, usually in the beam of car headlights, most in the area believe it to be nocturnal. It is often described as a "mini-Bigfoot," although one eyewitness reported that the creature had a long raccoon-like tail.

What it could be is not known, but it has been spotted in and around a swampy area about 7 miles northeast of Two Egg and one mile north of a small crossroads called Parramore. The area is in Jackson County, about an hour northwest of Tallahassee.

To learn more about the new sighting, please visit www.twoeggfla.com/monster2.  You can learn more about the quaint little community of Two Egg by visiting http://www.twoeggfla.com/.

Savannah, Georgia - Historic Sites & Points of Interest

Mercer House in Savannah

Savannah is quite simply one of the most beautiful historic destinations in the world.

Established in 1733 by Gen. James Oglethorpe, the city was laid out by the general himself on Yamacraw Bluff, an elevation on the south bank of the Savannah River just inland from the river's mouth. With impressive foresight, Oglethorpe created a settlement plan that called for a city to grow around 24 public squares.

Almost all of the squares survive today and grow even more beautiful with each passing year, each an oasis of peace and beauty in the center of a thriving and historic city.

Savannah quickly became one of the most important cities in the South and by the time of the American Revolution was a major seaport and commercial center. One of the earliest engagements of the war, the Battle of Rice Boats, took place at Savannah. Although the Patriots initially forced the British to relinquish the city, they returned with a vengeance and captured Savannah in 1778. The following year, a large allied army of American and French troops - including 500 black French soldiers from Haiti - tried to take it back.

Forsyth Park in Savannah

The Siege or Second Battle of Savannah ended in disaster for the allied forces after the British threw back an attempt to storm a section of the city's fortifications at the Spring Hill Redoubt adjacent to today's Savannah History Museum.

Savannah rebounded from the Revolution to become one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Much of the architecture in today's massive historic district dates from the antebellum era. The city was captured by Sherman at the end of his March to the Sea in 1864, but remarkably escaped the widespread devastation inflicted by his army on such cities as Atlanta and Columbia. Perhaps this was because he presented Savannah to President Abraham Lincoln as a "Christmas gift."

Savannah today is a beautiful city with one of the largest restored historic areas to be found anywhere. It has hundreds of historic sites and landmarks, preserved 19th century forts, a stunning riverfront area, 22 of Oglethorpe's original squares, tree-shaded streets and parks and some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.

To learn more, please visit our new Savannah page at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/savannah.

Real Rooster Cogburn worth remembering as True Grit comes out on DVD/Blu-ray

Cal Whitson, the Real Rooster Cogburn

I have mentioned him here before, but as the movie True Grit comes out on DVD/Blu-ray this week, it seems a good time to remember Cal Whitson, the man believed to have been the real Rooster Cogburn.

True Grit, first brought to the big screen by John Wayne, is the story of a young girl who enlists the help of a one-eyed Deputy U.S. Marshal from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to hunt down the man accused of murdering her father. The original book by Clinton Portis was something of a tongue in cheek portrayal of the heroes and outlaws in the Old West. But on the big screen, those same characters suddenly become larger than life. Whether in the original Wayne portrayal or in the new Jeff Bridges version, Rooster Cogburn leaps from the screen as the real deal, a rough and tumble frontier lawman with a deep sense of justice.

Although Portis said he based the character on a compilation of the deputy marshals who rode out from Fort Smith under the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court of "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker, there can be little doubt that Cal Whitson was the "real" Rooster Cogburn.

Cal Whitson had been a hard-fighting Union soldier during the Civil War and had lost an eye in battle in Arkansas. He became a deputy U.S. marshal in the years after the war after learning that his son had been killed while helping to apprehend an outlaw. He served in the Indian Territory, which fell under Judge Parker's jurisdiction, helping to bring wanted men back to Fort Smith to stand trial... and often stand on the gallows as well.

Parker hanged more men than any federal judge in U.S. history, but few know that he was opposed to the death penalty. Many of the laws governing crimes in the Indian Nations gave him only one sentence: death.

Cal Whitson, the real one-eyed deputy U.S. marshal of Fort Smith, was every bit as colorful and tough as the Rooster Cogburn of the movies. To learn more about him, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/roostercogburn.

To learn more about Judge Parker's tenure as the "Hanging Judge" of Fort Smith, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ARFS6.

And if you haven't seen the new version of True Grit, I strongly recommend it. I am a huge John Wayne fan and love the original, but the new one tells the story in an entirely different way and is well worth viewing.

Bennett Place State Historic Site - Durham, North Carolina

Bennett Place

The largest troop surrender of the Civil War took place on April 18, 1865... and again on April 26, 1865... at the Bennett Place in Durham, Noarth Carolina.

Now a state historic site, Bennett Place was where Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee to Union general William Tecumseh Sherman.

In 1865, the Bennett Place was the family farm of James and Nancy Bennett, who lived on the road from Raleigh to Hillsborough near what was then known as Durham Station. Like most Southern farmers, the Bennetts did not own slaves, but worked their land with their own hands. They supported the Confederacy and, in fact, lost three sons to the war. Two died in service and the fate of a third is unknown.

1865 Sketch of the Surrender

On April 17, 1865, Johnston and Sherman met at the Bennett Place to discuss possible terms of a truce. The Confederate commander had heard of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and was considering whether to continue the fight or seek honorable terms.

Sherman offered terms so generous that on April 18, 1865, Johnston agreed to the largest troop surrender of the war. His command included some 89,270 soldiers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, along with thousands of pieces of artillery and large stocks of military supplies.

Reconstructed Bennett House

Officials in Washington, however, rejected the terms offered by Sherman. Lincoln had just been assassinated and they felt Sherman had been overly generous with his still-undefeated foe. Many felt the South should be severely punished for her role in the war and some went so far as to accuse Sherman of being a traitor to the Union cause for offering Johnston terms that complied with Lincoln's belief in a peace with "malice toward none, with charity toward all."

The two generals, both now personally and professionally humiliated, were forced to meet again. With little other option now left to him, Johnston surrendered - again - on April 26, 1865.

Bennett Place State Historic Site does an outstanding job of interpreting the events that took place there in April of 1865. The house and kitchen, central to the surrender events, have been reconstructed on their original sites and rail fences line the historic road along which Johnston and Sherman approached the surrender site. The museum is very nice, with exhibits both on the surrender itself and North Carolina's role in the war.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/bennettplace.

The Branson Titanic Museum - Largest Titanic Museum in the World



Recreated Grand Staircase of the Titanic

 Branson, of course, is a wonderful family-oriented resort area in the Ozarks of southern Missouri. While it is best known for Country Highway 76 and its many country music shows, Branson also has great appeal for people of all interests. There are historic sites, unique outdoor locations, museums, Table Rock Lake, trout fishing locations, a scenic railway, paddlewheel riverboat and much more.

One attraction that has become popular in recent years is the Branson Titanic Museum, which is billed as the World's Largest Titanic Exhibit.

Every resort area has unique museums and displays, but honestly this one is a step above the normal fare. Not only does it display 500 artifacts from the Titanic, it offers a chance to step back in time and aboard the famed luxury liner as she appeared in her full glory before her fateful maiden voyage.

Branson Titanic Museum

The Titanic is one of the best known ships in the history of the world because she went down after striking an iceberg on her first trans-Atantic voyage. More than 1,500 people lost their lives in the disaster and the ship settled to the bottom deep in the North Atlantic. It has been immortalized by numerous books and movies, including the Academy Award winning 1997 film by James Cameron.

At the Branson Titanic Museum, visitors explore not just museum displays, but recreated staterooms, berths, Marconi room and Grand Staircase of the magnificent ship. It is a rare chance to see the real splendor of the Titanic and to see what life was like for the actual passengers of the great ship before the disaster.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/titanic.

April 26th - Birthday of John James Audubon

Audubon in 1826

Today marks the 226th anniversary of the birth of famed naturalist John James Audubon, whose footprints can still be traced across the American South.
Born in what is now Haiti (then the French colony of Saint-Domingue) on April 26, 1785, he fled with his family to France just three years later when a slave revolt broke out on the Haitian sugar plantations. He was educated in France and remained there until he was 18, when he boarded a ship for America using a false passport to avoid conscription in the Napoleonic army.

He contracted yellow fever as he arrived in New York and was nursed back to health in a boarding house run by Quaker women, who taught him English and assisted in his relocation to a farm near Philadelphia where he developed a passion for American birds and wildlife. His business interests eventually took him west to Missouri and Kentucky, where he continued to expand his studies.

Oakley Plantation in Louisiana

Audubon, of course, went on to travel through much of the South and his ground-breaking bird paintings are among the finest ever done in North America. His travels are the focus of much attention in historical and birding circles and markers and historic sites across the region note his presence.

An excellent place to learn more about Audubon's work is at Audubon State Historic Site in St. Francisville, Louisiana. The park preserves Oakley Plantation, where he completed many of his bird paintings and which he described as "almost supernatural" in its beauty. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/audubon.

Ruins of Elizabeth Female Academy

A little more than an hour north near Natchez, Mississippi, are the ruins of the Elizabeth Female Academy, where Audubon taught drawing in 1822. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/natchezelizabeth.

The Audubon Society, of course, is a great place to learn about the life and contributions of John James Audubon. The Society maintians an online version of his groundbreaking book, Birds of America, at http://web4.audubon.org/bird/BoA/BOA_index.html.






A Monument to John Wilkes Booth? Unusual Landmark in Troy, Alabama

The (Former) John Wilkes Booth Monument

Today marks the anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by actor and conspirator John Wilkes Booth.

For most people of his time, North and South, the anniversary marked a sad day in American history. But for Joseph Pinkney Parker of Troy, Alabama, it was a day to be celebrated.  Parker was a police officer, teacher and Baptist church member, but he was perhaps best known as a hater of Abraham Lincoln.

Called "Pink" Parker by his friends, he would dress in his Sunday best each April 14th to celebrate the day when John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln. Residents in Troy humored or ignored his one man Booth celebration, but in 1906 Parker ignited a national controversy about their town that they could no longer ignore.  He erected a monument to John Wilkes Booth and asked for permission to put it on the courthouse lawn.

City and county leaders in Troy balked at that idea and refused, but Parker erected his monument anyway, in a prominent spot on his own property facing Madison Street in the South Alabama city.

Monument now is Parker's Headstone

The monument caught the attention of the national media and newspapers across the nation did stories on Parker's Monument to Booth.  They often got the facts wrong, claiming it had been erected by the city itself, but "Pink" Parker enjoyed all the controversy and kept his monument right where it was despite calls that he remove it.

It stayed in its spot facing Madison Street in Troy until Parker died in 1921, when his family quietly removed it and had it recarved to serve as his tombstone. It stands today in Troy's Oakwood Cemetery, but with no trace of the original inscription:  "Erected by Pink Parker in honor of John Wilks Booth for killing Old Abe Lincoln."

So far as is known, it was the only monument ever erected to John Wilkes Booth. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/boothmonument.

The First Shot of the Civil War - A Controversy Ignited?

Fort Barrancas, Florida

If you have seen today's Associated Press article quoting me, it looks like quite a stir has been created over where the actual first shot of the Civil War took place. 

The AP story is about an incident that took place on the drawbridge at Fort Barrancas in Pensacola, Florida, on January 8, 1861. Union troops there opened fire on a party of mysterious figures who approached the fort, hours before cadets from The Citadel fired on the supply ship Star of the West and three months before Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Back in January, I posted an article about the shooting on one of my other blogs, Civil War Florida (Please click here to read it.)

Fort Sumter, South Carolina

Last week I was contacted by a writer from the Associated Press and spoke with her briefly about the incident. That interview, of course, was condensed down to a couple of lines in the article. I hadn't thought much more about it until I woke up this morning to find the article had appeared in newspapers and on media websites literally around the world. (Please click here to read it.)

The reaction has been fascinating and from my browsing around the web, it seems that people from the United States to Australia and back are debating it.  Its enjoyable to me to see so many people discussing history, although it is a shame that far too many are just using it as a chance to be rude and insulting to Southerners in general.

Since the AP writer didn't have space to include much of what I actually think on the topic, I wrote up my thoughts this morning and posted them at Civil War Florida. If you are interested in reading more, I hope you'll take a few minutes to read them. Here is the link:  http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com/.

The Bombardment of Fort Sumter - 150 Years Ago Today

Fort Sumter National Monument
NPS Photo

At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, 150 years ago today, a mortar shell rose high in the air over Charleston Harbor in South Carolina and exploded. As the flames and fragments rained down on the island citadel of Fort Sumter, the men of both sides knew that the War Between the States had begun.

One by one, Confederate cannon ringing the harbor opened fire. Inside the brick fortress, U.S. soldiers hunkered down as shot and shell impacted with the masonry and shook the ramparts to their foundations. They would eventually return fire, even targeting a hotel where Captain Abner Doubleday claimed he had once received poor service, but remarkably no one would die on either side.

42-Pounder at Fort Sumter

The Bombardment of Fort Sumter continued for 34 straight hours. Sections of wall well away and the wooden parts of the fort, particularly the barracks, caught fire. Dense smoke settled over the fort and the men inside held wet clothes over their noses and mouths so they could breathe and continue to fight. Some of them had fought in the War with Mexico or in the Seminole Wars, but they had never experienced anything like this.

In Charleston, citizens gathered on the rooftops and watched from the Battery as the shot and shells arced over the harbor. Each explosion brought cheers. South Carolina had waited a long time for this day.

Among the Confederate commanders, there were mixed emotions. Their duty was not so much to the new country that had been formed in Montgomery, Alabama in February of 1861 as it was to their home states and to their mutual identity as Southerners. But they had served with Major Robert Anderson and many of the other men in Fort Sumter, had shared good times and danger together, and they regret mixed with exhiliration that the long-awaited battle was finally underway.

Fort Sumter

Knowing that his position was hopeless but that his duty was to defend the flag of his nation, Major Anderson held out against all odds. Even though his position was under fierce attack, he did his best to preserve the lives of his officers and men. He ordered them not to man the fort's upper level of guns where they would be more exposed to the Confederate fire, although in the midst of the bombardment a soldier defied those orders and dashed up the stairs and touched off the cannon there.

Fort Sumter would surrender on the next day, April 13, 1861. More than 600,000 men would die and more than 1,000,000 would be wounded before Anderson would again raise his flag over the walls of Fort Sumter.

To learn more about Fort Sumter National Monument, which preserves the ruins of the historic fort, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortsumter.

The Athens Double-Barrelled Cannon - Athens, Georgia

The Double-Barrelled Cannon

It was a "secret weapon" of the Confederacy that wasn't all that secret: a double-barrelled cannon that its designer hoped would become the ultimate anti-personnel weapon of the Civil War.

The famed Athens Double-Barrelled Cannon now rests on the grounds of City Hall in the North Georgia city and - besides the Georgia Bulldogs - is perhaps the most photographed attraction in Athens.

A Civil War Landmark

Cast in 1862 at the Athens Foundry, the cannon was designed by John Gilleland, a home builder and home guard private. He envisioned a weapon that would fire a load that could best be described as "extended chain shot." Parallel barrels fired two 6-pound iron balls simultaneously. The barrels of the gun diverged by about 3 degrees, allowing the balls to spread out as they emerged from the double muzzle. An 8-foot iron chain connected the cannonballs and as they were fired, the entire load was expected to begin spinning and cut an 8-foot wide swatch through any attacking enemy infantry force.

Local legend holds that the gun didn't work as expected. It is said that it was impossible to fire the twin barrels simultaneously and that the chain broke in the test firing causing the balls to speed off in different directions, killing a cow, destroying a chimney and demolishing a field of corn.  War-time accounts, however, indicate that the cannon might have been more effective than is traditionally thought.

To read more and learn about the Athens Double-Barrelled Cannon, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/athenscannon.

Ten Favorite Spring Destinations in the South

Muskogee Azalea Festival

Today is the first day of Spring, so I thought I would share with you ten of my favorite Southern spring destinations. Some of these are well known and some are off the beaten path, but all are well worth a visit.

Maclay Gardens

1. 2011 Muskogee Azalea Festival in Muskogee, Oklahoma. One of the finest events of its kind in the South, the annual festival draws in tens of thousands of visitors from around the world. Held Show alleach April at Honor Heights Park in Muskogee, the festival gives visitors the chance to roam through an amazing setting that features more than 30,000 blooming trees and plants representing more than 625 varieties. To learn more and see a schedule of this year's event, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/okmuskogeeazalea.
2. Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Now in bloom, Maclay Gardens is one of the most beautiful Spring settings in the Sunshine State. Located in Florida's historic capital city, the park features a magnificent garden of azaleas, dogwoods, redbuds and other blooming trees and plants that was developed over decades beginning in 1923. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the gardens are open daily. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/maclaygardens1.
3. Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. One of the South's premier attractions, Callaway Gardens covers 16,000 acres on the slopes and valleys adjoining Georgia's historic Pine Mountain. Established to revitalize overworked fields where its founders discovered a rare native azalea plant growing, the gardens are simply magnificent. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/callawaygardens1.
4. Eufaula, Alabama. A beautiful, historic city on the Chattahoochee River in southeastern Alabama, Eufaula is known for its stunning spring blossoms and magnificent historic homes. Its Annual Spring Pilgrimage is one of the finest such events in the South and will take place on April 1st through 3rd this year. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/eufaula.
5. Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A world class botanical garden covering 210 acres on a peninsula that extends into Lake Hamilton, Garvan Gardens are magnificent year round, but take on amazing beauty during the spring. The gardens feature winding paths that lead through stunning arrays of flowering trees and plants and past waterfalls and many other unique features. Much like Callaway Gardens in Georgia, Garvan Gardens were begun to restore a setting to its natural beauty. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/garvingardens.
6. Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. A winding national park area that extends from Natchez on the Mississippi River to the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, the Natchez Trace is another "must see" Southern destination. It takes drivers through 444 miles of beautiful scenery, rich in the natural spring color of dogwoods, redbuds, wild plum and other native varieties. The parkway also passes scores of historic sites and points of interest. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/natcheztrace1.
7. Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site in St. Francisville, Louisiana. The National Park Service describes Rosedown as one of the best preserved antebellum plantation complexes in the United States. In addition to the magnificent main house and other historic structures, the historic site preserves one of the largest private gardens of the 19th century. Covering 28 acres, the gardens feature winding paths, summer houses, fountains and an amazing array of blooming plants. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/rosedown.
8. Dogwood Canyon Nature Park near Branson, Missouri. Covering 10,000 acres of Ozark mountain country on the border of Missouri and Arkansas, Dogwood Canyon is offers spring beauty of the wilder variety. The trams and bike paths take visitors through a beautiful valley rich in redbuds, dogwoods and other blooming trees. The park also features trout streams, historic sites, magnificent waterfalls and even herds of American bison (buffalo) and elk. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dogwood1.
9. Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon, Florida. Once a privately-owned amusement park enjoyed by untold millions of visitors over the years, Rainbow Springs is now the focal point of a state park not far off Interstate 75 in the charming town of Dunnellon, Florida. In addition to the magnificent main spring, the park preserves some of the original gardens with their azaleas, waterfalls and other points of interest. It is also one of the state's most affordable destinations, with an entrance fee of only $2 per person or $5 per vehicle of up to 8 people. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/rainbowsprings.
10. Waterfalls of Alabama. Although it has been a bit dry so far this spring, many of Alabama's beautiful waterfalls are running well. The state features some of the prettiest falls in the South, a number of which are easily accessible. The premier ones include Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, DeSoto Falls at Mentone and Little River Falls near Fort Payne. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/alabamawaterfalls.

You can also learn about hundreds of other unique Southern historic sites, natural wonders and points of interest at www.exploresouthernhistory.com.

Audubon Pilgrimage - St. Francisville, Louisiana

Rosedown in St. Francisville

The annual Audubon Pilgrimage is underway this weekend in St. Francisville, Louisiana.

A charming community that was once the capital of the short-lived "Republic of West Florida," St. Francisville is located atop a high ridge overlooking the Mississippi River at the intersection of U.S. Highway 61 and Louisiana Highway 10. The town is 30 miles north of Baton Rouge and 60 miles south of Natchez, Mississippi.

St. Francisville is well known because it is surrounded by some of the most beautiful surviving plantation homes in the South. There is Rosedown Plantation, considered one of the country's finest surviving antebellum plantation complexes by the National Park Service; Oakley Plantation, where famed naturalist John James Audubon painted many of his best known bird paintings and The Myrtles, considered by some to be America's most haunted home. Also just south of town is Port Hudson State Historic Site, scene of a bloody Civil War battle and siege.

The annual Audubon Pilgrimage features a full weekend of events, including tours, live music, candlelight graveyard tours, a noted antique show and sale and much more. To learn more about St. Francisville and the Audubon Pilgrimage, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/stfrancisville.

Oklahome to close Heavener Runestone State Park (Updated with news that the park remains open)

Heavener Runestone

Note: The park remains open thanks to the city of Heavener stepping up to save it. It is now operated as a municipal park and is open daily, so stop by and visit when you can!


The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department has announced plans to PERMANENTLY close seven state parks, including Heavener Runestone State Park.

The announcement from the department indicates that the closures will take effect on August 15th and result from budget cutting plans. Other parks slated for closure are Adair State Park in Stilwell; Beaver Dunes in Beaver; Boggy Depot in Atoka; Brushy Lake in Sallisaw Lake Eucha in Jay; and Wah-Sha-She in Copan. The measure will eliminate only 10 full-time positions and save the department around $700,000, but the economic impact on the communities affected could be tremendous.

Waterfall near the Runestone

Heavener Runestone State Park alone, for example, annually attracts around 100,000 people to eastern Oklahoma. The loss of this visitation will have a tremendous economic impact on Heavener and other local communities, reducing sales for merchants and tax collections for the state.

The park, which occupies a beautiful setting on the top of Poteau Mountain, takes its name from unique carvings found on a large boulder there. The characters have been identified as Norse runes, but there is debate over their age and authenticity. A solid core of believers think they provide evidence that Viking explorers came up the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers hundreds of years ago and made their way as far as eastern Oklahoma. Others believe they are forged. Still others believe they are of more recent origin, but were not intended as a forgery but simply to add character to the ravine where the boulder was found.

Although there are some variations, most believe that the runes spell out either "Glomesdal" or "Gnomesdal." Roughly interpreted, this would mean either "Valley of Glome" or "Valley of the Gnomes." I tend to favor the latter interpretation, as the ravine is quite beautiful and brings to mind stories of mythical creatures like gnomes and fairies. Others believe that "Glome" could have been an early Norse explorer who settled in the region. Several other smaller runestones have been found around the area.

Heavener Runestone State Park

I'll confess that the lack of other artifacts causes me some serious doubts about the ancient Vikings theory, but I have visited the state park many times and it is one of the most beautiful spots in all of Oklahoma. Located atop a mountain, it provides spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, beautiful and rugged hiking trails, mountaintop picnicking, spring waterfalls and more. They mystery surrounding the Heavener Runestone adds a great deal of charm to the setting, which is well worth being preserved as a cultural landmark, whatever the truth behind it.

The land for the park was donated to the state and would revert back to the heirs of the original owners if the park is closed, so the state would gain very little from closing this park, which is extremely popular with visitors from around the region who come to enjoy the setting, as well as tourists who come from far and wide to see the famed runestone.

You can read more about the park and see additional photos at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/heavener1.

"The Battle of Marianna, Florida" - Expanded Edition now available!

I'm pleased to announce that the Expanded Edition of my book, The Battle of Marianna, Florida, is now available.

The new Expanded Edition includes nearly 50 pages of additional information as well as maps, new photographs, expanded casualty lists, bibliography and other features not included in the original. It also offers a much more detailed accounting of the battle and the 1864 raid across Northwest Florida.

The Battle of Marianna was fought on September 27, 1864, at the climax of the deepest penetration of Confederate Florida by Union troops during the entire Civil War. Leaving Pensacola Bay on September 18th and led by Brigadier General Alexander Asboth, a column of 700 mounted Union solders devastated the populated areas of Walton, Holmes and northwestern Jackson Counties before reaching Marianna on the 27th.

The battle was one of the fiercest small engagements of the war. By the time it was over, nearly 20% of Marianna's male population had been taken prisoner and the bodies of killed and wounded men stretched from one side of the town to the other. A sharp street fight waged between bodies of both cavalry and infantry, the battle is sometimes known as "Florida's Alamo." Many of the participants were seasoned veterans and those who left accounts almost all agreed that it was the fiercest battle of its size they encountered during the entire war.

The new book includes expanded detail on the route of the troops to and from Marianna along a path that was longer in miles than Sherman's March to the Sea. It also includes an expanded narrative of the battle itself as well as new sources on the smaller fights at Eucheeanna, Campbellton and Vernon that took place as the Union column moved through the Florida panhandle.

The new book is now available by clicking the ad at the top of this post. Signed copies can be obtained through Chipola River Book and Tea in Marianna (on Lafayette Street across from the Battle of Marianna Monument). The book is also available in electronic format as a download for the Amazon Kindle reader device or the free Kindle software for computer or smart phone.

To read more about the battle, you can also visit www.battleofmarianna.com.

Reenactment of the Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida set for this Weekend

Natural Bridge Battlefield

The 146th anniversary of the Battle of Natural Bridge will be commemorated this weekend with a reenactment and other activities at Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park near Tallahassee, Florida.

Fought on March 6, 1865, the battle was one of the last significant Confederate victories of the Civil War. It preserved Tallahassee's status as the only Southern capital east of the Mississippi not captured by Union troops, kept the small port of St. Marks open to blockade runners and prevented the economic destruction of an important area of North Florida and South Georgia by Federal forces. It came just five weeks before General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

The Battle of Natural Bridge resulted from a major amphibious assault by Union troops. Moving up the Gulf of Mexico from posts at Key West and Cedar Key, U.S. transport steamers arrived off the mouth of the St. Marks River in late February of 1865. Joined there by a large flotilla of Union warships, the steamers held position while General John Newton and his officers developed their plans.

Confederate Earthworks at Natural Bridge

During the first week of March, demolition parties were sent ashore to destroy railroad bridges east and west of Tallahassee and then the navy began the difficult task of bringing the main body of Newton's command to shore at the St. Marks Lighthouse south of Tallahassee. The amphibious night landing was hampered by shallow water and darkness, but the men finally got ashore and started inland. The warships, meanwhile, began a move up the St. Marks River to engage Confederate batteries and put ashore hundreds of sailors who were to serve as additional infantry during the expedition.

The naval side of the expedition was a complete failure, due to difficulty encountered navigating the narrow twisting river channel. Things went even worse for the land force. Despite eight courageous charges, the Union troops (composed primarily of the 2nd and 99th USCT regiments) were handed a bloody defeat at the Battle of Natural Bridge.

To learn more about this unique and often overlooked battle, please consider the expanded edition of my book, The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida (also available as a Kindle download). You can also learn more and access a  schedule of this weekends events at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/nbindex.