St. Clair County, Alabama
Articles & Information
Thoughts From the Front Porch
The Right Southern Corner by Sara Rast
Hazel Shine
Published January 19, 2010
Born up near Cornelia, Alabama on Big Canoe Creek, in 1902, Phoebe Hazel Harp Campbell outlived both her parents before she turned nine. Her Mama had loved an extravagant name so, and she’d been in the valley of the shadow of childbirth so many times and buried so many babies that Papa’s heart finally just went out to her. Lord knows it was little enough to ask, and they couldn’t afford to give the baby much else. More
Views From Benny Hill by Jerry Smith
My Fall from Graceland
Posted January 12, 2010
IWhatever else can be said about Elvis Presley’s mansion at Graceland, you gotta admit there’s nothing like it anywhere else. Elvis used his money to surround himself with exactly what he wanted, not what some snooty designer told him was aesthetically correct. His followers consider the place a shrine, a fact that was proven to me in no uncertain terms. More
Driving Dixie
McWane Center
Birmingham, Alabama
Posted February 1, 2010
Mr. Wizard would have loved McWane Center. This wondrous place is loaded with neat, hands-on equipment that illustrates practically every facet of physical science in ways kids will enjoy, and remember. How I wish such places had existed when I was young; I'd have gladly camped there for a week! More
Courthouse Square
Pell City, Alabama
Posted December 21, 2009
It's not always necessary to travel long distances to see interesting sights; we often drive right past them every day without notice. Take the county courthouse square in Pell City, AL for instance. More
History Articles
Howard Martin Part II: Early Church Life
Posted June 29, 2009
Sunday brought a day of rest for everyone in the family except mamma whose work never ended. In those days almost everyone respected the Sabbath. Only the essential work such as cooking and taking care of the children was done. You never saw anyone with a fishing pole or heard the sound of a hunting rifle being fired. Families and neighbors spent their afternoons visiting and sitting on the porch when the weather permitted. More
Howard Martin Part I: The Farm
Posted June 15, 2009
I was born September 27, 1924 on the Pondexter & Waters farm in Springville, Alabama. The farm was located on what is today U.S. Highway 174 with most of the property situated on the south side of what is now Davis Lake. I was the ninth of thirteen children born to Zaner Rose and James Benjamin Martin Sr. More
Time Machine
Candy
Posted on February 5, 2010
Not long ago, someone asked if I remember penny candy. Well, how about five-for-a-penny candy? I'm referring to Kits, which were little individually-wrapped squares of chewy taffy that sold in stacks of five for one cent. Penny candy was big business in the Fifties, and we all had a mouthful of bad teeth to show for it. More
Do-It-Yourself - Fixing Cars
Posted on January 30, 2010
Working on your own car is as old as the automobile itself, but getting under the hood became somewhat different in the Fifties and Sixties, when folks started doing things to their cars just for fun. In postwar America, an ordinary car simply didn't cut it anymore for some of us. We insisted on making them work better, look sharper, and run like a scalded dog. More
Photo Gallery
We have over 300 photos in the Photo Gallery. Many of the photos show structures and events over 100 years old. All the photos were submitted by the general public and are of great interest to researchers, students and those that have an interest in St. Clair County. We welcome your submission of a photo or photos of our county.
Our latest entries are:
Doc & Kathleen Rennie
John C. Harris
Avondale Mills Fire
Avondale Mills Smokestack