2016 Saturday, June 25, Helen Keller Festival Actives

The Helen Keller Festival honors a woman, Helen Keller, who not only overcame being blind and deaf but also became a great ambassador for America. 

Helen Keller was born to Arthur Keller and Catherine Adams Keller on June 27,1880, and died on June 1, 1968.

Helen learned to read and write with the help of Anne Sullivan, and she graduated from Radcliffe College with honors in 1904. Helen also wrote several books and was an advocate for several causes. Helen Adams Keller is buried in the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC. 

My first stop was the Car and Truck Show, held on Main Street in Tuscumbia and sponsored by the Shoals Car and Truck Club.

The streets were crowded with people walking around, looking at the vehicles on display. There were vehicles like the Scoobie Doo Volkswagen, to the newest Corvette.

I tried to find a place to park my van, which would be about midway through everything I wanted to do.

I walked down the street to Cold Water Book Store, where the Tuscumbia Walking Tour people were to meet.

I was a little early, so I walked inside to cool off, and there were several more people there. There were several vendors set up inside, so I went by each one and stopped to talk to them.

I talked to a man selling books on how to start a business. I said I was retired, had no interest in starting a business, and liked history. He said that some of my family would like to start a business. I said I have a family member who already owns a company. He laughed and said I guess you are not going to buy a book from me and I said Not unless it is about history. We both laughed. 

Next, I met a woman selling jewelry. She said that she lived in Atlanta but was originally from Tuscumbia, and she came every year for the Helen Keller Festival. 

I stopped at the following table where a man, his wife, and his son were sitting. He was selling a series of books about UFOs. He told me he made the bust statue of Werner von Braun at NASA and that he had worked for Disney.

There was a display of beautiful pictures depicting the early '50s & '60s, and whoever painted these pictures sure did a great job. The woman standing next to me said they were hers. 

She said growing up in the 50s was just like the Happy Days show.

It was getting close to the start of the walking tour, so I walked outside to wait for it to begin.

Three people shared information about how Tuscumbia got started and how it came to be called Tuscumbia. The Old Stage Coach Building was pointed out to us, and we were told that we could tour it on our own later. We walked up Main Street, stopping to listen to the women talk about the train depot where Anne Sullivan was picked up by one of the Kellers' carriages and taken to Ivy Green. A carriage owned by the Kellers is on display at the Tuscumbia Depot. 

We also listened to the women talk about the newspaper building where Mr. Keller worked. 

The streets were still very crowded as we made our way up. 

We stopped just outside the Abernathy House, and one of the women asked if the group could tour the house. 

We were invited inside, and some of the group walked upstairs while others toured the tunnel underneath the house. The tunnel was once used to bring food from the kitchen to the dining room, which was located downstairs.

Everyone walked outside and across the parking lot. Our next stop was in the blazing sun, so I looked for a shady spot while the women talked about the two nearby churches.

Finally, we arrived at the First Presbyterian Church, where we were invited to the Helen Keller Mini Concert. 

Dinie Stone played one song, Jesus Loves Me on the harpsichord.

Brian Beck played a couple of songs on the Organ.

Dinie Stone played a selection of  hymns and classics on the piano 

Dinie played songs about water, about communion, and when Dinie began to play America, everyone stood and joined in the singing. 

In the end, everyone was invited to stay for light refreshments. 

Once I knew only darkness and stillness...
My life was without past or future, but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living. 

Helen Keller Mini-Concert

The letter was written by Helen Keller.

Everyone was given a copy of the letter Helen Keller wrote to Reverend WF Trump. 

I enjoyed two glasses of fresh lemonade and two cookies while I sat and talked with several women. 

It was around 12:30 P.M., and I still had to walk back to my car. 

I was going to the Keller Library to hear Keller Thompson talk about the life of her great-great-aunt, Helen Keller.

I arrived at the Keller Library, but the door was still locked. It was bout fifteen until one. Many other people were waiting. I walked back to my van and cranked it because it was too hot to stand outside. Right after I cranked the van, the door opened. So I got out of my van and walked inside.

I enjoyed listening to Mrs. Thompson's talk and slide show about Helen Keller. 

There were also light refreshments after the talk. I got a bottle of water and a cookie.

It had been a great morning, even though the heat index was over 100 degrees.

🚂🚂🚂Tuscumbia Train Depot Museum Built 1888

Tuscumbia was the first railroad in Alabama and the fourth in the USA.
Located at 204 West Fifth Street, Tuscumbia.
Constructed in 1888 by the Memphis and Charleston Railroads

Tuscumbia Train Depot  back view

Tuscumbia Railroad: First Railroad west of the Alleghenies

Tuscumbia Rail Depot front view 

In 1948, a new depot was built along Shop Pike in Sheffield, and the 5th Street Depot was
donated to the City of Tuscumbia for a Community Center.
My grandparents celebrated their 50th Anniversary at the 5th Street Depot in 1976.

Golden Anniversary Celebrations 1976
5th Street Community Center (Old Tuscumbia Depot

The bell came from a real Tuscumbia steam engine, and school children love to ring it. 

JW Kiser, who had worked for the railroad, convinced the Southern Railroad to donate the bell to Woodward Avenue Baptist Church. It was used to signal children that it was time for Sunday School.

The church no longer used the building,  which was donated to the Tuscumbia Train Depot on October 21, 2007.

Waiting for the train & a Long stick used for sending messages

Railroads use lights and hand signals so that trainmen and workers can "talk."  The signs were first used over 130 years ago, before people had radios. Railroads needed men who could send signals from far or near. Many times, the signalman would be too far away to use a whistle or horn. Colors, lights, and hand signals were all used.

Color Signals

On the railroad, different colors have to mean Something to send a message. Flag color signals are:

Red - Stop

White - Go

Green - Go slowly  - caution!

Blue flags are placed on a car or other object on which men are working.

STOP! Swing the lantern across the tracks.

SLOW DOWN! Hold at arm's length when the train is moving.

GO is straight up and down.

GO BACK! Swing up and down in a circle at half an arm's length across the track, when the train is moving.

TRAIN HAS PARTED! This tells the trainmen that cars have come loose, going up and down in a circle at the whole arm's length when the train is running.

DO NOT GO! APPLY BRAKES! Swing straight above your head when the train is standing.

GO! RELEASE BRAKES! Hold at arm's length above your head when the train is standing.

Ticket Counter
When the ticket window opened, it averaged about 30,000 tickets a year. 

WWII of the 718 R.O.B. UNIT -CIT F.T.O.

The fighting 718th Railroad Operating Battalion brought home a souvenir from Germany when they captured a railway station in Germany.

https://archive.org/details/HistoryOfThe718thRailrayOperatingBattalion

The 718th was given the territory from Folligny to Mayenne and to Rennes, a substantial section of the French railroad, to operate. Along with this came the responsibility of maintaining a single track from Pontabault to Cayenne and from Ponterson to Fougeres, and a double track from Folligny to Dol, with French maintenance of a double track from Dol to Rennes. 

Railroad operations were conducted under permissive block during blackout conditions. 

Flagging with a fusee and a lantern was permitted only in emergencies during the blackout. Crews going out on a run never knew when they might get back. 

The carriage owned by the Keller Family used to pick up teacher Anne Sullivan. 

This carriage, owned by the Keller Family, was thought to be used by Captain Arthur Keller to pick up Anne Sullivan at the Tuscumbia Train Station. 

Anne rode in the buggy with Captain Keller down the long drive that was lined with magnolias to Ivy Green. Anne spotted Helen waiting for her on the front porch. Tporchherchange the livporchof both Helen and Anne forever. 

2015 ~ Saturday, April 25, Tuscumbia Oakwood Cemetery Confederate Soldiers Tuscumbia, Al

Today I went to the Civil War Walking Tour of Oakwood Cemetery, where I missed the speech about Colonial Deshler.
I was just in time for the reading about Colonial William Johnson, who served in Rodney's 4th Alabama Cavalry during the Civil War.
William's brother, Major Dick Johnson, was mortally wounded at a battle in Moulton, Alabama.
His brother, JE Johnson, died a POW at Rock Island Prison in Illinois.
William and Dick are buried in Tuscumbia's Oakwood Cemetery, but their brother JE is buried in Illinois.

There are Civil War markers for all three men in this cemetery.

Major Dick Johnson KIA  July 9, 1864, & his brother, JE Johnson, who died  in the Rock Island Prison in Illinois

Three brothers fought in the Civil War, but only one came home. The Civil War caused much grief for the Johnson Family.

Colonial William Johnson Tombstone

Our next visit was to Arthur Henry Keller, Helen Keller's father. He enlisted in 1861 as a private in the Confederate Army.

 He was detailed as a quartermaster-sergeant under Dr. D. R. Lindsay, of Twenty-seventh Alabama, stationed at Fort Henry. 
He had charge of the stores, and after they were destroyed at Florence, he was assigned temporarily to the staff of Gen. Sterling Wood. 

Arthur Keller Family Cemetery, but Helen Keller is buried in Washington's National Cathedral.

In July 1862, he joined General Roddy's cavalry as a private, and in September of that year rejoined his old regiment as quartermaster at Vicksburg, with which he remained until July 1864, when he was made paymaster of General Roddy's division of cavalry, a position he held to the close of the war. 

Captain Arthur H. Kelley, F & S Alabama Infantry in the CSA, born February 5, 1836, died August 29, 1896

It was said that at the Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864, Keller was severely wounded in the neck and was almost thrown into a grave, with all the Confederate soldiers that died that day, but someone heard the faint sounds coming from Mr Keller. 
Mr. Keller returned to Tuscumbia and worked at the newspaper in downtown Tuscumbia until August 29, 1896, when he passed away.

This beautiful young woman portrayed Helen Keller.

Arthur Keller and his daughter Helen 

From a distance, it was pointed out that Bob Wheeler, a color bearer, was killed at the Battle of Franklin.

Bob Wheeler CO B 35 Alabama Infantry CSA

Our last stop was the graves of the Unknown Soldiers who were KIA during the Civil War.
So many men lost their lives during the Civil War, and many parents and siblings never knew where the body of their son or brother was buried. So hard to close the book on one's life when we do not know where they were laid to rest or how they died.

Grave of Unknown Soldiers

All the markers have been replaced with new markers and were ordered at the same place as the original markers.

I would like to thank Colbert County Tourism and everyone who took part in all the Civil War Walking Tours. I enjoyed them very much; they bring our past to life. It makes us stop to thank God and our countrymen for the freedom we have today.