2022 Dec 1, Athens Christmas Parade and Adventures Athens, AL

Athens Courthouse was decorated for the holidays and crowds of people lined up to watch the Christmas Parade. 

North Pole & Candy Carnival Float in the Christmas Parade 

I had a hard time getting good pictures at the parade. They were moving pretty fast and we were sitting inside the car so I had to take them through the windows. But I did get a few good ones. We enjoyed the parade & shopping at UG White Mercantile. 

We bought supper at Zaxby's in Athens but our food was overcooked so we didn't each much of it. We did buy a couple of Chocolate coconut Macadamia candies at UG White Mercantile. The parade was over at about 8. 

We parked right across the street facing Merchant's Alley waiting for the Athens Parade.

Christmas at UG White Merchantile 

 Is merchandise that sells southern-made goods, where treasures can be found. Like stepping back in time. 

We stopped in Rogersville to see their Christmas Trees in the park. 

Rogersville Tinsel Trail 

Stopped at Jack's for a couple of Strawberry cheesecake pies and was in bed a little after 9. 

From 1-3 Crafting at the Florence Library (making a Christmas card with watercolors.)

🚗2017 May 30, Tuesday, "A sportsman paradise" & Pink Palace Museum Memphis, TN

Hubby and I rode to Memphis Tennessee which took about three hours.
I had a runny nose and I sneezed the whole trip.
We stopped at Walgreens in Corinth MS bought some Flonase Nasal Spray recommended by the Pharmacist.

Bass Pro Shop 

Bass Pro Shop at the Pyramid on Bass Pro Drive in Memphis was our first stop.
Once inside we saw a sign that said, "Welcome to Paradise"! A sportsman paradise!
Swimming in the water below us we could see schools of a variety of fish, and swamp-covered trees everywhere.
We stopped to see the alligators, they were behind glass walls, and they were staring at us.

Swamp Covered Trees & Elevator

We saw a 27-foot elevator that was lit up with red, green, and blue lights.
We paid ten dollars to ride the elevator to the top while listening to a pre-recording about the store and catching a big fish.
We exited the elevator into a restaurant where we were greeted by a hostess. She asked us if we wanted to eat at the restaurant or if we just wanted to take the breathtaking view of Memphis.
We said we just wanted to walk out onto the balcony and see the view below.

View from Balcony 

Once outside we could see downtown Memphis, the roaring Mississippi River, Mud Island, The Memphis & Arkansas Bridge, and the train bridge. There was another balcony with a view of the Mississippi River, houses, apartments, and piers.

View from Balcony 

We visited the Ducks Limited Museum where we saw a variety of guns, ducks, trophies and etc.
We saw the Big Cedar Lodge, wildlife creations taxidermy, & aquarium full of fish.
The smell of cinnamon-glazed roasting pecans, cashews, and almonds filled the air.

Our next stop was the Pink Palace Museum.
You can visit the Museum on Tuesdays at 1PM for free.

Hubby and I walked up the grand staircase to the third floor to see the animatronic dinosaurs exhibit.
This was a great area for children to touch models of dinosaurs' claws, bones, teeth and play with rubbing stamps and watch a video.

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs

We saw the first Americans, the History of Memphis, log Cabins, slavery, the Civil War, the first automated grocery store (Piggly Wiggly), Yellow Fever, from saddlebags to science, Clyde Parke's Miniature Circus, cotton and Thomas Harwell's mummy casket.

It was after 2PM we were hungry so we rode to Joe's Crab Shack.
Hubby ordered the Crab Legs bucket and I ordered fish and chips we both ordered water with lemon to drink.

Fish & Chips at Joe's Crab Shack Memphis 

In Memphis, we also rode passed several old historic homes, & the Liberty Stadium.
Around 3PM we started for home, arriving around 6:30PM.

2005 March 29, An Early Works Adventure with grandkids

🍕🍕🍕The family enjoyed a Meatlovers Pizza topped with classic marinara sauce, authentic old-world pepperoni, all-natural Italian sausage, slow-roasted ham, applewood smoked bacon, & smoked pork and beef  from Pizza Hut 

Shopping at the Grocery Store

Learning the art of Ginning cotton.
The earliest versions of the cotton gin consisted of a single roller made of iron or wood and a flat piece of stone or wood. A narrow single roller was necessary to expel the seeds from the cotton without crushing their seeds. 

Having fun at the Water Table.

EarlyWorks Children Museum was designed for children where they can touch, climb, pull, and explore.

Listening to the Talking Tree
Talking trees form sapient trees in mythological stories. According to Greek mythology in Avatar,  The tree of souls, besides being a connection to Eywa.

Exploring 

Trying on Clothing inside the Federal House

Taking a wagon ride, formerly called a wain, and one who builds or repairs wagons is a Wainwright.  A wagon usually has  four wheels used for agricultural purposes and to transport people,

Playing the Giant-Size Banjo at the Alabama Band Stand
the banjo is often associated with country, folk, Irish, and bluegrass music.

Trade Day at the General Store where you can buy items such as milk, bread, and various household goods such as hardware and electrical supplies. 

Sitting in the Chicken Coop 

A chicken coop or hen house is a building where female chickens are kept. Inside hen houses are often nest boxes for egg-laying and perches on which the birds can sleep, although coops for meat birds seldom have either of these features.

A chicken coop usually has an indoor area where the chickens sleep and nest as well as an outdoor area where chickens will feed and spend the majority of the day. Inside the chicken coop are dropping boards or litter (such as straw) to collect chicken feces. A chicken coop should be cleaned every two to three weeks and the litter shifted every day, like a cat's litter box. A coop should be locked at night with all the chickens inside of it so that the chickens are protected from predators.

A coop may have an outdoor run. Both the inside and outdoor floors of a chicken coop are often strewn with loose material such as straw or wood chips to deal with chicken droppings and to allow for easier cleanup.

Karaoke Time singing into the microphone 

Exploring the 46-foot Keeled riverboat that may be rowed, poled, or towed full of freight.
Fur trading included fox, mink, ermine, otters, sable, seals, coyotes, chinchillas, raccoons, and possums.

Ready to Blow up something

Stopping at Sonic-Drive-in for an icy treat  a Blue Raspberry Nerd Slushy  

A Sonic Slushy 
Slush is made with a mixture of sugar and water. To prevent the mixture from freezing solid, there must be between 12% - 22% of sugar present in the solution. The sugar acts as an antifreeze in the solution. The slush machine stirs or rotates the mixture at a constant speed so that the sugar and water molecules bond together before the water gets a chance to freeze. In this way, a soft, wet slurry mixture is formed

2004 July 9, Friday, A Fun day at the Children's Museum with Grandchildren

I took the grandkids to the Childrens Museum.
Our first stop was in the Little Pig Room:
This is where the grandkids shopped for food and Montana was the cashier.
There were baskets of food they could choose from fruit, meat, cheese, and breads.

The kids filled their baskets and paid the cashier with their play money.

Little Pig Room: Filling their baskets 

Little Pig Room: Nevada the store clerk 

In the Club Percussion the grandkids enjoyed playing the musical instruments and listening to the sounds of the Shoals

Club Percussion : playing the xylophone

Club Percussion: Playing the Juke box 

Club Percussion: Playing musical notes on the piano

From Blueprint to Building: is where the kids put on glasses and and began building

Yellow Hard hat and gloves

Building 

Checking out the water flow 

In the River Runs Through: it the kids played in the water where they learned about the flow of the Tennessee River. 

Putting on a Puppet show 

In the Once upon a Forest: the kids put on a puppet show using the many puppets behind the stage. 

In the We are People First is the tunnel of textures 

In the We are People First: the kids learned about being blind and deaf. 

In Artsploration is Craft time

Artsploration: is where the grandkids became artists with all the art supplies.

Taking a wagon ride.

A visit to the denist 

A Pioneer 

A model 

Sing and strutting. 

Cowboy 

Costume Room:
On the second level was an area where the grandkids could play try on different costumes and sing through a hand held microphone
There was a fireman suit, cowboy outfits, bee costume, and many others. 
In the club percussion room: the children played on the piano, xylophone, drums, and other instruments.
In the Building Room: the kids used Blueprints & the hammer to build with wooden blocks.
In the Once upon a Forest room: the children performed a puppet show.
The children crawled through the tunnel of textures in the, We are people first.
The reading room on the second floor is where the children read books. 
Located on the second level was a denist chair where the children pretended they were visiting the denist.
The children did crafts in the Artsploration Room and in the River Runs through it, the children played with boats in the water.

The grandkids had a very interesting and fun day at the museum. 

🚗 2015 ~ Wednesday, August 5, Day Trip to Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park McCalla Alabama

We started the day by stopping at I-Hop in Athens to eat breakfast. I ordered a banana, and pecan waffle with whipped cream, Hubby ordered the short stack hotcakes, two eggs, two slices of ham, and two sausage links. 

We traveled south on I-65 to Birmingham and in Birmingham, we took I-59 west to Bessemer.

We stopped in Bessemer to fill up with gas and spent $31.20 for 13.629 gallons at Raceway 6816 1823 9th Avenue Bessemer, Al.  

It was twelve miles to Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park where we toured the Iron & Steel Museum of Alabama. The cost to enter the museum for seniors was $2.00. The cost to enter the park was $6.00 for seniors. 

An Alabama Forge Build 1/2 scale

Confederate Salt Peter Pot

On the inside of a Blast Furnace

Cannon

Gaar Scott Portable Steam Engine 1869-1870

In the museum, we saw a machine shop that included a cannon lathe, Putman planer, Gaar Scott Portable Steam Engine 1869-1870, 1835 Dotter Steam Engine, Bloomer exhibit, and Civil War artifacts.

Behind the museum, we saw an 1880-1890 cast iron water pipe next to the May Plantation Cotton Gin House which dates back to 1858 full of artifacts.

cast iron water pipe

May Plantation Cotton Gin House which dates back to 1858 full of artifacts.

We walked 1/4 miles along up a hill on a path down a gravel hill in the 104 degrees to see the Roupes Valley Ironworks-Tannehill  Furnaces - William L. Sanders, Prop. 1862.

Although the walk was short, the heat made the walk seem like miles, we were dripping wet on our return walk.

It was worth the walk but I would advise others to wait for cooler weather.

We saw the furnaces, a blower house, the wheel that turned the water, a creek with ducks, a cabin, and a Civil War marker.

Civil War Site 1861-1865

Civil War Site 1861-1865

As the border states began to fall, Alabama iron became critical to the survival of the Confederacy. During the last two years of the war, Alabama’s furnaces were producing 70% of the entire southern iron supply.
That output invited federal invasion in the largest cavalry operation of the war. Known as Wilson’s Raid, a federal force of over 14,000 laid waste to Tannehill and a dozen other Alabama furnaces including the Selma Arsenal as the war came to an end.
The Tannehill Ironworks was attacked by three companies of the 8th Iowa Cavalry under the command of Capt. William A. Sutherland on March 31, 1865. Before leaving, they torched all the adjacent factory buildings, slave cabins, a large gristmill and tannery, and a storehouse of food and supplies. In the fire, Tannehill’s workforce of over 500 slaves and white mechanics was scattered and displaced. A mile downstream on Roupes Creek, the Williams & Owen Forge escaped detection.
Sutherland re-joined Brig. Gen. John T. Croxton’s main force of 15,000 cavalrymen proceeded to burn the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. En route on April 1, Croxton’s cavalry engaged CS troops commanded by Brig. Gen. William H. (Red) Jackson in the battle of Trion (now called Vance). 

While iron production ended at Tannehill in 1865, its main financier, John Alexander, continued to operate the cupola furnace producing products from iron scrap before the site was sold to the Thomas Iron Interests of Pennsylvania, a parent company of Republic Steel Corp., in 1868. 

I went back inside the museum where I purchased four postcards:

Iron and Steel Museum of Alabama Tannehill Historical State Park 

The Iron and Steel Museum of Alabama documents the development of the iron and steel industry in Alabama from the 1800s. 

The interpretive center exhibits rare foundry equipment, Civil War artifacts, steam engines, and tools.

Tannehill Iron Works Historical State Park 

John Scott Young Country Store 1905 

Relocated from near Brent in Bibb County, Alabama. This country store now serves as a souvenir shop and camper's store in McCalla, Alabama Southwest of Birmingham 

Tannehill Iron Works Historical State Park 

Tannehill Church 

1905 once the home of the Kimbrell Methodist church in McCalla was moved to the park in 1972 for preservation. Today non-denominational church services for campers and wedding services are conducted. McCalla, Alabama Southwest of Birmingham 

Tannehill Iron Works Historical State Park 

Tannehill Iron Works furnaces are one of the best-preserved 19th-century ironworks in America. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this is the birthplace of Birmingham's Iron and Steel District. The furnaces were a major producer for the Confederacy and are a Civil War Discovery Trail Site. McCalla, Alabama Southwest of Birmingham 

Old Country Church 1905 

Cane Creek Cemetery

My husband drove us around the park, he stayed inside the van, stopping for me to take pictures of the many historic sites. 

Old Country Church 1905 & Cemetery 

This is the Old Kimbrell Methodist Church relocated from the Kimbrell community in Jefferson County. After lying idle for 15 years it was donated to the state by J. C.  Hassell in 1972. The restoration was made possible through many individual donations including funds, materials, and services.

Cane Creek School House 1923

The successor to the first school built in Jefferson County in 1815, this building of 1923 origins served the residents of the Beltona Area until 1960. Purchased in 1963 by the Cane Creek Community Club, it was subsequently donated to Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park for restoration in 1979. It was originally located about 3 miles west of Warrior.

The Collins House 
1834 built in the late 1870s near Vernon Alabama by Edward Francis Collins. Logs were cut from timber on the family farm and hand-hewed.

The house remained in the Collins family until it was moved to this site in the spring of 1984

It was given to the Tannehill State Park by Mrs. Cullen S. Collins and her family in Vernon.

The Jefferson Stewart House 
1858 Pioneer home of Charles Jefferson Stewart Sr., and wife Nancy Rachel Mayhan 1839-1910. Relocated from Abercrombie Community Bibb County 1986 a successful farmer the Stewarts had 13 children, all born in this house. donated by Wendell Stewart of Centerville, Alabama 

Woodward Post Office 

This was built by Woodward Iron Company in 1915. Donated for restoration by the Meade Corporation in 1978.

Fowler House 

Built near West Blocton, AL in 1860 by Winston Stewart, a local contractor. Mr. and Mrs. Fowler occupied the house from 1928 until her death.

Restored as a country School to be a part of the Learning Center in 1978 

Donated by the heirs of and in memory of Isaac M, Sallie Fowler 

Peel House

Peel House

cir 1888

Built by Dick Honeycutt 

Home of Tincey Peel and son, Ermon Peel from 1920 until the death of Ermon in 1984

Donated by U.S. Steel in 1985 and moved to this site...

Belcher House 1870

William Henry Belcher was born in 1848 in Randolph County.

This home was located 8 miles west of Centerville, where he raised four children.

Mr. Belcher was the son of A. Buford Belcher, who migrated to Alabama from Virginia in 1832.

Nail House

Built by Jules Nail in the Mt Olive Community of Jefferson County 

Mr. Nail lived in the house until the 1880s except for a period of service with the Union Army during the war.

Donated by Mack Lee and Thomas Nail...

Restored 1979

Williams House 1889

James Monroe Jim Williams married Martha Evaline George, 

Mr. Williams was a farmer and a coal miner at Gray Hill in Bibb County, AL

They raised ten children, of which seven were born in this house.

Donated by Mrs. Audry Williams, Restored 1976

Tapawingo Bridge 

Tapawingo Bridge 

This iron truss bridge was used by thousands of Birmingham area residents in the early 1900s while visiting Tapawingo Springs, once a popular swimming spot and tourist location in northeast Jefferson County.

The bridge was originally located across Turkey Creek near Pinson on Blountsville Road.

Relocated to Tannehill State Park by Jefferson County in 1975, it now crosses Mill (Cooley), Creek

Pioneer Farm Buildings 1870

1. Gear House

2. Smoke House

3. Corn Crib

4. Double Pole Barn

Donated by Mr & Mrs. Carthell Kornegay. 

These buildings were located on the George Stewart Farm in Bibb County and were restored in 1975.

John Wesley Hall Grist Mill & Cotton Gin 

John Wesley Hall Grist Mill & Cotton Gin 

The John Wesley Hall Grist Mill & Cotton Gin operated on this site from 1867 to 1931, as the successor to one of Alabama's earliest grist mills located a mile west of Mud Creek.

Burned during the Civil War, Hall's Mill was moved to this location to begin a new life during Reconstruction. 

Rebuilt in 1976-1977 as part of the Tannehill Historical State Park development under a grant from the Linn Henley Charitable Trust.

Hall's Mill is an accurate copy of the old structure which did business here for 64 years

John Wesley Hall Grist Mill & Cotton Gin 

John Wesley Hall Grist Mill & Cotton Gin 

Our last stop in the park was at the John Wesley Hall Grist Mill & Cotton Gin where Hubby actually got out. 

It was an enjoyable ride to Decatur where we stopped at McCallum's for dinner they have the best catfish around.

I ordered a small plate of catfish which included two small whole catfish, slaw, onion, baked potato, and hushpuppies. My husband ordered the seafood platter which included shrimp, clams, crab-cake, two small catfish, hushpuppies, baked potato, and slaw. We ate until we could eat no more and brought a large plate of food home for my husband's lunch tomorrow at work. 

We still had time to get our pool water checked at CE Pools and get home before the rain started in for the night. Yea! Another great day trip!