2010 & 2015 Coffee Cemetery then and now

September 8, 2010 

I saw a tree full of these

Road to the cemetery 

Coffee Cemetery could not be seen from the road. There was a historical marker telling the information about the Cemetery.
We pulled into someone's driveway and pulled up to the area where one could park to enter the road leading to the cemetery. There was a gate that I had to go through. Then down this long dirt road to the cemetery.
The cemetery was well kept but there was no way to get inside the wall, so I leaned over the wall to take pictures of the graves. 
Many of Coffee's family members are buried in this cemetery.
Just a few feet away are several unmarked slave graves. 

Information about the Coffee family:
General John R. Coffee son of Captain Joshua and Elizabeth (Graves) Coffee married Mary Donelson, on 3 Oct 1809 in Davidson Co., TN. There were ten known children born of this union: Mary (Hutchings), John Donelson, Elizabeth, Andrew Jackson, Rachel Jackson (Dyas), Alexander Donelson, Catherine Harriet, Emily, William Donelson, and Joshua Coffee.

General John R. Coffee fought in the War of 1812 under the command of Andrew Jackson. He raised the 2nd Regiment of Volunteer Mounted Riflemen, which was made up of primarily Tennessee militiamen and a few Alabamians. On 4 Sep 1814, he was involved in the Andrew Jackson - Benton Brothers duel. He married Mary Donelson daughter of John and Mary (Purnell) Donelson and relative of Andrew Jackson's wife Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson. His father Captain Joshua Coffee is believed to have served in the Revolutionary War.

He was a merchant, a partner in land speculation with Andrew Jackson, and worked as a surveyor in Florence, Lauderdale Co., AL. Surveying the boundary line between Alabama and Mississippi. www.findagrave.com

Coffee Cemetery 

Coffee Cemetery 

I went back to the Cemetery Site on April 10, 2015.

I no longer had to walk through the woods to get to the cemetery. 

There was a sidewalk near the cemetery and the cemetery could be seen from the road, which was once hidden in the woods. 

I could not get very close to the cemetery because of the construction. 

Walmart bought the land next to the cemetery and before they would let Wal-mart could build a store, the area had to be surveyed for slave graves and many grave sites were found. That area was set aside and Walmart built its store but not on top of any grave sites.

Coffee Cemetery 2015

Every orange flag represents a slave grave

2010 March 27, Saturday, Grandkid discovering the Natural Resources of Florence

I took three of my grandchildren to the Hall Memorial Native Plant Garden at TVA.
Where we saw the Iris Crostata, Jacob's Ladder, Bloodroot, Solidago caesia, Sessile Leaf Bellwort, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Ohio Spiderwort, Wild Columbine, Purple Phacelia & others. 
The grandchildren listen patiently as Mr. Rose told them about all the wildflowers. 
We left the garden and went deeper into the woods to see more wildflowers. 
The grandkids love walking in the woods. I am sure some of the information stayed in their heads.

A group picture at the end of the hike. 

Walking deeper into the woods looking for wildflowers

The grandkids wanted to explore the cascading waterfall at TVA. As we were walking along the banks of the Tennessee River we saw many birds. We could see the TVA Dam,  the Marriott Hotel River Heritage Park, and The tower 380 Degrees Restaurant. 

Standing on the banks of the river

the backdrop of the Waterfall 

We stopped at Domino for a pizza and we took the pizza to Deibert Park. 

After we finished eating we walked the trail where we could learn more about our environment. We stopped at the pond to watch the turtles pop their heads up out of the water. 

Watching the turtles

Watching for the Turtles

We walked deeper into the woods where we saw signs that listed the different creatures, plants, and trees that we might see.

Some of the signs that we saw were: muskrat, loblolly pine, Rufous-sided Towhee, Caroline Wren, ticks, Great Blue Heron, black cherry tree, dogwood tree, bluebirds, sweet pepper bush, cardinal, gray squirrel, and many others. 

The grandkids discovered some of the metal art that was displayed in the park, to bring a bit of culture into the park. 

Discovering Art 

The grandkids enjoyed playing on the train, monkey bars, swings, horses, tire swing, and seesaw.

We stopped at my dad's to wish him a Happy Birthday. It had been a full day for all of us. 

Riding the train 

Swinging 

  

2010 March 20, Saturday, Big Read & Exploring

I took two grandsons to the Florence Library to kick off the big read.
The boys enjoyed fence painting (Tom Sawyer Fence painting) using yellow, green, red & blue paints. A couple was playing and singing music. 

Tom Sawyer 

Fence Painting

There was a wooden statue with the face hollowed out where the kids could put their faces inside and pretend to be  Tom Sawyer. 

The kids also received a peppermint stick

.

The boys with the dog display

The boys and the elephant display

We walked across the street to Wilson Park and then to Kennedy Douglas Art Center where the boys could explore the outdoor art displays. We saw a dog, a dinosaur, an elephant, and a  spider.

We stopped at Pickett Place a Historic site

Pope's Tavern 

We stopped at Pope's Tavern and walked around the grounds stopping to take a few pictures. 

Teaching the Boys about early cooking 

teaching the boys about the early watering troughs for horses

We continued walking to UNA. We went to see the lions, UNA and LEO. 
We visited Romeo & Juliet Statues, the building that looks like a castle, the UNA bell tower, the area where UNA soldiers are honored, and many other sites. 

Finishing our walkthrough UNA 

Sculptures displayed downtown 

We walked downtown stopping for a picture of the Hulk poster

our last stop with the Presbyterian Church 

I took the boys to Wendy's for frosty and chicken fingers. 

The grandkids learned a lot of history and had fun doing it. 

2010 February 27, Saturday, Hiking on TVA Trails

I parked the car near the TVA Power Station at Birding Site Number 8. 
Where my granddaughter and I began our hike. Before 911 there was a Visitor Center at TVA where visitors could come and see how our power system works. Most of the information is now located at Muscle Shoals Town Hall.

Birding Site 6

The first thing we saw was the TVA Dam and the cascading waterfall. The path was still coved with fallen leaves and most of the trees bare. The best time to hike is in the fall or winter because of snakes.

Walking to the Rock Pile

Walking on the trail 

Rock Pile Trail
Old First Quarters 1.8 miles
Follow White Blazes
A National Recreation Trail 

You are at the Rockpile Recreation
To the east is a scenic waterfall near Wilson Dam
To go to Wilson Dam via the trail follow the road up the hill a short way and turn left onto the stairs
To travel toward the Patton Island Bridge follow the old rail bed until you get to a hill with some cross-tie steps on the left. Follow the trail up those stairs.

We passed the rock pile and we walked along the rail bed up the steps to Patton Island Bridge. 

Following the rail bed

We walked past the Patton Island Bridge and continued up the hill. 
We walked until we reached a gravel road.

Walking on a gravel road

Walking on the sidewalk

We crossed the highway over to the sidewalk and walked back to the car. 
We stopped to read the signs that are posted in a shelter near the TVA Dam Power Station

Gulls Glorious Gulls

Birds of North Alabama 

Exploring the River 

After the long walk, we were hot, tired and hungry. I drove us across the TVA dam and we went to Cracker Barrel to eat lunch.
It was a nice day for hiking not too hot. We did not see any critters along our path. We did cross several bridges and walked up and down several hills. We had to watch our steps for fallen branches. 
I had a great time hiking in the woods on the TVA Trail with my granddaughter. 

2010 April 13, Tuesday, Indian Mound, Train Tressel and Singing River Park

Tuesday I took two of my grandsons to Indian Mound Museum where we saw on display a collection of American Indian relics dating back over 10,000 years. There were several display cases full of arrowheads that interested my grandsons. The Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Creek once lived in this area until the trail of tears. 
We also watched a short film.

Indian Mound Museum 

The curator said we could walk take the stairs to the top of the Indian Mound. She said to beware of the snake in the grass. She said it was not poison. 
The cost was two dollars each. The museum is opened Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00-4:00PM.

Indian Mound Museum closed in 2015, the building was small and dilapidated.
Not sure if you can access the mound until the new building is built. 
The new building is due to open in October 2016. The artifacts that once was on display is being filtered through. They are only keeping the most important ones. A sash worn by Chickasaw Chief George Colbert will be on display. I cannot wait until the new one opens. 

Historic Marker

There is a historic marker telling the information about the mound. 
Prehistoric Mound (Probably Built between 100 B.C and 400 A.D.)
This is the highest domiciliary mound in the Tennessee Valley. It was probably built between 100 B.C. and 400 A.D. by a prehistoric people of the ancient Woodland Culture. Such mounds served as bases for ceremonial temples or chief's houses. This mound, originally encircled by an earthen wall, contains no burials. It is 43 feet in height. Its base measurements are 310 feet by 230 feet. Its flat top measures 145 feet by 90 feet. Evidence indicates that nearby there were two smaller mounds, villages and cultivated fields.

Climbing the many steps to the top

Port of Florence

The boys and I climbed the many steps to the top.  To the left, we could see the Tennessee River, O'Neal Bridge, and the old train tassel. To our right, we could see the Port of Florence.
We could see barges being unloaded with palettes of goods being delivered to Florence. 
We saw train cars that no longer used the now discarded train tracks that once crossed the Tennessee River. The steps faced by the museum and behind the museum were the Co-Cop.
We waded through the tall grass hoping not to see the friendly snake. 
After taking a few pictures we walked back down the steps.

We crossed the Tennessee River and stopped at the location of the old train trestle on the Colbert County side. 

Walking Trail of the Train Tressel

The Tressel is now a walking trail.
My grandsons and I walked to the end of the Tressel and back. 

The Gate is lock where once trains traveled across the Tennessee River

We walked to the car and crossed the Singing River Bridge back to Lauderdale County.
We stopped at Singing River Park that was filled with blooming dogwoods.
This park has newly built restroom opened to the public except for the winter months when they are locked. 

Sun Dial 

At the bottom of the park is around the concrete slab, almost like a sundial, where you can set and watch the barges go up and down the river. 

My grandsons and I walked down the many steps to the banks of the Tennessee River. It is also handicap accessible. 

Steps and handicap walkway

There are so many fun things you can do with your children and grandchildren. Teach them to love the history of the area where they live. 

2010 April 11, Sunday, History is fun with Grandkids

Sunday morning I took four of my grandchildren to town. It was a beautiful spring day with flowers blooming every. 
We stopped at Wilson Park, the trees were filled with beautiful full pink flowers. 
Water was spouting into the air while droplets were falling back into the fountain. When the wind blew the water would fall on us. 

Wilson Park Fountain

Granddaughters near the flowering trees

Grandson at the Bank 

We walked across the street to take a picture of the Bank that was built as a replica of the Forks of Cypress. My grandson posed for me as I told them about the history of the Forks of Cypress.

We walked down Mobile Street stopping to look at the display window The House of Heroes, a comic book store. 

The House of Heroes

We continued walking down South Court Street stopping in front of the Courthouse.

Grandsons at Courthouse

We walked up North Court Street stopping to take a picture of the horse sculpture

 horse sculpture

We continued walking up North Court Street stopping to take pictures.

Measuring the width of the tree

Stopping for a picture

Finally, we reached UNA and walked across the bridge just off Pine Street.

Crossing the bridge

The grandkids joined arms together and begin singing Follow the Yellow Brick Road. 

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

We stopped to see the sculptures of Romeo and Juliet.

My grandson with Juliet 

We stopped to see the lions UNA and LEO.

Leo & UNA 

We walked to the entrance of UNA and then walked back to Wilson Park.

The University of North Alabama 

We loaded into the van and rode to Spring Park in Tuscumbia where the grandkids enjoyed feeding the ducks. 

Grandkids feeding the ducks

They played on the playgrounds.

Playing on the equipment on the playgrounds

Grandsons at Stage Coach Stop 

We walked down to the waterfalls so the kids could play in the water and to take a few pictures.

Grandson at the falls

Grandkids playing in the water
We walked up to the Stage Coach Stop at the top of the hill of Spring Park a historic site

View of Spring Park from the top of the hill.I had a wonderful time with the grandkids. We went to Wilson & Spring Parks, we walked in downtown Florence to UNA and back to Wilson Park.
Learning can be fun. 

We went home and I grilled hamburgers.