��ֱ�� The Magazine

‘An exciting corner’: Look on Lauderdale part of street’s growing business district

Brannon Cahela — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:23:58 +0000

Ann Murray first opened Look at 118 Lauderdale St. in May of 2018.

There, she has been finding, restoring and reselling furniture and other décor for over two years.

There’s much more to the quaint shop than the brightly-painted front door, welcoming array of flowers and colorfully painted chairs that serve as a pleasantly permanent fixture on Lauderdale Street.

Murray’s shop goes all the way back to the alley behind El Ranchero’s Mexican Restaurant and each square foot of the space has been dedicated to Murray’s inventory, which she is always rearranging and refreshing to make every first Friday and Saturday of each month that she is open feel like a new experience for customers.

“I’ve been in sales and retail since I was sixteen,” said Murray. “It’s really hard to get out of your blood.”

Murray, originally from Dallas County, attended Auburn University and then arrived in ��ֱ�� in 1979.

While raising her children, Murray didn’t work but she later returned to retail at Carter’s and then served as the CEO of the ��ֱ��-Dallas County YMCA for four years before retiring in 2017.

It was then that Murray decided to return to retail and open Look.

“When I retired, I didn’t want to do nothing and ��ֱ�� needs more shopping,” said Murray.

Murray considers the way she runs her store an event.

Look is open only by appointment and on the first Saturday and previous Friday of each month.

“There are lots of people here on those two days,” said Murray. “Then, I shut down and move everything around and buy new stuff. That’s really fun to me.”

Murray said she loves to make old things pretty and selling pretty things.

She finds many of her pieces from local places like Junebugg’s Flea and Antique Mall, The Treasure Box, Goodwill, The Salvation Army, Beau and Angie’s Auction and local estate sales.

“You can find a lot of things here if you’re willing to fix them up,” said Murray. “Which is very enjoyable for me.”

Murray said that oftentimes, a lot of elbow grease goes into transforming a piece into something that fits in within the aesthetic of her shop.

“I like that though,” said Murray. “I really do. I can’t paint everything I find each month, but I’ll choose five or six pieces to paint.”

Murray’s passion for her store has come in handy over the past couple of months since COVID-19 has forced many stores to close their doors.

Murray has taken advantage of the down time to work on pieces and prepare her shop to reopen.

She even taught herself photography via YouTube and has begun selling pieces online via Facebook.

“That’s been really fun,” she said.

In addition to the furniture and décor that fills the majority of Look, Murray also works with local vendors to stock the store with newer items.

Murray has art, calligraphy and pottery from Sarah Wagoner and hand painted items and prints from Susan Hunter.

“Those relationships are really important to me,” said Murray. “I love what they bring to the table because it’s not anything that I can do.”

Murray said she was excited to be part of a cluster of new things going on Lauderdale Street.

On the other side of the alley, BJ Smothers has opened a store similar in concept, though different in style to Look, called “Eclectica” and next door AC Reeves is working on a multipurpose creative space.

“I’m excited,” said Murray. “This is going to be a really exciting corner of ��ֱ�� once everything gets opened up.”

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A city of art: ��ֱ�� murals bring city’s story to life

Brannon Cahela — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:19:44 +0000

Over the past few years, the streets of ��ֱ�� have become much more colorful as local non-profit groups and artists have come together to put up murals all over the Queen City.

One of the city’s newest murals, situated on a long-ignored wall at 14 Broad St., is a tribute to ��ֱ��’s roots in the Civil Rights Movement and the men and women who led that charge.

Made possible by a partnership between ��ֱ�� and Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past from Youngstown, Ohio and painted by local artist Shelia Ferrell, the mural depicts Patricia Blalock, the local library director who integrated the ��ֱ�� Public Library, without court order or public demonstrations to force her, and hired the city’s first African-American librarian; John Lewis and Hosea Williams, who led 600 locals across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in what has come to be known as Bloody Sunday, when peaceful protesters were beaten by local law enforcement officers; Amelia Boynton, leader of the Dallas County Voters League and one of those beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday; Jimmy Webb, who at 16 led a group of teens to the local courthouse to pray following Bloody Sunday – Webb was confronted by a deputy sheriff, who attempted to intimidate him, but employed the principles of nonviolence to hold strong in his demonstration; Rev. James Reeb, the Unitarian minister from Boston who answered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call for people of faith to descend on ��ֱ�� following the events of Bloody Sunday – Reeb was badly beaten while in ��ֱ�� and later died from his injuries; Viola Liuzzo, who came to ��ֱ�� from Detroit after Bloody Sunday – Liuzzo was transporting demonstrators between ��ֱ�� and Montgomery when her car was attacked by Ku Klux Klansmen and she was killed by a gunshot to the head and the Passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which gave black people the right to register to vote for the first time.

In 2018, ArtsRevive gained sponsorship from Coca-Cola and hired Farrell to restore the Coca-Cola Mural on Lauderdale Street.

It took Ferrell three weeks to complete the project, the biggest challenge she faced was not the physical obstacles caused by weather and time, but rather restoring it to the original old-time authenticity it possessed.

Ferrell succeeded and anyone traveling down Lauderdale toward Water Avenue can’t miss the bright red and green, 11-feet-tall by 82-feet-wide work of art.

While both of Ferrell’s murals are celebrations of ��ֱ��’s past, ArtsRevive and R.B. Hudson STEAM Academy collaborated earlier this year to create a mural looking toward the future.

The students and ArtsRevive, with help from Cougar Oil and The Links, Inc., worked together to give new life to a worn-down former body shop owned by Cougar Oil off Water Avenue.

The students collaborated during art class for several days to come up with a design they believed represented the future of ��ֱ��.

The mural depicts the Statue of Liberty sitting atop the Edmund Pettus Bridge surrounded by a flock of floating hearts representing the people of ��ֱ��. The Washington Monument and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are also represented, along with an airplane that features the building’s fan as a propeller.

Further down Water Avenue, in Pheonix Park, Alabama artist Tres Taylor painted a mural in 2019 in partnership with the Blackbelt Benefit Group (BBG).

The mural overlooking Phoenix Park is Taylor’s third. The first was painted in Oaxaca, Mexico and the second in Birmingham.

The mural is done in Taylor’s signature style and features a woman riding a bicycle with a basketful of wildflowers and a trail of swallowtail butterflies behind her.

Taylor described the character, Madame Butterfly, as “the patron saint of wildflowers, swallowtails and the uplifted.”

On the other end of Water Avenue in ArtsRevive’s recently-opened Pocket Park, another homage to ��ֱ��’s’ title as the “Butterfly Capital of Alabama” is in the works – Michael Vaughan Sims has nearly completed a butterfly mural that looks right at home in the Queen City and adds yet another artistic chapter to ��ֱ��’s growing tale.

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‘I absolutely love big, beautiful ��ֱ��’

Adam Powell — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:07:00 +0000

Matthew Rhaheem Smith III – familiar to most through his social media moniker of “Rhaheem ‘LivingTheLife’ Smith, under which he runs the Facebook page “��ֱ��’s Bright Horizons” – loves the city of ��ֱ�� and he spends a lot of time sharing that love with everyone he comes in contact with.

“I absolutely love the big, beautiful city of ��ֱ��,” Smith said. “This city has such a beautiful bustle and is quickly rebounding and headed towards the top of the throne in which the Queen ��ֱ�� belongs.”

Smith, a ��ֱ�� native, moved to Birmingham for four years to study at the University of Alabama – Birmingham (UAB) and, after earning a degree in accounting, took a job with the Alabama Department of Revenue in Birmingham.

“My love for the beautiful, thriving City of ��ֱ�� led me to move away from my job and commute into the City of Birmingham Monday through Friday,” Smith said.

Smith said the Facebook page, which turns a keen eye to the positive happenings in ��ֱ�� – new businesses going up, sunsets glowing over Broad Street, new construction sites popping up – sprang out of an idea between he and ��ֱ�� native Elyse Wilson.

“I drive around the entire city and take pictures of all the beautiful sites in the area,” Smith said. “New construction and beautification projects are highlighted throughout the beautiful ��ֱ�� metropolitan area on a daily basis. It has proven that positivity and good vibes can really allow a city to really grow. Negativity is never the answer.”

Smith said he was encouraged to take on the project after hearing a sermon from International Mission Jesus Founder Dr. Paul J. Kim, who bought the old Concordia College campus and has hosted a series of revival-style services in the city, in which Kim “prophesized” that ��ֱ�� was soon to experience “overwhelming” growth and prosperity.

“I believed all that he claimed and was moved by God and this led to me create ‘��ֱ��’s Bright Horizons,’” Smith said.

For Smith, the most rewarding part of his online public relations efforts on behalf of the city is seeing more and more people interested in laying down roots in the city – Smith recently convinced a close friend from San Diego to move to the Queen City after hearing another of Kim’s sermons.

“She knew in an instance that ��ֱ�� was the place she needed to be,” Smith said. “And she is absolutely in love with the beautiful City of ��ֱ��. She feels that it’s a magical city that allows room to do absolutely anything that your mind can dream of and actually be in a position to see your dreams come to fruition here.”

Smith has a bevy of other friends – from Texas, Atlanta, Chicago and elsewhere – all eying the Queen City as their new home and making plans to open up businesses or other operations in the area.

“Great things are on the horizon, ��ֱ��,” Smith said. “So, my group, ��ֱ��’s Bright Horizons, is truly having a huge impact on this city. Its impact is more than the mind could imagine. The group is not led by me, but it is led by the Great Divine, so it is guaranteed success.”

For Smith, ��ֱ�� is “big city leaving,” providing the same allure as major Alabama cities like Birmingham with less of the big city stress.

“After living in Birmingham and coming back to ��ֱ��, I can honestly say that they both feel the same to me, minus the excessive traffic that Birmingham has,” Smith said. “��ֱ�� gives me metropolitan vibes with less traffic. It has a big city feel without the hassle of some larger cities in the state. ��ֱ�� is such a small, condensed and beautiful urban city, which is a quality that I love in cities.:”

For Smith, the spirit of the city’s people is its main selling point, along with its classic architecture – the Edmund Pettus Bridge stands as Smith’s favorite landmark in his hometown.

“Driving across the Edmund Pettus Bridge into the city center at night is probably one of the most beautiful manmade sights in the State of Alabama,” Smith said. “The city is all aglow and beautiful as you crest the Edmund Pettus Bridge and it makes you heart melt, really.”

Beyond its place in his heart, Smith sees ��ֱ�� as a place that has brought people together over the years, both in the creation and study of its renowned history.

“��ֱ�� is a special place in Alabama and the nation due to its history,” Smith said. “��ֱ�� provided Americans nationwide equal opportunities. ��ֱ�� has such a rich history and that history has allowed the city to sustain for 200 years. ��ֱ�� has hosted people of every walk of life since its formation. Many other places in America could only dream of rivaling the history in ��ֱ��.”

Smith is anxious to see new businesses pop up across the city, something he says will “bring bounty back to the people” of ��ֱ�� and create a metropolitan feel unlike those in other parts of the state, and to see new people joining the community.

“The time is now,” Smith said. “The city’s growth is moving at lightning speed. A city whose economy once slumped is now rebounding and adding new jobs and businesses each and every day. ��ֱ�� has one of the lowest costs of living in the nation and commercial and home real estate is at a ripened rate for opportunity.”

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The Lady from Dallas: Hattie Hooker Wilkins a forgotten champion of voting rights in ��ֱ��

Adam Powell — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:03:23 +0000

The story of ��ֱ�� and Dallas County’s role in American democracy is well-known – local activists, students and religious leaders began pushing for voting rights in the late 1950s as the Dallas County Voters League, later to be known as the “Courageous Eight,” which led to the tragedies of Bloody Sunday and the ensuing ��ֱ��-to-Montgomery March that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act – but less known is the fact that the area was home to another leading voting rights activist more than half a century before freedom fighters crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Today, driving down Dallas Avenue, one would hardly know that the home of Hattie Hooker Wilkins, doused with shadows as sunlight sneaks through moss hanging from enormous trees out front and checkered with multi-hued bricks from time and renovation, most familiar to travelers taking part in the annual ��ֱ�� Pilgrimage, a jaunt through historic ��ֱ�� homes, was once the headquarters for Alabama’s leading suffragist and the first woman to be elected to the Alabama Legislature.

Not far away, her body rests in Old Live Oak Cemetery under a small and understated marker, evidence of her conservative family’s embarrassment at having raised such a progressive and independent woman.

Hattie Hooker, as she was known before her marriage to industrialist John G. Wilkins in 1898, was born in ��ֱ�� on July 28, 1875 and educated at Boss Calloway’s School before attending the Peabody Normal College in Nashville.

According to ��ֱ�� and Dallas County Historic Preservation Society board member Gery Anderson, Hattie Hooker’s family came from nearby Cahawba, once the state’s capitol, and would have been considered wealthy at the time.

Hattie Hooker worked as a teacher in ��ֱ�� following her graduation in 1894 before marrying Wilkins – the two lived in ��ֱ�� and had four children, one which died at the age of three after accidentally ingesting lye water.

According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Hattie Wilkins lived a relatively normal life for the time, working as homemaker and primary caregiver to the couple’s children and being involved with local clubs and church groups, but she also developed a strong interest in politics, specifically women’s rights.

In 1910, Hattie Wilkins helped found the ��ֱ�� Suffrage Association, for which she served as an officer, and later joined the Alabama Equal Suffrage Association (AESA), established in1912 by Pattie Ruffner Jacobs with the aim of gaining the right to vote for women in Alabama.

Encouraged by her husband, Hattie Wilkins served as a board member and secretary of the state suffrage movement, which unsuccessfully led the campaign for the state to ratify the 19^th Amendment.

According to a 2016 article by the National Women’s History Museum, Hattie Wilkins said the following in explaining her support for women’s rights, including the right to vote: “Self-direction or freedom of choice is necessary to the highest mental and spiritual development of a human being. Because democracy gives to each person this opportunity for development, democracy is right. Because democracy is right, woman suffrage is right.”

According to Anderson, however, not everyone was so encouraging – Hattie Wilkins was “shut out of society in ��ֱ��,” as it was seen as “scandalous” at the time for a woman to be involved in politics, and local women actually established an anti-suffrage group to undermine local pushes for voting rights.

Though Alabama wouldn’t ratify the amendment until 1953, women gained the right to vote in 1920 and AESA disbanded at its convention that same year.

With AESA dissolved, Hattie Wilkins and other prominent suffragists established the Alabama League of Women Voters and, in 1922, she ran for a seat in the Alabama Legislature alongside two other League members – Hattie Wilkins was the only one to win her bid for office and she became the first woman to serve in the Alabama Legislature, representing ��ֱ�� as a Democrat in the Alabama House of Representatives.

“When I go to Montgomery, I hope that I may not fail to do at the legislature anything that will be helpful to my state, its women and its people,” Hattie Wilkins is quoted as saying following her election in her brief Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame biography.

Hattie Wilkins became a champion for education, healthcare and the needs of the region while heading up the House’s committee on public health and gained wide respect from her colleagues – though she considered a second run for office, Hattie Wilkins left her political career behind.

Upon her departure at the end of her term, “The Lady from Dallas,” as she had affectionately come to be called by her colleagues, legislators presented her with a cup inscribed with the following words: “To Mrs. Wilkins, the First Woman Member of the Alabama House of Representatives, a Token of Esteem from her Fellow Members, 1923.”

Anderson noted that it would be another 20 years before the state saw another woman in the Alabama Legislature and it wouldn’t be until the 1980s that ��ֱ�� saw its first woman elected to the city council.

Hattie Wilkins died in 1949 but her legacy has been celebrated widely in the years since her passing – in 1977, she was one of 25 Alabama women selected to be highlighted in the historical exhibit “Faces and Voices of Alabama Women,” a permanent collected at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa; in 1997, Hattie Wilkins was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Judson College in Marion.

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Family opens video game arcade in ��ֱ�� Mall

James Jones — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:01:15 +0000

The Towns’ family love for ��ֱ�� runs deep.

Lyvonia Rivers-Towns and her husband, Roosevelt Towns Jr., officially opened LevelUp Gaming Arcade on Feb. 16 in the ��ֱ�� Mall.

The video game arcade selection of games range from Skee-ball, air hockey to a miniature basketball court. The arcade also books parties. The hours of operation are Tuesday through Thursday from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. The arcade is closed on Mondays. The fee to play all day is $9.95. The store has been closed since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Rivers-Town said the store expects to re-open in the middle of June.

Rivers-Towns and Towns are both Southside High School graduates. Towns Jr. graduated from Southside in 1999, Rivers-Towns is a 2000 graduate of Southside. They’ve been married four years, dating three years before tying the knot.

Rivers-Towns said it cost $150,000 to open the video game arcade and they used their own money.

“Being a brand-new business without business credit or equipment collateral, ASE Credit Union did not back our funding request business plan,” Rivers-Towns said. “Determined to move forward, my husband and I pooled our personal resources only, mainly our life savings, and funded ourselves.”

The Towns reside in Helena, a suburb of Birmingham located between Jefferson and Shelby counties. They make the daily 2-hour commute to the Queen City. Making things more complicated, Towns Jr. is a welder who often travels out of state to work.

“We knew this would be challenging and it wouldn’t be easy,” Rivers-Towns said. “We live in Birmingham and we drive here every day.”

Despite the four-hour round-trip voyage each day, the Towns wanted to help improve conditions in ��ֱ�� and the video game arcade does that by providing an entertainment video for the young and young-at-heart alike.

“��ֱ�� is a ghost town and there’s nothing for the kids around here to do,” Rivers-Towns said. “The arcade is a place of gathering for the kids and they can have parties here.”

“It’s the best thing that we can do for ��ֱ��,” Towns added. “The arcade is something for the kids to do.”

Rivers-Towns said the community’s response to the arcade opening exceeded their expectations. Several schools in Dallas County have held events at the arcade since it opened.

“The community support has been amazing,” Rivers-Towns said. “Everyone who comes to the arcade brinsg their family members and friends. It’s been awesome.”

Rivers-Towns’ aunt, Pastor Jacqueline Atkins, praised their efforts to impact the community.

“They’re trying to do something positive to help the community,” Atkins said.

Rivers-Towns said she and her husband work in tandem to keep the local arcade up and running.

“Roosevelt and I are support each other,” Rivers-Towns said. “One of us is here when the other isn’t. We lock in and make it work.”

The Towns also find time to manage a family. They have three children: Ladarrius Rice, Xian Rice and Roosevelt Towns III.

Saturdays during football season in the fall adds a wrinkle to the arcade. LaDarrius Rice is considered one of the state’s top defensive backs and signed a football scholarship with the University of West Alabama (UWA). Rice, who had Division I scholarship offers from Wisconsin and Central Michigan University, is a two-time All-State honorable mention and All Shelby County selection at Helena High School.

“We have three very active kids,” Rivers-Towns said. “Our kids have been supportive, give up their weekends to help us out. The kids and owning the video game arcade keeps us running. We juggle everything.”

Towns-Rivers and her husband enjoy being part of the ��ֱ�� business community.

“We’re committed to giving it our best shot at achieving our dream of bringing something much needed to our hometown, the town we love,” Towns-Rivers said. “We are more than excited to be a part of the growth and development in our hometown. We proudly took a chance on ��ֱ��.”

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“Why I Love ��ֱ��” – Carl Bowline

Brannon Cahela — Fri, 29 May 2020 14:59:17 +0000

For Carl Bowline, ��ֱ�� was always home – his grandparents lived in ��ֱ�� throughout his life and raised his father, uncles and aunts within its boundaries, though his mother called the tiny townships of Blalock and Safford home.

“I have always loved ��ֱ��,” Bowline said. “I loved coming to visit over the years – seeing family, touring Cloverleaf Creamery and getting some of the best ice cream ever made, going to the minute shops with my grandfather for Tropicana orange juice, eating Zeigler sausage, Anna’s fried chicken or just exploring the woods around their home or swimming in their pool.”

When Bowline’s father retired from IBM, the family made the move to ��ֱ�� permanently.

And that same town they he knew and loved as a child became the backdrop for some of his happiest moments as an adult – meeting his wife, bringing his children home for the first time and eventually seeing them play in the same places he and his father once played.

As a member of the ��ֱ�� City Council and the Blackbelt Benefit Group (BBG) Board of Directors, as well as President of the Old Depot Museum, Bowline has been a tireless advocate for ��ֱ��, working through the BBG and the Old Depot Museum to bring culture and entertainment to the Queen City and turning his position on the council into a platform for positive change for locals.

“Helping someone through a [rough] situation is a great feeling,” Bowline said. “I have met some wonderful people and have realized ��ֱ�� is a lot closer to coming together than most realize. The folks I have met, regardless of color, religion or anything else, are caring, loving people that want a safe, clean community to live in.”

Bowline draws much of the same enthusiasm and inspiration through his work with the BBG, which sponsors some of the city’s most anticipated events each year, including the Alabama River Chili Cook-Off and the First Saturday festivities downtown.

“My time with Blackbelt Benefit Group has been extremely rewarding,” Bowline said. “Seeing folks from ��ֱ�� and other places having fun, enjoying music, art and food is incredible, especially when you consider they are making memories here in ��ֱ�� they will never forget. The Chili Cook-Off reminds us all of the ��ֱ�� we want – one in which we all come together.”

The common denominator for Bowline, beyond the childhood memories and the hard work, is the people – the people he meets, the people he serves and the people he works with each day.

“The small-town atmosphere in ��ֱ�� is great [and] her people are charitable and fun,” Bowline said. “Plus, it doesn’t take much time to get anywhere in ��ֱ�� and you always see folks you know ready to laugh. It’s an awesome town full of passionate people.”

Beyond the people, Bowline also celebrates the Queen City’s place in history – not just the obvious points, like the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, but lesser known contributions that have had an equally significant impact.

“��ֱ��’s contributions to our nation’s history are many,” Bowline said. “While some roles we’ve played may polarize folks, you cannot deny their impact. Voting rights, military tactic, training pilots for three or more conflicts, education, art, photography, architecture and industry – our people and their efforts have and will continue to inspire people to fight for what they believe in and for what they want.”

From his vantage point on the ��ֱ�� City Council, Bowline sees more than most the dire needs of the city – despite that, Bowline has adopted a mantra of radical optimism, which he sees as the answer to many of the city’s pressing questions.

“[We need] better management and less negativity,” Bowline said. “��ֱ�� has her problems, but constantly complaining doesn’t solve them. Working together, standing together, is our only hope for a stronger, safer, more capable ��ֱ��. If you could focus ��ֱ��’s passions, it would obliterate any problem.”

Despite her eccentricities, Bowline believes anyone deciding to pull up stakes and migrate to ��ֱ�� would be making a wise decision.

“If you’re looking to move to a community for a small-town atmosphere, look no further,” Bowline said. “If you seek close friends, passionate neighbors, fun in the outdoors, good food or an easy place to travel from, we are your destination. If you want to get involved and make a real difference, ��ֱ�� is perfect for you. Move here and see what we love about ��ֱ�� and why we love it.”

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Brick by brick: Henry Brick building on 75-year legacy

Brannon Cahela — Fri, 29 May 2020 14:55:47 +0000

Winding one’s way through the labyrinth of industrial machinery that covers nearly every inch of the plants behind Henry Brick Co. on Water Avenue is a thrilling experience – feeling the 2050-degree heat beaming from the kilns sucking water out of freshly-made brick, watching conveyer belts send rows of brick to be soaked, split, smoothed and sent around the room like a clay-made locomotive and hearing the sounds of hisses, booms and cracks seeping out of multi-colored machines – and it’s not lost on Henry Brick Co. President Davis Henry, who gazes at the business built by his grandfather 75 years with a sense of pride and amazement.

Henry’s grandfather founded the business in October 1945.

“It’s kind of interesting,” Henry said. “My granddad was in the timber business, he bought and sold timber and, at the time, there was a ��ֱ�� Brick Works…just north of the railroad track here and they had enjoyed a lot of success and done well in business. Grandad, from what I hear, always said that it looked like they had an easier go at it than he did cutting trees.”

John David Henry, Davis’s grandfather, offered to buy the brick operation, but the owners weren’t looking to sell.

“At the time, there was a big change in technology in the brick business,” Davis Henry said. “Pre-40s, you had what you called a beehive kiln, it was a round kiln that you hand loaded; it took about a week to two weeks to bring the temperature, fire the brick and you had to let it cool off then you opened the door and hand unloaded the brick out of the kiln. In the 40s, they developed what we call a tunnel kiln and the difference there is the kiln and dryer continuously operated – you didn’t have to bring the temperature up and take the temperature down, you just put a car in the front end of the kiln and the car came out of the other end so there was continuous push. It was a lot more efficient, a lot more cost effective, so granddad decided after touring a few brick plants in Georgia with a local banker…he decided to go into the brick business here.”

With that, John David Henry built the first kiln on Water Avenue.

“Through this new technology, he was a lot more efficient,” Davis Henry said. “A year later, he ended up buying the ��ֱ�� brick plant and operated it for a number of years as well.”

Eventually, the old pant closed and John David Henry built a second kiln on Water Avenue.

“In the 60s, you had another kind of technology explosion in the brick industry, so we had two plants here in the original building on Water Avenue and business was good so they decided the built another plant here on this site,” Davis Henry said. “It began operation in 74 and so that’s when we became a two-plant operation.”

John David Henry got to see construction of a new plant begin, but never got to see it operate before his death in 1973 – after that, the torch as passed to the second generation and Ted Henry, who would see the company through the boom years of the late 90s into the Recession era, took the helm.

In 1978, the original kilns were torn down and one was built in its place.

“I guess there’s been a lot of changes in 75 years,” said Davis Henry with a laugh.

By this point, the company was producing roughly 70 million bricks per year, though Davis said the company never really hit capacity during those years – by the early 90s, following work on the product line and quality, the copany began enjoying more success and investing in improvement projects across the two plants.

After that, the company was up to a capacity of more than 100 million bricks per year.

“There’s been no new kilns added, but we’ve extended kilns, changed dryers, taken advantage of new technology and done other things,” Davis Henry said. “So through those projects, over a span of about 15 years, we’ve really maxed out these two plants.”

The boom years of the 90s gave way to the bust years between 2008 and 2017 and the company was forced to drop down to only one plant.

“It was pretty tough,” Davis Henry said.

When Ted Henry officially stepped down in 2010, only four years before his death, Davis Henry took over the business alongside his brother, Denson, and brothers-in-law Jim Cothran and John Hanning.

“Dad loved the brick industry,” Davis Henry said. “Dad maintained an office here until he couldn’t come to work anymore.”

Now at the helm, Davis Henry can still remember visiting Henry Brick Co. as a child and sitting atop the kilns and, later, returning to work in the plant throughout his high school years – after college, Davis Henry found work in banking and briefly toyed with the idea of moving away.

Davis Henry and his father had a conversation about the family business, when he was in the process of sending out resumes, and he started working with the company in 1993, just in time for the company’s seismic growth spurt.

“The first 15 years, it was a fun time to be in the brick business, there was a lot happening,” Davis Henry said. “We were able to really do a lot with the plants and see this huge growth in 15 years.”

Though he notes that the company hasn’t shipped 100 million bricks since 2006, Davis Henry hopes to see his company cross that threshold this year.

“It would be a nice goal for our 75^th anniversary,” Davis Henry said.

While unsure of the future of his family’s business – the partners are still gauging the interest of the fourth generation in eventually taking over the business –

“There was such a long period of uncertainty…you were in a survival mode, it was really just hunker-down and try to survive,” Davis Henry said. “The last three years have been better and that’s one thing we’ve talked about is where we see the family business going. There’s been a lot of family discussion about where you take it from here, what you do and how do you structure that and we’re still exploring that.”

Still, Davis Henry is thankful for the brick industry – the 95 employees that come to work each day at his grandfather’s business, some of which have been working there for 50 years; the success its provided him and his family; the impact it’s made in ��ֱ�� and across the region.

“Our family has truly been blessed in the brick business,” Davis Henry said. “To think that it’s supplied for our family for 75 years. And not just our families, we’ve got employees who have been able to depend on us for employment for 50 plus years. To be able to provide for those families here in ��ֱ�� and be a part of the community here in ��ֱ�� has been important to us. One thing we’ve learned is it’s important to take care of the folks that work for you and make sure they have what they need. We’ve been blessed with really good people. That has made it a whole lot easier. We’ve also felt it important to be a community partner in a lot of things in ��ֱ��, to support what we can and do what we can civically to help ��ֱ�� be all it can be, because this is where we all live and we really don’t want to be anywhere else.”

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Comradery amongst artists, ��ֱ�� Art Guild inspires one another while promoting the arts

Brannon Cahela — Wed, 27 May 2020 15:54:39 +0000

The ��ֱ�� Art Guild has been a part of the Queen City’s art scene for 50 years.

Cam Guarino, who’s been with the Guild since 1981, nearly 40 years, said the ��ֱ�� Art Guild was founded in 1970 by Charles and Lorena Garth, along with several other supporters of the arts, to create more artistic opportunities and to make the community aware of the artists who were here.

Today, the mission of the ��ֱ�� Art Guild is a little more involved.

The non-profit organization still highlights local artists and their works but also provides art education through classes throughout the year as they work to encourage economic development through the arts.

The group’s members consist of local artists and patrons, all brought together by their love of the arts.

Guarino, who works as an art teacher at Morgan Academy when she isn’t busy with the Guild, works in oil paintings.

“They’re sort of universal,” she said of her preferred medium. “One time, someone said a painting I’d done of Wilcox County looked like the south of France. I said, ‘It can be wherever you want it to be.’”

Jo Taylor, a potter and fused glass artist, is no less enthusiastic about her medium.

Taylor began her art education in water colors with the goal in mind of creating botanical illustrations but after a ceramic handbuilding class AUM, she made the switch.

“I was hooked,” she said. “I love the medium of clay because you can manipulate and mold it.

You can use it for utilitarian purposes or sculptures or paintings. It can be anything you want it to be. It’s malleable. Glass is the same.”

Joanna Nichols joined, has been a member of the ��ֱ�� Art Guild since 2001, nearly 20 years.

Nichols was drawn to the Guild after she’s just moved here as a way to make friends.

Nichols said she’s “done enough” art, but she worked in water colors when she arrived in ��ֱ��.

“Watercolors were best for me,” she said in her English accent. “They seem almost alive. I know it sounds strange but water does really fascinating things when it runs with the paint. I did a lot of painting when I first arrived [to ��ֱ��]. I love things that are different. I loved the old buildings that were sort wearing down and the extraordinary old cars that were sitting around.”

Sandy Greene, a retired art teacher, is equally fascinated by the ��ֱ�� landscape, but has chosen photography over watercolors to capture it.

‘I love to take photos from all different angles,” she said. “I don’t want to look at something straight on, I want to find the right angle to make it look interesting.”

Pam Stewart grew up in ��ֱ��, but left as a teenager.

She returned six years ago, and has been a member of the Guild for the last three.

Stewart comes from a family of ��ֱ�� Artists, her grandfather’s ornate woodwork can still be seen at the First Baptist Church.

Unlike her grandfather, Stewart works in portraits, prophetic paintings and water colors.

Stewart joined the ��ֱ�� Art Guild as a way to become involved with the community and connect with other artists.

“Fellowship with other artists is important. A lot of artists tend to be loners,” said Stewart. “When you’re alone, staring at a blank canvas, it can be terrifying. But when you get with other artists, you get inspired and learn from one another.”

Taylor said the comradery amongst the ��ֱ�� Art Guild’s members was important.

“We get together and learn from one another’s point of view,” she said. “This group of people are just so wonderful. We may disagree sometimes, but we all have the same mindset. And the same heartset. We’re all very giving and forgiving people.”

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Made with Love: Peggy Williamson sells her signature cookies to ��ֱ��

Brannon Cahela — Wed, 27 May 2020 15:51:02 +0000

Peggy Williamson has operated her consignment store, The Clothes Line, since 1982.

Williamson has been selling clothes to women and children out of her store for over 37 years, but roughly two years ago Williamson started selling something else to increase foot traffic at her shop- cookies.

What started as a way to get more customers into The Clothes Line became its own separate endeavor.

“The cookies have taken on a life of their own,” said Williamson.

Cookies have always been a point of pride for Williamson. She has always taken a batch of the handheld treats to friends and family members for weddings, funerals, births and all sorts of occasions.

When she began brainstorming ways to increase customers at her store, Williamson knew she wanted to sell her cookies but she wasn’t sure quite how.

Soon thereafter, Williamson’s husband, Cecil, told her about the Alabama Cottage Food Law that would allow here to sell her signature cookies and soon, Williamson’s second endeavor was underway.

Williamson’s cookies will be familiar to any Selmian whose eyes have wandered around at the register at either Mark’s Mart or Mr. Roy’s.

The cookies come perfectly wrapped in little plastic bags tied closed by a silver twist tie.

Many a customer has likely walked out of Marks Mart or Mr. Roy’s with cookies they didn’t think they’d be buying based solely upon their perfect presentation and proximity to the register.

“The cookie is the perfect snack,” said Williamson. “You don’t have to have a plate and fork, you don’t have to sit down and you can just eat it on the go. They’re great.”

Williamson can also be seen selling her cookies at the annual Farmapalooza at the Orrville Farmer’s Market and Sturdivant Hall Artisan’s Fair, she also does special orders to satisfy the cookie cravings of entire gatherings.

Williamson’s “perfect snacks” come in around 10 varieties.

Williamson says there’s a cookie for everyone amongst the assortment of cookies in her recipe arsenal including: chocolate chip, oatmeal, M&M, sugar, snickerdoodle, lemon, sugar and peanut blossoms, a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey’s kiss placed perfectly in the middle.

In addition to the classic lineup of cookies, Williamson also offers a couple of seasonal favorites like the gingerdoodle, a gingerbread snickerdoodle hybrid, and the rosemary shortbread which debuted this holiday season.

Williamson uses the best ingredients she can in each batch of her cookies, opting for real butter, not margarine, and the freshest of everything.

While cookies have become her signature product around ��ֱ��, Williamson also offers an assortment of jellies and jams.

Just like with her cookies, Williamson doesn’t cut any corners when producing her triple-berry jam (which consists of fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries), muscadine jelly and both red and green pepper jellies.

Of all the products Williamson offers, she says each one becomes a favorite for someone.

“There isn’t any one cookie I think I could do away with,” said Williamson. “Everybody has their favorite.”’

When asked where the recopies for all the cookies she bakes came from, she just said all of the cookies she sells are just recipes she’s made “forever”.

“People had always told me they love my cookies,” she said. “I’ve always given my cookies to friends and family in times of sadness, sickness or happiness.”

Williamson developed a love of baking when she was a teenager.

“I just like the creative aspect of it,” she said. “I’ve always like doing creative things.”

Williamson said one of her first forays into the world of baking involved a carrot cake and eating entirely too much of the icing before the cake was even finished.

“The cake turned out great,” she said. “But by the time it was finished, I had licked the spoon so much I was nearly sick.”

Unlike with the carrot cake, Williamson said she never gets sick of the cookies.

“They’re such happy little things,” she said. “They just fill the house with a wonderful smell.”

Once, Williamson’s granddaughter asked her why her cookies were so good and she answered, “because they’re made with love”.

It’s love that keeps Williamson cranking out cookies.

“It pleases me so when people come in and say that the cookie reminds them of a cookie their grandmother or mother made,” she said. “I just love to take people back to that place. Peoples sense of taste just brings back a flood of memories, it’s like music.”

Cookies by Peggy Williams can be found at Mr. Roy’s, Marks Mart and at The Clothes Line.

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Engineering a Family legacy: Meredith Hogg-Stone continues family tradition

James Jones — Wed, 27 May 2020 15:49:35 +0000

The expectations of continuing a family business can be a huge burden for some.

Meredith Hogg-Stone embraced her family’s impressive legacy of being a professional engineer. Hogg-Stone is the President and Owner of Hogg Stone Associates (HSA) Engineers, located on 1 Satterfield Street.

Fifty-two years ago, Donald R. Hogg Sr., Hogg-Stone’s grandfather, started DD Hogg and Associates in 1968. Her father, Donald Ray Hogg, Jr., took over Hogg Jones and Associates in 1985 and formed his own company.

Hogg-Stone eventually formed her own company in 2017 and Ray Hogg now works for her.

“Being a civil engineer has always been in the cards for me, basically my birthright,” Hogg-Stone said. “I’m a third generation registered Professional Engineer in the state of Alabama. And funny enough, I’m a third generation “Ray” – although my middle name has the female spelling of Rae.

“I’ve been around engineering my entire life. As a young child, I would spend time at my dad’s consulting engineering firm, Hogg Engineering Corporation, watching as his draftsmen created drawings and playing with surveying equipment. I love solving problems and trying to figure out how things work.”

Auburn University is also a big part of Hogg-Stone’s family tree.

Donald Hogg, Sr., P.E. was a 1950 Civil Engineering graduate of Alabama Polytechnic University (now Auburn). Donald Hogg, Jr., P.E. is a 1980 Civil Engineering graduate from Auburn. Hogg-Stone graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Auburn in 2008.

Hogg-Stone said Donald Hogg Jr., known as Ray in the Dallas County community, as her biggest influence.

“My father influenced my life in ways beyond just my career choice as a Civil Engineer,” Hogg-Stone said. “He taught me what it means to be an Auburn Man or Woman. He taught me that most problems can be solved with equal parts innovation and elbow grease.

“When I was little, he would take me out on safe job sites with him and I would get to watch him work in the field, and realize that civil engineering extends beyond just what’s done in an office. But above all else, he taught me the importance of family. That’s why I treasure carrying on my family’s legacy in the field of civil engineering.”

Hogg-Stone, 35, admits having a career and managing a family at the same time can be rough, but she always manages to make it happen. Her husband, Ryan Stone, is a Railroad Engineer. They have two children, Avery, 8, and Carter, 4.

“Juggling my family and career is the toughest job I have,” Hogg-Stone said. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without my “village”. My “village” consists of family and friends who step in to help me out if I get held up on a job site or have to go out of town for work. I can count on them the pick my children up and to get them where they need to be. That’s one of the blessings of living in ��ֱ��.

“I’m also fortunate enough to work for a small family owned company. Family is very important to us and we value our family. I have had to bring my kids to work and sometime may have leave for an hour or so to attend their school plays, graduations, parties, doctor appointments, etc. Just as I grew up around my dad’s consulting engineering firm, my children are growing up around mine. I hope that one, if not both, of them have a future in engineering and carry on our family legacy in engineering.”

The 2003 graduate of Morgan Academy said she’s proud of being a successful civil engineer and encourages young female students to pursue an engineering career.

“As a female engineer, I know that I am in the minority,” Hogg-Stone said. “At Dallas County Auburn Club events, I talk to the female students present to let them know that engineering is not just for men. Women are continuing to graduate and do great things in the field of engineering, more specifically, civil engineering.”

Hogg-Stone’s role at HSA include design, planning, and managing civil construction projects, mainly infrastructure projects. Hogg-Stone said she loves the different aspects of her job.

“I like that every aspect of my job is diverse, no two clients are the same,” Hogg-Stone said. “No two projects or types of projects are the same. Every day brings a new challenge and a new set of problems to solve. When we get a call from a client, often times we do not know what we’re up against until we’re on site. Once we have feet on the ground and eyes on the problems, then the wheels start turning and we spring into action.

“But most of all, I like the diverse range of people I meet on a daily basis. I’ve worked with everyone from state agency officials to ground level employees at waste water treatment plants. And every person I’ve worked with has taught me valuable lessons and made me a better Civil Engineer.”

Hogg-Stone enjoys living in ��ֱ�� and wants to help the city restore its legacy.

“��ֱ�� is and always has been my home, I want to see my community continue to grow and thrive,” Hogg-Stone said. “I moved back after graduation from Auburn, knowing that I would raise my family here. Any way I can get involved and help, I try and do so. I want my kids to grow up and create loving memories of ��ֱ��, just as I did.

“In order for our community to continue to grow and thrive, my generation needs to step up and get involved. I try and answer the call whether its through getting involved in community organizations such as the ��ֱ�� Charity League, attending community fundraising events such as the Old Depot Low County Boil and the Chili Cook-off.”

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���ֱ�� The Magazine

‘An exciting corner’: Look on Lauderdale part of street’s growing business district

A city of art: ���ֱ�� murals bring city’s story to life

‘I absolutely love big, beautiful ���ֱ��’

The Lady from Dallas: Hattie Hooker Wilkins a forgotten champion of voting rights in ���ֱ��

Family opens video game arcade in ���ֱ�� Mall

“Why I Love ���ֱ��” – Carl Bowline