And Then We Went To Alabama

We figured a short stop in Montgomery would be all we'd see in Alabama. How wrong we were.

First stop was in Tuskegee at the airfield where the Tuskegee Airmen trained. The U.S. military was segregated. Blacks were not allowed into any elite units. Becoming an officer was extremely difficult. Political pressure at the beginning of WWII cracked the door open to allow blacks to train as aviators, ground support personnel, and all aspects of aviation. But - they were still segregated! They trained at this Tuskegee site and then deployed overseas. The airfield and some of the original building are managed by the National Park Service. The small airport is still in use.

The Tuskegee Airmen flew over 15,000 sorties in the European theater and have received numerous citations for bravery and excellent service. They opened the door for integration in the military. Several became generals.

There's a museum inside this hanger.

We drove the historic 45 mile road to Selma to see cradle of desegregation. This monument is placed at the foot of the Pettus Bridge. The National Park Service has designated this a Preservation site but has not yet built out the plans. They have acquired the 25 acres at this spot.

This is the site of one of the most notorious events in Civil Rights history. On March 7, 1965, Bloody Sunday, 600 protestors marching for the right to vote, were stopped at the Edmund Pettus Bridge and attacked by state and local lawmen using billy clubs and tear gas, and diven six blocks back into Selma. Martin Luther King, preaching his credo of non-violence, led a symbolic march two days later and finally a full scale march from Selma to the state capitol in Montgomery under full court protection. On March 21st, about 3,200 marchers set out for Montgomery. Marching 12 miles a day, sleeping in fields, they reached the capitol on March 25th. They were 25,000 strong! President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 less then five months later.

The road the marchers walked has been designated an "All American Road" - the highest tribute a road can receive. It's known as the Selma-to-Montomery National Historic Trail.

And all the people wanted was the right to vote...

This old train depot is the Selma historical museum. This city has a long history. Maybe one day people will come to learn more about it. Mostly, the towns main street is in ruins and full of empty buildings. But speaking with the staff in the museum gave us more insight into Selma. It has a big arts community and a square mile of Victorian and antebellum homes. Beautiful!

There was once a large Jewish population in the city. They owned most of the businesses on the main street, built themselves a big social hall, Harmony Hall, and in 1899 dedicated a beautiful synagogue. It's on the National Historic Register but not in use today. It's an imposing structure on the main street. The Visitors Center in Montgomery is in the old train depot, complete with stained glass and beautiful wood furnishings. There's a trolley that makes stops at some of the local sights.

F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald lived in this house with their daughter in 1931-32.

The state capitol of Alabama has a white dome. There's a statue of Jefferson Davis in front. He took the oath of office as President of the Confederacy in 1861 on the front porch of this building.

This star marks the spot...and Ed tried it out for size. (He didn't feel it fit...)

The building is home to the Govenors office but is no longer used for law making. It's been restored as a museum to the way it was when the South declared itself a country. This is the House of Representatives.

And this is the Senate chamber. There's a sign posted that says, "In this room the Confederacy as formed."

There's another house in the neighborhood that was the first White House of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis and his family lived here until they moved to Richmond in 1861. It's been beautifully restored. You can tell by talking to the staff, that they still think the Confederacy should exist.

Here are a couple of the public rooms.

Live was gracious.

This sign stands on the outside the Rosa Parks Museum on the very spot where she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger.

The Rosa Parks Museum is beautifully done. There's a reenactment of the event on a real bus and a history of bus desegragation in Montgomery. This full size diorama of an integrated bus is at the end of the museum.

Martin Luther Kings was just 27 years old when he lead the march from Selma to Montgomery. This is the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, circa 1885, where he preached. It's still a functioning church, and it sits just one block from the State House.

We made a stop in Mobile on our way to New Orleans. We took in some of the sights, Finn got a haircut, and we did the laundry.

The battleship Alabama, commissioned 8/16/42, had a distinguished career in the Pacific in WWII. It's on display as a museum in Mobile harbor. (Her sister ship, the Massachuetts, is also a floating museum in Fall River, MA.) It has a displacement of 45,000 tons and main armament of nine 16 inch guns. Ed really enjoyed being on the Alabama.

Ed took this photo from the bow looking back. You can see the two superposed main turrets. Incredible sight! He said you have no idea how big this ship is until you walk on it.

There's also a submarine in the harbor. This is the Drum, a WWII fleet submarine used in the Pacific theater. Ed toured and talked about how claustrophobic he felt inside. This sub is in outstanding condition. A full size model of the C.S.S. Hunley is standing in front of the stairs. It's a wonderful comparison: 1863 to 1943 submarines. Hurricane Katrina did a great deal of damage to the outdoor displays here especially to the military aircraft outside.

Mobile's History Museum is located in this beautiful building.

It covers the history of the city and region from the 17th century pioneers to the end of WWII. Mobile was a major shipping and ship building center. It still is. Cotton was king here pre-Civil War.

We visited the Bellingrath Gardens and Home. There were getting ready for the evening lighted displays for the holidays. Anyone in the area should visit. It's going to be a spectacular show.

The gardens are beautiful. There's something blooming all the time and the walk is beautiful.

There's a Great Lawn, a Rose Garden, an Oriental Garden, a River Walk, waterfalls. It goes on and on.

The Bellingraths never had any children. The home and gardens are now a non-profit foundation that support Christian schools and churches. They made their fortune when Mr. Bellingrath purchased the Coco Cola franchise for Mobile and 100 miles around Mobile. He made a $1500 investment in 1905.

We also toured the 10,000 sq. ft. home that began as a fishing lodge. Mrs. Bellingrath was an collector of antiques, silver, and procelein. The home is filled with her collections. It was decored for Christmas when we were there.

We're leaving for New Orleans to visit with Ben and Sarah.