Cultural Treasures
40 Acres and a Dream
By Tyra Cowan
Only days after Hurricane Katrina, Ellen Byrd made her way through the sunlit trails and towering trees observing as if she was looking through a microscope. This was not a typical walk for this elderly woman on the grounds of the Black Freedman’s Historical Children’s Farm, in Furman, Ala .
With her boots strapped up and her broom as a guide, she made her way through the mud evaluating how much damage had been done.
As Byrd roamed from marker to marker she couldn’t help but drop her head and weep. All she had worked so hard for looked as if she had done no work at all, and all she had hope to create in the future seemed to be lost.
Trees the size of whales were scattered over the grounds like broken branches. Buildings once used for storage and resource centers now only served the purpose of sheltering birds. Trails were lost and covered because of overwhelming debris, and tree markers were blown away.
As Byrd took all this in, she remembered why she first started this place. She had a vision for young children that she wanted all to share. “I want children to be aware of their surroundings of their natural resources. I want them to become good stewards of nature,” she said.
Heritage Center Adds Spice to Rural Life
By Becky Hodgen
Deep in the Black Belt of Alabama treasures that seem to be dying out in a fast-paced world can be discovered. It can be said that life moves a little slower here. Cell phones don’t rule life, and folks still sit on their porch and snap peas.
It would be easy not to notice the quaint little town of Thomaston in Marengo County off of Alabama State Highway 25. A rusted sign points to Marengo County School. One stop light and one gas station shows the turn to the little sleepy town with a population of less than 400.
But Gayle Etheridge knows that her little town has got a big secret. Gayle helped open the Alabama Rural Heritage Center. Today, it features some of the Black Belt’s finest crafts and now, starting in spring of 2007, the center also offers a little taste of the South to visitors.
Mama Nems Kitchen, under the direction of Chef Robert Cawley and his apprentice chef Dylan Daniels, a Marengo County native, give down home tastes a new revitalized twist. With entrees that bring fried green tomatoes together with Mama Nems famous pepper jelly, the menu takes folks back to grandma’s table.
Play Brings Crowds to Union Springs
By Amanda Walters
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Last updated May 03, 2007May 03, 2007May 03, 2007