Nov 7-8 Playing Tourists

Nov 7-8

We've been in such a hurry to get down the river we really haven't done much exploring of the areas we're passing.   So we took a few days and rented a car and went backtracking.   Spent Thurs.  back in Columbus, MS visiting the Tennessee Williams birthplace, strolling along the Columbus Riverwalk and visiting Friendship Cemetery.   Columbus has an interesting history and a nice collection of well-preserved Antebellum and other historic homes.  After the Battle of Shiloh many Confederate as well as Union injured and dead soldiers wound up here as it became a “hospital town”.   The nearby Friendship Cemetery became the final resting place for over 2600 Confederate as well as roughly 60 Union soldiers.  During Sherman’s march he detoured around Columbus supposedly due to these reasons.

All headstones read the same in this section of cemetery -  "Unknown Confederate Soldier"

  Like the girl in the cemetery in Savanah immortalized on the cover of the book “Midnight in the Garden of Eden” , The Friendship Cemetery has an iconic tombstone.  Reverend Teasdale was a long-time pastor at the Firt Baptist Church.   When he passed away the congregation raised funds for a special tombstone commemorating how heartbroken they were.  It was said that “even the angels cried” the day he died.

  Next up was the Tom Bevill Visitors Center at the Lock and Dam that bears his name.   The COE recreated an Antebellum style house on the river as the visitor center.   On display is the 108’ snag barge "Montgomery.   It was built in 1926 in Charleston, SC and was finally retired in 1986.  It was used for 60 years to remove snags (floating and submerged trees) and dredge numerous southern rivers.  The amazing thing is it's a steel hulled, steam powered sternwheeler. 

Snag Boat "Montgomery"

 Our final destination on Thursday was Aliceville and a visit to their museum documenting the German POW camp that was built there in 1942.   It housed over 6000 German prisoner’s primary captured in the North Africa campaign.  It was only used for 2 years before the war ended and all prisoners were repatriated back to Germany and the camp dismantled.

On Friday we stayed in Demopolis to visit two of their local historic homes – Gaineswood and Bluff Hall.   Gaineswood is considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in America.   It’s an interesting house as it started as a “dog trot” wood structure and  over the years was added to and embellished.  Rather than tearing down old portions they were simply incorporated into the additions which gives it some funkiness as far as the interior flow, but it is very grand in overall design.  Amazing plasterwork in the public rooms.  The plantation owner – Mr Whitfield – would only bring in artisans for several weeks.  They would teach his slaves the required trades to construct each new addition and then leave.  

Gaineswood Dining Room

Gaineswood Drawing Room/Ball Room

Bluff Hall was built in 1832 as a wedding gift to one of his daughters. It was initially a fairly basic Federal Style townhouse that later  had more rooms added to the rear and a front portico added giving it a more fashionable Greek Revival façade.  The rear of the property has a great view of the Black Warrior River.   Both houses are decorated with original antique pieces that came from Whitfield heirs who still live in the area.