​Big Spring Memorial Park or otherwise known as the Duck Pond in Athens’ historic Beaty District is a place of relaxation, history and commemoration.  The City of Athens dedicated the park to the settlers and veterans of Athens and Limestone County on August 12, 1989 with a stone marker that now rest at the base of the park’s name board.    The fading inscription remarks, “Dedicated to the early settlers, men and women who served in the armed forces and kept our country free.  August 12, 1989.  Erected 1989.”

The pond was originally recorded in the dairy of John Craig some 211 years ago in 1808 as he and his two sons were passing through the area between the Territory of Georgia and the newly formed Territory of Mississippi.   The moment seemed to herald the future role of the pond to the community that was to come.   As Athens took root, the pond played a central role to its growth in both community and commerce. ​

​Events throughout the history of Athens have been tied to the life of the pond.  With settlement came businesses that sprung up near its shores.  Later, the waters would be harvested by town’s leaders declaring its use to protect and provide water to the downtown square after the tragic life-ending fire that swept the businesses of the east side of the Square.  Again the pond played its roll with the modernization of plumbing for the community that lead the sinking of the baptistery at the First Baptist Church and the need to develop a sustainable water source from the Elk River and plant to process the water to supply the ever growing community of Athens.  As the pond was later re-imagined in the twentieth century, the town’s fathers had hoped to sculpt a fiddle in the bottom in honor of the importance of music and the Tennessee Old Time Fiddlers Convention, formerly Sam McCracken Days.   A little later saw the pond capped in fear of possible attack from the Nazis, during World War II – or the story goes.  The concrete caps were eventually removed, the side of the ponds re-sculpted by the addition of stone walls and fountains added – taking the once soft-shored, spring-fed natural pond to a manicured one.

It’s been thirty years since the historic declaration of one of Athens’ favorite spots for local and tourist alike.  With towering emerald giants casting shade over the park, a softly winding paved trail for strolling, the gentle flowing water of the pond eventually breaking the edge and flowing down the sluice to feed Swan Creek and the feathered residents greeting everyone in hopes of a generous soul tossing cracked corn from the feeders to them – people come to experience the peace and nature that’s nestled in the heart of Athens.  It’s not unusual to find people on blankets enjoying meals, sitting in the swing or on the benches watching the water, trotting the tennis courts with rackets in hand, and children at play at the small playground or families and friends gathered under the pavilion most anytime of the year.

Big Spring Memorial Park and pond often serve as backdrops for weddings, reunions, photo shoots, and festivals.  Superheroes assemble for Superhero Fun Day and runners come to run, walk or waddle in the Duck and Run 5K in September.   December sees the park decked with trees and trimming for Christmas during Athens North Pole Stroll.  Concert stages occasionally appear for an evening of strumming, plucking and memorable music. 

The recognition bestowed upon Athens’ Big Spring Memorial Park thirty years ago doesn’t beguile its natural beauty and true servitude to Athens and Limestone citizens and its visitors throughout the centuries – but it is another jewel in the crown in this community gem.               ​

Celebrating the Alabama Bicentennial 2019 Theme: Our Stories ​

James Edwin Horton Jr. the man…
​
James Edwin Horton Jr. was born in Limestone County near the Elk River to the great-niece of President Andrew Jackson, Emily Donelson, and a father, James Edwin Horton Sr., former Civil War military aide-de-camp to General Donelson turned cotton and cattle farmer in January 1878. The Horton family migrated ...

... from their farm in the county that the elder Horton had settled in 1857 and into Athens when James Jr. was a young boy. 

Chronic illness is attributed to have kept the younger James from school and under his mother’s care until the age of 8.  The delay in formal education did not prevent him from enrolling in Vanderbilt University to pursue a medical degree by his father's wishes.  However, the junior Horton determined medicine was not his forte and he enrolled at Cumberland University in Lebanon Tennessee and followed his 1897 Bachelor of Arts by pursuing a law degree at Cumberland Law School and attaining a Bachelor of Law in 1899.  

Horton returned to Athens and clerked for his father who was a sitting Probate Judge before making the leap into his own practice.  The younger Horton then turned his attention to the Alabama State Legislature where he achieved the duties of office for one term (1910-1914). He followed his first term with a stint in the Alabama State Senate until an opening lead him back to the bench as a Chancery Judge in Limestone County.

He enjoyed a short one-block walk to his second-floor chambers from his home at 200 Hobbs Street where he lived with his wife Anna, 19-year-old stepson and two young sons.  The homestead had been built in 1849 by the great-great uncle of his wife and had a walkway lined with twelve mountain cedars that stood sentinel over the property.  The towering cedars couldn’t deflect the occupation of the Union Forces when they came to Athens and literally left a mark on the home by carving into the door of a corner room “Three cheers for Lincoln – Nov 7 1864”.

The young Judge James E. Horton Jr was elected after campaigning to the Eighth Circuit Court in 1922.  He was described as diligent – beginning court promptly at 8:30AM and keeping session until 5:30PM.  He was considered relaxed and casual in demeanor in the courtroom.  It was said he wrote better than he spoke – as his thoughts seemed to race ahead of his words. Above all – he was considered fair and was respected by the attorneys.
​
It was his office in the Eighth Circuit Court that brought him to hear the second Scottsboro Boys trial - which entrenched him in the history of the United States, Civil Rights and influenced laws and cases for years to come.

Judge Horton Jr’s Decatur Scottsboro Boy Trial…

Judge James E. Horton Jr. himself a lanky man in appearance that was often compared to President Abraham Lincoln, was named to the judgeship of the re-trial Scottsboro Boys in Decatur.  His appointment to the bench for this trial was heralded and praised by both the prosecution and defense.

The Scottosboro Boys trial was conducted before an all-white, all-male jury in Jim Crow era Alabama.    The evidence and testimony was barely weighed after a two week trial when the jury returned with convictions of the eight young boys to death for their alleged actions of rape of two women, Ruby Bates and Victoria Price, aboard a train from Chattanooga to Huntsville on March 25, 2931.   

The final and youngest of the nine brought to trial, 13-year-old Leroy Wright, met with the fate of a hung jury and life-imprisonment rather than death – but his verdict was overturned and declared a mistrial, leaving him in prison until 1937 awaiting the final verdict of his co-defendents.

The verdicts for these young boys shocked, appalled, and triggered international responses sighting the racism of the American legal system.  It was after the International Labor Defense (ILD), a wing of the American Communist Party (CP) took interest in hopes to galvanize public opinion against racism and sought stays of execution in the Alabama Supreme Court.   The ILD continued its national campaign to free the nine young men – Charlie Weems, Ozie Power, Clarence Norris, Olen Montgomery, Willie Robertson, Haywood Patterson, Eugene Williams, and Andrew and Leroy Wright.   The CP staged sit-ins, rallies, speeches, parades, demonstrations and letter writing campaigns to bring attention to the plight of the Scottsboro Boys and their guilty verdict.

Eventually the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) joined the CP/ILD and other civil rights organizations to create the Scottsboro Boy Defense Committee lead by New York attorney Samuel Leibowitz. 

Judge Horton Jr. opened the courtroom to the press, an unexpected but welcomed opportunity for transparency and information sharing during the Haywood Patterson Trial.   Judge Horton Jr. even shook the hands to two African-American journalists who had sought to be part of this historical and groundbreaking moment. 

The Scottsboro Defense Committee lead attorney, Samuel Liebowitz, drew the ire of the Decatur when opened his defense by challenging Alabama’s exclusion of blacks on the jury rolls.   Liebowitz began to draw death threats that grew more intense after a strident cross-examination of Victoria Price that left whispers in the gallery, “It’ll be a wonder if he gets out of here alive”.

The honorable Horton Jr. would look into the faces of the witnesses as they spoke including that of Dr. R.R. Bridges, the physician who examined both women within hours of the incident and testified that he did not believe the women were ever raped.  Dr. Lynch, who didn’t take the stand and could not be persuaded even by Horton to testify, spoke freely in Judge’s Chambers also concurred the assault did not happen.   Horton response to the young doctor Lynch, “My God, Doctor, is this whole thing a horrible mistake?”.

Eventually Ruby Bates, one of the alleged rape victims, came forward and repudiated her story explaining it was the pressure of police officers and the armed mobbed in Paint Rock where the train had been stopped and all of the “negro” riders seized after the Stevenson Sheriff called with allegations from a group of white boys had said they were thrown from the train by “a bunch of Negroes” and were waiting to press charges.

​The level headed junior Horton was forced to address bigotry and rumors of lynch mobs including a time when he excused the jury and addressed the open court:  
​

​He tried to inform the jury in their duties as neutral weighers of evidence,

​Horton continued,

However, these words of reminder and temperance nor the recanting of the rape allegation by one victim or the medical evidence indicating no assault had occurred, managed to sway the Morgan County members of the jury to deliver justice blindly as they returned a sentence of death to Judge Horton.  He read the sentence to record but postponed the trial due to the inflamed atmosphere of Decatur.  Samuel Liebowitz was shocked verdict and compared it to “the act of spitting on the tomb of Abraham Lincoln.”

It was on the day of June 22, 1933 that Judge Horton resumed the trial but this time in his hometown of Athens.   The judge vacated the verdict and ordered a new trial for Patterson.  His response to the court and press,

​Judge James Edwin Horton Jr. knew that this deliverance of justice – beyond the bias and bigotry would be the end of his political career and had been warned so.  However, he firmly believed “let justice be done, though the heavens may fall”.

After Judge Horton’s adjudication of verdict...

The state asked Judge Horton to step down from the case and transferred all of the Scottsboro Boy cases to the courtroom of Judge William Callahan.  The move became of exercise futility when every motion and objection denied for the defense and sustained for the prosecution.  Judge Callahan openly mocked, scolded and reprimanded Leibowitz – challenging his defense tactic in courts.  Both Patterson and Norris were found guilty and sentenced to death – a finding that drove a wedge between Leibowitz and the ILD/CP.

Leibowitz returned north and began to speak to crowds vowing to defend the Boys.  He swore appeal the guilty verdicts to the Supreme Court and back to Alabama and justice is finally delivered.  Leibowitz continued to endear himself with his clients and supports summing up his resolution with, “It’ll be a merry-go-round, and if some Klu Kluxer doesn’t put a bullet through my head, I’ll go right along until they let the passengers off.”

Again, public opinion incited a flood of editorials, telegrams and letters but this time to Horton’s court.  Some condemned Samuel Leibowitz or the Judge’s tolerance of him.  Others threatening him if he reversed the jury’s sentences.   While others praised him for his efforts to deliver justice fairly and equally.

Leibowitz kept his promise and appeared before the United States Supreme Court in January 1932 in appeal of Patterson’s and Norris’s convictions on the grounds that blacks were systematically excluded from Alabama juries – preventing a “jury of peers”.   Leibowitz alleged that blacks added to the jury rolls in Morgan County only did so after Haywood’s trial had begun.  The Justices of the Supreme Court asked Leibowitz if he could prove his allegation – which he did by simply asking for the jury roll and a magnifying glass.  The Justices, one by one, passed the scroll and magnifying glass and were left in awe that the faking of the rolls would be so evident.   And with this evidence, the Supreme Court reversed the convictions that Leibowitz would call a “triumph of American justice”.

As other trials loomed for other Scottsboro Boys in 1935, Leibowitz was finding himself drawn and pulled to other cases and at the whims of Judge Callahan who wasn’t about support such an outcome.   Leibowitz managed a meeting  in December 1936 with Thomas Knight, Alabama Attorney General, and a compromise was reached for four of the young men would be released while others would move forward in trial.  It was a bittersweet victory for Leibowitz but one that never came to fruition with the death of Knight in May 1937.  Leibowitz ended up passing the lead attorney role to a local attorney and he taking on more indirect position as the third trial for Clarence Norris got under way in July 12 1937 and ended on July 13 with a guilty verdict and death sentence.  Andy Wright’s trial was next with a sentence of 99 years.  July 24th saw the verdict of 75 years passed down for Charlie Weem.  Ozie Powell arrived minutes after Weem’s verdict and discovered the state was dropping charges against him for the rape and would be taking his guilty plea for the assault of an officer.   Another announcement was that Lawson, the prosecutor of the case, would be dropping charges against the remaining four defendants: Willie Roberst, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, and Roy Wright – all whom had been waiting in jail for over six years without a trial.

The aftermath…

Judge James Edwin Horton Jr. retired from politics in 1934, the year he lost re-elections to Circuit Judge.  He practiced law as a private practioner for many years until his passing in 1972.

In 1935, Ozie Powell, under transport to the Birmingham Prison where incarcerated allegedly produced a pen knife from his pocket while in handcuffs in the backset of a car and managed to slice the neck of a deputy sheriff, injuring him seriously.  The sheriff swiftly stopped the car, exited and shot Powell in the head claiming it an escape attempt.  Powell said he was growing intensely afraid as the car headed southward and he was afraid he was about to be murdered when he took action.  Powell also claimed his arms were above his head when he was shot – though severely wounded, Powell survived the head wound with permanent brain damage.  Assault on a police officer was the only charge Ozie eventually faced and plead guilty to.

The five incarcerated members – Charlie Weems, Ozie Powell, Clarence Norris, Andy Wright and Haywood Patterson – languished in Alabama prisons experiencing horrific and traumatic treatment.  Hopes of a pardon by Governor Bibb Graves in 1938 were dashed when the pre-release interviews went horribly wrong – Patterson found with a knife; Ozie Powell refusing to answer questions; Clarence Norris threatening to kill Haywood Patterson in the interview and the final straw for Graves – no member of the Scottsboro Boys would admit guilt or knowledge of the rape.

The incarcerated members eventually made parole – Charles Weems in 1943; Ozie Powell and Clarence Norris in 1946; and Andy Wright in 1950. 

Haywood Patterson would escape in 1948 and remained free until 1950.  He wrote a book of his life while on the run about his experience.  The Governor of Michigan where Patterson was captured refused extradition.

The last surviving Scottsboro Boy, Clarence Norris, was pardoned by Alabama Governor George Wallace in October 1976.

Clarence Norris also published a book of his experience, The Last of the Scottsboro Boys, in 1979.  Norris passed in January 1989.

Samuel Leibowitz, who was appointed to the Supreme Court of New York, passed in January 1978.

In April 2013, Governor Robert Bentley signed into law the resolution declaring posthumous pardons for all defendants against whom the charges were not dismissed.   Also signed into law was a resolution declaring all nine members of the Scottsboro Boys innocent.
In November 2013, The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles granted posthumous pardons to Charles Weems, Andy Wright, and Haywood Patterson.

In October 2017, a bronze statue was erected on the west side of the Limestone County Courthouse in downtown Athens accompanied by a historic marker recognizing the contributions and service of Judge James E. Horton Jr.

In 2018, the United State Congress authorized the renaming of the Athens United State Post Office in honor of Judge James Edwin Horton Jr.   The re-dedication of the Post Office will occur April 24, 2019.

... with barracks; the CCC recruits were provided food, medical care, work clothes and boots, old military uniform for dress needs and other necessities.  Their monthly allotment was $30.00 for their work - $5.00 of which they kept for their basic needs and $25.00 of which was sent home to support the family.  This may not sound like much to modern comparison but in a time of the Great Depression, nearly 25 percent of the workforce was unemployed, the other remainder were forced to adjust for deflation causing salaries to fall by 40 percent and industrial wages to fall by 60 percent.

Life in the CCC Camp wasn’t all work though.  The CCC recruits would play games, read, study, practice and take evening classes in their recreation halls – with 90% of the recruits participating in class that taught them to read and write as well as future job-seeking skills.  They cobbled together baseball teams or took to the ring for boxing.    Local communities would take on the CCC teams in competitions as well as neighboring camp teams.  The doors of the recreation hall were often swung open for Saturday night dances with invitations to the community to attend.

The local Civilian Conservation Corp group was the TVA-6 Athens Company 286 Company 5401, also known as TVA-CCC Camp Houston and was open May 25, 1934.   TVA-CCC Camp Houston was one of twenty-three TVA-CCC Camps located in Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia.  The humble camp with barracks and canteen was nestled at the edge of Athens on the corner of West Market Street and Hines Street where the present day United States Post Office sits.  
​
TVA-CCC Camp Houston opened its doors to the Limestone County community in 1941 for an open house to mark the eighth anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corp’s creation.  Lieutenant Charles H. Orrick, commander, announced via the local paper that the visitors would have the opportunity to inspect the barracks, mess hall and educational projects at the camp from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m by guided tour.   Lieutenant Orrick also invited the public to spend time with members of the camps who would be holding brief talks about camp life, explaining the organization and demonstrating some of the work already accomplished.    

​This was more than a public relation stunt, this was a chance to connect progress with the camp’s activities in the face of overwhelming discussion of Tennessee Valley Authority dam development and the practices associated with them – relocation of communities and cemeteries and flooding prime farm land along the Tennessee River basin.   TVA-CCC Camp Houston worked hard to development anti-erosion methods in the county as well.  Many considered the unproven terrace emplacements unconventional in comparison to old methods placing of riff-raff rock piles or planting grass cover.
​
The Superintendent of  TVA-CCC Camp Houston, John W. Oxford, reported the Athens’ based camp’s accomplishments in an October 1, 1934 Annual Report of the U.S. Forest Service TVA Units in the Knoxville, Tennessee jurisdiction.  He alluded to techniques the camp was developing to fight erosion in passing, his report of the camp’s activities were as followed (archives.gov/atlanta/exhibits/item365-exh.html):
​

• The erosion control work being done by this camp is somewhat different from that of any other camp under the jurisdictions of the Knoxville office.  It has largely been the construction of masory [sic] terrace outlets.
  • Land benefitted … 11,926 acres
  • Timber stand improvement … 22 acres
  • Truck trails … 2.2 miles
  • Vehicle bridges … 5
  • Rock dams … 1,334
  • Log dams … 2
  • Brush dams … 29
  • Matting … 17, 979 square  yards
  • Diversion Ditches … 1,298 linear yards
  • Bank Protection … 25,126 square yards
  • Nursery … 279 man-days
  • Landscaping … 3 acres
  • General Clean-up 10 acres

​One of the main projects of combating erosion saw TVA and the CCC plant eroding areas with trees.  Working in tandem with the newly created Soil Conservation Service, the CCC worked to educate farmers to the importance of crop rotation, contour plowing to follow the natural topography, terracing, cover crops to protect topsoil, erosion-controlling check dams, and planting trees on unused farm lands.

​The Civilian Conservation Corp helped sculpt much of America’s and Alabama’s infrastructure including Tennessee Valley Authority’s waterway and dam system including sites in Limestone County.  The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) goal of establishing dams to manage flooding, produce electricity, improve river navigation, improve soil was boosted by the partnering with the CCC’s efforts.    One of TVA-CCC’s unconventional approaches was to create recreational facilities along riverfronts creating greater access to the public including parks on the banks of the Tennessee River and establishing game-breeding refuges like Wheeler Wildlife Refuge that spans the river into both Limestone and Morgan Counties.  The efforts didn’t end with greenspace but continued with the construction of pavilions, stairs on hiking trails and overlooks that are enjoyed to this day.

It gave young men a means to support their families in the face of the Great Depression and contribute to the creation of national and state parks facilities and attractions boosting tourism and travel’s economic impact and the adjacent community’s financial futures.   Between 1933 and 1942, 30 CCC Camps operated each year in Alabama employing 66,837 men.  The contribution to the State of Alabama was 1,800 miles of roads, 61 lookout towers, 490 bridges, 188 buildings and 1,430 miles of telephone wire.   

​The CCC in Alabama was tasked with constructing the archaeological museum of Moundville by excavating the land to help in the telling of the story of the Mound Builders.   Additional improvements to the newly established Alabama State Parks including trails and infrastructure and developing the Natchez Trace Parkway also benefitted from the CCC’s presence.  Cheaha Lake was constructed and land management and recreational facilities were erected in Bankhead National Forest and Conecuh National Forest to encourage the use and preservation of public lands.  Gulf State Park, Cheaha State Park, Chewacla State Park, Flagg Mountain, DeSoto State Park, Muscle Shoals Reservation, Little River State Park and Monte Sano State Park still feature CCC created structures for public enjoyment including museums, towers, trails and cabins.  The recruits of Alabama’s CCC unknowing laid the foundation for some of the most popular parks and natural attractions in Alabama’s tourism and travel industries.

The CCC efforts of reforestation and conservation of state and national forest addressed the dwindling timber stands from over-logging by commercial harvesters, preservation of native species, wildlife conservation and combating erosion but also engaged them as the first-line defense forest fire fighting.    The CCC Camps in Alabama constructed firebreaks to prevent sweeping fires from destroying acres of land.   They inventoried forest resources across the state and help develop infrastructure for managing forest.  By 1943, Alabama had more than nine million acre of forested land under the protection of the State Division of Forestry – increasing Alabama timber crop value to $150 million annually.

Many of the Civilian Conservation Corp generation have passed on with little heralding of their efforts to rebuild America’s economy in the face of the Great Depression or their hard work that created points of natural beauty that we appreciate today.  However, their legacy to Limestone County, the State of Alabama and our nation survive in the national and state parks, national and state forest, the Tennessee Valley Authority continued mission, and lessons of conservation and preservation they left behind for us. 

... at Fisk University, also established by the Trinity creators, the American Missionary Association. At the time, Fisk was a fledgling institution, without a permanent campus and buildings. The university responded by choosing nine of its students to form a musical touring group to raise funds. The initial efforts unexpectedly netted over $100,000.00.  After the initial tour, the university disbanded the troupe, however, the singers reorganized as an independent group, Fisk Jubilee Singers,  and set forth on a second world tour.

Patti Malone was originally recruited as a chaperone of the Jubilee Singers.  Patti, known for her talent as a mezzo soprano, was later tapped to fill in for an original member, Miss Jennie Jackson, who had fallen ill while on tour in Europe.   She departed Nashville and joined the group in Germany in Autumn of 1877.   She and the Fisk Jubilee Singers performed throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand, including for prime ministers and heads of state like Queen of England and German Emperor Wilhelm I.

Patti Malone died on January 20, 1897 in Omaha, Nebraska, with many accolades around the world.  She was noted for her angelic voice and triumph --
​
“It is safe to say that no woman of her race ever sang in so many different countries of the world as Miss Patti J. Malone.”
               -- Cleveland Gazette, Alabama Music Hall of Fame

Patti is interned in her native Athens in the Hines-Hobb Cemetery at the corner of West Hobbs and North Hines Streets.

Celebrating the Alabama Bicentennial 2019 Theme: Our Stories 

The Elkmont High School Cross Country and Track teams' boosters and students took on the 10K race formerly hosted by the Elkmont Lions Club in 2016 and created the Trackless Train Trek Half-Marathon.  The aptly named race took its moniker for the portion that ran the converted railroad bed that is now the Richard Martin Rails-to-Trails.   

​The 13.1 mile race was set for January, one of the few times of the year in Limestone County when the scenic Rails-to-Trails and surrounding community wasn't sweltering in the heat and humidity.   The race garnered runners from all over the Southeast and beyond -- including one very unlikely, unregistered but not unloved four-legged haphazard participant, Ludivine.

Ludivine, a 2 and a half year old Bloodhound with roots to a serious tracking hound Otis of the Limestone Correctional Facility, happened to make her way to downtown Elkmont the day of the race.  Not an unusual feat, she was a wanderer who was known to locals for her friendliness.  An Alabama resident, Tim Horvath, was quoted by a UK Telegraph article recounting the day, "I saw her for the first time in the parking lot before the race... She came bouncing up and I petted her on the head.  I saw her collar, so I just figured she was somebody's dog.  Elkmont is a small town where everyone knows everybody, so it didn't strike me as unusual."

​Ludivine settled into the pack of runners at the starting line in downtown Elkmont and again no one seemed to bat an eye at this unlikely pup among them.   The young canine seemed to choose her bestow-er of her earlier head pats, Tim Horvath, as her race "partner".    When starting pistol fired, Ludivine set off on her adventure of the day at the head of the pack.  She set her pace but her dedication to stay on route was another matter, after all she's a dog bred for a nose to seek things out.

A fellow racer was quoted by Runner's World, "Every time I thought she had dropped off to go back home, I would hear her coming back up to me, and she would race past me up to the two leaders."   Clements who finished in fourth place overall with a time of 1:23:15 continued, "She would romp through streams and into yards to sniff around for a while."

Horvath recounted to Runner's World his adventure with the young canine as well, explaining she peeled off at mile 2 of the race when her nose took her to investigate a dead rabbit and he finally caught up with her.  It was at that point that she made her move to stay within 50 meters of Horvath but kept being struck by wanderlust to venture on and off the race route.  He recalled one adventure , "One time she went over and met another dog next to the course... Later on, she went into a field with mules and cows.  Then she'd come back and run around our legs.  I wondered if she was going to get tired or go back to wherever her home was."

Ludivine finished seventh out of 165 official runners with a time of 1:32:56 to the amazement of awestruck volunteers.  Even though she hadn't registered, the organizers gave her a participation medal and she was snapped by the race's photographer crossing the line.  The Charlotte Observers lead-in captured what to was to fascinate runners, media outlets, and public for time to come, "The top female finisher at the Trackless Train Trek half-marathon in Elkmont was the smallest, lightest runner in the entire race, but she did have one major advantage.   She had four legs."

In an interview with CNN, her owner April Hamlin explained, "Apparently she went to the race start and took off with the runners at the starting shot.  She stayed with a few of the front runners, ran off to sniff some animal carcasses, romp in the water, and then back to the race.  I understand she stayed on the course for 13.1 miles, finished seventh, and was the highest placed female."

Ludivine, often with owner April Hamlin, became the center of attention with headlines not only in the United State but also in Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom and countless domains around the internet.  There were even a variety of television appearance for the pair spreading the pup's unlikely tale of inspiration.   Hamlin explained on numerous occasions that Ludivine doesn't train with anyone - she herself isn't a runner, "She's laid-back and friendly, so I can't believe she ran the whole half-marathon because she's actually really lazy."

With all the headline coverage and an unlikely ambassador of good, the inaugural Trackless Train Trek was rechristened the Elkmont Hound Dog Half-Marathon.  It's continued to be organized by the Elkmont Cross-Country and Track teams boosters and students as a fundraiser for both programs and equipment needs at Elkmont High School and Ardmore High School.   Ludivine has made a few supervised visits to runners at the start of the race but hasn't made any efforts to beat her time.  However, there are some rumors abound that the young pup may be in training to run with the pack again.

A sampling of what you'll find in downtown Elkmont:  

• Belle Chevre fromagerie and cheese tasting shop is available for dining, shopping, and tours.  
• Richard Martin Rails-to-Trails is a natural trail that passes through the rolling hills, farmland, Civil War battle site, and features a covered bridge.  It is open to horse, cyclist and walker.   It passes through the heart of Elkmont.
• Shops and antiques are open for perusing and purchasing that special find.
• The Red Caboose Cafe is open for lunch and dinner near the trail.
• Elkmont Lions Club Smokin' Railroad Street Backyard BBQ Cookoff in June - a Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned event and Alabama Barbecue Trail event
• Elkmont Marching Band Car Show in August
• Elkmont Historic Saturday Walks each Saturday in April at the Depot starting at 10:00AM
• Elkmont Lions Club Christmas Parade in December
• Elkmont Lions Club Dove Shoot
• Friendly people who might just ask you "Come, sit a spell"

​ATHENS, Ala. – In 1966, barges began landing on the same muddy Tennessee River bank in Limestone County where natives once fished and where a man named Brown once ferried passengers across the river, to unload supplies to build what at that time would be the world’s largest nuclear power plant, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant.

Photos from the Limestone County Archives collection of that building process from...

... 1966 to 1972, along with mentions of the river in Limestone County’s historic records, complement “The Tennessee River and Northwest Alabama” traveling exhibit on display now through Jan. 18, 2019, in the Limestone County Archives exhibits space.

“It is fascinating to see the impact that the river has always had on life in Limestone County, and how the use and the role of the river has changed over time,” said Limestone County Archivist Rebekah Davis.

“This exhibit makes a great use of historic photos and information to highlight these changes, and we are delighted to host it at the Limestone County Archives.”

The exhibit and companion book track the history of the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama from the earliest people who lived in the area through European settlement, the Civil War, Muscle Shoals nitrate facilities, TVA, and to the present. The exhibit is sponsored by Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area (MSNHA), the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the National Park Service, and the University of North Alabama.

Authored by Carolyn Barske Crawford, MSNHA director, and Brian Murphy, curator at the Florence Indian Mound Museum, the book, “The Tennessee River and Northwest Alabama,” is available for purchase at the Limestone County Archives while the exhibit is on display. Copies are $24 each, and
proceeds benefit the MSNHA.

November 17, 2018 is a grand day for the City of Athens Alabama as the community marks 200 years of history, heritage, tradition, people, and places. 

Being the second oldest town (November 19, 1818), just one day behind the Town of Mooresville (November 18, 1818) and over a full year before Alabama (December 14, 1819) was granted existence as a statehood, Athens' celebration is burgeoning with civic pride and plans.

A full array of bicentennial events are planned ...

... in coordination with the Christmas Open House (details here) held annually the weekend before Thanksgiving.   Not only will there be a variety of Christmas activities and merchant specials on the Square, but also a chance for everyone to join the celebration of Athens' and the State of Alabama's Bicentennial -- even abroad in the the town's sister-city, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

For those looking to participate locally, below are some highlighted events for the Bash...

Schedule of Events for Bicentennial Events

10 a.m. - Athens High School Historic Scavenger Hunt; meet at the mural on corner of Market and Marion Street.

​10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Athens Quilt Celebration display at Presbyterian Church on Jefferson (more details below)

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Houston Memorial Library Open House

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Enter Trivia Contest for the Dealers Auto Auction Car; the first 200 who register will receive bicentennial shopping totes sponsored by WOW! (more details below)

12 p.m. - Kick off ceremonies with Scouts and Athens High School Marching Band and the National Anthem by Johana Slinkard and remarks by Mayor Marks. Band will then play Happy Birthday.

1 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Donnell House Festival of Trees ($5 fee)

1:30 p.m. - Best Beard for Men and Best Hat for Ladies  Awards

2 p.m. - Trade Day photo (more details below)

3 p.m. - Trivia Contest for Dealers Auto Auction Car

3-5 p.m. - Art As Our Narrative bicentennial exhibit reception at High Cotton Arts

Athens Main Street Trivia Contest for Car Giveaway – This year marks the 32nd year of the Athens Christmas Open House.  Each year, Christmas Open House kicks off the holiday shopping season. In addition to traditional Christmas Open House activities, there will be a number of Bicentennial celebrations also taking place during the weekend.  Athens turns 200 years old!  One such activity will be the recreation of the historic Trade Day photo from the 1900’s. The large crowd captured in this photo was assembled for a car give-a-way.  On Saturday at 2pm, a photographer will take a photo of the crowd on Marion Street to recreate this historic photo.   With the help of a generous donation from Dealers Auto Auction of a gently used Kia Rio to be given away by Athens Main Street, the crowd promises to rival the historic photo! 
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For a donation of $5/1 ticket or $10/3 tickets to Athens Main Street, adults age 19 and older will be entered for a chance to participate in the Bicentennial Trivia Contest. The trivia contest will take place on Saturday at 3pm at the Courthouse Steps (Marion Street).  Five tickets will be drawn to participate in the trivia contest.  The winner of the trivia contest wins the car.  Donation tickets can be purchased at Athens State University Center for Lifelong Learning Friday evening, November 16th from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Saturday morning November 17th from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. of Christmas Open House.  ​

As the State of Alabama, City of Athens, Town of Mooresville and Limestone County mark their 200th Anniversary of establishment, they are joined by the Athens First United Methodist which will be celebrating 200 years of service to the community on...

... August 25th during the annual Ardmore Crape Myrtle Festival.

Students, staff and administration both past and present, alumni, and the public are invited to grand event celebrating the history of the school and students starting at 2:00PM.   Festivities kick off at 2:30PM in the school library with 1972 Alumna and former teacher, Mrs. Tressie McLemore serving as the Mistress of Ceremony.   Light refreshments courtesy of First National Bank, the school's sponsor, will be available as well.

Displays of yearbooks will be available to peruse through.  A school tour will highlight the recent addition and upgrades made to the school will be available to the public and Ardmore High School families.

Nestled into Ardmore Avenue is a cornerstone of the Ardmore Alabama/Tennessee fabric, Jones Drug Company. They are preparing to celebrate 100 years of business on ...

... August 18th from 10:00AM-2:00PM and the community is invited to join them for the festivities from door prizes, raffle, free hot dogs and hamburgers while they last and more.

Having past through the hands of four different families during the past 100 years, the friendly faces behind the counters are often recalled by locals.  Founded by Dr. B.H. Woodard as Ardmore Drugs, the pharmacy took its present moniker in 1925 when Thoran Jones, President of the Bank of Ardmore and owner of iconic Ardmore Cheese Plant.  Mr. Jones and his wife Merle added a soda fountain, making it a prime destination for local and traveler alike as U.S. Highway 31 snaked its way through Ardmore ferrying cars and buses to the Gulf.

Jones Pharmacy passed to Doug Maund with partner, Nick Holland in 1967.  Locals might remember the 40th Anniversary celebration of Nick Holland held August of 2008 at the Community Room where Nick was honored for his work and community contributions.  Maund and Holland were joined in 1996 by Billy Holt who interned at the smalltown pharmacy and later purchased Holland's shares of the store to become a partner.  

But Jones Drug Company's legacy isn't just about the owners but the community as well.  Many patrons have been visiting and filling prescriptions for generations.  As needs and technology have changed, so has Jones Drug Company - adding medical equipment rentals, removing the old soda fountain, and keeping items on hand that many chain stores wouldn't.  That's why the community is welcome to join the festivities in the vacant parking lot adjacent to the pharmacy - share memories and have a little fun on August 18th.