A written history devoted almost exclusively to Clarke County Alabama and its people. Quoting from books published before this (1923) and recording his own personal accounts, the author, a resident of Clarke County since 1875, gives his personal observation of Clarke County places and events.In the introduction, the author states, " This book will doubtless be read with much interest by the present generation living in Clarke, as well as by the generations to follow. If it should be preserved and handed down through the coming years, it may, in the far distant future, fall under the eye of some descendent of some Clarke countian and enable him or her to look back through the avenue of time and get a mental picture of Clarke County in the nineteenth and twentieh centuries."
In 1897, an aspiring politician is mysteriously murdered in the rural area of Alabama known as Mitcham Beat. His outraged friends -- —mostly poor cotton farmers -- form a secret society, Hell-at-the-Breech, to punish the townspeople they believe responsible. The hooded members wage a bloody year-long campaign of terror that culminates in a massacre where the innocent suffer alongside the guilty. Caught in the maelstrom of the Mitcham war are four people: the aging sheriff sympathetic to both sides; the widowed midwife who delivered nearly every member of Hell-at-the-Breech; a ruthless detective who wages his own war against the gang; and a young store clerk who harbors a terrible secret. Based on incidents that occurred a few miles from the author's childhood home, Hell at the Breech chronicles the events of dark days that led the people involved to discover their capacity for good, evil, or for both.
Forget "Gone With the Wind". This is the real South. An authentic story, honest but compassionate, giving voice to those we seldom hear. This is also one generation's moving tribute to another.
Excerpt from A Glance Into the Great South-East, Or, Clarke County, Alabama: And Its Surroundings, From 1540 to 1877 HE state of Alabama is nearly as large as that part of the island of Great Britain called England. The area of England, according to some authorities, is fifty thousand nine hundred and twenty-two square miles. The area of Alabama is fifty thousand seven hundred and twenty-two square miles. The homes of Merry England are known throughout the English speaking world. The homes of Alabama, smooth and harmonious as is the name, have not perhaps attained the same wide-spread celebrity. Among the sixty-six counties into which at present this state of Alabama is divided, the county of Clarke is by no means the most fertile, nor the one most abounding in mineral resources; nor is it needful to claim for it the most wealth and culture. But it is, as to its area, one of the largest in the state, it has a pecul iar locality, and its history is very attractive. Indeed, Clarke county, with its surroundings, the region which, on the following pages, will be not only introduced to the reader, but spread out in some of its details, if not the most beautiful in the state is certainly in some parts grand and in others picturesque; and if not the most productive in respect to material resources, it con tains the localities of the oldest known American settle ments in the state, the localities of some of our most noted historic events, and of other events of a tragic and of a romantic interest. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Once the center of agricultural prosperity in Alabama, the rich soil of the Black Belt still features beautiful homes that stand as a testimony to the regions proud heritage. Join author Jennifer Hale as she explores the history of seventeen of the finest plantation homes in Alabamas Black Belt. This book chronicles the original owners and slaves of the homes, and traces their descendants who continued to call these plantations home throughout the past two centuries. Discover why the families of an Indian chief and a chief justice feuded for over a century about the land on which Belvoir stands. Follow Gaineswoods progress as it grew from a humble log cabin into an opulent mansion. Learn how the original builder and subsequent owners of the Kirkwood Mansion are linked together by a legacy of exceptional and dedicated reservation. Historic Plantations of Alabamas Black Belt recounts the elegant past and hopeful future of a well-loved region of the South.
Describes the society and the institutions that went down during the Civil War and Reconstruction and the internal conditions of Alabama during the war. Emphasizes the social and economic problems in the general situation, as well as the educational, religious, and industrial aspects of the period.
