Colony, Alabama: The Story of an African American Settlement

[00:00:04]I'm the exhibits curator here at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Here to welcome you to this month's food for thought. Before I introduce our speaker, I do have a couple of announcements. So, on Wednesday, July 8th at 5:00 p.m., there will be a rededication ceremony for Alabama's copy of the Liberty Bell on the south lawn of the capital. And next month on Thursday, July 16th at noon, we're going to have another food for thought featuring Sophie Law and her presentation, we are all co-equal heirs, Milo B. Howard Jr. and the 1976 US bsentennial in Alabama. And last but not least, our foodforthought program is sponsored by the friends of the Alabama archives.

[00:00:42]So on to today's speaker. Uh Ethel L.

[00:00:44]Alexander serves as councilwoman for the town of Colony and as past president of the Birmingham African-American Genealological Group, Incorporated.

[00:00:52]She's a representative for the Black Heritage Council and a historian, author, genealogologist, and creative writer. She's a retired special education teacher who holds a master of education from Alabama&M University as well as a bachelor of technical studies from Alabama&M University as well. Uh she also holds a certification in African-American studies from the University of Alabama and Birmingham.

[00:01:14]So, please join me in welcoming Miss Alexander.

[00:01:22]Thank you. Thank you. Um I guess I'm on.

[00:01:26]Yeah, I can hear myself. I'm new at this with all this stuff here. But I'm glad to be here and um I just want to thank um the historical commission here that uh invited me here. And I'm glad to be here to uh represent my town of Colony.

[00:01:47]And so I'll begin. Um the question I want to ask, has anyone heard of the colony? If you have, raise your hand.

[00:01:59]Okay. I know one person has cuz he knows me.

[00:02:03]Okay. So, we're going to be talking about uh the town of Colony.

[00:02:10]And because uh you see that every time you you go up n uh 65 going north or coming south, you see the name colony on a sign, but you probably don't know what it means. So I'll begin.

[00:02:31]Okay. Humble beginnings.

[00:02:34]What is colony? Where is colony? When was it founded? Why was it founded and how did it survive?

[00:02:44]And this lady in this picture is she's um her name is Miss Cosby and she this was a watercolor of her but this lady did exist for real.

[00:03:01]To understand the history of the colony colony and how it was developed, we must first look at this area known as Aradadelphia, Blank County, Alabama.

[00:03:13]Blank County was one once part of the territory belonging to the Creek Indians. After the Creek Indian War, this land was succeeded to the succeeded to the territories.

[00:03:26]Blunt County was formed about 1818.

[00:03:30]the largest county in the north Alabama.

[00:03:33]Most of this county was settled by settlers from Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.

[00:03:45]Early Blunt County census records in 1818, there were 427 white people and 400 and 47 black people. In 1820, there were 2,340 white people and 134 black people. In 1860, there were 4,000 white people and 645 black people. As the white population increased, so did the black population.

[00:04:19]Slavery, as we know, was abol abolished after the civil war. The emancipation pro emancipation proclam proclamation was signed by President Lincoln on January 1st 1863.

[00:04:35]No, at this time Coleman uh didn't exist but Coleman so it has it was tell you that they didn't have any slaves slave or slavery there because it was formed in 1877 after the emancipation.

[00:04:55]The Civil War began April 12th, 1861.

[00:04:59]The Emancipation Proclamation was signed January 1st, 1865.

[00:05:05]It actually was signed 186 um three. The Civil War ended after General Robert E.

[00:05:12]Lee surrendered on April 9th, 1865.

[00:05:16]The newly freed slaves begins begins a long journey to freedom. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery. The 14th amendment gives citizenship to all persons born in the United States. And the 15th amendment to the United to the United States Constitution gave all citizens the right to vote.

[00:05:45]Free slaves of Blunt, Walker, and Winston.

[00:05:49]After the war, many slaves rem remained where they were and many migrated to other areas to find lost, sold, and stolen relatives.

[00:06:00]Many of these slaves from Blunt, Walker, and Winston, and other parts of the counties in Alabama now can be found in the southwestern part of Coleman County.

[00:06:13]The newly freed ex-slaves were freed without compensation, education, respect, and their place as citizens.

[00:06:24]Ex-slaves were exploited because of the previous conditions of their race, their color, the lack of education, and their human rights.

[00:06:35]Archadadelphia.

[00:06:37]Archadadelphia now located in the lower parts of the southern western part of Coleman County. Formed in 1822 from Blunt, Winston and Walker County.

[00:06:50]Many of the early enslaved persons of the colony can be found living in early census records and I have here 1870 in 1860 of Aradadelphia, Blunt County, Winston and Walker County. Note the settlement of colony begins to form around 1880.

[00:07:16]In 1877, Coleman advertised uh in their township as home of the whites, free of black people. It was deemed necessary and profitable to keep it that way. Coleman County was considered a sundown county, a town where black people were not allowed after dark. This settlement and attitude reflect reflected the attitude attitude of the white people of the time.

[00:07:46]Black residents in the county were allowed in town only for businesses and work during the day. The courthouse was a dropping off and picking up point for maids and others who worked in the city.

[00:08:01]This arrangement lasted well into the 20th century.

[00:08:06]And a lot of uh people that are my age and um and older remember well I haven't seen this sign but this is where I got this from where African-Americans would travel up north and they were they would not stop in Coleman nowhere because of this sign that uh would be there and uh so even as of today it's very uh difficult uh when I tell people that I'm from Coleman. They said, "Is that sign still there?" But it no longer exists.

[00:08:42]Um the sign says, "Nro, don't let the sun go down on you in this town." And the sign uh did did exist. Uh this article was taken from a 1904 Coleman Democrat newspaper. And uh because I research a lot, I ran across this um this article. It says long after dark Colony Township the it's located in township 13 south and range 13 west. The short history of Colony Alabama. Colony as a settlement did not appear in early census.

[00:09:29]In 1981, the town became a municipality and wanted to keep the name colony because of its early historic significance.

[00:09:39]In early census 1880, 1890 and 1900, this area was known and considered Archadadelphia in both Blunt and Walker County. But in 1910 the name Archadadelphia was dropped and the area known as Colony becomes enumerated district number six. And by 1920 the census records uh reflect becomes known as colored colony and you can see this written on the 19 uh 20 census.

[00:10:17]Oh, and also to your let me see this map here is um a map of a part of um where the colony would be um would be shown and I can't see it as as well as I would like but it's not far from Aradadelphia. Now, here's Cole Springs.

[00:10:46]It's further down.

[00:10:49]It's about in this area.

[00:10:52]It's about in that area. But anyway, um Cole Springs, Archadadelphia, those were towns close to one another.

[00:11:06]colony in 1877 some 20 years 22 years after emancipation war and the ending of slavery county is founded county was formed from Blunt Walker and Winston counties within the past and present day history Coleman Blunt and Walker counties can be accredited for the birth of this thriving beautiful settlement town known as the town of colony County. For many years, this area was part of the present day Archadadelphia.

[00:11:42]Once a part of Walker count, Walker and Blunt County in 1901, it is incorporated incorporated into Coleman County, a sundown county. Sometimes around the 1880, the first known ex-slaves from Walker County and Blunt County began to appear in the settlements living alongside a white settlers. So that the map that I just showed you um colleague begins to um expand and develop. But when you look at these uh three census records, you will notice that there were Africanameans and white Americans living alongside one another.

[00:12:38]From 1910 to 1920, this area becomes a predominantly black settlement and a safe haven for many African-Ameans. From this surrounding count, from the surrounding counties around 1910, the settlement becomes known as colored colony community. The census 1910 in the 1910 census. The name aradia drops off I think I read that I read it again.

[00:13:09]Drops off the census record and becomes district 6 township 13 south and range three west. It is no longer considered Aradadelphia, Coleman County, Alabama.

[00:13:22]This area colored colony becomes a designated settlement for African-Americans.

[00:13:30]And legend has it that many African-Americans living in the county were forced to move to move to this area. Many descendants recall the reasons why white people gave them this rocky clay dirt area was they felt ex-slaves will not survive. Little did they know these newly freed slaves would be able to carve out a production and and industrious community which exists today. When townships when the township leadership applied for its charter, they wanted the words colored slash and we know what that nword means colony not to be used and just keep the name colony. So in 1981 it was incorporated as the town of colony.

[00:14:29]A beautiful small town located in the southwest corner of Coleman County, surrounded by beautiful Prospect Mountains to the north and the Malberry Fort um of the Royal River to the south.

[00:14:42]Known for its many springs that supplied a wealth of fresh water throughout the town. Its rich rocky clay soil produce abundance of cotton, corn, peas, beans, butter beans, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, pears, apple, and apple orchards.

[00:15:03]Many varieties of greens such as turnipss, poke salad. Who knows what poke salad is?

[00:15:10]Can you cook it?

[00:15:13]Okay. collards, mustards, wild onions, tomatoes and peppers. Herbs which provided seasoning and mis municipal remedies, hunting bird, squirrel, wild game, rabbits, possums and beer and and deer. All of this stuff the people ate there. So, you know, they were able to survive anything.

[00:15:39]The colony, a beautiful small community.

[00:15:41]Most of the men of the community were farmers and coal miners. Most of the women were housewives or domestic workers, teachers, and midwives who supply their talent and ability throughout Coleman communities.

[00:16:00]And these two tractors, uh, the one on the bottom, this one right here, belonged to my neighbor across the street. he passed away. So his sons uh they came and got his tractor and I was able to take this picture with his grandson. His his name was Mr. Flanigan and he was one of the last farmers, watermelon farmers they had in the colony. He planted like 40 to 60 acres of watermelons right there in the colony.

[00:16:36]And then this here is Mr. ward and he's also a farmer and uh he he's the last of the last of the farmers and he goes around uh if you want a uh plot dug up or plowed he's able to do all of that.

[00:16:58]Oh, Town of Colony Mayors Wer.

[00:17:05]We know that the town started in 1981 and the Reverend John Pieroy um was the first mayor and um he uh talks about when he became mayor in 1981, the roads in the colony were were dirt roads. they were they were behind the times uh down there. And so uh he talks about that uh before he has passed away. And I enjoy listening to him and his stories.

[00:17:42]In 1981, Elvin Ward in 1991. The brother of Elvin uh Ward was Vernon Ward. In 1992, Carl Fields in 2000, Erlene Johnson. 2008, Morris Fitz.

[00:18:00]2012 was Vernon Fields. In 2016, Donis Lee, 2020, Curtis Johnson. And our present mayor is Jasmine Cole.

[00:18:16]This is a picture of Colony's first city council. And I have a picture here of Mayor uh Alvin Ward and his brother uh Mayor Mayor Vernon Ward. They were uh some of the what two men that actually had insight to do a lot of things uh for the colony like um wanting to uh help the colony become a town and uh it was a big controversy but they uh they managed to see that come into flouration.

[00:18:57]Archadadelphia and Colony churches. The colony presently has four churches. The earliest known church was deed by Charles Drenin in 1879 to a Barney Miller to a Barney Elliot, Jonathan Fields, and Jonathan Johnson.

[00:19:16]Uh they were three African-American trustees of the Baptist Church located in Archadadelphia Township 13 Range 4 West section 21. It consisted of 2 acres. The legend has it that around 1880 this church was traded for a church in a settlement known as the colony.

[00:19:41]And um this here is the deed that uh Mr. Drenin and his wife signed over to um the three trust trust trustees and um I don't know if you all remember the Drenin family that owned a car dealership in Birmingham. Anyone heard of the uh well this is the same Jan Drrenin family and their father this he um Charles Drenin's father uh was Walter Drenin and uh he was also a slave um holder but also uh his son Charles became a doctor and um so they weren't coming back to Hville to Ardelia they moved on up to Birmingham to the city.

[00:20:41]Fairview Missionary Baptist Church as it started about 1867.

[00:20:47]Fairview Missionary Baptist Church, the oldest documented church in the community. In 1879, Dr. Charles Drenin deeded a Baptist church located in Ardel to the trustees Jonathan Fields.

[00:21:02]Jonathan Jonathan Johnson and Barney Elliott. In 1893, Mr. Bailey was the pastor of Fairview Missionary Baptist Church located in Colony. In 1952, a storm d a storm destroyed the church. In 1953, the church was rebuilt and the pastor was Reverend T.J. King. And I won't read all the officers, but uh they had a nicesized church. In 1973, a new church was erected, and the pastor of that time was Reverend C. Gaudy and uh Reverend E. Ernest Le, uh assistant pastor.

[00:21:50]And in 1991, um Reverend G. Uh GM Wilson Williams was the pastor.

[00:22:02]And I want to say that uh this is the Baptist church now that that's in the colony, but this was the white church, the little church that Mr. Drenin um donated to the three trust trustees.

[00:22:20]And um it's still there, but it does not function as a church now.

[00:22:27]And this here is the cornerstone that's on the on the church now that has given me some of this information that I have here. And this um lady here is a granddaughter or I'm sorry the daughter of Mr. um OB Porter. And so she's giving me some of the history of the church.

[00:22:53]Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church sits on 2 acres of land which was donated by Nancy Boyd around 1880.

[00:23:04]Nancy Boyd was an ex-slave from Walker County. Also, the church history lists Dr. Charles Drenin as a contributor to the church.

[00:23:16]the first church of God colony, a beautiful red brick building located in the center of the town square founded by Mary Elizabeth Malcolm. And that's her picture right there.

[00:23:34]And the last church is first Pentecostal Church established in 1971.

[00:23:41]The founder was Elder Chester Leaf and he was the greatgrandson of Kizzy Montgomery Leaf in that slave who was a well-known midwife in the community and we'll talk a little bit more about her.

[00:23:58]The Colony Community Cemetery.

[00:24:01]Colony Community Cemetery. The oldest African-American documented cemetery in Coleman County. The earliest graves date back to the early 1880s.

[00:24:15]Colony Community Cemetery marker was purchased February 2023.

[00:24:20]The white citizens of Coleman and Miss Pat Plucket Star who was raised by Miss Hattie Foster, a maid in the colony. She donated a large sum of money to purchase this beautiful black heritage marker.

[00:24:35]She donated in the memory of Hattie and Robert Foster.

[00:24:42]And to your right here, I'm sorry.

[00:24:48]This thing here, this certification is certified that the Colony Community Cemetery was certified on the Alabama Historical Cemetery Register as the first African-American cemetery in Coleman County on April the 21st, 2021.

[00:25:09]And I just want to read um a letter that Miss Star uh sent me uh mailed to me a few years ago. And she says that Miss Hattie Foster was employed by her parents, Dr. E. G and Mar Martha Plum Plucket of Hansville before she was born in January 1951. She said she was born and Haddie was there to take care of her because her parents needed someone to um help uh while while her mother worked with the father. And then she goes on to say, I won't read the whole thing, but she said, "We lost Miss Hadtie at the age of 101. She was always such a strong person, strong in faith, strong in ethics, and strong in her love for her family.

[00:26:15]Our Lord received a special jewel when that she entered into heaven. And I am sure she is singing and laughing with her family and hers.

[00:26:29]And then she goes on to say, "There is no way I could ever repay Miss Foster and her husband, Mr. Robert, for all the love and years that they have given her." And I just wanted to say that in um in reference to Miss Star because she was very supportive with uh helping us raise the money for this particular marker.

[00:27:01]Colony School. Colony School. A Rosenwall School built in 1925.

[00:27:08]It no longer exists. It was in operation for nearly 40 years before integration in 1965.

[00:27:16]The Colony Community Center sits in its place. Colony school system can be documented as far back as 1918.

[00:27:26]And the reason why I know that is because um as I do research and looking through all kinds of files and drawers, I found um a teachers roster of 1918 and they speak of Miss Ora Griffin, Irene Hall, Bessie Field, and Winnie Griffith.

[00:27:56]Colony Educational Building. In 1996, Colony constructed a multi-purpose education building. The Colony Education Complex had a Head Start program, a daycare, nursery, adult education program, afterchool care program, a wait room, game room, and Wi-Fi access.

[00:28:20]These programs don't exist right today because the town has um has uh lost a lot of people and it's mostly senior citizens like myself that live there. So we don't do some of that some of the stuff wait room and that sort of thing but it's there and it can be accessed when our town comes back. Colony um Colony Corrayola kids a daycare once held inside the colony complex for several years. The town be the town Beville branch library is housed in this complex. So the the library still exists here but that's about all that is functioning out of this beautiful beautiful building.

[00:29:14]activities at the education complex. Uh we had black we have black history programs. We have um we have um hosted uh the nuns from um Coleman County. Uh they've come down to visit and also help with our summer programs. Um this lady here.

[00:29:39]Okay.

[00:29:45]Okay. Now, let me try it again. This lady right here, Miss Pat Pondish, she's no she's no longer with us, but she was our town clerk. And um she helped do a lot of programming for our town.

[00:30:04]And one of the major things that she was known to do that that I admire her so much about was that she would uh get old wedding dresses because of the velvet and lace and make newborn babies um dresses and um the things that they they would put on them. Say if a baby had passed away, she would make their out, you know, a burial outfit. So these are some of the burial outfits that she made right there. But she made some beautiful ones. And um so the activities at the comp education complex uh range from um food bank we've had um different types of programs COVID programs when CO was in play. So there was a lot of activities going on in education complex.

[00:31:05]Colony Community Center.

[00:31:08]Colony Community Center built in 1978.

[00:31:12]Located on Colony Circle where the old Rosenwall School once stood. It has a full basketball court, kitchen, two classrooms, and two bathrooms.

[00:31:23]Then the Vivian B. Allen Park which is behind the complex I mean behind the C uh center um has a it was founded in 1978. It has a beautiful playground, a lighted ballpark with a concession stand, bathrooms, two pavilions, a water park and a walking trail. So our town is really ready for some action. We just got to get the people there. And uh so it's I I uh I always say it's a hidden secret. You would never know what's up there. But uh this is um the community center Colony Volunteer Fire Department. This is our our uh fire department. these three doors. Uh this building right here and this is one of our um fire trucks and uh the children in front of it are summer camp from 2018.

[00:32:34]And we have a we have a couple of pretty uh fire trucks, but the one that I like I wish I had a picture of it. It's the old fire truck they had when they first started.

[00:32:52]This is Mount Pinson Masonic Hall. It still exists. It's in the trees a little bit, but it's a uh it's it's the oldest building in town. And um upstairs the the Masons would have meetings, but downstairs it was a merchant tile store where you come in and buy things, you know, goods.

[00:33:16]But here I have a a list of men that um that did things, you know, as Colony began to develop. Colony had a cotton gin ran by Mr. Reed Buyers, Steam Mill, Goods Mill, and Sawm Mill ran by Lee Reed and JP Ward. The Boyd store ran by the family Boyd family. We had George Wilson, he had hered cattle to Tuscaloosa.

[00:33:46]Uh John Pieroy, the first mayor, he had a um optical building uh business. He made glasses. He was well known throughout co uh Coleman.

[00:33:59]Um the name of the merchant style store down in the lower part of the uh Mason Hall was M fields. Uh the community had many farmers. We had two or three midwives, maids, lawyers, doctors, and military people.

[00:34:20]uh this little town that was founded by uh ex-slaves well uh produced farmers, midwives maids. But I like that part when they say lawyers, doctors, and military people. And my neighbor uh that lives next to me has a son that's a lawyer.

[00:34:48]Colony Senior Citizen Center Colony Senior S Center Citizen Center opens its doors on February 21st, 1978.

[00:35:00]The first board of directors consisted of Mr. Elvin Ward, Vernon Ward, and a lady by the name of Laa Demoria. The center provides nutrition service activities for eligible citizens 60 years or older. The center was has a kitchen, two restrooms, and large dining room. Several activities are held during the week such as bingo, computer games, thread mill, and TV. The senior women enjoy quilting, cro croetting cro I can't say that. knitting, sewing, making jewelry, and putting together 51,000 piece puzzles.

[00:35:48]below uh Miss Parish, this lady right here, uh she is uh the first African-American colony senior center site manager and she comes from the Johnson earlier when we talked about um Jonathan Johnson. She's coming. She's a descendant from him.

[00:36:20]This picture here is picture of the early residents that uh that would come uh to the center. And you can see it's a mixture of black and white.

[00:36:37]And this here is our bingo lady. That's Mrs. um minute. She uh we have bingo once a month. And uh this is Miss Harris. She's um a um quilter. And some of the quilts she makes are just gorgeous.

[00:36:58]And this picture here is just some of the senior people that was was there that day. And this is also Miss Cat. She is a um knitter. She really knits very very well. And I'm thinking this is a colors.

[00:37:17]Is it Is that Arvin? Orange. Orange. And is it orange and what?

[00:37:24]>> Blue. That's right. Okay. You know, I'm not into the football stuff, but yeah, that's it.

[00:37:35]Okay. Colony celebrities.

[00:37:37]Uh, we have Miss Senior Coleman 2017, Miss Linda Bradford, we have Miss Senior Coleman 2015, Miss Barbara Moody, and then we have our famous Mr. James Phil.

[00:37:51]He ran for governor in 2018. Anybody here remember that?

[00:37:57]Yeah. Okay. Well, he lives up there, too. And his parents and his his uh lineage goes way back. So, uh, he's a very nice man. And then we have Candy Stton. She's a renowned gospel and R&B singer. Have anybody heard of her? Okay.

[00:38:16]One thing I don't know if it's in the water, but every person I know that's from the colony can really sing. I mean, really say no. Don't have any instruments or anything.

[00:38:31]Collie early midwife.

[00:38:33]This is Miss Kzie Leaf, the daughter of Enoch Montgomery. Born in slavery, died in freedom. She was well known as a midwife and early colony resident, traveled in a mule uh driven wagon to deliver babies. Uh legend has it that she delivered over 400 black and white babies throughout the Coleman County.

[00:38:57]And I want to I tell this story. Uh this was about 10 years ago. Uh we had um a white lady I had met, an older lady. She was about in her late 80s and she said, "Oh, uh you know, Miss Kenzie Leaf um um delivered me." And I said, "Wow." You know, so what we did one night, we had a some kind of a program uh going on. And I I don't know if it was black history or what, but she we invited her to come and we made up her own birth certificate and stamped it and gave her her own uh birth certificate from the colony Alabama with her birth date and Miss Kenzie Leaf's name on it and she was so proud of that.

[00:39:52]These are col colony veterans. It's just a few pictures that I put there, but we go they go back as far as World War I and they've been in every war since.

[00:40:06]And um so uh we represented our country very well.

[00:40:14]These are fashion women of the colony. I like looking at um w older women or back in the day I we should say and the way they dressed. I love the way they dressed, you know, the hats and uh the scarves and everything.

[00:40:35]It's something that we're missing nowadays.

[00:40:38]But the women used to really dress going to church and going to town.

[00:40:44]Couples of the colony.

[00:40:46]These are some of the colony. Uh some of them are older pictures and some of them are are um well most of these are the older pictures that I have. But um we had plenty couples that um that were in the colony, men of the colony, women of the colony. And this is just at one time colony had about 500 people living there and I think now we only have about 190 maybe if that and most of them are old people.

[00:41:29]Alabama 200 bicesentennial colony murals and those are the murals you seen seen when you came in. How you've seen those?

[00:41:38]Well, we became we got second place a bronze plaque from the Alabama bsentennial committee during the bsentennial events that they were having and um I was the one that designed them and submitted it and became I got Alabama second place.

[00:42:07]Conclusion.

[00:42:08]The colony a you a unique place located in the southeast corner of Coleman County surrounded by the prospect mountains to the west and Malbury River to the south. In 1901 our Philadelphia colony Blunt County became part of Coleman.

[00:42:28]Coleman County, Alabama no longer a sundown town. In 2020, it held a march protesting the murder of George Floyd.

[00:42:37]How many remember that murder that happened? We seen it on TV cuz I was screaming and hollering.

[00:42:43]But anyway, uh from a sundown town place to having a march for George for for uh Floyd. This just shows you the difference of how time changes and people uh change. And so it it was really a nice uh event. It wasn't but a handful of folks, but at least we were able to do that. Colony's unique history had many twists and turns. Against all odds, Colony survive and thrives to become a beautiful place to live. A beautiful place where both black and white citizens of the colony and Coleman lived together in peace.

[00:43:31]And I just want to say, will you see this sign?

[00:43:36]That sign right there. I know everybody's seen that sign. How many have seen it? Yeah, I know you have.

[00:43:43]Okay. Going north or south, Hasper and Colony. Uh, exit 291.

[00:43:51]You found out that what is colony, where is Colony, when was it found, why was it founded, and how did it survive? Now you know. Thank you.

[00:44:06]>> Thank you so much for that wonderful presentation. We have time for questions. So if you have a question, I can bring the microphone to you. And if you're online, please uh your um question in the comments or read it out.

[00:44:26]Now, of course, I understand that Colony is a black community itself. Were there specific areas within the community that were known by particular names like the quarters or the bottoms or I know there was a I was looking at a map that there's a black bottom.

[00:44:44]>> Yes.

[00:44:45]>> Near colony. I was just wondering were there >> surrounding little black >> Yes. Okay. What he's saying is uh when you look at the history of of this area, Archadadelphia, Blunt County, it uh it was once Winston, well, not Winston, but it was once Walker Blunt and Coleman.

[00:45:09]Well, there are certain areas they call certain names like that was Black Bottom. Not for sure why it was called Black Bottom, but it's right there off of 65.

[00:45:20]Uh if you're going if you're going uh north, it would be to your right from this same exit 291.

[00:45:30]Okay. And then also from that you'll see maybe Gamble. Anybody heard of Gamble uh area back in the day it was Gamble and then there was also Marriott. You hear these different names, but the basic names that are close to colony are Aradadelphia, um, Sulfur Springs. I'm in the pres now looking for a black cemetery in Sulfur Springs. But these were areas that were kind of doing some things, you know, like in Sulfur Springs, they had uh what they call mineral water and so they had these large hotels.

[00:46:18]Now, you couldn't believe that they were there, but they were there. And people from all over the country would, I guess, come in their buggies, horse and buggies to go and take baths and and, you know, and get service like that. So, it's no longer there, but um you have Sulfur Springs, you have uh Aradadelphia, and um Blunt Springs was close.

[00:46:44]So, and Cole Springs that I had showed you on our map. Um there is uh Dodge City, but it wasn't Dodge City then, but it's Dodge City now. So, um yeah, thank you for that.

[00:47:00]Yes, that's a good question.

[00:47:03]We have a question from our online audience. They're wondering when did you start researching and how long did that research process take you?

[00:47:12]>> Okay. I've been living I'm originally from uh Seattle, Washington.

[00:47:19]So, what are you doing in Alabama?

[00:47:22]Well, uh my parents are from Alabama.

[00:47:25]And so, I came back um with a job um that I was working with. And uh so I end up staying. But um what was the question?

[00:47:36]>> When did you start researching?

[00:47:38]>> So I eventually uh moved to the colony and that was 24 years ago. So I became interested in it because it was all black and wasn't a lot of information um on it you know and you hear one thing and so uh because I am interested in history and I am a researcher and a genealogologist for my family and that sort of thing I began to look it up look at stuff so how long it took me I'm still researching okay and this is this small part of it and I didn't bring everything that I probably could talk about but uh it has a rich history and I tell the people there that they have a lot to be proud of uh for the simple fact that you know you were able to build out of this clay dirt and I mean it grows rocks I can be mowing get rid of marks come back the next day and there's a pile of them I don't know where they come from.

[00:48:46]So, it's it's a lot of rocks and uh but it's one of the most beautiful places that I I think because the mountains are surrounding it and um we still have we're still kind of country even though we're by Coleman and Birmingham we still have our our our woods you know the for say it's a forest but it's almost like a forest and so it's nice and uh and it's not over we don't have a lot of people so it's very safe I mean real safe so um I I enjoyed it and I'm like I said I'm still work researching and hope to finish my book Oh.

[00:49:36]Mhm.

[00:49:45]>> Where do you consider your birth place?

[00:49:48]>> My birthplace, I was born in Tacoma, Washington.

[00:49:54]And um that's where I went to school and and everything. So you might hear a northern accent sometimes when I'm talking cuz sometimes when I first came to Alabama 30 years ago they said you from up north they could they how do you know you know I couldn't but then you know you when you come from certain places you do have pick up your accent you know you just don't know you have it but I was born there my parents left Alabama in the 40s they were part of the great migrations when African-Americans were leaving the south and uh my father and my mother they didn't have any children or anything and uh I asked them how did you find to go way up north from Alabama you know but they had some friends a friend or a relative there that they went to see they said there were plenty jobs in the Northwest and so my parents went there and did very Yeah.

[00:51:00]>> Um, I really enjoyed your presentation.

[00:51:02]Thank you.

[00:51:02]>> And I can tell how passionate you are about your community. Sure. Um, now let's talk about the future. You're talking about drawing families back. So, what's going to bring them back? And I want to know what the health care situation is like. Could that be part of the issue? Do you have adequate health care in that section?

[00:51:21]>> So, you can address that. Thanks. Okay, that's two questions too because first of all health care you should be healthy if you come down there because uh the hospital is closest hospital is Coleman Regional and I guess it's about 40 miles. It's a long ways. Then if you call 911 911 they got to figure out where you live.

[00:51:48]You can't just say I live at 1813 uh Malbury Lane, you know. It's it's not that easy, you know. And so sometimes they get lost.

[00:52:02]And so um that could be a problem. Healthc care is definitely a problem. And also um I think loneliness too because seniors don't get out a lot, you know, and there's no act cars going up and down the streets and um you know uh sirens and you don't hear all that. It's just quiet and peaceful.

[00:52:31]So, uh, if you're into gardening and that sort of thing, which is what I used to do. I haven't done much of it this year, but that keeps you busy. And, um, and then being with um, the different groups that I'm with, like working with my friend here, you know, we together a lot different places and u, my friend back there. So, um, it worked out. But um you gave me one more question, >> right? What's going to draw young?

[00:53:06]>> Okay. What's going to draw? Okay.

[00:53:10]One of the problems that our community has and it might be in the white community too. But back in the day when we would get property and these people had 200 acres and 50 acres, they had big property. It wasn't like a acre, you know. I happened to get five and I'm thinking I was big time, but that is nothing compared to some of the land that the people had. But what happens is they had these big families and then they turned it into air property. So when everybody dies, see, you know, it goes to the next air and on and on and on. So, a lot of our property is bound up by air and a lot of the young people, you know, older people are not yet ready to sell and that sort of thing. And so, it's going to have to be a change of um altitude attitude of um you know, do we want it to exist?

[00:54:17]because we got to have it to exist and we got to have the young people and uh so how can we encourage them to come? I try to encourage young people to try to um you know if if you had a grandparent or you had access to that air property, come back, build on it. You know, it's free land, you know, just you and they have some of the most beautiful homes there, you know.

[00:54:47]really nice. So, and with and you see what the town could has. I mean, we're a wealth of uh stuff, you know, and uh all we just need is those young people and young need children and young people that were strong the way I used to be back in the day that will come and start those programs back, you know, summers and this and that. But uh it's it's it's available.

[00:55:17]But the only problem is is this this this air property situation. Mhm.

[00:55:24]But uh hopefully that might things may change.

[00:55:31]>> Any other questions?

[00:55:34]No. Well, thank you so much again. Such a great presentation and we'll see you uh next month for our next food for thought. and everyone get home safe.

[00:55:43]Okay, THANK YOU