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THE SPRING PICNIC OF THE ALABAMA TRUST IS HISTORY
Members of the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation and the Board of Directors took advantage of a perfect spring day to meet and picnic on Saturday, April 19th. Montgomery’s Jim and Elmore Inscoe were hosts for the board meeting in the conference room of Jasmine Hill Gardens in Wetumpka. Established in the early 1930’s by Benjamin and Mary Fitzpatrick, Jasmine Hill Gardens has grown into an outdoor museum over the intervening years. The garden is famous for its collection of reproductions of Greek antiquities, its wonderful mature plantings, and its many unique water features. Since 1971 Jasmine Hill Gardens has been supported by Jim and Elmore Inscoe who have carried on the gardening traditions of its founders, the Fitzpatrick’s. Some of you may remember when Jasmine Hill Gardens hosted the Olympic Flame on its way to the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Trust members also traveled to nearby Mt. Meigs to visit Grace Episcopal Church on Old Pike Road. Established in the 1890’s, Grace is home to the garden installation of Jim and Vivian Scott. Since the 1970’s this garden has grown and matured into a perfect extension of the church itself, with a quiet dignity appropriate for a parish garden. Maggi Odell of the congregation at Grace was kind enough to give Trust members a tour of the old sanctuary and talk to the history of the congregation, the gardens, the parish cemetery and the four buildings.
Also hosting the Trust this day was the Alabama Wildlife Federation at Millbrook. The Federation is sited on the Old Lanark plantation of the famous Alabama gardener, the late Isabel Hill. Ms. Hill’s wonderfully maintained and designed 1940’s gardens are a splendid legacy. Trust members took advantage of a special opportunity to tour the 1820’s plantation house with architectural historian Dr. Betsy Sheldon. AWF‘s Director of Fundraising, Ann Harper, made all this possible for our Trust Members.
Lesson learned this wonderful spring day? Old buildings and gardens provide Alabama’s citizens with cultural heritage unique to our state; give us our sense of place, some of our identity. It is often through the commitment of passionate individuals such as the Inscoes, the Scotts and Isabel Hill that today we have these opportunities to enjoy our legacy. The Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation and her many members statewide struggle to increase Alabamans’ awareness of our rich cultural heritage, preserve our historic sites, and save those sites threatened by neglect and unchecked development. So, maybe one lesson could be: Instead of that interstate fast food, pack a picnic and visit one of Alabama’s many historic churches, gardens or cemeteries, take a few minutes to reconnect with our history, and continue to support the Alabama Trust.
Landmarks are disappearing rapidly. Why should I fret over the loss of a raw-boned farmhouse on a bleak hillside, or an obsolete schoolhouse back in a grove? Because they are cairns and buoys by which we circumnavigate the social landscape. Without them we will never know where we are---or who.
Newell Searle, Assistant Director,
Minnesota Humanities Commission
SATURDAY WALKING TOURS IN JUNE
Visit the website www.alabama.travel under Quick Links to schedule a walking tour of one of Alabama’s many wonderful, unique towns on a Saturday in June. We are invited to visit a number of Alabama towns offering free guided walking tours each Saturday morning in June. Experience Alabama’s history and heritage as community leaders, local storytellers, and others escort you on a voyage through the historic district or courthouse square areas of their hometowns ands share personal remembrances and stories of days gone by. From our largest city Birmingham, to our ghost town of Old Cahawba, Alabama awaits your visit.
Historic Garden/Landscape Interest Group News
The Trust and guests enjoyed a perfect spring day in Selma on March 15th as part of Selma's Spring Pilgrimage. Longtime ATHP member and Selma resident Gery Anderson organized a tour of historic landscapes for a full day of talks, tours and food. The day started out with breakfast at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Selma. Gery led the group inside for a lecture on the history of Selma and the church. Of special interest were the Tiffany and Company windows designed by Selma native Clara Weaver Parrish. The group's second stop was at the Old Live Oak Cemetery, where ATHP member Kathryn Tucker Windham joined us for a story telling session followed by a cemetery tour led by Gery Anderson. Lunch and a tour of historic Keenan's Mill with ATHP member Elizabeth (Libba) Buchanan, a tour of the historic Camelia collection at the Old Keenan Plantation Home, a tour of Libba Buchanan's private garden, and a tour of Sturdivant Hall (with a lecture on the historic house and gardens from ATHP member Jerry Dillard) completed the day. A social followed hosted by ATHP members Paula and Mike Rushing. One new ATHP member commented he had never had such a bargain on a tour of this type, and had a great time on his first trip to Selma. We hope others will take advantage of these opportunities made possible through the generosity of ATHP organizers, underwriters and sponsors.
The conference in the Tennessee Valley was a huge success. The Conference featured a lecture on historic gardens by Harvey Cotton of the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. Donna Castellano of the Historic Huntsville Foundations shared with us her fundraising expertise using a garden book to generate money for local historic preservation. Many of us took home a copy of Donna’s book Through the Garden Gate. The beautiful and historic Lowe garden in the Twickenham Historic Garden District was open to visitors. The weather was perfect, and many of us used part of the weekend to stroll the district and take in the houses and gardens.
The Garden Group is growing. Several members asked to be put on our email list. If you would like to be a part of the group, please contact Trust organizer Mike Rushing at jmikerushing@coosahs.net, telephone 210.414.2721 or 205.338.3680.