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A School Day memory!  trouble at school!

2/28/2017

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 "The trouble with a new knife is...the great need to use it!
Christmas time brought a new knife to Tom Dodd, Jr.  It was a wonderful gift. A boy could do all sorts of great things with a knife.  He could whittle, play mumbletypeg, skin a squirrel, clean a fish,  and carve.
It also brought some business at school with Miss Sadie Littlegreen .  You see, when Tom went to the boys outhouse he could not resist taking out his knife and making a carving   in the wall.
The next day, Miss Sadie called him to her desk and asked, "Tom did you get a new knife for Christmas?"  "Yes" and then he bragged, "a Barlow." "Did you carve your initials in the boys outhouse?" she asked.  " Miss Sadie had me so I admitted I did.  I spent the next several days after school sanding and removing my monogram off the boys outhouse."   Tom Dodd, Jr.
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Washing clothes in the Olden Days

2/23/2017

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                                          WARSHING (Washing)  CLOTHES
  Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water.
  Set tubs so smoke won’t blow in eyes. Shave one whole Cake of lye soap in boiling water.
  Sort things; make 3 piles
      1 pile white,
      1 pile colored,
      1 pile work britches and rags.
  To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.
  Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil,
  Then rub colored, don't boil just rinse and starch.
  Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then rinse, and starch.
   Hang old rags on fence.
   Spread tea towels on grass.
   Pour rinse water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
   Turn tubs upside down.
    Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea,
    Sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
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Recycling  in the olden days!

2/20/2017

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                             "Use it Up, wear it out, and make it do, or do without."
​                                                        " Waste not, want not."


             You saved every scrap of anything  to make into other things that were needed.
Clothing was made out of feed, flour or sugar sacks.    The sacks were  made out of colorful cloth that had different patterns from flowers, strips, to plain colors sewed together with very strong string. When the sacks were emptied of food, they were taken apart and washed for the cloth to make shirts, dresses. and other items for the home. You save the string, wrapping it into a ball for safe keeping till it was needed for sewing or other things. 
            Clothing was patched till it could no longer be patched, then the material that was good was cut out and made into quilts. When a quilt wore out on the outside, it was used as batting with a new top made and fastened over the old quilt by tying.  These quilts were called "Peek-a-boo" quilts,  meaning if you looked inside you would see the old worn out quilt.
        Our forefathers were very creative smart people that recycled everything they had into other useful items and created and made their own tools.  "They had a can do spirit!"  My mother would say,"Life is what you make it." When things did not go as planned, my dad would say, "well we will just have to find another way."

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  The beginning of AlABAMA sCHOOLS! Before Schools were established, children were taught in the home by their parents.  The textbook most often used was the Bible.

2/12/2017

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"OUR YESTERYEARS"   
Cranford H. Burns,  Jesse M. Richardson,  Alabama Retired Teachers Association, 1976
​
  • Prior to 1854 schools were private or parochial.  These schools paved the way for public education.
  • The Mississippi Territory legislature in 1811 charter Washington Academy (St. Stephens)which was exempt from taxes, and give the right to raise $5,000 by lottery.  The following year Green Academy at  Huntsville was chartered.
  • The Enabling Act which allowed for the admission of Alabama as a state into the union required the sixteenth section of land in each township should be given to the people of the township for the use  of schools  and two townships should be reserved for a seminary of learning.
  • Alabama's first constitution in 1819 provided that "...schools and the means of education, shall forever be encouraged in this state..."Under this mandate the legislature passed an act December 17, 1819 providing for the election of agents in each township whose duty it was to protect the school lands and lease them under the conditions prescribed by the act and to apply the proceeds to the... "purpose of education alone."  These agents were made trustees with power to employ teachers, erect school houses and to exercise general control over the schools in their township.
  • Some schools were operated as a public school part of the year, (usually  three of four months). The income from public lands would defray these expenses.   The school would continue as a private school for the rest of the year with students whose parents could pay.
  • The act of 1826 made education the public's responsibility and created a Board of School Commissioners.
  • 1836 Barton Academy was built for a cost of $100,000. $50,000 was raised by lottery.
  • Upon completion Barton Academy was rented to a private school and the proceeds $1,000 placed in the public school fund.  This money was then distributed among different parochial schools  by the school board.  No public  schools were provided.
  • The first Monday in November 1852 the first public school in the state of Alabama, Barton Academy in Mobile was opened with 400 students enrolled.
  • Male and female classes were established in each grade and were separated by halls.   Free tuition was granted to those pupils who could not pay.  The law enacted for Mobile County applied only to the children of the white race.
  • The first coordinated state public school systems in Alabama was in 1854.
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Note from former First Lady Barbara Bush 

2/12/2017

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    "The country one room schoolhouse was not just a place for teaching our children.  It was also a community center, where neighbors gather for dances, concerts, lectures, debates, political caucuses and worship.
     I truly believe that we can build a well-educated, literate America by drawing on the legacy of courage and resourcefulness left us by our pioneer country school teachers.
The restoration of these schoolhouses reminds us of a critical source of our great national strength---a commitment to education for every American.  The very real stories that these buildings will tell will inspire us to continue to a proud tradition that will produce more and more stories of hope for our great people."                 Introduction...America's Country School
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 REMEMBERING THE WAY IT WAS!

2/9/2017

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  • Semmes  one room school has been used as a classroom, library and counselor's office.
  • When boys were coon hunting in the woods near Allentown cemetery, they could hear music being played on a piano.  One young man who loved music knocked on the door and asked if he could come in and listen. The gentleman playing told him to come back the next day.  When he returned, he was given a private concert by the gentleman who was a  concert pianist ,  dressed in his concert tuxedo.
  • Allentown was founded in 1879.  James Allen homesteaded and built a town that had a church, school, store,  blacksmith shop and cemetery.  The Cemetery remains today.
  • A trail was used by early settlers and Indians that ran through Allentown close to the Cemetery.
  • The first man buried in Allentown Cemetery was a traveler who died on the trail.  His name was never known.
  • The Indians used the trail to go down to the sea to get salt.  They borrowed pots from the settlers, went down to the sea where they boil the salt  water until all that was left in the pot was salt.  The salt looked brown because of the pots used.  They returned the pots with a portion of salt to pay for the loan of the pots.
  • Indian Springs on Lott Rd. was an Indian Trail.  On the trail were springs that the Indians camped by in their travels and so it was named Indian Springs.
  • Semmes was once known as Albritton Precinct. The Legislation divided  Mobile County into three precincts for the establishment of roads and bridges.
  • Congress established post roads.  A line of numbered posts were set up along what is known today as Highway 98.  Dependable deputies were appointed to deliver the mail to the designated post.  The first mail box was a pouch attached to the mile post.
  • The first post office in Semmes was established around 1890-1893 with D. O. McCrary the first post master.
  • With the coming of the railroad, mail was delivered by the train to the train depot.
  • Land patents given to homesteaders for land can be researched through the Bureau of Land Management .  Semmes  is located in township 3 Range 3.
  • Social activities centered around the church and school.  There were camp meetings, singings, programs at the school, church, oyster suppers, ice creme socials and picnics.  Sunday afternoon buggy rides were used for courting (dating)..
  • A bench in front of McCrary's store was the gathering place  on Saturday night to play and sing music.
  • If you got in trouble at school, you got in trouble when you got home.  You were to respect your elders. 
  • America is/was a melting pot of many cultures. You should be proud to be an American.
  • Your right should not interfere with someone else rights.
  • You didn't have to lock your door.
  • A man's word was his bond. He would do what he said he would do. A handshake made a contract.
  • Most of the community feared  God.  It was Good to be good.
  • Manners required children to say yes Ma'am, yes sir, no sir, no Ma'am and  thank you. .  You always put handles on all adult names, Miss Beth, Mr Sam. Aunt Mary.
  • Children were to be seen and not heard.
  • It was good to work.  Children had chores to do before and after school.
  • Recess time at school  was enjoyed by all, jumping rope, playing marbles, spinning tops, hop scotch, roll the hoop,  and sack races.  Everyone looked out for each other.
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 200 ALABAMA BICENTENNIAL     

2/5/2017

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   ​Plans are being made by the Alabama 200.Org for the 200th Birthday Celebration of Alabama becoming a state. The territory of Alabama began in 1817 and continued to December 14, 1819 when Alabama became a state of the United States. The celebration is three years long beginning in 2017 to commemorate Alabama becoming a Territory and ending in 2019, our 200th birthday of statehood.

     “2017 EXPLORING OUR PLACES “-Alabama has a rich and diverse landscape. From fossil finds to space camp, historic downtown's to beautiful state parks, we will Explore Our Places in 2017.”
   “2018 HONORING OUR PEOPLE”-Pulitzer Prize-winners, civil rights leaders, athletes, astronauts, master of industry, and innovation and everyone in between.  We couldn’t celebrate out history-or make our future-without the folks who have made Alabama home. In 2018 we will Honor Our People.”
   “2019 SHARING OUR STORIES- By our birthday year, we will have lots to tell about the places we’ve been and the people you’ve met, we Share Our Stories.”
 Info@bicentennial.alabama.gov
    Spread the word about our state’s 200th birthday.  See additional info on Facebook: 200 Alabama Bicentennial; and watch for announcements of events by the state.  The celebration is to begin in Mobile  May, 2017.   Semmes Heritage Park will be participating in the Bicentennial Celebration with our Heritage Day Celebration May 6th.
    In the process of preserving Semmes History, we are still collecting photos, family stories, and memories of early life in Semmes. Do you have a photo, or a story to share?  Did your family homestead in Semmes? In this age of family genealogy you may have discovered your family history related to Semmes that you would like to add to our archives.
    The book, “Scrapbook of Memories” was the first book published by Semmes Heritage to preserve our history and to provide funds for the restoration of the 1902 Semmes School.  It is a collection of photos and memories of early life in Semmes. Plans are underway for a second addition of “Scrapbook of Memories.”
    Semmes Heritage Park, the guardian of Semmes History.  We are remembering the Past as we look to the future.  Don’t forget, we are an all volunteer group and new members are welcome.    
Information 1-251-649-0270 - Semmes Heritage, P.O. Box 2152, Semmes, Alabama 36575
 
 

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    Semmes​

    Preserving  our History
     Looking to the Future
    ​Jeanette Lyles Byrd

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