In which Sid and Doris visit the first White House of the Confederacy, the Alabama State Museum and stop at a revolutionary old house at Laurel in Mississippi.
We leave Wind Creek believing Montgomery must have a coffee shop. Not only a cafe but also a shop full of very, very natty suitings including some impressive matching shoes.
Leaving Sid to regret the unwritten sumptuary laws that prevented him ever wearing these in the City of London, our first stop is the house that was Jefferson Davis’ Executive Residence until the Confederate Capital moved to Richmond VA in the summer of 1861. The house was saved and moved to this location, thanks to the efforts of a determined group of women, in 1921.
In the 1930s the 19th century squares around the Capitol building were torn down to make way for state offices which are excellent examples of Stalinist grandeur. They will not draw tourists or preserve heritage in the way keeping the original buildings would have.
The Alabama State Museum has been very well laid out to present their history from all points of view. Even so the world moves on and the most recent set of changes is around the exhibits relating to the area’s natives. Some of the artefacts were grave goods which were taken by archaeologists without permission. They have been removed from display, replaced by signs explaining that the museum is now rethinking what it can show and what should be returned.
The 1960s is thoroughly covered, with pictures of the three marches supporting voter registration from Selma to Montgomery. These were initially met by local police violence and eventually, at President Johnson’s orders, protected by Federal marshals with the local National Guard under Federal command.
Sid reads the local history with great interest while Doris is fascinated by a device that is either the precursor to a set of post-it-notes on a whiteboard, or a hair styling machine.
Moving onwards, we still haven’t decided where to stop tonight – vaguely somewhere between Montgomery and New Orleans – and there is much rain expected. There are some figures of speech alluding to rain that Sid’s not yet used, so let’s offer stair rods as well as cats and dogs.
Doris reworks the travel plan so we will stop at the Lindsey House in the little town of Laurel. This is a high end B&B, the formula that worked so well for us in Bethlehem and Macon.
Also known as the Grandiflora, it has been owned by Dr Stancill since 1974 when he was able to buy it as a newly qualified doc just starting out at the local hospital.
At breakfast we learn from fellow guests that the town of Laurel has become famous as the venue for a property make-over show. Then Dr Stancill takes us over the house, telling us the history of his home and his ownership. Built in 1907 to be fireproof it is made from poured concrete, including the pillars out front.
Doctors here seem to do quite well and he has about doubled the size of the house while furnishing the original as it might have been. A less sympathetic audience might have concluded that his new wife said “Live in that monstrosity? You must be joking! and got him to build an entire modern house out the back. The monstrosity, and Dr Stancill, are very engaging.
