Heritage Village in Bloom

Japanese Magnolia provide the early February foreground of the

 James M. Calhoun Law Office in Heritage Village. The office is a replica of

 U.S. Senator and Secretary of State John C. Calhoun's law office.
James was John's nephew, and John was a powerful politician from South Carolina

 and one of "The Great Triumvirate" in the 1830s and 1840s. 

 James became a lawyer and planter in Dallas County, Alabama,

 and served in the state House of Representatives and Senate. 

 This one-room, Greek Revival structure was built in the 1830s

 and moved here from the little town of Carlowville.

Blue Skies Smiling

Blues skies are FINALLY smiling!

After a week of rain, day after day after day, 6.5 inches here since last Friday,

 the wet weather systems moved out a few hours ago,

 and right now we have blue sky!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Posting to Skywatch Friday

Holiday House Ceramics

Yes, those whimical ceramic trees are BACK, and several styles are available

 at Selma's Holiday House at the Striplin Performing Arts Centre,

 next to the Walton Theater.

 The festival ends this weekend, so hurry on by!

Marble, the Decoration

Marble is one of the dogs featured on Sky Hill Animal Society's Christmas tree at the Selma Riverwalk. Numerous businesses and organizations decorated trees, and they can be seen along the walk and even from the Pettus Bridge as vehicles drive into downtown. 

May Theme Day, Let's Eat!

It's May Theme Day at City Daily Photo Blogs,

 and we are sharing "Let's Eat!"

Since I could not decide on one meal from so many great 

Selma-area restaurants, I returned to a pasture

 where spring grass is growing, and the cattle are so glad

 to be eating something besides hay!

Linking to May Theme Day 

Prairie Buttercups and Partly Cloudy

That dark cloud is just pretending it wants to rain,

 because it was a perfect weather day in the Black Belt prairies 

of west Dallas County. Those yellow wildflowers are

 prairie buttercups, and they can be spectacular 

when covering an entire field. 

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

River Birds of the Black Belt

The red-shouldered hawk, belted kingfisher and great blue heron 

are a few of the river birds that you might see in the

 Alabama Black Belt. This informative sign is located 

on an overlook at the end of Clear Creek Nature Trail in the

 Old Cahawba Archaeological Park.

 The paved trail is wheelchair accessible.

Linking to Signs, Signs

Noon

It's almost NOON in the pasture, and while the calves rest,

 their herd eats lunch. 

Linking to ABC WEDNESDAY (depicting the letter N)

The One-Room Schoolhouse

The one-room schoolhouse at Old Cahawba still stands.

Used until the 1950s, it was one of less than 100 segregated

 African-American schools in Alabama. The school is located near

 the ruins of the Methodist-Episcopal Church that burned in 1954.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and Tuesday's Treasures

Clear Sky over Marion Junction

Early morning sunshine bounces off the steeple of the

 Marion Junction Presbyterian Church. A soft blue sky promises

 a perfect spring day!

Linking to Skywatch Friday

The Flower Shop on Broad

The bright colors and flowers at Pringle Petals sure make

 a shopper want to go inside. The shop moved from across

 Broad Street, and its larger location offers a

 wider selection of gifts, plus flowers.

Linking to Signs, Signs

In MEMORY of John R. Bell

The family of John R. Bell apparently MEMORIALIZED him as

 the victim of a murder when he and his son, John A. Bell,

 were killed in a shootout on the streets of Cahawba in 1856.

 The three other  men involved were exonerated in court,

 but the Bell Family declared via the inscription on his tombstone:

 "No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

Linking to ABC Wednesday depicting the letter M

The Alabama Artists Exhibition

It's an art lover's paradise! 

It's the 15th annual Alabama Artists: Roots and Wings Art Exhibition

 at Charlie (Tin Man) Lucas' Studio. The diversity of works from 55 artists

 is amazing and features photography, acrylics, oils, works on paper,

 3:D and mixed media.

Two of the winning works are shown above: "Winter Forest," 

1st place Acrylic by Jeff Hughes; and "Soul, Cotton and Van Gogh,"

 Best in Show, an acrylic by Mary Ann Casey.

  

Sponsored by ArtsRevive, the show and sale opened for a members' reception 

Saturday night and will be open free to the public every Friday and Saturday

 from 11-4 through April 29. The studio is located at 7 Lauderdale St.

 Come see!

Linking to Our World Tuesday

Country Cow Sign

This cute cow sign at the Orrville Farmers' Market

 gives a bit of advice that may not necessarily

 be good advice! Every cow I've ever known

 that got out of a gate got in trouble!

Linking to Signs, Signs

LEAD the Way

A young father LEADS his LITTLE one

 across the narrow swinging bridge at Kenan's Mill.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

 (depicting the Letter L)

Across the Creek

Here is a look at the back of Kenan's Mill. The 1860's gristmill 

sits above Valley Creek, and this view is from the bank

 by the swinging bridge near the charcoal kiln. 

The mill operated until the 1970s, then was restored 

years later and is operated by the Selma-Dallas County

 Historic Preservation Society. Cornmeal was ground here

 during the recent Selma Pilgrimage. 

Linking to Our World Tuesday and Tuesday's Treasures

The Sanctuary at Valley Creek

The sanctuary at Valley Creek Presbyterian Church looked splendid

 with its new paint and other renovations. The state's oldest 

Presbyerian church was open March 18-19 

for Selma's Historic Pilgrimage. 

Notice how the pews are divided down the middle.

 Anybody know why?

Linking to Through My Lens

March Camellias

The season's last camellias linger against 

a late afternoon sky at Sturdivant Hall.

 And I believe I see a jet trail overhead! 

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Valley Creek Presbyterian and 10th Blogaversary

Valley Creek Presbyterian Church has the distinction as the oldest 

 Presbyterian church in Alabama, and I chose to feature it 

for this blog's 10th anniversary. 

Yes, Selma, Ala., Daily Photo is 10 years old today, but that

 is just a tad when compared to the long legacy of this 201-year-old church.

 The congregation formed in 1816 before Alabama even became a territory.

 The eight families that founded it hailed from North Carolina,

 and they built a log structure in 1821. It was replaced by this

 Greek Revival building around 1857.

And yes, this church still meets! Although its active membership has dwindled 

to just a few, services are still held the second and fourth Sundays

 at 9:30 a.m., and they sing lovely old hymns from a 1946 hymnal. 

Notice the two floors. You enter on the ground floor which serves

 as a fellowship hall, then climb a couple flights of stairs

 to the second-floor sanctuary. 

 

Above is a plaque in the foyer that was placed by the Alabama Society

 of the Daughters of the American Revolution noting the church's

 distinction at the oldest Presbyerian church in the state. 

Many thanks to the readers and contributors of this blog! 

I have met so many interesting Selmians, researched local history

 and stretched my creative limits to shoot photos of the same subjects

 at different angles, in different lighting and different seasons 

to try to keep a small-town photo blog alive and fresh!

Thanks also to City Daily Photo Blogs which introduced me to this

project and to hundreds of cities and bloggers from around the world! 

Linking to Signs, Signs 

 

The Kenan's Mill Cornmeal Sack

Kenan's Mill cornmeal used to come in a sack like this, and it held 25 pounds

 of water-ground cornmeal. The gristmill on Valley Creek dates from the 1860s 

and operated commercially until the 1970s. That is quite a legacy! 

This sack is on display in the mill house. 

Linking to ABC Wednesday (The Letter K)