Upcoming and Recently Held Events
Felicity Allen Spoke on Biography of Jefferson Davis
Felicity Allen spoke on her recently published book on the life of Jefferson Davis on July 27. The book, "Jefferson Davis, Unconquerable Heart", is the culmination of more than 20 years of research and preparation. Felicity Allen was born Peggy McComas in Louisville, Kentucky, and at the age of nine moved with her family to Nashville, Tennessee. She was educated in the public schools of Nashville and at Vanderbilt University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Her major was in French, and her minors in History and English. She worked for several years in various professional positions with radio station WSM, and later at a Nashville bookstore until her marriage to Ward Sykes Allen. It is interesting that the first half of her pen name was given upon her reception into the Greek Orthodox Church in Montgomery, Alabama in 1978. (Felicity is the English form of Felicitas, a saint martyred in 203). By this time, she and Ward had four grown children and had moved to Auburn, Alabama, where Ward was Hargis Professor of English at Auburn University. He recently retired from this position. Felicity’s main interest has always been in writing, and it was about this time that she earnestly began her work on the Jefferson Davis biography.
This very interesting meeting was held at Gaines Ridge Dinner Club.
Special Event this September!
Youpon Plantation will be the host site of our September meeting. Laura and Schley Rutherford, current owners of Youpon, have graciously agreed to host an early evening event at this home commonly known as the Mathews-Tait home. This is an "empty house" event, and you will be able to view the home very much as it looked when constructed in the 1840's by William Mathews. The "historical party" will be catered by John Broussard of Faunsdale, who conducts the annual "Crawfish Festival" there. This event will kick off around 5:00 and last until ???.
The cost to attend the party will be $15 for Historical Society Members and $20 for non-members. Any non-member purchasing a ticket will automatically receive a full annual membership in the Historical Society, representing 1/2 off the regular membership cost.
The menu will consist of crawfish etoufette', fried catfish, cole slaw, hushpuppies, custard pie, ice tea, and water. Attendees are invited to bring beverages of their own (beer, wine, etc.).
This historic antebellum home is one of the finest examples of neoclassical architecture in Alabama. It is located in Canton Bend a few miles west of Camden, and was built by a northerner, William T. Mathews who came to Camden by way of Haiti. Construction began in 1840 using a design by George Lynch, a local architect. It took five years to complete using both local and foreign artisans.
The home is now situated among large oak trees, but was originally surrounded by "Youpon" shrubs from which it derived its name. It features a large veranda supported by four fluted Doric columns and free hanging balcony with a crowfoot balustrade. Sliding interior doors and plantation windows make it possible to convert the entire first floor into a dance floor. The basic living quarters are located upstairs. And the most distinguishing feature about the home is the full basement, the only home of this era known to have this feature.
Some other information on the home excerpted from "Deep South" by Caldwell Delany published in 1942 is as follows:. "A special kiln was constructed to produce the thousands of bricks used in the basement. The main support timbers were hand hewn and planed under the supervision of the local architect. The fan-lighted front door opens into a hall 15 feet by 40 feet. Matching halls are located on the second floor and in the basement. On each side of the central hall are two rooms with those on the lower floor connected by large sliding doors. The dining room and drawing room are elaborately frescoed and corniced in plaster design."
The home and property were purchased by the Tait family around the turn of the century, and remained in this family until the Rutherfords purchased the home and 32 acres in the Fall of 1999. Time has not changed this home much over the years, although a tornado carried away the front steps and lower portico rail, and many of the oak trees in the late 1800's. A much earlier modification involved the basement. When it was no longer possible to keep a butler in the upper pantry, and the cook who replaced him became too old to climb the basement stairs, the basement kitchen with its two pantries, dumb waiter leading to the dining room above, wine room, and other storerooms had to be abandoned. The octagonal overseer’s office which originally stood in the garden was moved to the rear of the house and served as a kitchen. A recent modification enclosed the back porch and attached the octagonal kitchen to the main structure.
Crawfish etoufette, fried catfish, slaw, hush puppies, tea, and water will be supplied by John Broussard of Faunsdale Bar and Grill. Please feel free to bring your own beer, wine, etc. Tickets to the event will be $15 per person for members and $20 per person for non-members. Non-members will receive an annual membership with purchase of ticket.
This event is a departure from our usual Thursday afternoon luncheons/meetings. By holding such events as this, we hope to encourage young people to join and participate in our organization, as well as provide a time that all interested persons may have a better opportunity to attend our events. Please advertise this particular function, and encourage friends to attend. Please make your reservations early by calling Don or Mary Charles Donald at 682-9825, by writing the Wilcox Historical Society, or e-mailing us at grsouth@frontiernet.net.
Loose Records Microfilming Work is Continuing
The local society is working with the State of Alabama Department of Archives and History in preparing loose records for microfilming by the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU). These records, which include pre-1915 estate case files, loose marriage and divorce records up to 1950, guardianship and apprenticeship files, slave records, and Confederate pension records, contain some of the most historically significant information held by Alabama Counties. Our volunteers, led by Ruth Liddell, are unfolding and flattening the records, cleaning as necessary, alphabetizing, and then placing the records in acid-free folders in preparation for the microfilming operation.
We are working on records in the courthouse and in the old jail building, and if you are interested in assisting in this ongoing project, please call Ruth Liddell at 682-9622. Ruth and Will have moved the loose records in the Woodruff files at the old jail into the library, and are currently arranging to have many other valuable records moved to a new location. Lyn Frazer and others from the State Archives and History Department have inventoried the records at the old jail, and made recommendations. A copy of her letter concerning this situation is available for review at the library.
The Wilcox Historical Society was founded in the late 1960's, and its initial function was to preserve the Wilcox Female Institute on Broad Street. This building was acquired by the Society and restoration began in 1974. The local society was also able to acquire the Governor Benjamin Meek Miller law office in the early 1990's and have fully restored it. Both of these projects were accomplished with the assistance of grants from the Alabama Historical Commission. We are applying for a grant to complete the upstairs area of the Female Institute.
Our goal as a society is to preserve the history or this region and to act in some regard as a clearing house and reference source to people searching for genealogical information. Our local Wilcox Library is an excellent source of information and features one of the best genealogical rooms to be found anywhere. Please forward any comments that you may have to local address: P.O. Box 464, Camden, AL 36726. You can also e-mail us at
grsouth@frontiernet.net or call 334-682-9825 for information. And we have a web site link under www.wilcoxwebworks.com.Wilcox Historical
Society.....dedicating to preserving the history of Wilcox County, Alabama.
P.O. BOX 464, CAMDEN, AL 36726 ~ PHONE
334-682-9825 ~ FAX 334-682-9387
E-MAIL: grsouth@frontiernet.net