The March Meeting Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 3:00 p. m At the Thomas E. McMillan Museum Jefferson Davis Community College Campus
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THE ESCAMBIA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY SOCIETY HISTORICAL COUNTY ESCAMBIA THE Su rv eying the Elli co tt Line This imag e from the bronze m ap of Alabama (which is in front of the Alabama Archiv es and History Building in Montgomery) has this accompanying text: “Using a 67-foot-long surveyor's chain, U.S. Surveyor General Andrew Ellicott l ed a team to survey and establish the U.S. southern boundary with Spanish West Florida. This line remains the b oundary between Alabam a and Flori da, except in Mobile and Baldwin co unties.”
The Program: The Ellicott Line The Speaker: Jeff Ross Guest speaker Jeff Ross will present a pro- Retired from Alabama’s corrections depart- gram on the surveyor’s line commissioned by ment, Jeff, a native of Escambia County, lives in the United States government in the late eight- Atmore. eenth century. He is interested in history and is a member of It established the boundary between the Mis- the Atmore Historical Society, and the Sons of sissippi Territory (the United States), and Span- the Confederate Veterans of Baldwin County. ish West Florida. He is knowledgeable about and has presented programs on the Mobile Delta and Alabama’s Indian Mounds.
Contents The Ellicott Stone/A. Ellicott 2 The April Meeting News & Announcements 3 April 28. 2009 Guard To wer at Aliceville ECHS Field Trip 4 Escambia County’s Probate Judge Emi- Magee Farm 6 lie Mims will present a program on her Volume 36, Number 3 Snapshots 7 offi ce as it relates to historical docu- ments an d records. March 2009 German POW Photos 8 German POW’s in Alabama 9 The Program (Continued)
The Ellicott Line and the Ellicott Stone or St. Stephen’s Meridian
The web site , “The Mound Line”
The Ellicott Stone. The stone is the only marker, other than mounds of eart h, whic h Andr ew Ellicott and his t eam used to ma rk the b oundar y line. “Stockton (Alabama) was divided by this line, The insc ription on th e side of th e stone f acing Sp anish with some residents living in the United West Florida, pictured above, is inscribed in Spanish with States and some in Spanish Florida. Although "Dominos de S.M.C. CAROLUS IV. Lat. 31 1799.” The side Stockton became a ‘border town,’ U.S. law of the Ellicot t Stone whi ch fa ced wh at was t hen th e Missis- generally prevailed in the area.” sippi Territory is inscribed in English, "U.S. Lat. 31 1799." (from “The Mound Line”)
The Surveyor: Andrew Ellicott
Andrew Ellicott From a miniature portrait f rom 1799. The online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, in its articl e on th e surveyo r notes thes e ac complishm ents in addi tion to the survey o f the Ellicott Line: “Andrew Ellicott (January 24, 1754 – August 28, 1820) was a U. S. sur- veyor who helped map many of the terri tories west of the A ppalachians, surveyed th e bounda ries of th e Distric t of Columbia, continued and com- pleted Pierr e (Peter) Charles L’F ant’s wo rk on th e plan for Was hington, D. C. , and served as a teacher in surv ey m etho ds for Merriwether Lewis.” (Picture and text from Wiki pedi a
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News of the Society and Announcements
ECHS Presi dent Jerry Simmons at Mobile Genea- Alabama Historical Associati on Annual Meeting l ogical Soci ety Meeting April 23-25, 2009 in Tuscaloosa. A booklet with the complete program and registration form is available in the Alabama Room. ECHS Needs Researchers
Jerry Simmons, our president, is also the Museum Coordina- tor, a job and responsibility paid for by the college. Jerry has a lot on his plate. Every week, he receives numerous inquiries asking mainly for information about families for genealogical use. The Alabama room, of course, is a source of much o f this Saturday, March 14 Jerry Simmons was on the program at a type of information. Jerry would like to be able to answer all regular meeting of the Mobile Genealogy Society, representing the inquiries and he has done the best he can. However, the the Escambia County Historical Society. Ann Biggs-Williams situation is unfair to Jerry. was to have also been on the program, but had a terrible virus and was unable to make it. The Board of Trustees would like to suggest to the society that we turn these inquiries over to someone, one or more, who So Jerry had to wing it, with the assistance of his lovely wife, would do this work on a fee basis This is a common practice in Dianne. He reports that folks there were extremely courteous, many societies and there are some great fee-b ased, experi enced gracious, and just plain nice. We're sure they were in formed by research ers in many towns. the presentation and even enjoyed it. To our knowledge, we have none in this immediate area. Pensacola Genealogical Society Conference Please consider doing this yourself, and if you would like to The West-Florida Genealogical Society’s Conference on get on Jerry’s list of fee-researchers, please let Jerry know. April 4, 2009 will have Debra Sandstrom, LLC, the “Ancestry And, of course, we are still open to volunteers. Detective” of Ancestry.com. Mu seum Web Site Scheduled for 9:00 a. m. – 3:00 p.m. (Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.), the conference will be held at the Bayview Senior Check out the Thomas E. McMillan page on the college Center, 2000 East Lloyd St., Pensacola, Florida. website: Topics include: “Getting Started in Genealogy,” “The Three
Queries
Seeking Information about Adopted Twin Boys In f orma t i on a b ou t L e on a rd McGowa n Sylvia Morris of Mobile has inquired about twin boys Larry Massey in interested in any information about Leonard adopted in the first half of the 20th century by a Mr. McGowan, who shot Railroad Bill. Larry would like to know Castleberry (of Castleberry, AL). She wants to know the birth where he lived, what he did after killing the outlaw, etc? Larry names of the children. If you can offer any assistance, contact states in his email that he ran across something on the web Jerry Simmons. once that stated that he apparently didn't live around Brewton. Anyone with information can contact Jerry Simmons.
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ECHS Field Trip to Magee Farm and Mobile Museum of Art
Monday, March 30, 2009 Cost Magee Farm Magee Farm - $8.00 per person group rates. Museum of Art - $10.00 ($9.00 for seniors) per person for a group of Located north of Mobile, this is the scene of the signing of less than 12: $8.00 per person for group of 12 or more. the terms for the cease fire prior to the surrender of the last organized Confederate forces east of the Mississippi. Transportation The Mobile Museum of Art By car. Car-pooling can be arranged The Museum is now showing the exhibit entitled Final Plans “Illuminating the Word, a presentation of 100 pages of the All the details and adjustments can be made at the March Saint John’s Bible, the first handwritten, illuminated bible of the modern era. 24 meeting. Coordinator Time A big “Thank you” to Ann Biggs –Williams who has made Tentative plans are to be at Magee Farm by 10:30 a. m. for all the arrangements. a tour of the home and grounds. Then, after lunch, to be at the Mobile Museum of Art at 1:30 p. m.
Two pages from the Saint John’s Bible , 100 o f which are on display at the Mo- bile Museum of Art in an e xhibit called Illumina ting the Word,” the exhibit courtesy of the Minneapo - lis Institute of Aart. Th e page on the left is en- titled “The Birth of Christ,” the one on the right, “To the Ends of the Earth,” is the frontispiece for the ex- hibit and was inspired by a pho tograph from the Hub- ble Telescope. Comm issioned by Sa int’s John’s University and Ab - bey, the Saint John’s Bible is a combina tion o f the old and the new. The old is represented by the calligraphy of the texts which is being produced by scribes in Wales under the di re ction of the s cribe to Queen Elizabeth. The illuminations or art and decorations are the new . Illustra tions cour- tesy of the web site Illumi- na ting the Word at
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Our Business Members
Please patronize our new business members. Be sure to tell them you appreciate their support of the Escambia County Historical Society!
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The ECHS Journal Section
Magee Farm This account of the meeting of “The Generals, along the two generals as well as all with one aide each, went the pictures are taken from the into the parlor, and with web page for Magee Farm t he doors shut, discussed www.historicmageefarm.com>. and agreed to a cease fire. This meeting between Gen- The entire matter took just eral Richard Taylor and Gen- over ten minutes or so. eral E. R. S. Canby led to an agreement for a cease fire “They then proceeded t o prior to the surrender of the the dining room, where last organized Confederate champagne had been pre- forces east of the Mississippi pared. The Union band struck up the melody of "Hail “On the morning of April 29, 1865 the historic meeting Columbia,” General Canby dispatched orders for them to occurred. The Magee Farm was to be the stage for the play "Dixie,” but General Taylor intervened, and said negotiations of peace between t hat perhaps "Hail Columbia" Nort h and Sout h. woul d be more suit able for the future. “Union General Canby ar- rived by train with a brigade “As the champagne bott les of troops numbering around were uncorked, General Taylor 1800 men, complete with a said that it was the most pleas- military band. The Federal ant popping sound he had heard cont ingent were att ired in in the last four years. They then t heir best dress uniforms, and toasted the event, and a meal were said to cut a dashing was served, which was most image. welcomed by all in attendance. “Several hours later, Confeder- “After some small talk, Gen- ate General Taylor (Son of presi- eral Taylor and his aide left for dent Zachary Taylor) arrived his Headquart ers in Meridian, standing on the back of a railroad Mississippi. General Canby push cart, powered by two black then returned back to Mobile. servants. He was accompanied by a single military aide, Colonel “After much discussion by Myers. couriers and telegraph, a final date was set, and the Confeder- “Both General Taylor and his ate forces under General Tay- aide's uniforms were soiled, tat- lor's command, surrendered at t ered and bot h men looked very Citronelle, Alabama on May 4, worn, but none the less, they ap- 1865.” proached with military bearing, and heads held high, looking their foe directly in the eyes. It was suggested that the party re- tire to the comfort of the Magee home, after a cordial greeting.
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Snapshots
To the Left, a picture of Lyon Jernigan and his mother Emile Jernigan. They are pictured with the Schwinn Bi- cycle, which is displayed in the Museum and was used to deliver groceries from the People’s Market in Brewton (1815-1979). Lyon is a descendant of the W. Y. Jernigan who owned the bicycle.
To the left and below, pictures of the Art Ex- hibit, “In Resi- dence,” an exhi- bition of local artists, will be on display in the Museum thro ugh March 29th. The exhibit is sponsored by the Brewton Arts Council and Jefferson Davis Community Col- lege.
In the picture above, second graders from Brewton Elementary enjoying the Mu- seum .
Cub Sco u ts vis i t th e Mus eu m Pi ctu red a t the lef t a nd beg inni ng wi th the f ro nt row , left to right, are Dominic Beasley, Austin McCall, Ian Ga rd ne r, Dyl an In g ra m, Cob i Godwi n , Devin Wilso n , Chas e Ha mma c, Ma tth ew Mu rphy , Way lon Sa nde rs , Edward Hart, Michael Murphy, Patrick Lovelace, Levi Fuqua, Shirley Beasley, Frank Beasley, Chris Ham- mac, Debra King, Christina Jones, Ella Hart, Clara Hart, Austin Douglas, Amanda Gardner, Susan Craw- ford, Sharon Wilson, Shirley Wilson, Pat Summerlin, Jim Hart, Carolyn Hart, and Dwian Ingram.
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German POW Photos from Aliceville Museum
T he photographs show activities of the German POW’s at Camp Aliceville. Ala- bama
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The ECHS Journal Section German POWs In Alabama During World War II
By Charles Ware “Camp Aliceville was consid- ered a base camp. A base con- The following article first ap- tained all the facilities necessary peared in Atmore magazine for for the support of thousands of December 2008. It is reprinted prisoners. Other base camps by permission. were soon constructed at Ope- “During World War II, as the lika, Ft. McClellan near Annis- battles for North Africa were ton, and Ft. Rucker near Enter- coming to a close, American and prise. British forces were taking large “The Ft. Rucker camp initially numbers of German and Italian housed Italian prisoners, but soldiers as prisoners. Finally, in when Italy surrendered later in May of 1943, with the surrender 1943, these were moved to other of Rommel's Afrika Korps in locations. After that, only Ger- Tunisia, more than 250,000 pris- mans were interned in Alabama. oners were taken. These prisoners were held in temporary com- “Later, as POWs were being pounds until they could be proc- Ge rman POW’s in classroom at Camp Aliceville . put to work outside the camps, smaller satellite camps were con- essed and sent to prisoner of war .Photos courtesy of the Aliceville Museum Collection. (POW) camps for the duration of structed. The satellite camps were the war. Most were sent by ship to various ports on the east coast located in areas where the demand for prisoner labor was the of the United States. It was here that thousands of these prisoners greatest and were usually designed for 200 to 300 men. Each sat- learned that they were being transported to a far off destination ellite camp was assigned to a base camp for support. By 1945 that most of them had never heard of - Alabama. there were over 20 satellite camps in the state. Some of those near- est to Atmore were located near Greenville, Evergreen, Loxley, “ I grew up in Alabama in the years following the war and I had and Foley. In all, there were over 16,000 POWs in camps through- never heard anything about POW camps being located here, but in out Alabama. fact, Alabama hosted one of the largest concentrations of German POWs in the world. Some of the camps were located not far from “The first POWs arrived in Aliceville on June 2, 1943. Nearly Atmore. everyone in town turned out to witness the event. There were armed soldiers and policemen lining the streets. The prisoners “Construction of camps in Alabama had begun in 1942, shortly arrived via a Frisco Railroad special train. Some of them were too after the United States had entered the war. These camps were tired and weak to climb down from the train and had to be assisted originally planned for alien internment but remained mostly unoc- off. Most of them still wore their tattered combat uniforms and cupied until the spring of 1943. After the Axis defeat in North clung to the few possessions they had been able to bring along. Africa, the United States and Great Britain agreed that the vast They were soon gathered into formation and marched down the majority of prisoners would be interned in the United States. A road to the camp that would be their home for the next two and a crash program was begun, by the Army Corps of Engineers, to half years. This was a scene that would be repeated many times at enlarge the existing camps and to construct many more camps Aliceville and in the other camps in the months to come. throughout the country, Because of climate concerns, most of these camps were to be construe southern regions of the country. “ In each of the camps, the administrative structure was set up so By 1945 there were about 500,000 POWs in over 500 camps that the Germans themselves would be responsible for their own throughout the United States. chain of command, for most of the day to day activities of the camp. They were also responsible for their internal security and “The first camp in Alabama was constructed near Aliceville, just discipline. west of Tuscaloosa. Camp Aliceville consisted of frame barracks and numerous other administrative buildings situated on over 700 There were many problems during the first months that the acres of land. In addition, prisoners were provided with recrea- camps were opened because there had been little effort by the tional areas, theatres, several mess halls, and a hospital. It was American military to identify which of the prisoners were hard- virtually a small city. The camp was surrounded with two barbed ened Nazis and which were just ordinary soldiers. Only a small wire fences with a "no man's land" in between and with many percentage were still staunch followers of Hitler, but those who guard towers and light stands. It could accommodate 6,000 prison- were carried their beliefs into the camps and set out to identify and ers and up to 1,000 American military and support personnel. (Continued on page 10)
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The ECHS Journal Section
German POW’s (continued)
(Continued from page 9) pons’ which were earned by working. punish those prisoners who did “The canteens were quite prof- not continue to support the party itable and the prisoners were line. allowed the profits. A committee “They formed secret police would decide how to spend firs organizations within the camp and usually they were used for and would threaten or beat any morale boosting items such as prisoners who they felt were musical instruments, sports cooperating too much with their equipment and printing presses. captors. There were even a few In some camps, the barracks cases where prisoners, who did were completely refurbished and not remain loyal to the Nazi painted using canteen profits. cause, were executed by the When the war ended some can- secret police. By late 1943 teen funds contained tens of American officials had learned thousands of dollars. This of this situation and many of the would be donated to German die-hard identified and sent charities or divided and paid to away to special camps. the departing prisoners in cash. Barracks at Camp Alice “The relations between the guards and “The Geneva Conventions regarding treat- prisoners underwent a dramatic shift from ment of POWs stated that only the lowest rank- early 1943 through 1945. At first there was quite a bit of appre- ing prisoners could be compelled to work outside the camps. hension and tension between the groups. The guards had a strict There was a tremendous labor shortage in the south at this time set of rules to follow when dealing with the prisoners. There was because of the number of people serving in the armed forces or to be no conversation or contact with the prisoners. If the prisoners having gone into the cities to work in defense industries. To en- left the camp for a work detail, they would be followed by large courage prisoners to work in the outside jobs, the government numbers of armed guards and even a Jeep or truck with a mounted decided to pay them. Any farmer or business that desired to use machine gun. POW laborers had to justify, through the War Manpower Com- mission, that the need was critical and could not be filled from “By 1944, things local sources. They could then contract with the Commission to changed drastically. provide laborers and were required Guards and prisoners to pay to the Commission the going became much more rate per hour for such labor. relaxed with each other and would often “The prisoners were allowed to be seen talking, jok- keep 80 cents a day of this pay. ing and laughing T hey were paid in "canteen cou- together. Guards pons" which could be spent only at were sometimes seen the camp canteen. The rest of their taking prisoners into pay went into camp maintenance or local restaurants for into the canteen fund. The prisoners lunch or into a theater German POW’s at wo rk , Camp provided a good substitute for to watch a movie. One Aliceville . scarce labor and by 1945 most of prisoner even noted them were working. that by 1945, at some of the work sites, it was hard to tell the “POWs worked in a number of guards from the prisoners. The p risoners re- different places, including ware- built the wooden “Each of the base camps had a canteen that was run through the houses, military bases, offices, and lined trenches with prisoner organization. The canteen was similar to an Army PX and hospitals. One even worked as a hand made bricks at stocked such things as tobacco, toilet articles, snacks, games, baby sitter. The majority of POWs Camp Alice . books, etc. In some states, including Alabama, the canteens even stocked beer. These articles were purchased with ‘canteen cou- (Continued on page 11)
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The ECHS Journal Section
German POW’s (continued)
(Continued from page 10) gardens. One camp even had a prisoner who had been a professional landscaper. in the south though, were employed in He decorated the grounds with elaborate timber and pulpwood related jobs, or designs using flowers, shrubs and on farms. Many hundreds of prisoners stones. Other prisoners made wood worked the farms of Baldwin County carvings or other artwork for the gar- through the camps in Foley and Lox- dens. Compounds would compete ley. Most of the prisoners who worked within the camp for the monthly beauti- from the Baldwin County camps were fication award. Many local residents probably transported from Aliceville would come out to the camp to see these through Atmore on the Frisco. beautiful gardens behind the barbed “The camps in Greenville and Ever- wire. green supplied workers for pulpwood The Outdoor Theatre at Camp Aliceville “Prisoners also built soccer fields, harvesting and timber related jobs. gymnasiums, and other sports facilities Many of the Camp Evergreen prisoners along with libraries, handicraft shops, worked for the T.R. Miller theaters, officer and NCO clubs, and many other amenities. At Mill Co. and worked in Aliceville, they built a 1,000 –seat amphitheater from bricks that the vicinity of Brewton they had made themselves. and Atmore. In 1945, it was estimated that about “The off duty hours in the one-third of the pulpwood POW camps were filled with cut in the southern states many activities. The prisoners were given almost total free- was cut by POW workers. dom as to how they occupied In the fall of 1943, there their free time, and in typical was a critical need for German fashion, programs workers to harvest the vast were organized which would peanut crops in the Plays, juggling, and puppet capture the interest of almost theatre produced by the Dothan and Enterprise everyone. Camps had bands, area. Hundreds of POW POW’s , Camp Aliceville . orchestras, dance groups, workers were contracted choirs, and theatrical compa- for but there was also a shortage of guards to nies. Within a few months of opening, Camp handle the movement of so many prisoners. A Aliceville had a 40-man symphony orchestra special military unit was moved into Alabama with instruments donated through the YMCA to serve as temporary guards for this opera- or purchased from canteen profits. tion. Interestingly, this unit was made up of volunteer nisei Japanese (second generation “Theatrical produc5tions were staged with Japanese) who themselves, just weeks before, costumes and scenery that had been made in the had been behind barbed wire in Japanese in- prison workshops. There was a wealth of ex- perience in the POW ranks as many of the pris- ternment camps in the western United States. oners had been professional musicians or per- “The Germans were an formers before the war. industrious group and very little of their free time was Records at Aliceville show that wasted. From the beginning, before the end of the war, in they set out to change their addition to the symphony or- bleak camp compounds into chestra, there were six smaller a more pleasant and more bands, six glee clubs, a dance livable environment. They orchestra, a string quartet, and a painted the buildings, 25-member choir organized planted grass and shrubs, within the camp. T hese camp and put in ornate flower (Continued on page 12) Pu p pets iin the thea tre and making the puppe ts.
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The ECHS Journal Section
German POW’s (continued)
(Continued from page 11) “According to military code, it was con- sidered the duty of any captured military productions began drawing large numbers personnel, including Americans, to try to of spectators from the local population who escape. There were around 2,000 escape would gather to watch from outside the attempts made from the camps in the United fence. On a few occasions, the prisoners States. These were all by individuals or were invited to hold performances in local small groups. There were no mass break- auditoriums which would be open to the outs, although there were several elaborate public. tunnels discovered under the fences at some of the camps in the southwest. There were “ In addition, each base camp established a 80 recorded escape attempts from the camps newspaper which would publish camp news in Alabama No civilians or military person- and articles and stories submitted by the nel were ever harmed in these escape at- prisoners. They obtained printing presses tempts but, unfortunately, several prisoners through donations or bought them from were shot and killed while trying to escape. canteen funds. The camp papers did not Two prisoners were killed while trying to publish any news of world events but the escape from Aliceville. They were buried prisoners had access to local newspapers through the camp canteen. They got peri- with full military honors with an honor guard of American soldiers who fired the odic mail deliveries from back and could write letters to be forwarded to Germany traditional 21-gun salute. through the Swiss embassy. “None of the Alabama escapees ever got very far and most captivity within a few “Sports, especially soccer, were also big hours. A small group did manage to get as pastimes. The camps fielded some very high far as Memphis where they enjoyed a few quality soccer teams. They formed leagues days freedom before being discovered. Most and played games for the camp champion- of the escapes were not well planned and ships. These games attracted large cheering were just spur of the moment decisions. crowds and it wasn’t long before the guards Many simply walked away from work de- had adopted favorite teams and would be Drawings of camp life, at the thea- tails where security was lax. Over half of seen at the games cheering as loudly as any tre and in the barracks, by one of the prisoners who escaped ended up turning of the prisoners. The guards tried to intro- the POW’s. duce the prisoners to American football but themselves in to the police or to local citi- just never seemed to catch on. zens or they just walked back to the camp. “ In October of 1944, the entire prison population was deeply “All of the major POW camps established camp schools and saddened to learn of the death of the former commander of the colleges where prisoners could take a variety of courses. The Afrika Korps, their much beloved Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. courses ranged from basic high school subjects to engineering and Even though he was the enemy, he was held in high esteem by even pre-med. many of the allies as well. At Camp Aliceville, a committee of “Most of the courses were taught by qualified teachers from the POWs approached the camp commandant to ask it was all right for POW ranks, but a few were taught by visiting teachers from them to conduct a parade and memorial ceremony in the camp. nearby schools. Near the end of the war, arrangements were under The commandant not only gave permission on but asked if it way to have prisoners actually attend classes at the University of would be all light for an American officer to also give a eulogy. Alabama. Prisoners could also sign up for correspondence courses “The prisoners conducted a formal military parade with bands through the same schools that provided this service to the Ameri- playing traditional German march music. A number of German can military. officers and an American officer gave speeches. Many of the “At any given time, almost half of the prisoners were enrolled in American officers from the camp attended the ceremony. A Ger- courses of some type. After the war, the POWs’ course records man artist had painted a huge portrait of Rommel which was dis- were sent to Germany so that they could get credit in Germany for played above the speakers’ platform. Searchlights from the guard the courses taken while POWs. Many of the prisoners had earned towers illuminated the portrait throughout the night. credits that allowed them to finish high school or to get college degrees. (Continued on page 13)
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The ECHS Journal Section
German POW’s (continued)
(Continued from page 12) gan to repatriate the POWs back to their homelands. This was a slow process “There are few records of prisoners however, and many of the prisoners being brutally mistreated the POW didn't leave Alabama until late in 1946, camps. In the early days, there were and then over half the prisoners were some instances of prisoners being mis- retained in POW status and required to handled by their guards, but as relations work in postwar projects in Great Brit- improved, these situations virtually dis- ain, France, and other European coun- appeared. T here was one case where a tries. Many didn't get back to Germany guard at a camp in Colorado went ber- until 1948. serk after learning of his brother's death in Germany and firing his gun into the “Repatriation was a bitter-sweet ex- perience for most of the prisoners, for camp, killing several prisoners. now they had to face return to a devas- “Overall, 830 Germans died while in tated homeland and endure near starva- captivity. Many of these deaths occurred POW’s from the Afrika--Korps Camp tion conditions during the long recovery because of injuries or diseases that the Alice. years. Many had also lost family mem- prisoners had before their arrival at the bers and friends, whose fates they would camps. German POWs were buried in 53 different cemeteries in not learn for months, if ever. Many Alabamians received letters the United States. The largest number are buried in the Chatta- from former POWs telling them of the deplorable conditions that nooga National Cemetery. There is a small cemetery on Ft. they found on their return to Germany. McClellan that contains the graves of 26 POWs who died in Ala- “After the last POWs had left the camps, the Army Corps of bama. Engineers began the dismantling process. Slowly, the camps were “When the prisoners first started to arrive in Alabama, there was tom down and any usable materials and supplies were sold as some animosity shown by the local citizens, especially those had scrap or used for other government projects. Almost nothing re- lost loved ones in the war. The prisoners would sometimes be mains of any of the Alabama camps. There may be a small monu- jeered or cursed as they marched down the streets to the camps. At ment or plaque at some of the sites. The towns of Aliceville and that time, fraternization between the prisoners and American Opelika have made special efforts to preserve the history of the guards and citizens was strictly forbidden. As time passed though, POW camps that were located there. The Aliceville Museum and and as the Americans learned more about the Germans, they dis- the Museum of East Alabama in Opelika have collections of many covered that the prisoners were just fellow human beings who of the records, artifacts, uniforms, and pictures from the camps as were tired and lonely, and most of them wanted nothing more than well as interesting displays depicting what life was like behind the for the war to end so that they could go back home. barbed wire. The museum at Aliceville also exhibits some of the artistic works of the POWs such as paintings, sketches, handi- “After a while, these regulations regarding fraternization were mostly ignored and many Alabamians formed lasting relationships crafts, musical instruments, and sculpture. with the prisoners they associated with. Relations grew especially “ I am sure that the humane treatment that the German POWs strong at the work camps and on farms where Americans and Ger- received while in the United States, in spite of the war still raging mans worked side by side. It wasn't unusual for farmers to have and in spite of vast political differences, had a lasting effect on German work crews to their home for lunch. The prisoners proba- postwar German values and of their perception of the United bly enjoyed fried chicken, black eyed peas, turnip greens and States. Most POWs took with them back to Germany views and cornbread for the first time. ideas about the United States that, for the most part, were very positive. There were many lessons that were learned from the “There is a story of a Baldwin County farmer who loaned his car American people about the American way of life and about how to a group of prisoners so that they could take a drive through the caring and generous Americans can be. I expect that some of the country. most enduring lessons of all took place in settings similar to those “Many of these friendships lasted for decades after the war and of the farm houses in Baldwin County, where POW workers were many Germans have returned to Alabama to visit with the friends sometimes invited in to join an American family for dinner.” they made here. Reunions have been organized in Aliceville to bring former prisoners, guards and other camp workers, and local citizens together. “Following Germany's surrender in May of 1945, America be-
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FIRST CLASS MAIL THEECHOES NEWSLETTER FOR THE ESCAMBIA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY DATED MATERIAL
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Membership Renewal/Application Form
Names) ______Date ______First Middle Last Mailing Address ______Street/P.O. Box City State Zip Phone ______Do you prefer to get your newsletter by
U.S. Mail ___ or email? ___ Email ______Dues ($25.00/person) ______($250.00/person Lifetime or $50.00/year business) (Business members get a business-card sized advertisement in 11 issues of the Donation ______newsletter. Larger sized ads are available) ECHOES, T he newsletter for the Escambia Co unty Historical Amount enclosed ______Society, a 501 (c) (3) corporation, is published monthly except November. Comments are welcome. You may email the Society Your interests ______at [email protected] or call 251-867-7332, or 251-809-1528.
______OFFICERS You will help with ______President, Jerry Simmons Vice-President, Ranella Merritt ______Secretary, Jacqueline Stone Treasurer, Susan Crawford Newsletter Editor, Ranella Merritt Dues are to be paid at the beginning of the year. Publicity Chairman, Lydia Grimes Give a membership as a gift! VOLUME 36, NUMBE R 03 Page 14