Brief historical sketches and transcriptions of clippings.
Folder contains 30 pages of sketches and notes on Alabama individuals and schools as well as Christmas traditions in other countries, compiled by Allen C. Foster for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s. Some are transcriptions of clippings and books.• A .C. Foeter• <' i...
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Alabama Department of Archives and History
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Electronic |
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WPA Alabama Writers' Project Collection |
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Alabama Department of Archives and History |
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Alabama Department of Archives and History |
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WPA Alabama Writers' Project |
| spellingShingle |
WPA Alabama Writers' Project Brief historical sketches and transcriptions of clippings. |
| fulltopic |
WPA Alabama Writers' Project African Americans--Education; Alabama--Biography; Schools; Alabama Writers' Project; United States. Works Progress Administration |
| description |
Folder contains 30 pages of sketches and notes on Alabama individuals and schools as well as Christmas traditions in other countries, compiled by Allen C. Foster for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s. Some are transcriptions of clippings and books.• A .C. Foeter•
<' i , •
•
• • p Tl1e Call10un Scl1ool • •• I' l I
•
••
\ TI11e echool for colored cl1ildren at calhoun Alabama, (Lowndee
County) ie non eectarian, boarding and day echool.Tl1ie inetitute
preparee the colored etudent for college and for life.Tl1e ecl1001
l1ad ite origin in the earl~ 90A•• Booker T Vael1ington'e activitiee
known ae-Tl1e l!llcedonia Call"inepired two wl1ite teachere J.lieeee,Cl1arlotte
Tl10rn and Mabel W. Dillingb.am to leave Hampton Va. wl1ere tl1ey v.ere
teacl1ing and come to Alabama. To tl1eee two Women are given the credit
ae foundere of tl1e ec11001.
A wl11te citizen of Oall1oun donated 10 acree of land for tl1e
ecl1001 e ite, and tl1rougl1 tl1e efforte of Booker T loaehington the negro
citizene agreed to contribute .700.00 toward tl1ie inetitution.
-
Tl1e eCl100l wae opened Oct, let, 1892 under eupervieion of
Tl10rn and Dillingbam, Tl1e latter 11110 remained principal for many
yeare, and ie due mucl1 credit for tl1e progreee tl1e echool made.
The opening enrollment wae 300 etudente, eix teacl1ere White
and colored. and tl1e ecl1001 l1ae retained a mixed faculty till tl1e
reeent date •
• Board of Trueteee of influeO[al men own anwrcontrol tl1e
ecl1ool. It receivee it'e eunport from contributionaland bequeete,
no aid fran tl1e State. Tl1e inetitution offere t~ay, Bxteneion
coureee, Induetrs1 and Academic Depte. ~.. aleo find tl1e
ecl1001 l1ae 2000 acree of land alld 24 buildinge, Wi tl1 an enrollment
of 289 etudente lieted for 1937.
Ov.ene HiBtory. Vol-l.
Collection of Booklet ell on
Call10un 5c11001. Bel1am Library.
ie eee
•
•
A.C. Foster.
Burrell Honnal Sctlool.
Page 1 •
Ttle Burrell Honnal Sctlool ~ae firet opened at Selma
~"b9ma, in 1866 wittl an enrollment of 200 etudente. Ttlie colored
edUcational institute wae made possible ttlrougtl a gift of
10,000. by .Tabez Burrell of Oberlin Otlio to ttle merican J.:ieaionary
Assocatien and was built in ttle Selma district beoause
ttle educational outlook for ttle negro in ttlis distriot lookad
tlopeleee.
Ttle ectlool wae turned over to ttle City of Selma in
1878, later to be taken over again by the American ~ieeion9ry
Aseocation.A fire deetroyed the echool in 1886 and the land ~e
eold to ttle City in 1898. •
In 1893 rtle Burrell Nonnal School wae conetructed at
Florence Ala, being located on College Street three blocke from
the City Haal, it ocoupiee the creet of a low hill and enjoye a
eplendid view of the river. Funde from the aale of the old ectlool
property at Selma, were ueed to carry thie on. The plane and
conetruction were dra~n up and eupervieed by Joeeph Fletctler.a
graduate of Talladega College. The building is a two etoT,1 briok etructure
Florence wae eelected aa the site for the ectlool on
account of the interest and encouragement the committee from the
American lUeeionary eeocation were greeted with .hila lcoking
over Alabama for a site for the echool. The I,(ayor and eeveral
prominent citizene purchased and donated the eite fer the echool.
A.C. Foeter.
• _. Page 2 •
Burrell No lDlal Sc no 01 •
BenJ ,F, Cox 1I9.a ttle ecnool' e firet principal and ne ie
given credit for giving tne ecnoel it'a cultural elant ne being a
•
man of artietic tempermente. Tne groun e were planted witn ensde
trees ana beautiful flo~r gardene, tnere wae aleo an aquarium.
It wse one of tne early enow placee of Florence and eometning tne
town wse proud of.
Tne ecnool offered primary, intermediate, and nign ecnool
training, a normal dept. wae aleo maintained •
•
ueic,4rt, and
induetry training ......ere later added.
Tne ecnool nad Geo, 'nite ae it'a next principal
wno guided it'e deetiniee for tne next 23 yeare witn great
adVancement. One of nie firet venturee Wae to nold 4 Farmers
Inetitute at tne ecnool yearly, being aeeieted in tnie by tne
otner collegee over tne eoutn. Playe and mueicalee were given
at tne ecnool • at one time Wnen cultural opportunitiee ~ere
not ae abundant ae today tne ecnool bec!lll1e a center for botn
racea wno loved tne beautiful.
One of tne outetanding producte of tnie inetitution
today ie Haner Snitn,wno witn nia quartert may be neard on
Sundaye at ncon frcm Radio City. N,B,C. Network. (Soutnernairee)
Tne ecnool wae turned over to tne public acnool
eyetem of Florence, in tne fall of 1937. and ie n"w a colored Junior
nlgn ecnool,
Bibl iogra pner.
ieaionary Hearld at nome and abroad,
Nov.l 37. Commieeioner for foreign ieeiona.
Boeton aee,
•
••
•
•
Foster.
7he ontemp~ated co in£e ut- arty of EV • n 'cLe~, dau[hter
of the fnmous soci lite 'cLe of e\,port nd rashini'ton "). . should
•
be of interest to some of the older citizens of Birmingham.
Her gr~ndmother ITS Thomas '-alsh (carrie ell Reed) W"'S formerly a
resident of Birmingham. I'rs stephen Reed her great...grandlmothel' owned a
b,kery on 2nd venue downtown Birmingham ana carrie Bell assisted
her, sellinp' pies and cakes. The Reed family VI.S by no means wealthy.
later arrie ~ll Reed married a young contractor a l~. Thomas 'alsh
here in this city •.T. /B.lsn and his youne bride did not f'lre so well
in Birmingham so they left this city and went to colorado where fortune
favored them in the form of a gold strike, and the '~alsh family bec-me
very wealthy.
ITS EV",lyn "'slsh MCLeill the mother of EV lyn is the present owner
of the world f~mous stone-rhe Hope Diamond~ she is \lell known in International
,ocial Circles for her lavish parties and enter~~inments and
has also written a very interesting book "pather struck It Rich" which
is classed as an autobiography.
Birmingham public Library.
catalogue Dept.
sirmingham post p-lO.
JUly 14 1938.
,
Rich.lrds Directory of BI ham
1886•
•
-1-\ , ,,\
.-.
Foster.
In the Southern Slav ~ountry Dalmat1a wnich has a p~pulation
he people celebrate nristmas
an~l'ndar • In Dalmatia
~ovincee of Yugoslava.
of 96(. Serbo-Croats and of these 80~ are of tne ~atholic reli~i09~
the" cuetoms.... Cnristmae ways tne same 8S tnose in
r
manY' 0 the
according to the date of
,
Baduyak (1.1e Log) must De a young oak ana is selected with care.
The cutting of the tree is performed wita a ceremonial, 'hereign
of the croes is made before tne axe toucnss the tree trunk ~nd tne
tree must fall to the eaet,tne oougns not cont tinb tnose of Qnotaer
tree or bad luck w111 follow the coming ysar. hen the men return
to the village they are greeted with sonbS and pistol shots.
That evening the log 1s placed 1n the fireplace with one end
:::e:::::e:o::::e:~~:o:~:es:::~o:r;::h::ea::a:~:;~::~y
to empty a cup of wine and throw some grain on the Baduyak
with a ish for plenty of wine and grain for the coming sea-on.
scatter stra" about the floor in memory of the
'7V"f
nger birth. t hristmas Eve _ meat is ea-
~ A
ten'f\o..lY"Jl"!sh, onions, beanrand IIhite bre"t n this night
it is considered bad lack to allow ~e B~duak to burn out and
/I
Someone must keep latch all night. Christmas a fire is built
in the yard and a .hol suckling pig is roasted on a spit••
The neighbors greet one another with"ir Boziy1\ Hristos se
rOd1~- God's Peace I, Christ 1s born\ 'kveryone kisses 8'1'8'7.......
on8 else three ~es and fOrgiVe~all qua d d
~ferences ~the past year. An old Croatian belief is that
angeis pa~s over the spr1n&s touching them and mak1ng them
t • ,
I
,.
I •
••
• t ,• I••
••
The" first star
the termination of a
Foster.
appearing In the aky on hrlstmas eve deno.ea
..,J
strict fast which has been oosorved
Bulgaria for two weeks prece ding nrlatmas eve, At the dinner toat
night the chief ceremonial food la Kraval, a round c~ke which toe
eldest daughter of the houeehold decor~te. wlto a Ilgoted candle
and the flguree of a blrd,flower Bno a croso, This cake Is pl~cdu In
the center of the table surro~nQed oy otoer festival foods. Prior
to toe oloner there Is tne burnio~ of Incense Bnd offdrio~ of prayer,
Then the father aod mother raise a loaf of 0 eau over ~neir oeBoe
saying; ~y our wheat grow ae oigo ~s tois", ~ollowlo~ tois tne oeans
of ths family each break a piece from the loaf, The OOe woo ~eta toe
larger piece is supposed to havd good luck for the coming year.
Christmas 8ay In Bulgaria Is begun with a long churco service and
the ch Idren receive gifts from Koleda, the ancient .Inter iod •
./,'
mornlng)befors oreakfas~ wheat is put Into ~ stocking
and sprinkle' on the doorsteps oy tns head of toe family.
lI'hlle doing tnls he says "Lhrist Is born!!> ;.oe otoer members of - the family answer" he is oorn lnaeeo, rneo spar~re strUCK -::=- IA ,t/'{.. ./ ~ ~
from toe yule log, .... -a w"ish eac~ blow," -healto to toe fara$. ,,-,;.." =- ;;
and a good crop" The ashoa from the log are toeo gatoered anu a
-
I ...... coin hidnen among toem with a wiSh for an aouonaot narvest. ~
CM/ i"
The Traditional Dulgarian ~hriatmas Inclunes roast pig and Krav~tza,,_
or blood sausage. for the dinner,
•
• • •
I
,
Christma. in Italy (Venice)
Burke
The Presepio is the principal. feature of an Italian
Christmas. It is a miniature representation of the birthplace
of Christ, showing the Holy Family --- Joseph, Mary and the
infant Jesus in the manger --- or, more frequently, the IDBnger
awaiting the infant. This is a doll that is brought in later,
passed around tkat. each person in the room ~ pray before it,
and then soJmnJ~ deposit.ed in the msnger. There are angels,
/v- ....
and other figures several inches high, carved in wOod,\prettily
colored I
The Presepio is mliOe as expensive as it.s owner can afford, and
somet.imes much more so. Those who have a Presepio receive guests
to pray before it., and strolling mDsicians t.o sing before it.
There are no evergreens used in either church or home trimmings,
but flowers, natural or art.ificial, are used instead. Soon atter
nine~clock the people, young and old, leave their homes for
some church in which the Christmas Eve lIervices begin by ten O'clock.
Presents are drawn from the urn of Fate, a cust.om cO!!IDon to
msn1 countries. AS the parcels are interspersed with blankS, the
from the urn creat.es much excitement. and no litt.le
-""". -'"
among the children, who do not always understand
thavthere wiii be a gift for each 0 notwit.hstanding the blanke •
•
,
•
t -"
I
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, ,.
•
Christmas Custome in other ou: tries •
Foster•
In France there is no set national custom as to the celebration
of Christmas. In the cities there is a feeling of sOlemnitY/~:ee_
~re held in all the churches. Along the main boulvards) the shopsI'
1 toys and sweets. Thio display is in preparation for ths cele-f'
o--(r-" ,
bration and giving gifts on New Years Day. which is a time of
great hilarit~"1li;'=o... /In t~e Provinces eft Sl'l.. ie.....~ 'there is
usually a family celebrationJand where the German influence is felt
one may find a Christmas tree. In some of the other provinces a
ed with a su ~tanc to -e~u b 31.0\. Overhead there i e a star shi-ning
on tiny figures of shepherds and ~i~~Insteadof the
Werry Christma$ treeting "0 hea, oel on every tongue. :> 1\
In Germa y he Christma tree is the center of all festiVities.
Every family ha at least one, 80me have more. There are special
groups who furnish these trees to the poor. The tree is decorated
very much like the ones in the United 3tate~~der the tree usually
are the ~anger d Holy :,imi y. Gif~S are brought by
1\ ) f\
Kris Kringle, ho travels about on Christma$ ve iu uiring about the
conduct of the children for the past year hen thought necessary he
J
leaves .a S~~~Ch for the coming year1Christmas Eve is the time for the
tree andC£rstribution of gifts. On the following morning service~
A ~
are held in the churches. These people closely connect the Christ
(
-2- Foster•
•
•
~their celebration. haVing;'epecial thought for the
poor, inviting them to their homes to partake of food and gifts.
{\.
In spai~as in most other countries of Southern Euorp~ the
celebrations are of a di1ferent nature, the mild climate enabling
the people to hold most of their festivities ~ in the open.
Dancing is the keynote of the holiday seas0l] and in this country..)
•
a early as December 1 • young people begin to practice so they
will be at t eir best on Christmas Eve. On that night there is
dancing everywhere, the streets are crowded with shop ers and
people watching the dancers. The stores are well stocked with
turkeys. fruits, dates and olives. At midnight all hurry home ........
in order to go in family groups to Mi~ight Mass)the churches
are beautifully decorated)and the priests wear robes that are
worn only at this time.~After Jaes the people go once more into
the streets. dancing and celebrating until dawn. There are no services
on Christmas Day; but on Jan. 6Y..>gifts are exchanged.
The Tbree ~ise Men take the place of Santa Claus in ~ ain.
Instead of a bristmas;r{ee every family has Gt, representation
of the Holy Manger.
of oats and
In Scandinavian Countries ( Norway and Sweded) it is a
custom to feed the birds during the YUle~ea.on. Everywhere/tied
to the tree branches and tucke~ in odd fence corners are bunches
/
wheat that have been placed ther by the children for ff!:J,..,.,...,
tbe birds who have much trouble~tDring the severe cold month~
I
In these countries the Christmas Celebration starts
~
on Christmas Ev~~a special supper is prepared~l ~~.
At this su. per age-old Aishes at'e served, th_ fOOdS,.... 6 full of
traditions that have been handed down from one ge~eration to the
•
other. •
Foster.
-3-
hr1stmas trees are
from the peasante.
ocass1on • The
scrubbing, so
bright and shining for Christmas. On the 1._
. ~~
gingerbread goats and pigs, ~ bought
fter the dinner on Chr1stmae Eve the
house is
a.- food is ~ outetand1ng dish for this
f'.
spends many days baking, cleaning and
•
Sea -- hOU":.1:1fe
the entire
are distributed. Some of the presents are h1ddenA
the children may search for them.~n Chr1stmas~rn1ng there 1e a
church service attended by the older peoPle~s a more
serious ocass1on. The second Christmas on the following day is a
time of revelry, everyone j01~ the dances and games which
sometimes cul*1nate in a large ball on Jan. 6~ It 1e thought
the custom of kis81n&obensath the mistletoe originated in the
scand1nav1an~untr1es. It was in these that m1stletos was dedicated
to the 10ve loddess) Fr1ga. ~ere were to be ae many kisses
as berries on the m1etletoe.
In Ireland Chr1etmas is a time of great merrymaking and
.
rejoicing.
,
--Irish hoep1tal1ty is doubled at this time. As fir treee are scarce in UrelandJthere are very few Chr1stma~
eaB. The homes are attractively decorated with holiday
greens. The gooee is the center of dinner for Chr1et.as. and
in every home there 1e an abundant supply of various beverages.
The Irish exchange gifts on
dren carry out a unique
hr1stmas Day and many of the ch1l)
idea before Christmas in going
from home to home carrying a wren in a cage atop a long pole,
•
singing songs and collecting 1ft••
In Hungary/December 6. is the original Santa Claus
day for the children. In many of the villages St. N1cholas~
in his b1shop's rObe,/ goes about with an attendant (a devil)
and distributes rewards to the children according to the1r~
•
-4- Foeter.
conduct for the paet year. Many children leave their boote or
shoee on the windo.. sills I d in theee he .lea'l~e either emallfl ....b....
~. -tu k..FH.it~...~~ ~L' 1:J<(j)
gifts or a birch ro~~Chnietmas in Hungary lasts two days, -,
each a legal holiday. During this period church bells ring
continuously. \:h~ appearance of the first star on Christmas
Eve denotes the dinner ho~. At this dinner traditional dishes
are served. mainly cabbage soup, fish, cakes and nuts, also
small dum lings sprinkled with sugarJand poppy seed known as
~~
"Bobajk '. All familiee who can affor~ have a tree) and
preceeding thl.2.. meal the~assemble around it and after a short
prayer distrubute the glfts. At midnight t~re ie a mass at the ~
church attended by the entire family group. During the Christ-mas~
ason groups of gaily clad ~ldren go about the village
streets singing carols and carry~ a mina-
0-.-.
ture mange~ With figures or marionettes which
reenact the Christ Story. These figures represent the HOlYI'
Family, ~he3hepherds, and ~he ~hree Kings. On Jan. 6~ the ~_hree.-k::ings-follow the star through the Hunbarian )n'vlcuntrYSide~
carrying in their hands long sticks ith bells strung on them)
w~th which they beat time as they walk onward singing. The Star
is carried alona in front of the Three Kings on a long pole.
The .3yrian Christmas .3eason begins on December 4J/f. whic h
is St. Barbara'a y)and lasts until Jan. 64'. hristmas Eve
~Syria is not a time for fun and celebration. It is a season
of prayer nd worship. Pilgrimages are made from yria to
Bethlehem to attend the church service there.Christmas Day and
the day folloWing are spent qUietly at home. New Yea~ts Day in
Foster!
• -5-
jifts
7""
with New
•
hrist Child; and
are exchanged and children go from door to door ;.,....t-::
Year' s Greetings-,~lQ'" recei'9l candles and money. The Syrian
Child does not look to ~anta Claus for gifts; the camel is
his ift beare) and before going to bed on New Year's Eve
he sets out a bowl of water and a dish of wheat for the camel.
~
According to legend) camel was the youngest of those
bearing the wise men to the cradle of the
~ ...
this country is the time for celebrations.
it fell down exhausted by the strenous journey. The Christ
Child blessed it and conferred immortality upon it. In the
lebanon district it is a magic mule instead of a camel.
The pea le of sootland) who
former yearsjcelebrate it today
never Q8served Christmas in
.Q...:../<- L.
very much"tril6 54000 as the
English. There are church eervicee and dinners in aee~~RQ--
_s;;.ckcn tries to be
on Christmas)but the main day of celebration ~~~
(..,Lor\-
eoas~ is New Year's. On this Eve every~~ of the family
r-,;;::;:i~;;;;-" cv 'Jrf'< 'f- present ~ for f\w. dinn~~
~_. Presents are distributed OR ~N.~
~ and many
W\.Aparties
held.
"
Every household has the fullest
stock of meat and all manner of cakes, confeotions, wines and
WhiS~(J)
In portugaljJan.6~ ie the ~a! for Christmas~lebr t.
~
ions. Bands of carolers go about~ the towns and villagee
singing greetings and begging gifts. Family roups visit from
house to house. The carolere beg admittance to the homes to
eing to the Christ Chil~~ter being admitted they sing spec~
ial songs and are entertained with wines and food. On this day
there are great festivals for the childre~~ifts are exchanged)
end many of the mothers give partie., For
these parties a bolo-Rei, or special Epiphany cak~ is baked.
amulets or fortune telling
-6- Foster.
--a....... /----,
Nithin~~ cake varioue
'-ClJI,L •
trinket~and a single dried lima bean. The child who gets the
piece of cake containing the bean promises to furnish the cake
for the party the following year.
On the night of Decsmber 24",
-Qk~ Sc.U~~S ..J
-4I\::idr. pn ,,' _PIS"; ,",epe ~ e ~pe ef Chri stmas ia observed""
...-'/\ ~
Christkindli, or the Christ Child
l
is daid to make the village
rounds in a sleigh drawn by reindeer and loaded with toys,
gifts>and beautifully decorated Christmas~rees for the Ch~--
~n and family. On this night the family gath~?around the
Christma~ee to sing carols and listen to the reading of
the Nativity ~tory. ~esents are distributed
and all make merry;t!;f!itime for the ~idnight.;ass at the
church. Christmas Day marks the beginning of winter sports
such as skiing, sledding, and tobogganing. In some vicinites
superstitions e~ist regarding the miracles of Christmas Eve.
It is thought that young people wishing to foretell the futurw should drin--k from nine different fountaine While the mid- night church bells are ringing. Dumb annimals are thought to
be blessed with human speech during the midnight hour~and the
housewife c11 s the ChiCken!; wings between eleven and twelve o'cJt.e-/(
that night so her fowls may be saved from beasts of prey.
In Greece on the night of December 24tJ, groups of boys
who carol of Christ'e birth go from door to door in the towns
and villages. They are rewarded
a householder is not so generous
ith gifts
ith them
and coins and when
..)
they sing amus-ing
verses regarding the stinginess he mantains. Christmas
Day in Greece is a day wh~n there ere many family reunions
OJU-.~(;I
and merrymaking~ In some parts of the country the mothers
make tenganites, or fried cake~while the c ildren watch in-
-7- Foster.
wide-eyed wonder and shiver over tales of the Kallikanaroi.
According to old folk belief these half-human and half
monster beings wander about on the twelve days between
:hristmas Eve and Epiphany, attempting to work mischief
among human beings.
In Holland the children put out their shoes on Christmas
.ve in the hope th~will be filled with gifts. On the next
moening which is C~istma3 Day everyone attenas church service.
as a rule the rest of the day is spent quietly at home. Very
few parties are ever held on this day in Holland. The regular
Christmas :elebration takes place on December 2~ ~ this ti~e
relatives visit and many parties and feasts are given. This
/u.-~l(
lasts from December 26th, ~ Jan. 13) lim ~
~~ <••.."\ is the gay meal of the day.
festival season
-..u.~ J
breakfast
•
One may see at these breakfas~long tables decorated in the
holiday spirit and spread with thirty or forty ~.ieftt
kinds of hot and cold dishes. strong drinks accompany these
morning meals and aid to make the~ feasts gala ocassions.
~
The Chinese celebrate on New Year~ instead of Christmas•
Thts day like our Easter is regulated by the moon and it generally
falls about the last of Feb. n th s day they exch
gifts and greetings, have offical gatherings and n...r-~-great
displays of fireworks. This day is considered the
•
birthday of every Chinese person..,.... past it
as
For
for
~om
theA dinner
they think
to re-enthrone the emperor
the Chineset\
everything should be allowe
•
sat meIU.
to 11 ve happily
•
0<
variety of dumPlingS,~ arel\
plum pudding is to the Englishman •
on New Years. Th pr nci al food for,
",....<--'...
them
r is a
1-.
as the
•• -8- Foster •
. ' •,
•• •
They als~ believe that all
New Years~ and several days
along the streets offering
their ;ebts should be paid before
before~they erect stalls or stores
personal belongings for sale
Some garments
Cl..-.
others go
I.M./I , ,,.e:. ,
.V'the
kn~P'I:....._
ighting
../ it is not considered good form to dun person &..
~ ~ UJ1....lJ ~--e-o.--:~
but the ,creditor may approach ? ;,-...
-t~ ...vj- " ~a ligh<8d lantern
A
nd request~the debt be paid. ~
signifies that the New ears dawn has not arriaed;
cloth for the
o.U-' ~..zti:;.,paper}
In China
so they may settle their debts.
of red
devils.
in red
The lantern
and it is still .lew Year's
,
•
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" t Foster.
•• V
I •
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Philip Sawyer. • •
This famous architect was born in New London Conn. in 1868
Much of hie time while a young man was devoted to the study 01engineering.
He was connected with the U.S. Geol. Survey, division
of N•• which was the beginning of hie career as an engineer.
He later took up the study of architecture at Columbia University,
:chool of Beaux rts and received his degree there. In 1895 at which
time he was connected with the firm of UcKim, Mead and White New
York architects he was married to Miss Mildred Conway of that City.
lithin the next few years following he became a member of
the firm of York and Sawyer Firm rchitecte. This firm has designed
many of our fine Governmsnt and Public BUildings. They were Consulting
Architects for the United States Treasury Departmsnt from
1909 till 1913. In the designing of a public building r. ~awyer
believss it should not be dssigned to create the maximum interest
this year or next but should be useful and equally acceptable for
many ysars to come. That taey should certainly be practical in
their planning and lightin~nd the space should be well adapted
to its purpose. He also is a firm believer in the fact that no
government employes should be allowed to feel that he could ,Iork
under bstter conditions in rented quarters,than in those constructed
and owned by the Government, City or County.Anothsr point in the
designing of public bUildings brought out by Mr. 3a yer is that
they should be designed so as not to offset t.e surrounding str-uctures
to a great extent •
•
•
•
•
...
-2-,' I • •
• ,•
Foster.
The Federal Building of Birmingham which is four stories hi-gh,
its exterior built of limestone and the interior of labama
Marble has graceful Ionic Columns running almost the entire length
of the block on the Fifth Avenue side. This building is rec~ized
as being one of the most beautiful specimens of public bUildings
architecture in the country. Ths firm of York and Sawyer acted as
consulting architect when the plans were drawn for this structure
about 1909.
In 1931 the Firm of York and Sa~yer were consulting architectS
fo~ the Department of Commerce and one of their most outstanding
achievements was the Department of Commerce Building at lashington
•
tl
D.C. There was keen compe~ion over the country as to who was to
design this bUilding but the plans of York and Sawyer were finally
decided upom and in this fine building the ideas of york & awyer
have been carried out according to their plan of what a public
building should be architecturally.
Other ac~evements of this firm have been, Pershing Square
BUilding,New York, New York Historical ociety Building, Childrens
Village,Dobbs Ferry; The Royal Bank of Canada ontreal, First
National Bank BUilding Boston, the Federal Buildings Honolulu,
and many of the buildings at University of ichi6an, Vassar,
Middlebury and Rutgers Colleges.
Jho's Who in America. 1936-5,
p-2087.
The Architectural forum.p-257
sept. 1931.
r. J.E. Lewis Bldg. supt.
Fsderal Bldg. B'ham.
rchitectural Forum July,1932
p-97.
•
,I
, Foster. 12- ,•
• • •
I •
• •• •• •I •
The Governors Office Force was announced as, Miss Carolyn Morton,
conf~ential Secratary. to the governor. Mrs. Mabel Amo , Ste~obrap~h~~~
Mrs. Kate Thomas Simmons, Steno- apher. Roland G. ushat, Executive Sec.
Alabama is represented in tational Goverr~ent Affairs byT---------
John Hollis Bankhead. United States Senator.
Lister Hill • n n n
•
Luther Patrick. Representative.
Joe Starnes. n
illiam Brockman Bankhead. n
P. B. Jarman.
Frank Boykin.
Henry Steagall.
Samuel Hobbs.
John J. ~parkman.
..,
n
" "
n
n
(.=:
•
•
Gessner T. McCorvey of labile i8 the present chairman of the Alabama
State Democratic Executtve Committee. Marion Rushton of ont~omery is the
Damocratic ational Committeeman.
I
,
\,
I·1
_1_ Foeter.
•
The Vine and Olive Colony in 4labama.
After Napoleons defeat at Wlterloo and baniehment to St. Helena
a decree ~~e ieeued in France July 26, 1815, charging many of hie former
exmy officere and eupportere with treason. About 300 of these fled France
and came to ~hiladelphia 1n 1816_17.
The United Statee Government on Karch, 3. 1817 gave theee people
a grent of 144 equare milee of land at the confluence of the Tombigee and
mack
•
rrior Rivere. Com rieing a art of the preeent rengo County.
Agente of theee Frenchmen eelected thie eite thinking it euitable for the
culture of olivee and vineyarde, eince the climate and geography ••lmed
eimilar to that of parte of France. ACCording to the terme of the grant
they were to cultivate the vine and olive, aleo at the end of 14 yeare
•
were to pay the federal Government $2.00 per acre for the land.
Not.ed pereonagee included in theee Bonapartiete were; Col. Raoul
who had accompanied Napoleon to and from Elba. L,Allemand brothere Who
later founded Came d' Aeile in Texae. Gen. Count Bertrand Claueel wno
had commanded at Bordeaux and Lefebvre Deenouettee former ide de Camp to
Napoleon. The latter became the leader of theee coloniste after their
eecape to the United States.
Social functione were carried on by theee French in °arengo County
eimilar to thoee of the old French Court during Napoleon'e time. ny
amueing talee have been told regarding theee ladiee and gentlemen of
Nobility during their attempt at eettlement in Alabama.
After many hardehipe experienced by theee coloniete in getting
their homee built and lande cleared It ~e diecovered that meet of the
lande they had improved were not in their eurvey. The climate aleo proved
not to be eatiefactory for the cultivation of olivee and vineyarde. |
| title |
Brief historical sketches and transcriptions of clippings. |
| titleStr |
Brief historical sketches and transcriptions of clippings. |
| url |
http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/wpa/id/842 |
| id |
ADAHwpa842 |
| thumbnail |
http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getthumbnail/collection/wpa/id/842 |
| _version_ |
1743797183197478912 |
| spelling |
GSU# SG022775_00132-00162SG022775_00132_00162Brief historical sketches and transcriptions of clippings.Folder contains 30 pages of sketches and notes on Alabama individuals and schools as well as Christmas traditions in other countries, compiled by Allen C. Foster for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s. Some are transcriptions of clippings and books.1936-1938 circa1930-1939African Americans--Education; Alabama--Biography; Schools; Alabama Writers' Project; United States. Works Progress AdministrationTextDocumentsAlabama. Dept. of Archives and HistoryWorks Progress Administration filesSG022775WPA Alabama Writers' Project, Short Stories by Allen C. Foster, Editor, BirminghamAlabama Dept. of Archives and History, 624 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36130EnglishThis material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though ADAH has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.96 dpi tiff• A .C. Foeter•
<' i , •
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• • p Tl1e Call10un Scl1ool • •• I' l I
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\ TI11e echool for colored cl1ildren at calhoun Alabama, (Lowndee
County) ie non eectarian, boarding and day echool.Tl1ie inetitute
preparee the colored etudent for college and for life.Tl1e ecl1001
l1ad ite origin in the earl~ 90A•• Booker T Vael1ington'e activitiee
known ae-Tl1e l!llcedonia Call"inepired two wl1ite teachere J.lieeee,Cl1arlotte
Tl10rn and Mabel W. Dillingb.am to leave Hampton Va. wl1ere tl1ey v.ere
teacl1ing and come to Alabama. To tl1eee two Women are given the credit
ae foundere of tl1e ec11001.
A wl11te citizen of Oall1oun donated 10 acree of land for tl1e
ecl1001 e ite, and tl1rougl1 tl1e efforte of Booker T loaehington the negro
citizene agreed to contribute .700.00 toward tl1ie inetitution.
-
Tl1e eCl100l wae opened Oct, let, 1892 under eupervieion of
Tl10rn and Dillingbam, Tl1e latter 11110 remained principal for many
yeare, and ie due mucl1 credit for tl1e progreee tl1e echool made.
The opening enrollment wae 300 etudente, eix teacl1ere White
and colored. and tl1e ecl1001 l1ae retained a mixed faculty till tl1e
reeent date •
• Board of Trueteee of influeO[al men own anwrcontrol tl1e
ecl1ool. It receivee it'e eunport from contributionaland bequeete,
no aid fran tl1e State. Tl1e inetitution offere t~ay, Bxteneion
coureee, Induetrs1 and Academic Depte. ~.. aleo find tl1e
ecl1001 l1ae 2000 acree of land alld 24 buildinge, Wi tl1 an enrollment
of 289 etudente lieted for 1937.
Ov.ene HiBtory. Vol-l.
Collection of Booklet ell on
Call10un 5c11001. Bel1am Library.
ie eee
•
•
A.C. Foster.
Burrell Honnal Sctlool.
Page 1 •
Ttle Burrell Honnal Sctlool ~ae firet opened at Selma
~"b9ma, in 1866 wittl an enrollment of 200 etudente. Ttlie colored
edUcational institute wae made possible ttlrougtl a gift of
10,000. by .Tabez Burrell of Oberlin Otlio to ttle merican J.:ieaionary
Assocatien and was built in ttle Selma district beoause
ttle educational outlook for ttle negro in ttlis distriot lookad
tlopeleee.
Ttle ectlool wae turned over to ttle City of Selma in
1878, later to be taken over again by the American ~ieeion9ry
Aseocation.A fire deetroyed the echool in 1886 and the land ~e
eold to ttle City in 1898. •
In 1893 rtle Burrell Nonnal School wae conetructed at
Florence Ala, being located on College Street three blocke from
the City Haal, it ocoupiee the creet of a low hill and enjoye a
eplendid view of the river. Funde from the aale of the old ectlool
property at Selma, were ueed to carry thie on. The plane and
conetruction were dra~n up and eupervieed by Joeeph Fletctler.a
graduate of Talladega College. The building is a two etoT,1 briok etructure
Florence wae eelected aa the site for the ectlool on
account of the interest and encouragement the committee from the
American lUeeionary eeocation were greeted with .hila lcoking
over Alabama for a site for the echool. The I,(ayor and eeveral
prominent citizene purchased and donated the eite fer the echool.
A.C. Foeter.
• _. Page 2 •
Burrell No lDlal Sc no 01 •
BenJ ,F, Cox 1I9.a ttle ecnool' e firet principal and ne ie
given credit for giving tne ecnoel it'a cultural elant ne being a
•
man of artietic tempermente. Tne groun e were planted witn ensde
trees ana beautiful flo~r gardene, tnere wae aleo an aquarium.
It wse one of tne early enow placee of Florence and eometning tne
town wse proud of.
Tne ecnool offered primary, intermediate, and nign ecnool
training, a normal dept. wae aleo maintained •
•
ueic,4rt, and
induetry training ......ere later added.
Tne ecnool nad Geo, 'nite ae it'a next principal
wno guided it'e deetiniee for tne next 23 yeare witn great
adVancement. One of nie firet venturee Wae to nold 4 Farmers
Inetitute at tne ecnool yearly, being aeeieted in tnie by tne
otner collegee over tne eoutn. Playe and mueicalee were given
at tne ecnool • at one time Wnen cultural opportunitiee ~ere
not ae abundant ae today tne ecnool bec!lll1e a center for botn
racea wno loved tne beautiful.
One of tne outetanding producte of tnie inetitution
today ie Haner Snitn,wno witn nia quartert may be neard on
Sundaye at ncon frcm Radio City. N,B,C. Network. (Soutnernairee)
Tne ecnool wae turned over to tne public acnool
eyetem of Florence, in tne fall of 1937. and ie n"w a colored Junior
nlgn ecnool,
Bibl iogra pner.
ieaionary Hearld at nome and abroad,
Nov.l 37. Commieeioner for foreign ieeiona.
Boeton aee,
•
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•
Foster.
7he ontemp~ated co in£e ut- arty of EV • n 'cLe~, dau[hter
of the fnmous soci lite 'cLe of e\,port nd rashini'ton "). . should
•
be of interest to some of the older citizens of Birmingham.
Her gr~ndmother ITS Thomas '-alsh (carrie ell Reed) W"'S formerly a
resident of Birmingham. I'rs stephen Reed her great...grandlmothel' owned a
b,kery on 2nd venue downtown Birmingham ana carrie Bell assisted
her, sellinp' pies and cakes. The Reed family VI.S by no means wealthy.
later arrie ~ll Reed married a young contractor a l~. Thomas 'alsh
here in this city •.T. /B.lsn and his youne bride did not f'lre so well
in Birmingham so they left this city and went to colorado where fortune
favored them in the form of a gold strike, and the '~alsh family bec-me
very wealthy.
ITS EV",lyn "'slsh MCLeill the mother of EV lyn is the present owner
of the world f~mous stone-rhe Hope Diamond~ she is \lell known in International
,ocial Circles for her lavish parties and enter~~inments and
has also written a very interesting book "pather struck It Rich" which
is classed as an autobiography.
Birmingham public Library.
catalogue Dept.
sirmingham post p-lO.
JUly 14 1938.
,
Rich.lrds Directory of BI ham
1886•
•
-1-\ , ,,\
.-.
Foster.
In the Southern Slav ~ountry Dalmat1a wnich has a p~pulation
he people celebrate nristmas
an~l'ndar • In Dalmatia
~ovincee of Yugoslava.
of 96(. Serbo-Croats and of these 80~ are of tne ~atholic reli~i09~
the" cuetoms.... Cnristmae ways tne same 8S tnose in
r
manY' 0 the
according to the date of
,
Baduyak (1.1e Log) must De a young oak ana is selected with care.
The cutting of the tree is performed wita a ceremonial, 'hereign
of the croes is made before tne axe toucnss the tree trunk ~nd tne
tree must fall to the eaet,tne oougns not cont tinb tnose of Qnotaer
tree or bad luck w111 follow the coming ysar. hen the men return
to the village they are greeted with sonbS and pistol shots.
That evening the log 1s placed 1n the fireplace with one end
:::e:::::e:o::::e:~~:o:~:es:::~o:r;::h::ea::a:~:;~::~y
to empty a cup of wine and throw some grain on the Baduyak
with a ish for plenty of wine and grain for the coming sea-on.
scatter stra" about the floor in memory of the
'7V"f
nger birth. t hristmas Eve _ meat is ea-
~ A
ten'f\o..lY"Jl"!sh, onions, beanrand IIhite bre"t n this night
it is considered bad lack to allow ~e B~duak to burn out and
/I
Someone must keep latch all night. Christmas a fire is built
in the yard and a .hol suckling pig is roasted on a spit••
The neighbors greet one another with"ir Boziy1\ Hristos se
rOd1~- God's Peace I, Christ 1s born\ 'kveryone kisses 8'1'8'7.......
on8 else three ~es and fOrgiVe~all qua d d
~ferences ~the past year. An old Croatian belief is that
angeis pa~s over the spr1n&s touching them and mak1ng them
t • ,
I
,.
I •
••
• t ,• I••
••
The" first star
the termination of a
Foster.
appearing In the aky on hrlstmas eve deno.ea
..,J
strict fast which has been oosorved
Bulgaria for two weeks prece ding nrlatmas eve, At the dinner toat
night the chief ceremonial food la Kraval, a round c~ke which toe
eldest daughter of the houeehold decor~te. wlto a Ilgoted candle
and the flguree of a blrd,flower Bno a croso, This cake Is pl~cdu In
the center of the table surro~nQed oy otoer festival foods. Prior
to toe oloner there Is tne burnio~ of Incense Bnd offdrio~ of prayer,
Then the father aod mother raise a loaf of 0 eau over ~neir oeBoe
saying; ~y our wheat grow ae oigo ~s tois", ~ollowlo~ tois tne oeans
of ths family each break a piece from the loaf, The OOe woo ~eta toe
larger piece is supposed to havd good luck for the coming year.
Christmas 8ay In Bulgaria Is begun with a long churco service and
the ch Idren receive gifts from Koleda, the ancient .Inter iod •
./,'
mornlng)befors oreakfas~ wheat is put Into ~ stocking
and sprinkle' on the doorsteps oy tns head of toe family.
lI'hlle doing tnls he says "Lhrist Is born!!> ;.oe otoer members of - the family answer" he is oorn lnaeeo, rneo spar~re strUCK -::=- IA ,t/'{.. ./ ~ ~
from toe yule log, .... -a w"ish eac~ blow," -healto to toe fara$. ,,-,;.." =- ;;
and a good crop" The ashoa from the log are toeo gatoered anu a
-
I ...... coin hidnen among toem with a wiSh for an aouonaot narvest. ~
CM/ i"
The Traditional Dulgarian ~hriatmas Inclunes roast pig and Krav~tza,,_
or blood sausage. for the dinner,
•
• • •
I
,
Christma. in Italy (Venice)
Burke
The Presepio is the principal. feature of an Italian
Christmas. It is a miniature representation of the birthplace
of Christ, showing the Holy Family --- Joseph, Mary and the
infant Jesus in the manger --- or, more frequently, the IDBnger
awaiting the infant. This is a doll that is brought in later,
passed around tkat. each person in the room ~ pray before it,
and then soJmnJ~ deposit.ed in the msnger. There are angels,
/v- ....
and other figures several inches high, carved in wOod,\prettily
colored I
The Presepio is mliOe as expensive as it.s owner can afford, and
somet.imes much more so. Those who have a Presepio receive guests
to pray before it., and strolling mDsicians t.o sing before it.
There are no evergreens used in either church or home trimmings,
but flowers, natural or art.ificial, are used instead. Soon atter
nine~clock the people, young and old, leave their homes for
some church in which the Christmas Eve lIervices begin by ten O'clock.
Presents are drawn from the urn of Fate, a cust.om cO!!IDon to
msn1 countries. AS the parcels are interspersed with blankS, the
from the urn creat.es much excitement. and no litt.le
-""". -'"
among the children, who do not always understand
thavthere wiii be a gift for each 0 notwit.hstanding the blanke •
•
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t -"
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, ,.
•
Christmas Custome in other ou: tries •
Foster•
In France there is no set national custom as to the celebration
of Christmas. In the cities there is a feeling of sOlemnitY/~:ee_
~re held in all the churches. Along the main boulvards) the shopsI'
1 toys and sweets. Thio display is in preparation for ths cele-f'
o--(r-" ,
bration and giving gifts on New Years Day. which is a time of
great hilarit~"1li;'=o... /In t~e Provinces eft Sl'l.. ie.....~ 'there is
usually a family celebrationJand where the German influence is felt
one may find a Christmas tree. In some of the other provinces a
ed with a su ~tanc to -e~u b 31.0\. Overhead there i e a star shi-ning
on tiny figures of shepherds and ~i~~Insteadof the
Werry Christma$ treeting "0 hea, oel on every tongue. :> 1\
In Germa y he Christma tree is the center of all festiVities.
Every family ha at least one, 80me have more. There are special
groups who furnish these trees to the poor. The tree is decorated
very much like the ones in the United 3tate~~der the tree usually
are the ~anger d Holy :,imi y. Gif~S are brought by
1\ ) f\
Kris Kringle, ho travels about on Christma$ ve iu uiring about the
conduct of the children for the past year hen thought necessary he
J
leaves .a S~~~Ch for the coming year1Christmas Eve is the time for the
tree andC£rstribution of gifts. On the following morning service~
A ~
are held in the churches. These people closely connect the Christ
(
-2- Foster•
•
•
~their celebration. haVing;'epecial thought for the
poor, inviting them to their homes to partake of food and gifts.
{\.
In spai~as in most other countries of Southern Euorp~ the
celebrations are of a di1ferent nature, the mild climate enabling
the people to hold most of their festivities ~ in the open.
Dancing is the keynote of the holiday seas0l] and in this country..)
•
a early as December 1 • young people begin to practice so they
will be at t eir best on Christmas Eve. On that night there is
dancing everywhere, the streets are crowded with shop ers and
people watching the dancers. The stores are well stocked with
turkeys. fruits, dates and olives. At midnight all hurry home ........
in order to go in family groups to Mi~ight Mass)the churches
are beautifully decorated)and the priests wear robes that are
worn only at this time.~After Jaes the people go once more into
the streets. dancing and celebrating until dawn. There are no services
on Christmas Day; but on Jan. 6Y..>gifts are exchanged.
The Tbree ~ise Men take the place of Santa Claus in ~ ain.
Instead of a bristmas;r{ee every family has Gt, representation
of the Holy Manger.
of oats and
In Scandinavian Countries ( Norway and Sweded) it is a
custom to feed the birds during the YUle~ea.on. Everywhere/tied
to the tree branches and tucke~ in odd fence corners are bunches
/
wheat that have been placed ther by the children for ff!:J,..,.,...,
tbe birds who have much trouble~tDring the severe cold month~
I
In these countries the Christmas Celebration starts
~
on Christmas Ev~~a special supper is prepared~l ~~.
At this su. per age-old Aishes at'e served, th_ fOOdS,.... 6 full of
traditions that have been handed down from one ge~eration to the
•
other. •
Foster.
-3-
hr1stmas trees are
from the peasante.
ocass1on • The
scrubbing, so
bright and shining for Christmas. On the 1._
. ~~
gingerbread goats and pigs, ~ bought
fter the dinner on Chr1stmae Eve the
house is
a.- food is ~ outetand1ng dish for this
f'.
spends many days baking, cleaning and
•
Sea -- hOU":.1:1fe
the entire
are distributed. Some of the presents are h1ddenA
the children may search for them.~n Chr1stmas~rn1ng there 1e a
church service attended by the older peoPle~s a more
serious ocass1on. The second Christmas on the following day is a
time of revelry, everyone j01~ the dances and games which
sometimes cul*1nate in a large ball on Jan. 6~ It 1e thought
the custom of kis81n&obensath the mistletoe originated in the
scand1nav1an~untr1es. It was in these that m1stletos was dedicated
to the 10ve loddess) Fr1ga. ~ere were to be ae many kisses
as berries on the m1etletoe.
In Ireland Chr1etmas is a time of great merrymaking and
.
rejoicing.
,
--Irish hoep1tal1ty is doubled at this time. As fir treee are scarce in UrelandJthere are very few Chr1stma~
eaB. The homes are attractively decorated with holiday
greens. The gooee is the center of dinner for Chr1et.as. and
in every home there 1e an abundant supply of various beverages.
The Irish exchange gifts on
dren carry out a unique
hr1stmas Day and many of the ch1l)
idea before Christmas in going
from home to home carrying a wren in a cage atop a long pole,
•
singing songs and collecting 1ft••
In Hungary/December 6. is the original Santa Claus
day for the children. In many of the villages St. N1cholas~
in his b1shop's rObe,/ goes about with an attendant (a devil)
and distributes rewards to the children according to the1r~
•
-4- Foeter.
conduct for the paet year. Many children leave their boote or
shoee on the windo.. sills I d in theee he .lea'l~e either emallfl ....b....
~. -tu k..FH.it~...~~ ~L' 1:J<(j)
gifts or a birch ro~~Chnietmas in Hungary lasts two days, -,
each a legal holiday. During this period church bells ring
continuously. \:h~ appearance of the first star on Christmas
Eve denotes the dinner ho~. At this dinner traditional dishes
are served. mainly cabbage soup, fish, cakes and nuts, also
small dum lings sprinkled with sugarJand poppy seed known as
~~
"Bobajk '. All familiee who can affor~ have a tree) and
preceeding thl.2.. meal the~assemble around it and after a short
prayer distrubute the glfts. At midnight t~re ie a mass at the ~
church attended by the entire family group. During the Christ-mas~
ason groups of gaily clad ~ldren go about the village
streets singing carols and carry~ a mina-
0-.-.
ture mange~ With figures or marionettes which
reenact the Christ Story. These figures represent the HOlYI'
Family, ~he3hepherds, and ~he ~hree Kings. On Jan. 6~ the ~_hree.-k::ings-follow the star through the Hunbarian )n'vlcuntrYSide~
carrying in their hands long sticks ith bells strung on them)
w~th which they beat time as they walk onward singing. The Star
is carried alona in front of the Three Kings on a long pole.
The .3yrian Christmas .3eason begins on December 4J/f. whic h
is St. Barbara'a y)and lasts until Jan. 64'. hristmas Eve
~Syria is not a time for fun and celebration. It is a season
of prayer nd worship. Pilgrimages are made from yria to
Bethlehem to attend the church service there.Christmas Day and
the day folloWing are spent qUietly at home. New Yea~ts Day in
Foster!
• -5-
jifts
7""
with New
•
hrist Child; and
are exchanged and children go from door to door ;.,....t-::
Year' s Greetings-,~lQ'" recei'9l candles and money. The Syrian
Child does not look to ~anta Claus for gifts; the camel is
his ift beare) and before going to bed on New Year's Eve
he sets out a bowl of water and a dish of wheat for the camel.
~
According to legend) camel was the youngest of those
bearing the wise men to the cradle of the
~ ...
this country is the time for celebrations.
it fell down exhausted by the strenous journey. The Christ
Child blessed it and conferred immortality upon it. In the
lebanon district it is a magic mule instead of a camel.
The pea le of sootland) who
former yearsjcelebrate it today
never Q8served Christmas in
.Q...:../<- L.
very much"tril6 54000 as the
English. There are church eervicee and dinners in aee~~RQ--
_s;;.ckcn tries to be
on Christmas)but the main day of celebration ~~~
(..,Lor\-
eoas~ is New Year's. On this Eve every~~ of the family
r-,;;::;:i~;;;;-" cv 'Jrf'< 'f- present ~ for f\w. dinn~~
~_. Presents are distributed OR ~N.~
~ and many
W\.Aparties
held.
"
Every household has the fullest
stock of meat and all manner of cakes, confeotions, wines and
WhiS~(J)
In portugaljJan.6~ ie the ~a! for Christmas~lebr t.
~
ions. Bands of carolers go about~ the towns and villagee
singing greetings and begging gifts. Family roups visit from
house to house. The carolere beg admittance to the homes to
eing to the Christ Chil~~ter being admitted they sing spec~
ial songs and are entertained with wines and food. On this day
there are great festivals for the childre~~ifts are exchanged)
end many of the mothers give partie., For
these parties a bolo-Rei, or special Epiphany cak~ is baked.
amulets or fortune telling
-6- Foster.
--a....... /----,
Nithin~~ cake varioue
'-ClJI,L •
trinket~and a single dried lima bean. The child who gets the
piece of cake containing the bean promises to furnish the cake
for the party the following year.
On the night of Decsmber 24",
-Qk~ Sc.U~~S ..J
-4I\::idr. pn ,,' _PIS"; ,",epe ~ e ~pe ef Chri stmas ia observed""
...-'/\ ~
Christkindli, or the Christ Child
l
is daid to make the village
rounds in a sleigh drawn by reindeer and loaded with toys,
gifts>and beautifully decorated Christmas~rees for the Ch~--
~n and family. On this night the family gath~?around the
Christma~ee to sing carols and listen to the reading of
the Nativity ~tory. ~esents are distributed
and all make merry;t!;f!itime for the ~idnight.;ass at the
church. Christmas Day marks the beginning of winter sports
such as skiing, sledding, and tobogganing. In some vicinites
superstitions e~ist regarding the miracles of Christmas Eve.
It is thought that young people wishing to foretell the futurw should drin--k from nine different fountaine While the mid- night church bells are ringing. Dumb annimals are thought to
be blessed with human speech during the midnight hour~and the
housewife c11 s the ChiCken!; wings between eleven and twelve o'cJt.e-/(
that night so her fowls may be saved from beasts of prey.
In Greece on the night of December 24tJ, groups of boys
who carol of Christ'e birth go from door to door in the towns
and villages. They are rewarded
a householder is not so generous
ith gifts
ith them
and coins and when
..)
they sing amus-ing
verses regarding the stinginess he mantains. Christmas
Day in Greece is a day wh~n there ere many family reunions
OJU-.~(;I
and merrymaking~ In some parts of the country the mothers
make tenganites, or fried cake~while the c ildren watch in-
-7- Foster.
wide-eyed wonder and shiver over tales of the Kallikanaroi.
According to old folk belief these half-human and half
monster beings wander about on the twelve days between
:hristmas Eve and Epiphany, attempting to work mischief
among human beings.
In Holland the children put out their shoes on Christmas
.ve in the hope th~will be filled with gifts. On the next
moening which is C~istma3 Day everyone attenas church service.
as a rule the rest of the day is spent quietly at home. Very
few parties are ever held on this day in Holland. The regular
Christmas :elebration takes place on December 2~ ~ this ti~e
relatives visit and many parties and feasts are given. This
/u.-~l(
lasts from December 26th, ~ Jan. 13) lim ~
~~ <••.."\ is the gay meal of the day.
festival season
-..u.~ J
breakfast
•
One may see at these breakfas~long tables decorated in the
holiday spirit and spread with thirty or forty ~.ieftt
kinds of hot and cold dishes. strong drinks accompany these
morning meals and aid to make the~ feasts gala ocassions.
~
The Chinese celebrate on New Year~ instead of Christmas•
Thts day like our Easter is regulated by the moon and it generally
falls about the last of Feb. n th s day they exch
gifts and greetings, have offical gatherings and n...r-~-great
displays of fireworks. This day is considered the
•
birthday of every Chinese person..,.... past it
as
For
for
~om
theA dinner
they think
to re-enthrone the emperor
the Chineset\
everything should be allowe
•
sat meIU.
to 11 ve happily
•
0<
variety of dumPlingS,~ arel\
plum pudding is to the Englishman •
on New Years. Th pr nci al food for,
",....<--'...
them
r is a
1-.
as the
•• -8- Foster •
. ' •,
•• •
They als~ believe that all
New Years~ and several days
along the streets offering
their ;ebts should be paid before
before~they erect stalls or stores
personal belongings for sale
Some garments
Cl..-.
others go
I.M./I , ,,.e:. ,
.V'the
kn~P'I:....._
ighting
../ it is not considered good form to dun person &..
~ ~ UJ1....lJ ~--e-o.--:~
but the ,creditor may approach ? ;,-...
-t~ ...vj- " ~a ligh<8d lantern
A
nd request~the debt be paid. ~
signifies that the New ears dawn has not arriaed;
cloth for the
o.U-' ~..zti:;.,paper}
In China
so they may settle their debts.
of red
devils.
in red
The lantern
and it is still .lew Year's
,
•
•
,
•
" t Foster.
•• V
I •
• ,
~. •
Philip Sawyer. • •
This famous architect was born in New London Conn. in 1868
Much of hie time while a young man was devoted to the study 01engineering.
He was connected with the U.S. Geol. Survey, division
of N•• which was the beginning of hie career as an engineer.
He later took up the study of architecture at Columbia University,
:chool of Beaux rts and received his degree there. In 1895 at which
time he was connected with the firm of UcKim, Mead and White New
York architects he was married to Miss Mildred Conway of that City.
lithin the next few years following he became a member of
the firm of York and Sawyer Firm rchitecte. This firm has designed
many of our fine Governmsnt and Public BUildings. They were Consulting
Architects for the United States Treasury Departmsnt from
1909 till 1913. In the designing of a public building r. ~awyer
believss it should not be dssigned to create the maximum interest
this year or next but should be useful and equally acceptable for
many ysars to come. That taey should certainly be practical in
their planning and lightin~nd the space should be well adapted
to its purpose. He also is a firm believer in the fact that no
government employes should be allowed to feel that he could ,Iork
under bstter conditions in rented quarters,than in those constructed
and owned by the Government, City or County.Anothsr point in the
designing of public bUildings brought out by Mr. 3a yer is that
they should be designed so as not to offset t.e surrounding str-uctures
to a great extent •
•
•
•
•
...
-2-,' I • •
• ,•
Foster.
The Federal Building of Birmingham which is four stories hi-gh,
its exterior built of limestone and the interior of labama
Marble has graceful Ionic Columns running almost the entire length
of the block on the Fifth Avenue side. This building is rec~ized
as being one of the most beautiful specimens of public bUildings
architecture in the country. Ths firm of York and Sawyer acted as
consulting architect when the plans were drawn for this structure
about 1909.
In 1931 the Firm of York and Sa~yer were consulting architectS
fo~ the Department of Commerce and one of their most outstanding
achievements was the Department of Commerce Building at lashington
•
tl
D.C. There was keen compe~ion over the country as to who was to
design this bUilding but the plans of York and Sawyer were finally
decided upom and in this fine building the ideas of york & awyer
have been carried out according to their plan of what a public
building should be architecturally.
Other ac~evements of this firm have been, Pershing Square
BUilding,New York, New York Historical ociety Building, Childrens
Village,Dobbs Ferry; The Royal Bank of Canada ontreal, First
National Bank BUilding Boston, the Federal Buildings Honolulu,
and many of the buildings at University of ichi6an, Vassar,
Middlebury and Rutgers Colleges.
Jho's Who in America. 1936-5,
p-2087.
The Architectural forum.p-257
sept. 1931.
r. J.E. Lewis Bldg. supt.
Fsderal Bldg. B'ham.
rchitectural Forum July,1932
p-97.
•
,I
, Foster. 12- ,•
• • •
I •
• •• •• •I •
The Governors Office Force was announced as, Miss Carolyn Morton,
conf~ential Secratary. to the governor. Mrs. Mabel Amo , Ste~obrap~h~~~
Mrs. Kate Thomas Simmons, Steno- apher. Roland G. ushat, Executive Sec.
Alabama is represented in tational Goverr~ent Affairs byT---------
John Hollis Bankhead. United States Senator.
Lister Hill • n n n
•
Luther Patrick. Representative.
Joe Starnes. n
illiam Brockman Bankhead. n
P. B. Jarman.
Frank Boykin.
Henry Steagall.
Samuel Hobbs.
John J. ~parkman.
..,
n
" "
n
n
(.=:
•
•
Gessner T. McCorvey of labile i8 the present chairman of the Alabama
State Democratic Executtve Committee. Marion Rushton of ont~omery is the
Damocratic ational Committeeman.
I
,
\,
I·1
_1_ Foeter.
•
The Vine and Olive Colony in 4labama.
After Napoleons defeat at Wlterloo and baniehment to St. Helena
a decree ~~e ieeued in France July 26, 1815, charging many of hie former
exmy officere and eupportere with treason. About 300 of these fled France
and came to ~hiladelphia 1n 1816_17.
The United Statee Government on Karch, 3. 1817 gave theee people
a grent of 144 equare milee of land at the confluence of the Tombigee and
mack
•
rrior Rivere. Com rieing a art of the preeent rengo County.
Agente of theee Frenchmen eelected thie eite thinking it euitable for the
culture of olivee and vineyarde, eince the climate and geography ••lmed
eimilar to that of parte of France. ACCording to the terme of the grant
they were to cultivate the vine and olive, aleo at the end of 14 yeare
•
were to pay the federal Government $2.00 per acre for the land.
Not.ed pereonagee included in theee Bonapartiete were; Col. Raoul
who had accompanied Napoleon to and from Elba. L,Allemand brothere Who
later founded Came d' Aeile in Texae. Gen. Count Bertrand Claueel wno
had commanded at Bordeaux and Lefebvre Deenouettee former ide de Camp to
Napoleon. The latter became the leader of theee coloniste after their
eecape to the United States.
Social functione were carried on by theee French in °arengo County
eimilar to thoee of the old French Court during Napoleon'e time. ny
amueing talee have been told regarding theee ladiee and gentlemen of
Nobility during their attempt at eettlement in Alabama.
After many hardehipe experienced by theee coloniete in getting
their homee built and lande cleared It ~e diecovered that meet of the
lande they had improved were not in their eurvey. The climate aleo proved
not to be eatiefactory for the cultivation of olivee and vineyarde.http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/wpa/id/842 |