Bridget Blessing Morrison Hiding Friends and Enemies

Bridget Blessing Morrison Hiding Friends and Enemies

Bridget Blessing Morrison lived on the southeast corner of Wood Avenue and Mobile Street. She was born in Montreal, Canada. Her father brought his family to Florence during the early 1830s to work as an engineer on the first Muscle Shoals Canal. She married Zebulon Pike Morrison, an undertaker and...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
Format: Electronic
Published: Auburn University Libraries
Subjects:
Cultural resources
Online Access:https://omeka.lib.auburn.edu/items/show/346
format Electronic
collection Alabama Cultural Resource Survey Collection
building Auburn University
publisher Auburn University Libraries
topic Cultural resources
spellingShingle Cultural resources
Bridget Blessing Morrison Hiding Friends and Enemies
Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
fulltopic Cultural resources
Bridget Blessing Morrison; Zebulon Pike Morrison; Civil War; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description Bridget Blessing Morrison lived on the southeast corner of Wood Avenue and Mobile Street. She was born in Montreal, Canada. Her father brought his family to Florence during the early 1830s to work as an engineer on the first Muscle Shoals Canal. She married Zebulon Pike Morrison, an undertaker and contractor. During the Civil War, Zebulon Morrison built a secret compartment for hiding valuables and eventually food from plundering troops. During the first Union occupation of Florence, Union troops were quartered with the Morrisons. When the Confederate forces moved back into the area, one of the officers who had been wounded in a nearby skirmish could not be evacuated with the retreating Union forces. Mrs. Morrison hid the wounded soldier in the secret compartment and nursed him back to health. Later when the Union forces had again taken Florence, Mrs. Morrison’s nephew who was a Confederate courier was on the run from Union forces. She hid him in the same secret compartment. When the Union forces arrived she recognized their commander as the same man she had hid earlier. The commander made a show of searching the house and left the hiding place alone. Reportedly he departed saying half of a bible verse, “My lady, cast thy bread upon the waters.” The second half from Ecclesiastes finishes “… for thou shalt find it after many days.”
spelling Bridget Blessing Morrison Hiding Friends and Enemies Michael Williams, University of North AlabamaBridget Blessing Morrison; Zebulon Pike Morrison; Civil War; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL Bridget Blessing Morrison lived on the southeast corner of Wood Avenue and Mobile Street. She was born in Montreal, Canada. Her father brought his family to Florence during the early 1830s to work as an engineer on the first Muscle Shoals Canal. She married Zebulon Pike Morrison, an undertaker and contractor. During the Civil War, Zebulon Morrison built a secret compartment for hiding valuables and eventually food from plundering troops. During the first Union occupation of Florence, Union troops were quartered with the Morrisons. When the Confederate forces moved back into the area, one of the officers who had been wounded in a nearby skirmish could not be evacuated with the retreating Union forces. Mrs. Morrison hid the wounded soldier in the secret compartment and nursed him back to health. Later when the Union forces had again taken Florence, Mrs. Morrison’s nephew who was a Confederate courier was on the run from Union forces. She hid him in the same secret compartment. When the Union forces arrived she recognized their commander as the same man she had hid earlier. The commander made a show of searching the house and left the hiding place alone. Reportedly he departed saying half of a bible verse, “My lady, cast thy bread upon the waters.” The second half from Ecclesiastes finishes “… for thou shalt find it after many days.” Alabama Cultural Resource Survey1862-1865https://omeka.lib.auburn.edu/items/show/346McDonald, William Lindsey. 2003. Civil War tales of the Tennessee Valley. n.p.: Killen, Ala. : Heart of Dixie Pub. (1812 CR 111, Killen, Ala., 35645), [2003], 2003. UNA Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2015).Photo from following websites: http://www.trva-tcwc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Muscle-Shoals-Canal-Map2.jpg
title Bridget Blessing Morrison Hiding Friends and Enemies
titleStr Bridget Blessing Morrison Hiding Friends and Enemies
author Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
author_facet Michael Williams, University of North Alabama
id AUcultural346
url https://omeka.lib.auburn.edu/items/show/346
_version_ 1788802436549312512

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