2012/2013
RE SO URC E GU IDE MACON COUNTY & THE BLACK BELT REGION OF ALABAMA
Fr a n k l i n • N o t a s u l g a • S h o r t e r • Tu s ke g e e IN THIS ISSUE
History of Gees Bend and Its Hidden Assets What is the Black Belt Community Based Tourism Network (BBCBTN)?
F
OR MORE THAN A CENTURY,
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
HAS IMPACTED SOCIETY IN NEARLY EVERY
INDUSTRY BENEFICIAL TO MANKIND.
WASHINGTON’S
VISION IN
1881
FROM BOOKER T.
TO TODAY’S EVIDENT
REALIZATION OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE,
TUSKEGEE
CONTINUES TO SOAR TO GREATER HEIGHTS, MAKING ITS MARK ON A GLOBAL COMMUNITY.
FOR INFORMATION
VISIT WWW.TUSKEGEE.EDU OR CALL
(800) 622-6531
Tuskegee University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctoral, professional, master’s and bachelor’s degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Tuskegee University.
M AC O N C O U N T Y. . . P E R F E C T F O R A B AC K YA R D B R E A K - C AT I O N Not so long ago, we never would have thought that driving to places that are close to where we live would amount to much of a vacation. We felt that if it wasn’t several states or countries away to the beaches in the Carribean Islands or mountains in Montana or wine country in California, it just wasn’t a real break from the everyday grind. But now the cost of travel makes us think twice about jumping on an airplane to get to a destination. Airline ticket prices ar sky high and airline companies are charging for everything from baggage to peanuts. Driving is not much better with gas prices close to $4.00 per gallon. So, its time to take a different approach. We don’t have to give up the pleasure of a great vacation. We just have to cut back on the number of miles we travel. Here in Macon County, we have something for everyone, making this a perfect place for a break-cation right outside your backyard. We have history, culture, beaches, mountains, caves, hiking, hunting, bird watching, festivals, museums, parks, rivers, lakes, wineries, historic homes, food, shopping, national forests and many other tourism assets for enjoyment and enlightenment.
A list of Macon County’s tourism assets includes: • All Macon County Day Celebration (August-Tuskegee) • Bartram Trail: Tuskegee National Forest • Booker T. Washington Church home • BPA Labor Day Fly-In (September- Moton Field) • Burial Site of Booker T. Washington • Burial Site of Dr. George Washington Carver • George Washington Carver Arts & Crafts Festival (May) • George Washington Carver Museum • Harris Barrett School • Hillbilly Mall (Little Texas) • Historic Homes • Hounddog Day (May, Little Texas) • Juneteenth Celebration (June-Tuskegee) • Lake Tuskegee • Lionel Richie Birthplace (Grammy Award Winner) • Little Texas Tabernacle and Campground • Macon County Historic Courthouse (Built in 1907) • Moton Field Airport (Home of the Tuskegee Airmen)
• Old South Equine (Horse Training) • Possum Day (May, Franklin, AL) • Rosa Parks Birthplace • Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church (Notasulga, AL) • SuCaro Ridge (The Farm at Milstead, Horse Training) • Taska Recreation Area: Tuskegee National Forest • Tsinia Wildlife Viewing Area: Tuskegee National Forest • Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (Museum) • Tuskegee Downtown Historic District • Tuskegee Heritage Museum • Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center • Tuskegee National Forest • Tuskegee University • The Oaks (Booker T. Washington Family Home) • Whippoorwill Vineyards (Notasulga, AL) • White Oak Plantation (Hunting and Fishing Lodge) • Zora Neale Hurston birthplace (Notasulga, AL)
All of this can be had on ONE TANK OF GAS. Lets break-cation in our own backyard!
2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
1
ALABAMA
Miles Robinson District 1
Andrew Thompson, Jr. District 3
Louis Maxwell Chairman
Robert “Mike” Berry District 4
Edward “Coach” Huffman District 2
A County Rich in History, Heritage and Hospitality 101 East Rosa Parks Avenue • Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 • 334-727-5120 • www.maconcounty-al.org Macon County Agencies Working Hard To Serve All Citizens: Macon County Sheriff’s Department • East Central Mental Health Services • Macon County Library • Macon County Water Authority • Macon County Health Department • Macon County Elderly Nutrition Program • Macon County Rural Transportation • Emergency Management Agency • Macon County Juvenile Services • Macon County Extension Service • Macon County Community Action • Macon County Emergency Medical Service • Retired Senior Volunteer Program • Senior Aid Services to the Elderly • County-Wide Water System • County-Wide Solid Waste System • Macon County Council For Retardation and Rehabilitation
Tuskegee Municipal Complex
TUSKEGEE THE EPITOME OF
HISTORY...HERITAGE...HOSPITALITY
TUSKEGEE was incorporated in 1843. The momentum that occurred during the rest of the 1800's established the City's reputation as an educational powerhouse. TUSKEGEE has wisely preserved its history while simultaneously preparing for the years ahead. Today it still has old world charm, with a city center dominated by the town square. There you will find a serene park, quaint storefronts and genuine southern hospitality. The future will usher in a new era of progress and prosperity that will include healthy nurturing of tourism by business
and government leaders and friendly overtures to tourists. We hope you take us seriously when we say it's time to rediscover Tuskegee. TUSKEGEE, the home of Tuskegee University, is located 40 miles east of M o n t g o m e r y. T h e p o p u l a t i o n i s approximately 10,000, including a p pr o xim a t e l y 3, 000 st ude nt s a t Tuskegee University. Tuskegee is “the cradle of Black aviation� in America and home of the famous Tuskegee Airmen. Visitors will find Tuskegee a beautiful city with a topography of rolling hills, spruce pines, lakes and meadows.
Downtown Tuskegee
Lake Tuskegee The Oaks - Home of Booker T. Washington
For More Information Contact: City of Tuskegee Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 334.720.0500 or visit: www.tuskegeealabama.org
Tuskegee Airmen Museum
GRAY, LANGFORD, SAPP, McGOWAN, GRAY, GRAY & NATHANSON, P.C.
108 Fred Gray Street • Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 • 334.727.4830 ph • 334.727.5877 fax www.glsmgn.com
ATTORNEYS ADVOCATING FOR RIGHT AREAS OF PRACTICE Administrations Civil litigation (Plaintiff & Defense) Civil Rights Corporate Legal Services County and Municipal Law Criminal Law
Education Law Estate and Conservatorships Estate Planning Fraud and Bad Faith Personal Injury Premises Liability
Probate Services Real Estate Wills Wrongful Death
HISTORY Gray, Langford, Sapp, McGowan, Gray, Gray & Nathanson, founded in 1960, developed from the sole practice of Fred D. Gray, which started in 1954 in Montgomery, Alabama. This nationally recognized minority-owned law firm has offices in Montgomery and Tuskegee, Alabama. We advocate for and stand with our clients in arbitrations, mediations, and court rooms. The firm consists of six attorneys and eight support staff. Attorneys Fred D. Gray, Walter E. McGowan, Fred D. Gray, Jr., Stanley F. Gray, Allan Nathanson and Bridgett Vasser Gray advocate for right. Admitted to practice in: Alabama, Arizona, Ohio, Washington, Washington. D.C.; all federal courts in Alabama, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
We are a community based law firm with significant national trial experience
Contents
FROM THE PUBLISHER Taking a road trip from Birmingham to Nashville a few years ago, I decided to jump off the interstate every third or fourth exit just to take in the charm and beauty of small towns along the way. To my surprise, many of them needed a little TLC. Many had historic markers identifying places or buildings, but often these treasures were hidden by high grass or showed signs of neglect. The bones were there and you could see that it was a thriving, colorful, wonderful place to live, at one time. I would take note of lakes, monuments of heroic figures and historic architecture from the 1800s. As I drove through these towns and villages, I had this great idea that maybe I could do something about the decaying of small town and cities, maybe there is a way to show people that using your past is a great way to build your future. I came home and thought about it awhile, discussed it with my wife and remembered all of the tourism events and projects I had been involved with in my historically rich hometown — New Orleans. After careful consideration and thoughts, I decided to form a non-profit 501(c)3 organization called Community Tourism Network, Inc. This enterprise was created to act as a curator for small towns and cities, to conduct the research, analyze the places and things with historic value, decide whether or not these places also had natural resources with tourism potential like streams or waterways, mountains or parks. The job of Community Tourism Network, Inc. is to identify tourism assets and work with community stakeholders on development of a plan that allows them to capitalize on those assets. After this preliminary work has been accomplished, strategies and tools are activated to showcase and market the city, town or neighborhood. This process culminates with a new tourism spirit—a sense of joy and pride that citizens and visitors can feel and see. In fact, as you peruse the pages of this magazine, you will experience this spirit, joy and pride within communities in the Alabama Black Belt. Welcome to this edition of THE TOURISM RESOURCE GUIDE. Enjoy!
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BACKYARD BREAK-CATION
3 TUSKEGEE (History...Heritage...Hospitality) 7-8 THE RIDGE (A Macon County Archaeology Project) 11 BPA LABOR DAY FLY-IN 13 JAMAICA (Learning About Community Based Tourism) 14-15 WHERE TO WORSHIP IN MACON COUNTY 17-18 TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY 21-22 THE FARMERS MARKET 23 THE GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER MUSEUM 25 SHILOH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 27 TUSKEGEE AIRMEN NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE 29-31 GEES BEND 32 WHAT IS BBCBTN?
PUBLISHER
Noah Anthony Hopkins
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Karin Grant Hopkins
EDITORS
Karin Grant Hopkins Dionne Y. Inman
ART DIRECTOR/GRAPHIC DESIGN Noah Anthony Hopkins
Noah Anthony Hopkins Publisher
PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHER Noah Anthony Hopkins
COMMUNITY TOURISM NETWORK, INC. 608 Dibble Street Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 334.725.8496 tourismresource@gmail.com
SPECIAL THANKS TO: *Historic photos courtesy of Tuskegee University Archives
5
Archaeological Digging in Macon County
Shari Williams, the Project Manager shares information about the history of “THE RIDGE” with the Macon County Commission Chairman, Louis Maxwell
T
hough you may associate archaeological digging with Egyptian, Mayan or other ancient cultures, you can now dig for archaeological treasures right here in Macon County. Shari Williams, a visionary with deep roots in the Creek Stand/Warrior Stand area of Macon County is responsible for this project named “The Ridge” as homage to its underlying history. Almost 200 years ago, the Old Federal Road was built a l o n g a s c e n i c r i d g e i n southeast Macon County and it served as a g a t e wa y f o r e m ig r at i n g pioneers to pursue their quest f o r n e w e c o n o m i c , so cial and cultural opportunities. Today, “The Ridge” Archaeology Project of so ut he ast Ma c on C o u n t y i s a g at e wa y f or t he 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
development of new cultural a n d h e r i t a g e t o u r i s m opportunities in this same area. After diligently renovating and equipping a single story house to serve as the interpretive center, the
This house, has since been renovated and serves as an interpretive center for THE RIDGE
7
Continued from previous page
Professor Dana Chandler, Lead Archaeologist with students from Tuskegee University
facility opened in May 2012 and immediately began welcoming visitors. Williams says, “Our mission is to collect, display and preserve artifacts, oral histories and records to tell the story of the people and the evolution of “The Ridge” villages of Boromville, Creek Stand and Warrior Stand. Our vision is to raise awareness of the areaʼs rich Native, European and African American heritage and the significant contributions these groups made to the growth and development of the culture, history and economy of Alabama and the United States.”
and sizzling heat to participate in archaeological missions. Under the watchful eye of Tuskegee University archivist, professor Dana Chandler, the students engaged in excavations just like real-world archaeologists. They learned the right way to dig, remove artifacts, document locations, identify findings and best practices concerning storage. As to the discoveries uncovered, one student stated, “We found a wide variety of objects during our time at the ridge, some include pieces of pottery, pottery flakes, bullets, drop forged nails, a knife and several other items.” Attributing observations to Robert Perry, the newsletter states that it appears the artifacts are Native American, European and pre-Columbian. The items are undergoing lab analysis to determine the original periods of usage.
Rob Perry, Assistant Archaeologist demontrating the proper way to dig
Artifacts discovered by students at “THE RIDGE” dig.
Responding to this intriguing opportunity, for four weeks during the summer of 2012, Tuskegee University history students braved brutal temperatures 8
“The Ridge” is located in the Warrior Stand community about 12 miles south of Tuskegee and 9 miles north of Hurtsboro. The mailing address is 10735 Macon County Highway 10, Union Springs, AL 36089. Admission is free. Donations are welcome. To donate or inquire, contact Shari Williams at 770.843.1913 or wellberr@bellsouth.net. 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
Our Wide Variety of Wines Will Satisfy any Palate
The Winery
Family Owned & Operated Whippoorwill Vineyards
4282 County Road 31 Notasulga, AL 36866 Phone: 334-257-2711 Email: whippoorwillvineyards@yahoo.com
Award Winners
Our Expansive and Well-Nutured Vineyards
Our hours of operation are: Monday: 10am - 6pm Tuesday: Closed Thursday - Saturday: 10am - 6pm Sunday: Closed
“Every vine was once a seed and every company was once an idea."
117 Westside Street Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 334.727.1007 COFFEE • TEA • SMOOTHIES • SANDWICHES • GREAT SERVICE BEER • WINE • OTHER SPIRITS 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
Celebrations:
Aviation Inspirations
T
he slow drop of a high-flying parachutist, whose giant American flag waves gently against the sky, always mesmerizes spectators. The crowd knows there is much more in store after the skydiver lands, officially kicking off the annual BPA Kid Adventure Labor Day Fly-in held at Moton Field in Tuskegee. This event combines airplanes, history, fun, food and transformative progress. Planes and pilots welcome anyone who stops by to marvel at the various specimens of aviation that are parked on the tarmac. Children can create great memories by just sitting in the cockpit and they can even go for a plane ride. The schedule for the BPA Kid Adventure Labor Day Fly-in also includes an FAA safety briefing, a model aircraft-building workshop for children and tours of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. This event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Golden Hawks of Tuskegee, a chapter of the Black Pilots of America (BPA), which is comprised of pilots or airplane owners who know firsthand the joys of flying. BPA members also feel an obligation to the pioneers who made their passion possible — the Tuskegee Airmen.
Family fun and an opportunity to visit historic sites and learn about the Tuskegee Airmen Pilots and thousands of navigators, parachute packers, mechanics and others referred to as “Tuskegee Airmen”.
Groundbreaking held on July 21, 2012 for the 11,000 square foot “T” hangar that will tremendously expand capacity at the airport located at Moton Field in Tuskegee
The ever-present spirit of the Tuskegee Airmen blazed even brighter in July 2012 during two ceremonies of historic significance: groundbreaking was held to showcase the next chapter of growth and progress and also, the Legacy Flight Academy graduated its first class of students, who underwent aviation training at Moton Field. This program equips participating youngsters with the skills, ethics and attitude to further the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Children can both play pilot and take a plane ride with a real pilot at the controls
And this is where the transformative progress is on full display. In recent years, major changes have occurred at Moton Field, where the Tuskegee Airmen trained for military service during World War II. Operations now include a modern airport with capacity for refueling and airplane detailing along with a pilot’s lounge, Internet access, conference rooms, 5,000-foot runway and concierge services. 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
Visitors review the static display of airplanes at Moton Field
The Kid Adventure Labor Day Fly-in is a time for attendees to celebrate Moton Field’s deeply profound past and also relish the airport’s top-flight services and amenities. For more information call 334.727.6485 or e-mail dhawkjwh@aol.com. This article was originally composed by the Utilities Board of Tuskegee (UBT) as part of an ongoing commitment to promote community assets. The article is reprinted and slightly modified with permission.
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Continuing Education Program Partial List of Professional Development Course Offerings
“Expand Your Horizon for a Brighter Future through Professional Development” • MicrosoftWord 2010 • Microsoft Excel • Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 • Microsoft Publisher 2010 • Introduction to Computers • Systems Approach to Team-building • Managing Conflict • Stress Management • Office Administration Management • Leadership and Supervision • Executive Leadership • Thesis/DissertationWriting Made Simple • GrantWriting Made Simple • Writing for Professional Journal Publication • Effective BusinessWriting • Business and Social Etiquette • Conversational French and Spanish • Crisis Management Tuskegee University Continuing Education Program can assist you in tailoring a professional development program for your organization and employees. Please contact us to discuss your needs. For more information and registration, please contact:
Shari Stoudemire at 334-727-8601
or email stoudemires@mytu.tuskegee.edu or www.tuskegee.edu/continuingeducation
LAW OFFICES OF
MILTON CARVER DAVIS
“Dedicated to Advocacy and Excellence for all Clients”
EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL WITH OVER 34 YEARS OF PRACTICE
Milton C. Davis Attorney at Law
• • • • • •
AREAS OF PRACTICE:
Serious Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Auto/Truck Accidents Civil Trial Litigation Insurance Claims Fraud Guardianship/Conservatorships
• • • • • •
Governmental Practice Family Law Wills, Trusts and Estates Real Estate Contracts and Business Transactional Law
304 North Main Street • Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 • 334-727-6500 No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
Jamaica A PERFECT PLACE TO LEARN ABOUT COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM
By Karin Hopkins
Ever have one of those “A Ha” moments, when a light bulb flashes in your head and you just know an idea can work? It happened to me when I learned how tourists’ destinations are placing ordinary people as the centerpiece of experiences enjoyed by visitors. It’s called Community-Based Tourism (CBT) and I saw a great interpretation of it while visiting Jamaica as part of a South Eastern U.S. delegation on Wealth Creation sponsored by Sustainable Rural Regenerative Enterprises for Families (SURREF). Our goal was to study solutions in this tourism paradise that could work in our respective communities back home. We went up in the mountains to places like Beeston Spring where we met a beekeeper. While there, we bought some of the best honey I’ve ever tasted. We visited historic churches, gawked at spectacular nature, sampled mango, guava, tangerines and grapefruits pulled directly from fruit-bearing trees, got a lesson on the fruit’s medicinal properties, ate at community food stands and went to a small farm run by a married couple who feed their family off their land and are a good example of multi-tasking. Both the husband and wife are musicians and they produce monthly music concerts in their neighborhood.
These concerts are free but their effect is priceless. They bring neighbors together in the spirit of fellowship. Tourists, who see this side of a community’s personality, connect with the roots and soul of a culture. The Jamaican neighborhood concerts celebrate heritage and traditions in a way that is timeless, pure and organic. Countrystyle Community Tourism Network (CCTN) is an organization that works aggressively to expand tourism into indigenous communities. This is advantageous for visitors who get an authentic experience as well as the Jamaican hosts in the 36-targeted villages who get the benefits of tourism commerce. Diana 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
McIntyre-Pike, the lady who runs Countrystyle Community Tourism Network, believes tourism has the power to establish and sustain an international image and brand for communities. She takes that philosophy to heart in how she promotes and practices tourism. She has travel packages that place tourists in homes, on farms and other housing that is true to everyday life. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this learning journey and I thank the Sustainable Rural Regenerative Enterprises for Families (SURREF) for including me. I expanded my tourism advocacy capacity and observed complex and creative tourism methodologies. I am especially intrigued by community-based tourism as compared to commercial tourism. You need developers with a lot of money to build fancy spas and other sophisticated luxuries for commercial tourism to thrive. Conversely, community-based tourism is about people with history in the community, perpetuating their traditions, their authentic culture and their stories. It made me see that we can create our own interpretation of community-based tourism, while we seek investors who are willing to build chic amenities that will add to our existing tourism attractions. Officials in Mandeville enthusiastically support their innovative “Pioneers of Community Tourism” and appreciate that a slice of the tourism economic pie is benefiting ordinary Jamaican citizens. In the Jamaican model we studied, the value chain heavily em-
braces and nurtures children, teaching them about their heritage and culture and involving them in all aspects of community- based tourism. In every community or village we toured, children were involved in music, art, dance or hospitality and were seriously committed to knowing how history and commerce are intertwined with tourism. Many children said they aspire to own tourism related businesses when they become adults. Everywhere we visited, from Maidstone in Manchester, the Black River community in St. Elizabeth Parish to the beautiful Treasure Beach, the experience included children and they were a vital part of the CBT value chain. I realized that as a partner with SURREF that I am in the value chain for Macon County and the Black Belt in Alabama. Through the SURREF organization, our community also is linked to an international value chain that affords us opportunities such as the learning journey to Jamaica that has me seeing tourism from a fresh perspective. 13
Where to Worship in Macon County Antioch Baptist Church 1220 County Rd 5...........334-727-5824
Fort Hull Community Church 4774 County Rd 45.........334-727-1287
Masjid Ash-Shura 906 Franklin Rd, Tuskegee, AL 36088
Apostolic Faith Mission Inc 3820 Washington Av........334-727-2631
Franklin Church 2700 Cnty Rd 27 Tskgee..334-727-4411
Mt Calvary Missionary Christian Church 1504 Bruce St..................334-727-1006
Bethel Baptist Church 802 Bethel St Tskgee.......334-727-7961
Friendship Baptist Church Brown St...........................334-727-3455
Mt Nebo Baptist Church 7677 US Hwy 29S Tskge..334-727-5113
Bradford’s Chapel UMC 2091 County Rd 29.........334-727-6333
God House Of Prayer 408 S Elm St...................334-724-9961
Mt Olive Missionary Christian Church 410 Cedar St Tskgee........334-727-3080
Butler Chapel AME Zion Church 1002 N Church St Tskgee334-727-3550
Greater New Life Church, Inc. 1315 Old Montgomery Rd.......334-724-0617
Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church 33800 County Rd 2 Shrtr..334-727-2439
Chehaw AME Zion Church Highway 199....................334-727-9159
Greater St. Mark Missionary Bpt Church 3403 W MLK. Hwy...........334-727-1780
Mt Pleasant Baptist Church Highway 26......................334-727-5383
Church Of Christ 1702 S. Main St...............334-727-7200
Greater White Church 35779 Cnty Rd 2 Shorter..334-725-0091
Nebraska Missionary Church Hardaway........................334-727-4603
Concord Baptist Church Church 11:00....................Notasulga, AL
Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church 1510 Washington Av........334-727-0871
New Elam Missionary Baptist Church 1707 County Rd 48.........334-724-9907
Daniel Baptist Church 1201 Gautier St..............334-727-1900
Hicks Chapel AME Zion Church 576 Lowe Road................334-252-8001
New Exodus Apostolic Chuc-Pentcostal 7074 County Road 53......334-257-1445
Divine Bethel Missionary Baptist Church Central Milstead Rd Shrtr.334-727-1317
Jehovah’s Witnesses Tuskegee AL 1410 Notasulga Hwy........334-727-3152
New Hope Baptist Church 1903 Chappie James Dr...334-727-0613
Divine Inspirational Gospel Church 4771 Hwy 199 Tskgee......334-727-9846
Jubilee Christian Fellowship Intl Midway............................334-727-5833
New Hope Baptist Church 1 1585 Banks McDade Rd..334-727-5004
Eternal Life Temple of God 89 West Ave Tuskegee....334-725-1555
Macedonia Baptist Church 1260 County Rd 10 Tskg..334-727-6468
New Mount Pleasant Baptist Church 426 County Rd13 Shrtr.....334-727-9026
Faith Ministries PAW 2501 Holy Ghost Circle...334-727-1491
Macedonia Baptist Church 444 Auburn Road..............334-257-3343
New Life Church of God In Christ 1205 E MLK Hwy Tskgee.334-727-5011
First Baptist Church Reeltown 16963 Highway 49S........334-257-4515 14
Mary Magdalene Baptist Church 4294 Cross Keys Rd Shrt.334-727-2923
Notasulga First Baptist 185 Hardwich St................334-257-3481 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
Where to Worship in Macon County
Notasulga Methodist Church 80 Church Street...............334-257-3791
St Paul Baptist Church Society Hill Rd..................334-724-9467
Pine Grove Baptist Church 7936 County Rd 40.........334-724-0020
Sweet Canaan 6067 US Hwy 80W Tskge..334-727-5795
Pit Stop People in Transition 302 S. Elm St Tuskegee...334-727-6940
Sweet Gum AME Zion Church 560 Old Mont Hwy Shrtr....334-727-0680
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church 5040 AL-81.......................334-257-4571
Sweet Pilgrim Baptist Church Crossroads.......................334-727-7634
Community Tourism Network, Inc.
Pleasant Springs Baptist Church Pleasant Springs Dr.........334-727-1166
Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church 1325 County Rd 14..........334-724-9396
334.725.8496 or 205.567.6397 tourismresource@gmail.com
Providence Missionary Baptist ChurchSociety Hill Rd.................334-727-2063
Tuskegee AOH Church of God 1701 Tolbert Cir Tskgee.....334-727-9069
Rising Star Baptist Church 2603 County Rd 53..........334-724-6600
Tuskegee Christian Center 711 W MLK Hwy................334-725-1700
Rock Of Ages Baptist Church 3004 County Rd 27.........334-727-4179
Tuskegee Islamic Community 1103 South Main St., Tuskegee, AL 36088
Saint James AME Church 609 White St.....................334-725-1486
Tuskegee Seventh Day Adventist Church 377 Lennard Av.................334-727-7198
Saint John AME Zion Church 1406 Clark Av Tuskegee..334-727-0970
Washington Chapel AME Church 2508 Old Montgomery Rd..334-727-4821
Salem Macon Baptist Church 4647 Tallapoosa St..........334-257-4498
Westminster Presbyterian Church 1806 Franklin Rd Tskge....334-727-4994
Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church Shady Grove Rd..............334-727-4477
Woodland Presbyterian Church Church 9:00 -10:00
Shiloh Baptist Church 7 Shiloh Road..................Notasulga, AL
Meeting: 2nd Thursday of each month 10am St. Andrews Episcopal Church 701 W. Montgomery Road Tuskegee, Alabama 36088 Contact info: Maggie Antoine, President (334) 727-7779 Donna Summers-Bradford, Membership (334) 727-6373
Pebblin Warren
Springhill Baptist Church Morgan Russell Rd......334-727-1725
St. John Baptist Church 515 St. John Church Rd....334-257-4261
The power to make it better
Representative
Solomon Chapel AME Zion Church 4214 MLK Jr Hwy Tskgee334-727-2308
St Andrews Episcopal Churc 701 W Montgomery Rd.....334-727-3210
TO U R I S M D E V E L O P M E N T IS OUR GAME
Pebblin W. Warren
State Representative Legislative District #82
Advocates that a well trained workforce is the key to successful economic development in our community. She believes that everyone deserves to be gainfully employed, but knows that we must encourage our citizens to obtain the skills needed.
St Paul’s AME Zion Church 18716 US Hy 80 W Shrtr....334-727-2967 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
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Deborah Hill Biggers Attorney at Law
*My
Practice:
• Civil Law • Criminal Law • Administrative Law • Domestic relations • Wills • Serious Bodily Injuries • Real Estate • Education Law Deborah Biggers is the legal counsel for the Macon County Alabama Board of Education and the Macon County Racing Commission of Macon County Alabama
113 East Rosa Parks Avenue Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 334.727.0092 ofc 334.727.7117 fax deborah.biggers@gmail.com * No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
Realty Property Management
Margaret Fraser Broker
608 Dibble Street Tuskegee, AL 36083 cloudrealtors.com mfraser@cloudrealtors.com
334.742.3306 ofc 334.444.1528 cell 334.727.9995 fax
IF YOU ARE MOVING INTO THE AREA, WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU FIND THE PROPERTY YOU NEED
CALL TODAY!
For information on the above properties or any other Sales or Rentals 16
2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
Tuskegee University: A legacy of academic and historical excellence
W
hen Tuskegee University opened its doors on July 4, 1881, our first president and founder Booker T. Washington had a vision of improving lives through education. Washington knew that the path to true freedom was through education. With an education, once oppressed people could expand their knowledge and truly define their own destinies. More than 131 years later, Tuskegee University remains committed to helping its students unveil the greatness within them. In 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Tuskegee University among the top 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the nation on their annual “Best Colleges” list. Tuskegee ranked No. 5 of the 35 schools receiving rankings. The publication also named Tuskegee the No. 5 regional university in the South awarding fewer than half its degrees in liberal arts. The institution’s occupational therapy program was named among the best in the nation. Truly, Tuskegee has earned its place among the nation’s premiere institutions and is “the pride of the swift, growing south.” Tuskegee University stands on a rich legacy of academic and historical excellence. From the work of renowned
professor and scientist George Washington Carver to our research for NASA, the contributions this institution has made to improve the nation and the world are undeniable. However, we are not content to rest upon our previous accomplishments. We strive to always be a dynamic and innovative research university whose graduates transform the world.
Our academic programs are organized into seven colleges and schools: 1.) Andrew F. Brimmer College of (Con’t on next page)
2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
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Business and Information Science, 2.) College of authorized by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to establish and Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, 3.) operate a Kellogg Conference Center. College of Arts and Sciences, 4.) College of Engineering, 5.) College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health, 6.) Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science, and 7.) School of Education.
The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the following programs are accredited by national agencies: architecture, business, education, engineering, clinical laboratory sciences, nursing, occupational therapy, social work, and veterinary medicine. With more than 50 accredited undergraduate majors and 15 graduate programs, this institution offers today’s student the very best in career preparation with an emphasis on the sciences and technical education. The university is the only historically black college or university with a fully accredited College of Veterinary Medicine that offers a doctoral degree. More than 75 percent of the African-American veterinarians in the world received their training at Tuskegee. The university is also a The Booker T. Washington leading producer of black Monument, called "Lifting the engineering graduates and Veil," was dedicated in 1922. the top producer of black The inscription at its base m a t e r i a l s s c i e n c e a n d reads: engineering Ph.D. holders. “"He lifted the veil of ignorance Tuskegee has nearly 20 from his people and pointed centers of excellence for the way to progress through research including: the education and industry." Center for Integrated Study of Food Animal and Plant Systems; Health Disparities Institute for Research and Education; National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance; and National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care. Tuskegee University also emphasizes the importance of the liberal arts as a foundation for successful careers in all areas. It is the only historically black college or university, and one of only 11 universities in the world funded and 18
The university also has a vast network of partnerships and outreach initiatives aimed at sharing the knowledge and work of our students and faculty with the world while expanding the educational experience that the university offers. Some of our partners include Chevron, Lockheed-Martin, National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The university is truly an environment that trains and encourages its students to unlock their potential t o b e c o m e w o r l d changers by giving them state-of-theart r e s o u r c e s a n d a top-notch education to support and enhance their abilities. Just as Booker T. Washington lifted the veil of ignorance for thousands in the 19th Century, Tuskegee University helps our students unveil the greatness that lies within them for the new millennium.
For Information visit www.tuskegee.edu or call (800) 622-6531. 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
2858 County Road 53 Tuskegee, AL 36083 800-288-4291 334-724-9800 ph. 334-724-9300 fax www.becksturf.com
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Visit Our Nursery Site: www.wildlifegroup.com The Wildlife Group 2858 County Road 53 Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 1-800-221-9703
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Southern Christian Leadership Foundation, Inc. To promote and impact sustainable and healthy communities' through development and implementation of wellness, and educational initiatives. "Improving Today for a Better Tomorrow - Promise - Purpose - Progress!"
SCL Foundation philosophy is to value our families and teach them the tenants of QUANTUM RESPONSIBILITY.
Board of Directors and President
“Silence Is Sinful HIV/AIDS Initiative” is the current signature health program of the Foundation. We are currently in a partnership with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Act Against AIDS leadership Initiative (AAALI) since 2009. This partnership enables us to extend our reach directly into the communities we serve daily with important and relevant life-saving information. We are also seeking to refocus national attention on the HIV crisis in the U.S. and remind our communities that HIV is still deadly, difficult and costly.
For more Information Please Contact Us 608 Dibble Street • Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 334.725.8496 ext. 312 • 334.727.9995 fax media@sclfoundation.org www.sclfoundation.org
The International Southern Christian Leadership Foundation, Inc. (SCL Foundation, Inc.) was founded in 1966. The Foundation is a nonprofit 501c3 tax-exempt organization. We have been providing services to the community for over 45 years. We remain committed to building a diverse society where the differences of individuals are respected and embraced rather than merely tolerated.
TUSKEGEE-MACON COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
We Are Building A Better Tomorrow...Today • Entrepreneurship Training • Small Business Incubator & Tech Center • Home Ownership & Housing Rehabilitation • Individual Development Account (United Way) • Participates in the Affordable Housing Program Set-aside
608 Dibble Street Tuskegee, Alabama 36083
334-725-8496 www.tuskmaccdc.org 20
2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
The
FARMERS
MARKET By Noah Hopkins
Top photo: Shirley Bradford, Local farmer from Shirley’s Garden. Middle photo: Al Hooks, Local farmer from Al Hooks Produce. Bottom photo: Dollie Huffman, Local farmer.
F
arming in Macon County Alabama (which is part of the Black Belt), has always been important to people living in this area. And now, thanks to Tuskegee University College of Agriculture, Environment & Nutrition Sciences, it’s becoming more lucrative. When a group of community people thought it was a good idea to have a farmer’s market in downtown Tuskegee, the goodwill associated with the project helped to attract the necessary resources. Back in 2003, one of the people involved in the development of the Macon County Farmer’s Market was Miles Robinson, who is the Strike Force 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
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THE
FARMERS MARKET
Con’t Director for Tuskegee University College of Agriculture, Environment & Nutrition Sciences and serves as Social Director of the Small Farm Outreach, Training and Technical Assistance Project. A proposal submitted by Tuskegee University to the State Department of Agriculture was funded for the construction of the market with other significant resources donated locally towards this project. First Tuskegee Bank donated land, Tuskegee University, with the help of Dr. Walter Hill purchased a lot adjacent to the donated lot and the Macon County Commission donated a lot for the Macon County Farmer’s Market. Many others have been involved such as local farmers Al Hooks, Shirley Bradford and Willie Warren. The project also has been supported by local architects, primarily Major Holland, who contributed his time and talent to the development of drawings and plans used to transform the property. Additionally, attorneys and businesses as well as local volunteers Walter Baldwin, Henry Pace and citizens contributed their time and efforts without cost. This was a total community effort that proves when people come together and work towards a common goal, success can be accomplished.
Some of those same farmers that were onboard in the beginning, Mr. Hooks and his son Demetrius and Mr. Warren are still a part of the Macon County Farmer’s Market family. Through help from the Tuskegee University College of Agriculture, Environment & Nutrition Sciences, some farmers are now doing business with large corporations such as Walmart, Whole Foods Market in Birmingham, Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center and several large restaurants in the region.
Al Hooks standing in a field of collard greens that are ready for harvest.
This beautiful structure is the Farmers Market in Tuskegee that came out of a collaborative effort of the many businesses and citizens of the Macon County community.
The Hooks family has been farming for four generations (since the late 1800s) and is presently farming more than 200 acres growing collard greens, shell peas, strawberries, watermelons and other seasonal crops. Al Hooks Produce is located at 6190 County Road 30, Shorter, AL, 334-328-2781 or 334-439-9471. The Macon County Farmers Market is located in downtown Tuskegee, Alabama. The hours of operation are Wednesday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Demetrius Hooks and his father Al Hooks are preparing produce to be shipped to customers throughout Alabama.
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2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
The George Washington Carver Museum
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." George Washington Carver
While living on a farm in Missouri, George Washington Carver dreamed of getting an education. At that time, he couldn’t have known how he himself would positively impact the educational dreams of so many people. Carver had several strikes against him as a child. He was born a slave and contracted whooping cough early which made him physically weak. His father was killed in a logging accident before he was born and Carver and his mother were both kidnapped by slave raiders when he was a baby. Carver was located and returned to Missouri, but his mother was never found. All of these obstacles didn’t deter him. Carver was an inquisitive child and wanted to learn everything he could about the plants, rocks, and animals that he discovered in the woods, prairies and creeks in his rural Missouri home. Carver became very skilled at reviving sick plants that he nurtured and his reputation became so well known that he was nicknamed the “Plant Doctor”. Carver left his birthplace at the age of twelve in search of an education that led him from Missouri to Kansas to Iowa. It was in Iowa that he said that he was treated like a human being for the first time. He was the first African American to attend and graduate from Iowa State and then became a faculty member of his alma mater. It was while he was in Iowa that he received a letter from an educator in Alabama named Booker T. Washington. He invited him to join him at Tuskegee Institute to establish the school’s agricultural department. While he loved Iowa, he felt a calling to go to Tuskegee. Thus began the next stage of his life that would 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
begin and end in Tuskegee Institute. While in Tuskegee he taught and conducted research – two of his favorite things. It was here that he became famous for his research with peanuts and sweet potatoes. While visiting the George Washington Carver Museum you will learn not only about the life and research of Carver but you will also see items from his laboratory, paint samples that he created from Alabama clay and several of his paintings. The story of Tuskegee Institute is also told through displays, exhibits and artifacts. The Booker T. Washington Moveable School on Wheels can be seen as well as P.H. Polk’s camera.
The historic site is the only national park on an active college campus with Tuskegee University being the only college campus designated a National Historic District. The Carver Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. There is no charge for visiting the museum or the home. For more information, call 334-727-3200 or access www.nps.gov/tuin. The National Park Service manages Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site which includes the George Washington Carver Museum and The Oaks, Booker T. Washington’s home. Check at the front desk for tour times or call 334-727-3200. 23
Notasulga, AL
Shiloh
Missionary Baptist Church
In 1869, and just out of slavery, blacks wanted a building of their own in which to worship. A division between the white and black membership occurred in 1869. This division led to the establishment of the Second Baptist Church of Notasulga. The name was later changed to the Beulah Baptist Church. As Beulah grew, some of the members decided to leave Beulah and relocate to another place. In a bush arbor, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church (SMBC) was organized in 1870. Since its organization, there have been 20 pastors. The current pastor, Reverend Christopher Dunlap, became SMBC’s 21st pastor in June 2006. In 1932, following worship services, Ms. Eunice Rivers, a Public Health Services nurse, came to Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and recruited men for a health-related research project. In exchange for their participation, they received free medical care. None were told they would be used as human subjects. They were told they were being treated for “bad blood.” Today, this research project is known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Many of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study participants were members of the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. The Church was also used as a site to recruit other men in the area. After the Civil War, African Americans established not only their own communities and churches but also their own burial places. The earliest marked grave located in the Shiloh Cemetery is dated 1902. It is believed that some unmarked graves may date back to 1875. Burials continue to be held in the cemetery. The Shiloh Rosenwald School grew out of a partnership between African American educator Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears and Roebuck. Washington and Rosenwald were concerned about the state of education for Blacks in the South. In 1917, Rosenwald established the Julius Rosenwald Foundation for the “well being of mankind.” He donated millions of dollars to public schools, colleges and universities. Among those colleges was Tuskegee Institute, of which he became a Trustee. Amazingly, 5,300 rural schools and teachers’ homes were cooperatively built with assistance from the local African American communities. Donations of land and labor by the local community were matched by financial contributions from the Foundation. The Shiloh School was one of the first six schools built by the Rosenwald Foundation. The Rosenwald School at Shiloh will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012. 25
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2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
N
National Historic Site
estled right off of Interstate 85, exit 38 (Tuskegee/Notasulga), in Tuskegee, AL, is one of the most captivating and riveting historical attractions recently established by legislation, Public Law 105-355, and identified as a unit under the National Park Service – The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. This legislation established the park in order to commemorate and interpret, in association with Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., and Tuskegee University, the heroic actions of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Congress authorized up to $29.1 million to develop visitor facilities and restore Moton Field, home of primary training for the Tuskegee Airmen, in accordance with the 1998 Moton Field/Tuskegee Airmen Special Resource Study. As you make your way off the interstate to Moton Field, where it all began for the Tuskegee Airmen, you will find a temporary Visitor Center, erected and open to the public in 2002, complete with exhibits, a video presentation, and informational maps and guides that will lead you to the historic core of Moton Field to begin your tour. Hangar 1, the first structure built at Moton Field in 1941, has been totally restored and would provide you with a “stepping back in time” experience you will always treasure! The museum is housed with a variety of interpretive materials ranging from unique exhibits to oral history stations to trainer planes to museum objects – the list goes on! A National Park Service Park Guide or Park Ranger will provide you with a guided tour, ranging anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the number of visitors in your party), or feel free to roam the museum at your leisure with your map. In addition to Hangar 1, there will be three other museums onsite that you will be able to visit once they are fully complete. They include: Hangar 2, the Control Tower, and the Skyway Club (or the All Ranks Club). Two of the three structures have been restored with Hangar 2 being a reconstruction item. Planning for the interpretive media for these museums is currently underway. The National Park Service in conjunction with their legislative partners and other stakeholders are working diligently as they step into this all important phase. Historic preservation within the National Park Service does not only apply to structures, but also to the surrounding land areas of those historic structures. Therefore, a very robust historical landscaping plan has been adopted and will be carried out in the final construction phase to begin Fall of 2010. Within the 44 acres of the entire historic site, plantings, ground cover, and the like, that are indigenous to this particular area of Alabama, will adorn the land area. All in all, the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site will be nearing completion within the next couple of years. As you can see, the National Park Service is truly dedicated to this project and its mandate to protect and preserve the legacy of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and Moton Field. The educational impact the site has had on children and adults of all ages is evident on a daily basis as people from all over the nation and the world leave the site with deep appreciation of these WWII heroes. We are located at:
Top inset: Moton Field Airport Sign, Top full: Hanger #1 houses the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Museum, Second from Top: Parachute Folding Table, Third from Top: PT17 Steerman used for training airmen Bottom: Engine and photo of mechanic installing an engine. 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site 1616 Chappie James Avenue Tuskegee, AL 36083 Main Telephone: (334) 724-0922 Reservations: (334) 724-0906 (Recommended for groups of 10 or more) Fax: (334) 724-0952 Website: www.nps.gov/tuai Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST, 7 days a week (Closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day).
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Come home to historic elegance Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center at Tuskegee University nestled amidst a national historic site. With centuries of distinct heritage, 17,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, a lavishly decorated grand ballroom, 287 seat amphitheater and 108 finely appointed guest rooms and suites, the stage is set for an unforgettable event. Come experience fine dining at our newly renovated Dorothy’s Restaurant and the excitement of live entertainment every first and third Friday in Skegee Lounge. So whether it’s a convention, business meeting, family reunion or a weekend getaway our accommodations are perfect.
For Reservations and Information Call 1-800-949-6161 Visit or Website: www.tuskegeekelloggcenter.com
THE HISTORY AND ITS HIDDEN TREASURES
By: Noah Hopkins
G
ees Bend is small in population yet huge in artistic talent and historical significance. This Alabama treasure has fewer than 300 residents, many of whom are gifted with extraordinary quilting skills of museum exhibition quality. Most of the quilters are women but a few men also are endowed with the quilting gene. Reverend Tyree McCloud is a versatile artist who specializes in textiles and stained glass. Born in Gees Bend, quilting came as natural to him as breathing. He progressed to designing and making clothes and is meticulous about fit, form and fashion. His passion for stained glass was awakened while he was studying engineering at a college in Florida. He says, “Right next door there was a class being taught on stained glass.” Reverend McCloud hints that his former wife collected this art form and it was an expensive habit. “I realized that if I didn’t learn it, she would break me so I enrolled in the class. About midway through, the instructor told me that I was as good as he was. He refunded half my money and told me not to come back.” Visitors who try to reach Reverend McCloud before getting to Gees Bend will have a hard time. This somewhat eccentric artist who is also very easygoing does not have a phone. He regards them as a nuisance source of unwelcome interruptions, “I’m passionate about what I do and it annoys me for someone to call and it not be earth shattering urgent.” He says “When you get to Gees Bend just ask anyone how to find me and they’ll tell you.” That is not a flippant remark. In this close-knit community everybody knows each other. Truth be told, in this community many of the residents are related and share the last name “Pettway” but they also welcome outsiders with open arms. This may be influenced by an incredible history of cooperative economics as well as shared ties to slavery and share-cropping. With no hotels, motels or bed & breakfasts, Gees Bend is still a tourism destination. Overnight visitors have relied on accommodations in such nearby cities as Selma and Montgomery but soon they will have options that will further enrich the Gees Bend tourism experience. Local community homestays with visitors, eating and sleeping in the home of a Gees Bend resident is a social and economic phenomenon, embraced by the community. Gees Bend, an isolated hamlet surrounded on three sides by the Alabama River is situated within the soil rich yet economically starved Black Belt of Alabama. The community derives its name from Joseph Gee, who in 1816 relocated to Alabama from North Carolina and brought 18 slaves with him to work at his newly established cotton plantation. 2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
The Gees Bend Ferry, which crosses the Alabama River, boards passengers either in Gees Bend (officially named Boykin) or directly across the waterway in Camden
Reverend Tyree McCloud is a Gees Bend native and gifted artist
Roosevelt houses still stand long after they were built in the 1930’s. There are plans to enhance historic Roosevelt homes for homestays as a result of the Community Based Tourism project.
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Eventually the land was sold to Mark Pettway, who added about 100 slaves when he became the plantation owner. After slavery was abolished, many of the former slaves continued working for their former master as sharecroppers. Quilting began in Gees Bend when female slaves pieced together strips of cloth to make bedding and window covers. Post-slavery, women continued quilting as a source of heat in shacks that lacked all household services including running water.
Administration program. So, many Gees Bend sharecroppers bought their land at subsidized prices and became property owners. In the 1960’s, Gees Bend Freedom Quilting Bee was formed as an initiative intended to boost family income and foster community development by selling textile crafts to outsiders. Today, the Quilts of Gees Bend are a legendary brand. The textile masterpieces have been displayed at prestigious museums and are hailed as brilliant works of art. Purchase prices can go as high as $20,000 with the most affordable quilts costing about $1,000 and individual squares around $30. In this place, quilting really is the fabric of their lives. Gees Bend is accessible on land along County Road 29. Driving to Gees Bend is a tranquil experience until the scenery slaps you awake with bold wooden signs simulating Gees Bend quilt designs.
Jennie Pettway and another girl with the quilter Jorena Pettway, Gees Bend, circa 1937
By the 1930’s, Gees Bend was seen as a primitive tenant community with houses built by the residents themselves using mud and other simple materials. This was a tough time for farmers throughout the United States. Many were being evicted and relocated by the Resettlement Administration but the residents of Gees Bend represented important issues to federal officials.
Quilters gather at the Boykin Nutrition Center (which is nestled in the Gees Bend Ferry Terminal and Welcome Center), usually Monday through Thursday from 8:30am until 1:30pm.
Women of Gees Bend quilting, 2005. Cabin on Pettway Plantation, Gees Bend, circa 1937
Regarded by outsiders as isolated and crude, their culture, speech and habits resembled the African way of life. Additionally, the Resettlement Administration saw the residents of Gees Bend as the victims of slavery. Also, the Gees Bend community personified the lingering effects of the farm-tenant system that was the aftermath of the slave plantation era. Plus, federal officials thought the community could possibly benefit from training and financial assistance and their success would show the effectiveness of the Resettlement 30
Gees Bend is also accessible by ferry from Camden to Boykin, Alabama. Gees Bend Ferry Terminal and Welcome Center c/o Boykin Nutrition Center Doris Mosely, Manager 334-573-0020 Gees Bend Ferry Schedules and Fares http://www.geesbendferry.com
251-861-3000
2012/2013 Tourism Resource Guide
HIDDEN TREASURES OF GEES BEND
The items featured in the adjacent pictures were all hand-made by Reverend Tyree McCloud. Like many of his relatives and neighbors in Gees Bend, Reverend McCloud can take the simplest materials and transform them into artistic masterpieces. Photo Left: Reverend McCloud pays homage to his grandmother with this reversible quilt featuring a combination of bold geometric squares and soft flowers. Center Top Photo: The quilt’s other side, also meticulously finished, is more neutral and is solid green. Center Bottom Photo: Game day cooking for Auburn University fans should include these custom-made oven mitts in Auburn colors. Top Right Photo: Chic hand-made jacket combining mixed materials, is a blend of traditional and contemporary styles
K
eitsha’s Snack Shack, is the only restaurant in Gees Bend. Casual and home like, customers can come in, sit at a table and order from a complete menu or purchase a variety of snack foods. Keitsha Pettway began her store/restaurant by selling Kool-Pops for 5 and 10 cents but later as children in the community began asking for other items such as juices, chips, cookies, burgers and fries; she expanded. She says, “People started coming by to see exactly what we were selling. It seemed like everybody in the community stopped cooking and started stopping by.” At first, she used her kitchen and part of the living room as her business space. In January of 2011 things changed, “I was blessed to have saved up enough money to build a store on the back of my house. We called it “Keitsha’s Snack Shack.” I said “we” because the name came from the children.” Keitsha actually had become a job-producing employer. She hired some of the teenagers from the community to help out with stocking shelves and preparing sandwiches. She also hired her mom, Doris P. Mosely, to help out. Keitsha’s Snack Shack’s grand opening was on May 1, 2011. The entrepreneurial spirit that Keitsha possesses coupled with business management expertise will improve economic conditions in the Gees Bend community. Aspiring business owners in Gees Bend stand to benefit directly from long overdue investments in business planning and hospitality tourism training provided by the Black Belt Community Based Tourism Network (BBCBTN), a new regional network created through the Wealth Creation In Rural Communities in the South Initiative funded by the Ford Foundation. For more information on the Network and how you can become involved, contact the BBCBTN at 334-526-0819 or Keitsha Pettway at 334-5732007.
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BBC BTN
A
C
C
quiet storm is rumbling through the tourism sector in Alabama. Motivated by respect for the people whose roots are tied to a tourism destination, this storm is a good thing. It is blowing away the old grips on the tourism industry and opening doors of opportunity for working class residents who BLACK BELT COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM NETWORK live in the places that are blessed with tourism assets. Read the Q & A below to find out more about how the winds of change have led to the birth of the Black Belt Community Based Tourism Network (BBCBTN). You will learn how people in the Black Belt of Alabama will benefit from this transformative way of managing the business of tourism.
Q. What is the Black Belt? A: The Black Belt is a region of the Southern United States. Although the term originally described the prairies and dark soil of central Alabama and northeast Mississippi, it has long been used to describe a broad agricultural region in the American South characterized by a history of plantation agriculture in the 19th century and a high percentage of African Americans in the population. During the first half of the nineteenth century, as many as one million enslaved African Americans were taken there in a forced migration to work as laborers for the region's cotton plantations. After having lived for several generations in the area, many stayed as rural workers, tenant farmers and sharecroppers after the American Civil War and Emancipation. Q: What is Community Based Tourism? A: Community Based Tourism (CBT) begins with local communities and is based Black Belt Community Based Tourism Partnership II meeting held in March 2012 in Selma, Alabama in the community's space where the community as a whole or its members have substantial control of and involvement in any tourism project. The majority of the benefits remain in the community, where it can lead to investment in environmental health, enhanced skills, stronger relationships and organizations, and new physical infrastructure. It is approved by the elected representatives of the community and relevant facilitator organizations, ensuring the community as a whole benefits, rather than only one community member or family. These host communities are developed and managed by residents, offer intergenerational, friendly atmospheres that are safe for children and conducive to visiting--in short, an innovative solution to today’s environmental, social, and economical changes. Q: What is the Black Belt Community Based Tourism Network (BBCBTN)? A: The Black Belt Community Based Tourism Network (BBCBTN) is a network of stakeholders invested in Community Based Tourism (CBT) as an approach to sustainable tourism and development in Alabama and the Black Belt South. Any individual, group, or organization interested in CBT and is providing tourism products or services to the following counties: Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, and Wilcox may join. Any person who is supportive of creating wealth that can remain in rural communities may also join. Q: What should I do next if I am interested in exploring membership in the Black Belt Community Based Tourism Network? A: Make sure we have contact information for you. Come to meetings and get to know our group. Check our calendar for the next meeting or event where you can visit our pilot project in Gees Bend. We can also suggest several resources on Community Based Tourism (CBT) that would be very informative and we have a CBT newsletter you can subscribe to which highlights the activities of CBT on the ground and in action. If you are ready for the next step after that, contact our project core team at 334-526-0819. Q. How will local ownership be legally structured in Gees Bend? A: Our goal is to build cooperatively owned and managed tourism businesses that support sustainable development by using locally produced products and services. The destination management business in Gees Bend is being structured through member equity, member loans and local investment. The plans are developed in partnership with the local leadership. The business will have the typical operations and procedures of any other management corporation but will be managed cooperatively with transparent financial and governance models. Profits from the business will go into a reinvestment fund for community beautification. Status and Next Steps If you are interested and would like to work and help build the Black Belt Community Based Tourism Network, we are now collecting names and qualifications. Send your contact information to us and we will add it to our files to use when we are ready to request proposals. Sustainable Rural Regenerative Enterprises for Families (SURREF), headed by its Chief Regenerative Officer, Euneika Rogers-Sipp has been engaged in community outreach, education, and dialogue since 2010 to build consensus about how to best support our transition to a sustainable tourism future based on community based tourism and wealth creation principles. Submit your information to: SURREF,Community Based Tourism (CBT) Wealth Creation Initiative 609 Lauderdale Street, Selma, Alabama 36702
334-526-0819| Fax: 334- 874-1131| Email: ers@SURREFinnovates.com
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Macon County Economic Development Authority Macon County, Alabama
Macon County: The New Diamond of the Interstate 85 Corridor Location...Locaion...Location Macon County, Alabama is the New Diamond of the Interstate Corridor. Boasting five exits directly on the interstate, Macon County is situated in the hottest industrial belt of the South, halfway between the new automotive plants of Kia and Hyundai. In a mere 15 minutes, travelers can enter Macon County from the Auburn/Opelika area or Montgomery. Air travel is made easy by way of our own Moton Field or with proximity to the Atlanta and Montgomery Jetports. Universities, national forest, historic sites, industrial land of Macon County, all located in the center of a 40 mile radius of over 700,000 people! OTHER ASSETS: Airport Access • Railroad Access • Interstate Access • Tuskegee University • Tuskegee Airmen’s Museum Tuskegee National Forest • George Washington Carver Museum • Historic Landmarks...and much more
BECK’S TURF FARM #2 OFF I-85 AT EXIT 22 WIRE ROAD 750 acrea, ready for large development and industry. Near Auburn and Tuskegee AL
BECK’S TURF FARM #5 This 300 acre site is located in Macon County, Alabama on the north side of Uphapee Creek north of I-85 at exit 38 with rail, gas, water, sewer, 1 mile to airport
GREENWOOD PLAZA RETAIL CENTER 1609 W. Montgomery Road Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 334-279-8646 • 334-202-8880
WASHINGTON PLAZA SHOPPING CENTER
SHORTER TECHNOLOGY PARK Large industrial and retail tracts abailable near Halla Climate Systems and VictoryLand. Minutes from Montgomery, AL
MOTON FIELD Moton Field, home of the Tuskegee Airmen Museum, boasts a 5,000 pllus foot runway, FBO, fuel and direct access to I-85
ETZIONI ESTATES RETAIL WITH WAREHOUSE 908 Martin Luther King, Hwy. 80 Tuskegee, Alabama 36083
I-85 CORRIDOR COMMERCE PARK AT TUSKEGEE Park ready for commerce at Moton Field on I-85 with full utilities 5 to 30 acre sites
DISCOVER MACON COUNTY, ALABAMA TODAY!
WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit Our Web Site: www.madeinmacon.com or Call Joe Turnham at 334.725.8496 or 334.444.2672 608 Dibble Street • Tuskegee, Alabama 36083
Central Alabama Comprehensive Health, Inc.
203 West Lee St. • Tuskegee, AL 36083 • 334-727-6880 NOW OFFERING THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
CARE Ambulance Services Available
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340B Pharmacy On-site CARE Ambulance Services Preventa!ve Screenings Family Planning Diabetes Collabora!ve Health Outreach X-rays
Tuskegee Health Center 203 West Lee Street Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 334-727-6880 Hours of Opera!ons M-F: 8:00am to 7:00pm Sat: 9:00am to 3:00pm
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Dental Clinic
203 West Lee Street Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 334-727-6880 Hours of Opera!ons T-F: 8:00am to 5:00pm
Hurtsboro Medical Center
Central Care Pharmacy
NOW OPEN
Nutri!on Counseling Cervical Cancer Screenings Dental Services Specialty Care Referrals Chronic Illness Treatment Immuniza!ons
242 Long Street Hurtsboro, Alabama 36860 334-667-7734 Hours of Opera!ons M &W: 8:00am to 5:00pm
Central Care Pharmacy
203 West Lee Street Tuskegee, Alabama 36083 334-727-7636 Hours of Opera!ons M-F: 9:00am to 6:00pm
Lafaye"e Health Center 404-B Ninth Avenue SW Lafaye!e, Alabama 36862 334-864-0084 Hours of Opera!ons Friday: 8:00am to 5:00pm