Sousa In Ft Payne

Sousa at Ft Payne Opera House 1908. one of the most famous band leaders in history paid a visit to DeKalb County

Beware Cigarettes!!

A very paranoid propaganda piece from the temperance column of a February 1908 Fort Payne Journal. The author was firmly convinced that cigarettes were laced with opium.

George Bush Visits Rainsville

January 1980 Rainsville received a visit from presidential candidate George Bush. a visit by a presidential candidate was and is very uncommon in DeKalb County.

Fyffe News 1908

From March 11th 1908 Fort Payne Journal

Hammonds Bros Furniture

We uncovered this sign when the old Fyffe City Hall was torn down. this sign had been covered up since 1957 when the city hall building was built.  Hammond Brothers Furniture was a key business in town for many many years and was not only a furniture store but at one time in the 1950s also served as a restaurant with a very busy soda fountain. Sadly this sign was painted over by the owner of the building shortly after we discovered it. the Old Hammond Brothers building is now a church and the church sign has been painted over this piece of History. You will notice the person who painted the sign signed his name in the bottom corner.
Another piece of history now lost to the ages.

Fort Payne Journal

This is the front page from a 1909 issue of the Journal.
Much more news with less pictures than today. 
Community news took center stage.

Springfield Model 1842

This is the lock plate and Hammer from a model 1842 Springfield rifled musket which I acquired from a civil war relic collector in Virginia.
The model 1842 was a 69 caliber musket adopted by the United States Army in the mid 19th century and was the last smoothbore musket issued by the United States Army as well as the first weapon to use percussion caps rather than a Flintlock firing system.
The 1842 was standard issue during the Mexican War and was still in secondary usage by state militia units on both sides during the Civil War.