Discovering the deep historical roots and natural beauty of this large and popular state park near Birmingham
The restored blast furnaces of the Tannehill Ironworks rise high above Roupes Creek.
Writing a travel book can be full of surprises. When I set out, I had no inkling that I would be learning about the early iron-making industry. During the Civil War, Alabama played a key role in producing pig iron (more than all of the other Confederate states combined) and making cannons and ammunition. Bars of pig iron were sent to the Selma Arsenal, which produced half of the cannon and two-thirds of the ammunition used by the South in the final two years of fighting. This region is unique in the world for its abundance of all of the resources needed for iron production: iron ore, limestone, and either coal to make coke or forests to produce charcoal.
Hikes in the park at times follow an old stagecoach route or the Iron Road where the pig iron was transported 18 miles by eight team mule wagons to the Alabama & Tennessee Rivers Railroad.Spotted trillium (or perhaps the look-alike Little Sweet Betsy) in a wet swampy spot near Roupes Creek. During my week at Tannehill, the woods began to green up, with flowering dogwood, redbud, and native azaleas adding touches of white, lavender, and pink.Violets bloom in an old slave cemetery, brightening the final resting places of furnace workers and their family members, whose names are long forgotten.
Tannehill is also home to the Alabama Iron and Steel Museum, which surpassed all my expectations. For almost two hours, the story of Tannehill came to life for me. Beginning with the huge seams of brown and red iron ore found locally, to colliers camping in huts to make charcoal to large displays of 1800s household and military items made either here or at the Selma Arsenal.
During the Civil War, over fifty Alabama caves were mined for saltpeter (potassium nitrate), the primary ingredient in gunpowder. In the latter years, the job fell to boys too young to fight. This iron pot, made at the Selma Arsenal, is seven feet in diameter and still contains saltpeter residue.Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park is a mix of the wild, the historical, and the crowded and touristy, but I sure did love a one-dollar Dutch chocolate ice cream after a long hike!r On weekends, this cute train runs from the campground to the pioneer farm, gristmill, and fairgrounds (home to a huge monthly craft show). Just like the ice cream and senior museum admission, a one-way train ride costs just one dollar!Campground 3 offered more privacy and an abundance of gray squirrels exploring the steep hillside behind my campsite. Campgrounds 1 and 2 look more like a crowded RV park.
A Civil War battlefield, The Florida National Scenic Trail, and kayaking Ocean Pond among giant cypress
Paddling among giant cypress on Ocean Pond
Before sharing about Florida, I have to tell you that I have now astoundingly joined the ranks of DIY travel trailer fixer-uppers. (Although nothing is fixed yet). Much of this cold and rainy Alabama day has been devoted to trying to figure out why my refrigerator is not working. From the simple checks-breakers, fuses and plugs-I moved on to trying to secure a dealership repair appointment (impossible) or a visit from a mobile RV tech.
The closest tech turned out not to be close anymore as he now lives in Arkansas. But Ron was the best of trail angels, spending hours helping me over the phone. There I was with my multimeter, in the land of circuit boards, colored wires, and hidden fuses. Finally, through a Grand Design owners forum, I discovered a blown thermal fuse that I will soon try to repair. What a learning day!
Site #28 in the Ocean Pond Campground only had a water hookup. However, the generator and solar panel kept me up and running, all but the refrigerator. I sure was looking forward to having cold and frozen food in the campsites ahead, all of which have electricity.
The largest Civil War battle to take place in Florida was fought nearby. The Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park was seven miles from camp. Interpretive panels along a one-mile trail told the story of the evenly matched battle through photographs, primary sources, and a clear narrative. The terrain of open pine woods and palmettos, interspersed with impassable swampy areas, helped me visualize the drama of that tragic day. Just over five thousand soldiers on each side-the Union hoping to cut off food supplies from Florida at the Suwanee River railroad bridge and the Confederates handing them a costly defeat.
“Grape and canister swept by with hideous music, and shell after shell tore through our ranks and burst amid heaps of our wounded heroes,” remembered a soldier of the 115th New York.Huge crowds attend the re-enactment of the battle every Presidents Day weekend.Boardwalks are becoming a favorite haunt of mine. This one, through a cypress swamp on the Florida National Scenic Trail, enticed me to sit and write and study the verdant plant life.A native green anole (I think) at the edge of the cypress swamp. Anoles, like chameleons, can change color. In Florida, over two-thirds of the lizard species are invasives, including the brown anole, which arrived on cargo ships in the late 1800s. Females of both species look like this one.
Ocean Pond is the roundest body of water I have ever seen. One day, I kayaked around its almost 7-mile shoreline. The shallows near shore are picturesque, with turtles and water lilies among the cypress. I studied one patient great egret who was fishing there, swallowing his catch with bounces of his very long, thin neck. There were patches of pickerel weed, not yet in bloom, and cow lily (spatterdock) just beginning to show its bright yellow, spherical flowers. I love the touches of home to balance out all that is new and unusual.
The border of grass behind me was present almost all the way around the lake and often prevented me from accessing the shallows, except where there were openings. Knowing that there were alligators around and it was a warm day made me cautious to plow through the grass and reeds.
I’ll finish with a shout out to the federal government for their America the Beautiful Lifetime Senior Pass, available to those 62 and older. For a one-time cost of $80, mine has already paid for itself two times over since I purchased it on January 5th. How grateful I am to be experiencing all these natural wonders at such an affordable price!
Laurie Apgar Chandler 