Ozark, Alabama

This week I decided to take another trip a little further south. This week I made the trip down to a little city called Ozark, Alabama. It is about 30 minutes south of Troy, and 20 north of Dothan (I have a blog post about Dothan if you would like to check it out.) It is a neat little town that has a lot of charm with it and is lovely to visit.

The area of Ozark was originally inhabited by the Muscogee people. In 1822, the area had its first European settler, John Merrick, Sr., and the area was then named Merrick in honor of him. The town of Merrick then had a name change to Woodshop. After this happened the town received its post office. In 1855, the citizens wanted the name to be changed and this is when Ozark came about. It is believed that the name was chosen by a traveler visiting the area. It is said that Woodshop reminded him of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. In 1870, the county seat of Dale County was moved to Ozark from Newton. This is where it has remained since then.

It may not seem like it upon first glance, but there are quite a few places to go to while in Ozark! Ozark is home to the Ed Lisenby Lake. It is 92 acres and is award-winning. You can enjoy fishing, you can rent a boat, do archery, have a picnic, and also enjoy the 3.1 mile trail that goes around the lake. The trail is my personal favorite at the lake. There is also a second lake in Ozark called Lake Tholocco. It is a little bigger than Ed Lisenby with 640 acres of land. You can rent boats, there is a hiking trail, you can fish, and there are places to play basketball and volleyball. There is also a little beach on the lake that is perfect for family time, having a picnic, and just relaxing.

There are a few delicious places to eat in Ozark as well. The most popular ones are Our Place Diner and Milky Moos. Our Place Diner is located in downtown Ozark and is an award-winning restaurant. It was voted to have the “Best Burger in Alabama” in 2018! If you enjoy Southern-style comfort food then this is definitely the place for you to visit. If you have room for dessert afterwards, then I recommend making a trip over to Milky Moos. It is also located in downtown Ozark. It is on the main road so it is hard to miss. It is best known for its ice cream and sundaes but it does serve regular food as well. Some popular flavors to try are Banana Laffy Taffy, Mud Slide and Dutch Apple Pie. The ice cream is homemade as well so if you prefer that then Milky Moos is the place for you.

If you are a fan of seeing historic places, Ozark is home to three that are registered on the National Register of Historic Places. One is the Samuel Lawson Dowling House. It is a house that was built in 1870 and the family was one of the first to settle in Dale County. The second is the Claybank Log Church. The church is believed to be the oldest building in Dale County. The third historic site is the J.D. Holman House. It is considered one of the most elaborate Neoclassical houses in the Wiregrass Region (which spans Dothan and the surrounding cities). It was built in 1913 and was owned by a local merchant.

Ozark is not the biggest of places (the last census put the city at having 14,907 people), but it does have a lot of charm. If you ever find yourself driving by the “Welcome to Ozark” sign, and you have some free time, check it out! It is a neat little town and the downtown is beautiful. It two pairs of wings to pose in front of as well for those who love that! I hope you are able to make the trip one day to see the town voted the "Most Patriotic City in Alabama!" 

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Blue Springs State Park Alabama

For this week’s blog, I decided to go a little bit further south. This is a place that I have been to a handful of time, but I have never tried to look into it. I also wanted an excuse to take a trip back to this place, so this was the perfect opportunity! This week the blog is about Blue Springs State Park. It is located about 30 minutes from Troy, Alabama in the small town of Blue Springs, Alabama. Having the same name as the town makes it much easier to find!

The town started to really build up in an attempt to turn it into a health spa around 1890 with the construction of Harrison’s Hotel. In 1900, a member of the town by the name of J.T.E. Whigham built another hotel by the name of Blue Springs Hotel. It had 28 rooms and a modern bathhouse as well. Three years later in 1913 the spring pools were given the concrete lining that it has today and a smaller pool was added for children to play in as well. The pools stayed open until 1938 when it was closed the first time.

In the early days of the area, it was a popular spot for political rallies, horse-trading events, and also Confederate soldier reunions!

Eventually the area was sold to the state of Alabama by J.D. McLaughlin. In the 60s, Governor George Wallace went about restoring state parks in Alabama. This also helped Blue Springs in its restoration and creation in 1963.

The state park is located on 103 acres. When you first enter the park, you see a decent sized pond that you can fish on and also ride paddle boats on. When you pull to the left, you come to the two pools. They have 3,600 gallons of the natural underground spring water pumping into them every hour. It usually remains at a constant of 68 degrees. Which feels much colder in the winter months. But it feels wonderful in the hotter ones! You just have to be careful when swimming, because there is not a lifeguard that works at the park. You have to swim at your own risk. There is a tunnel under the water that shoots you from one pool into the other as well.

You can even camp in the park! They have rental cabins, rental campers, and you can choose between the modern or primitive camping! That can be found more towards the back of the park. There is also a playground for children to play on as well. It is made of 100% recycled materials. Which I find very neat and it looks great! There is also a sand volleyball court that holds tournaments during the spring and summer.

In 2013, the park was expanded when Forever Wild Land Trust purchased 100 acres to give hiking trails to the park. In 2018, the Magnolia Trail was opened. It takes you through two miles of forest and gives a view of the Choctawhatchee River as well.

Blue Springs State Park is a place I would recommend for anyone to visit. There is not too much to see there, but the springs are worth seeing in person. The clear water is incredibly fascinating to see. Every friend I have taken to it has thoroughly enjoyed their time there as well. It only costs $4 to enter. I hope you will be able to make the trip yourself one day too!

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Tallassee, Alabama

Hello all! I am very excited to get this blog back up and going and to have my first actual blog post of the semester. This blog I decided to keep closer to where I am from. Quite literally. This post is about a smaller town in Alabama called Tallassee located 20 minutes outside of Montgomery, Alabama. Not to be confused with Tallahassee, Florida.

Before Tallassee was formed, the area was inhabited by Creek Indians who were believed to have descended from the Mississippian culture (mainly in the Mississippi and Ohio river regions). The original spelling of the town name was Talisi, which means “old town” in Creek language. The area was also home to the Creek capital of Tuckabatchee. Traveler Hernando de Soto actually paid them a visit in 1540 when he was travelling through the Southeast. The Creeks had a tree called the Council Tree where they would have meetings with the tribe. This was also located in Tallassee.

When the Creek Wars began in 1813, there was a lot of tension between the Indians and the Americans. This war led many Creek Indians to leave the area and move out of state. Some of the Creeks from Talisi moved to Oklahoma and named the new settlement Talisia. This would later become Tulsa, Oklahoma.

A very well-known mark in the Tallassee are the old mills that are located on the Tallapoosa River that runs in the middle of the town. Originally old cotton mills, it was turned into an armory in June of 1864 when a Confederate carbine (gas-operated semiautomatic rifle) factory moved to the old cotton mills from Richmond, Virginia during the Civil War. There was only one attempt from the Union Army to attack Tallassee and that was an attempt to destroy the Tallassee mill. It did not work. The Tallassee Armory was the only Confederate armory not destroyed during the war.

Continuing with the mills, in 1900 the Tallassee Falls Manufacturing Company merged with the Mount Vernon-Woodberry Cotton Duck Company. The name Mount Vernon stuck with the mill’s name. During World War II, the mills actually received awards of excellence from the U.S. Army for the production of war materials. In all they ran from 1864 to 2005. Making it the longest running mill of its kind in America. The mills deteriorated pretty badly afterwards because the owner did not care for them wel1. In 2016, one of the mills was being renovated to become a museum. It was tragically burned down on May 5, 2016.

Tallassee has a bridge called the Benjamin Fitzpatrick Bridge (dedicated December 10, 1940). It runs over the Tallapoosa bridge and connects the two counties of Elmore County and Tallapoosa County (the city is in two counties). This bridge cost $600,000 to build and with the way it is built (on a curve and a grade) it is one of the longest curved bridges in the world and also said to be one of a kind in the world as well. The bridge is 1,738 feet long. It is the state’s highest bridge as well at 143 feet above the river. It is the only way to get from the east to the west of the city and vice versa.

Tallassee also has a ‘haunted’ attraction. The Public Library which was opened in 1921. There was actually a ghost hunting show that shot an episode in it. With it once being a Confederate hospital there is no surprise there. Some common apparitions that are seen are of Civil War soldiers and a little girl. The children’s section is said to be the most active area of the ghosts.

The biggest business in Tallassee is the hydroelectric company that works below the bridge on the Thurlow Dam. There are two other dams on the Tallapoosa river called Martin Dam and Yates Dam. In all there is a 260,000 horsepower capacity.

In Tallassee, every morning at 4:30 am (except Sundays), since 1948, there has been a ‘long bell’ that has wrung. This was originally a bell for the mills but has remained long after they were closed.

I lived in Tallassee for pretty much all of my life. It is not my favorite place and I do not plan on living there again. But it is definitely a place I recommend seeing for the historical aspects of it. The river is also very beautiful.

I was able to interview two people who live in Tallassee as well! I was able to interview my dad and a long-time family friend as well. Here are their answers and the questions I asked:

1.     How long have you lived in Tallassee?

Nathan Ledbetter: “I moved to Tallassee in 1993. So 27 years.”

Linda Williams: “I have lived here for 4 years. I moved here in 2016.”

2.      What is your favorite part of Tallassee?

NL: “It’s a small city, not real big. There’s low crime, and nice people. Most of the shopping conveniences are here and the bigger cities are nearby. It’s also situated on the Tallapoosa River.”

LW: “I enjoy the churches.”

3.      What change has come about Tallassee since you first moved there?

NL: “Tallassee was born around the textile industry, but it shut down. The city has moved to other kinds of jobs. It reinvented itself.”

LW: “Mainly outsiders moving in.”

4.      What is your favorite part of Tallassee history?

NL: “The capital of the Creek Indian nation was located here. The Council Tree was still here when I was younger.”

LW: “The Jordanville history. How it was once a self-contained town of its own and its part of Tallassee now.”

5.      Would you recommend Tallassee to people? Why/Why not?

NL: “Yes. The location, low taxes, mostly friendly people. But there aren’t a lot of things to do. There are good schools, summer activities for kids, and the parents are very involved. Tight knit.”

LW: “Yes. Unless you have school-aged children. The schools are subpar.”


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