TulaneLSU's Top 10 signs of Ashland, Alabama

Dear Friends,

The vacation journey continues. While I vacate from my mind the thoughts of illness and death back home, I never vacate the thoughts of you, my dear friends. I am always thinking of you, and especially of our dearest of friends, OWLFAN who needs our help now.

I am documenting this trip, because it is not often I have as a destination anywhere in the state of Alabama. Alabama for me has always been part of the journey to a place, not the place itself. But these are strange times, and this time Alabama is my destination. As I travel through small town Alabama, I think of all the things I have said about the state. Last year, for instance, I spent ten hours composing a top 10 list for why Alabama is the worst place in the Union. It was in honor of the LSU-Bama football game. When I finished the essay, I realized how it might crush some of my friends who might live in Alabama. I deleted it because mean things, even if they are clever, have no place in a good world. And God created this world and called it good and wants us to make it good. To that end, I want to plant good seeds, not meanness.

Small towns in our country are disappearing left and right. Within our lifetimes, many of the place names on maps that have a town center will be largely uninhabited. I don't know if this is good or bad or neither, but knowing this inevitability drives me to experience these towns while they still breathe, even if that breath is gasping. Most people, most likely drive through these towns without giving them much thought. That's how I once viewed the entire state of Alabama. Introspection, though develops with age and experience, and I now marvel at these places that surely have a story to tell, even if no one is there to tell the story.

As I make my way through Clay County, I have never encountered such welcoming and warm people, not even on the OT. It broke my heart when I learned this county now sells alcohol. Bravely, this county, for a century, fought national currents and the propaganda of Big Alcohol to resist sale of that most dangerous and deadly drug. That changed just four years ago, in 2016. Thankfully, I did not encounter any drunkards or places that sold alcohol.

TulaneLSU's Top 10 signs of Ashland, Alabama:

10. Town square where Highways 9 and 77 intersect




One thing I have noticed in my short travels in Alabama is that many of these old towns are literal squares. Living in a city like New Orleans, which does not have much of a grid nor major thoroughfares that cut directly through the center of town, I was not prepared to get stuck at three different lights as I made very slow progress through the town squares, which are exactly as they are named. The squares are not efficient at moving traffic through the small space, which is why I believe they are becoming a rarity.

9. War Memorial in front of Clay County Courthouse




The history of this town is in the ground. Had Clay County been a little less rocky and rich of minerals, cotton may have played a larger role in its history. However, the Black Belt of Alabama falls about fifty miles south of here, so there was very little population here until the country developed a need for something in its ground.

In the late 1880s, America became hungry for graphite, both for use in pencils and as a lubricant. By the turn of the century, multiple towns at the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains, just north of the Black Belt, started appearing on maps. One was Ashland.

Ashland was one of the top producing towns of graphite, employing the town through the Barrett Graphite Mine. That mine is no longer active, but when it was it produced ample amounts of graphite, vanadium, and mica for the nation. By the mid 20th century a lot of mining shifted out west to places like Montana. Now, graphite is mined entirely abroad.

One of the town's most important residents, Secelar Claxton Ray was born in the town in 1888. He was a Baptist minister who served 21 churches in the county throughout his years, but it was his insistence on diversifying the town's economy which may have saved it from a fate like Goodwater, AL.

He suggested raising chickens, so multiple chicken farms became a source of income in the area. When the cotton crop failed and the mines slowed due to decreased demand during the Great Depression, the almighty chicken kept things going for the town. Perhaps part of TD is in homage to this historical salvation.

I hope to find a Ten Commandments out front. I did not find one, but I did find this war memorial for WWI, WW2, and Korea.

8. Gas pump



When was the last time you saw a pump like this one? These square box pumps were first invented in 1947, but did not become common place until 1960. The casings evolved through time, although the guts remained essentially the same. One pays a premium for this pump of the past: $3.00/gallon when big chain gas was going for $1.50/gallon not far away.

7. Ashland Pharmacy



This pharmacy doubles as the town's gift shop. While I did not venture inside, I did see some offerings on their facebook page.