Click here to see the Best of 2024 “Most Dangerous” Vacant and Abandoned in Alabama??? video! Today’s micro-adventure is the Best of 2024 “Most Dangerous” Vacant and Abandoned in Alabama???. Many of these towns are …
Click here to watch my latest cinematic short film as I explore the abandoned and burned in Brighton, Alabama. In today’s micro-adventure I explore abandoned and burned places in Brighton, Alabama outside of Birmingham. Technically …
Click here to watch my latest cinematic short film as I explore abandoned areas in Midfield, Alabama… Today I explore the abandoned areas in the city of Midfield, Alabama just outside of Birmingham. Midfield, Alabama …
Click here to see my latest cinematic short film where I go Urban Hiking in Alabama’s most DANGEROUS city – Tarrant? Today I go Urban Hiking in The MOST Dangerous city in Alabama, Tarrant – …
Click here as I go back to Ensley, Alabama – Warning No Stupid People Beyond this Point! Today I find myself exploring the back alleys of Ensley, Alabama once again! Exploring back alleys and other …
Urban Exploration is what today’s adventure is all about. Inspired by true life events…
Today we take a Sunday Ride to explore the historic old southern city of Eutaw, Alabama. We’ll step back in time to old town squares and old antebellum home in all states of repair to fully restored.
Old antebellum homes and so much more.
Eutaw. Alabama is a great example of what the old south was once like.
Inner City Sacred – In Search of 1872 Cathedral Church of the Advent
According the the Church’s website:
In 1872, the new city of Birmingham grew quickly after the Elyton Land Company established a new industrial center in what was formerly undeveloped land. Bishop Richard Hooker Wilmer sent Philip Fitts to serve area congregations in the new city. With the 16 Episcopalians he found in Birmingham, Fitts began meeting at the corner lot sold to this young congregation for $5.00. By 1893, the church’s worship space, the Nave, was completed and welcomed worshippers. The first Lenten Preaching Series began in 1908, the Advent Episcopal School opened in 1950, and the Advent became the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama in 1982. Various renovations and building projects added spaces and expanded the school through the years, along with our Cranmer House and Advent House satellite locations. In 2022, Craig Smalley was called as Dean and Rector and began to lead our downtown Birmingham church family.
Today I’ll be exploring The American Village and Tulip Festival in Montevallo, Alabama.
The American Village and Tulip Festival in Montevallo and Tulip Festival is held once a year.
Here is the history of The Village according to https://www.americanvillage.org/history/
When the American Village opened the Board of Trustees publicly cited “The American Village is possible only because of the extraordinary vision, leadership, and perseverance of Tom Walker.” A few years later it awarded him its highest honor for his visionary leadership and persistence in founding of the American Village. He conceived of the idea of a place to engage young people in the stories of liberty – as a foundation for their becoming good citizens and leaders. In 1993 he began publicly speaking and advocating for the creation of such a place. He worked with citizens and officials. In 1995 the Citizenship Trust was officially chartered by legislative act sponsored by the late Rep. Al Knight and then Sen. Frank C. Ellis, Jr. as a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational institution, and in 1998, then State Representative Johnny Curry authored the first public funding support, and on November 30, 1999, the American Village campus opened.
Beginning in 1994 American Village Founder and President Emeritus Tom Walker collaborated with Mike Hamrick, an extraordinarily gifted architect of Eufaula, Alabama. Their collaboration focused on shaping and creating a vision of both the campus as a whole and of its individual components. Walker and Hamrick, and more recently new American Village President and CEO Alan B. Miller, with support of the Board of Trustees, and other stakeholders, have sought to create a campus that is emblematic of America’s heritage of liberty and self-government. This village “set upon a hill” is emerging more and more as a nationally-distinctive campus.
Today the American Village is sustained by broad support: by citizens and leaders in all walks of life who believe that it is important to teach youth the vital lessons of liberty, to remember the price of liberty, and to prepare new generations of Americans for their roles as stewards of our Constitution and other charters of freedom. We invite Americans to join in this work to answer Benjamin Franklin’s challenge: “…it’s a Republic, if you can keep it.”
In today’s micro adventure I go urban hiking in the inner city of Birmingham, Alabama in search of the historic Cathedral of St. Paul.
I’m calling my latest short film – Historic Cathedral of St. Paul- Sacred Solace in Inner City Birmingham.
According to https://stpaulsbhm.org/about/history/ …..
History
The current majestic brick building replaces a small (30′ x 60′) wooden frame church first built in 1872 on a lot adjacent to the present site. The land for the current location was purchased in January 1880; by May of the same year, under the first resident pastor, the Rev. John Browne, a rectory was built and the church was moved on site and enlarged.
The present building was planned by the Rev. Patrick O’Reilly, the second pastor. The cornerstone was laid on June 11, 1890 and the building was dedicated on November 30, 1893, having cost approximately $90,000 to complete.
The church was extensively renovated in 1955, when, among other things, air conditioning was installed. In 1972, structural repairs were effected and the sanctuary was re-ordered. In 1992, additional work was done in preparation for the Cathedral’s centennial. Most recently, a complete renovation of the exterior was finished in 2015.
The Cathedral is widely considered to be a handsome example of the American variation on the neo-gothic style. Gothic architecture is philosophically Christian: in its determined verticality, the gothic structure pulls the eye to heaven and inspires the mind to lofty thoughts. The strong contrast of color on the Cathedral’s exterior, with the native red brick and white limestone of the walls, and the polychromatic banding in the slate roof, show the taste of the international gothic revival of the 1870s.
The main entrance has a central statue of Christ above the doors. Upon entering, one sees that the church is built in basilica form, having a semicircular domed apse at one end, with a center aisle and two side aisles. Ten solid granite columns support vaults and arches indicative of the neo-gothic style.
The baptismal font stands at the door of the church to remind those entering that Baptism is the doorway to faith and the life of the Church. Those who enter dip their hand in the Holy Water and mark themselves anew with the sign in which they were baptized – the sign of the Cross.
So I hope you enjoy Historic Cathedral of St. Paul- Sacred Solace in Inner City Birmingham
Urban Hiking Alabaster, Alabama which was under promised but over delivered!
While Urban Hiking, Alabaster, Alabama I was invited into what’s believed to be the oldest building in the town. It’s now a business called Creactive and I was even shown one of the original walls! Great people gave me the VIP tour!
Urban Hiking Alabaster, Alabama was an interesting experience. What seemed to be the main street wasn’t really the main street. It’s my belief that it once was but no more. Still a quaint awesome street nonetheless!
The History of Alabaster, Alabama, has origins dating back as early as 1896 according to https://www.shelbyal.com/787/Alabaster:
History
In 1896, Thomas C. Thompson organized and built on the banks of Buck Creek in Siluria a textile manufacturing plant. Soon thereafter, a village to house employees was built. In 1902, Siluria Cotton Mill Co. was incorporated; and in 1954, the Town of Siluria was incorporated, with a population of approximately 600. In 1965, Buck Creek Industries, Inc. sold the village houses to the employees. In 1925, located next door to Siluria, the “growth potential” of the community became known as Alabaster. Alabaster was officially incorporated on February 23,1953 and in 1971, the people of Siluria voted to merge with Alabaster.
So I hope you enjoy my latest cinematic short film – Urban Hiking Town with 1896 Origins – Over Delivered – Alabaster, AL.
