Maple Hill Cemetery, the current burial place of Sally Carter. [Wikimedia Commons, Thomas R Machnitzki] Huntsville, Alabama, is home to so much Alabama history—old and new. Legends and lore abound in the city—including stories of the ghostly kind. Many people claim to have seen restless spirits at various locations throughout the city, particularly on historic properties. One such location is Cedarhurst, a mansion built in 1823, soon after Alabama became a state. The ghost of Sally Carter has been seen by multiple people at Cedarhurst. Sally Carter was only fifteen years old when she visited ..read more

Willie D. Burton is a sound mixing producer and a native of Alabama. A movie ends. The credits roll. A litany of behind-the-scenes names and job titles scroll past. One of the names that you have likely seen dozens of times without even realizing it is also one of the most respected production sound mixers in the business: Alabama native Willie D. Burton. If you’re not sure what a sound mixer does on a film, they are responsible for planning and executing the sound recording and balance during a shoot. Over the course of over 140 film and TV credits industry since the mid-1970s, Burton has qui ..read more

Sara Haardt on her wedding day. Photo provided by Goucher College Library. Sara Haardt couldn’t wait to leave the south—but she also couldn’t stop writing about it. Born in Montgomery on March 1, 1898, Sara Powell Haardt was descended from Bavarian immigrants and grew up near the state capitol building. The oldest of five siblings, she was born a “blue baby,” nearly dying at birth from a lack of oxygen. She had poor health for the rest of her life, but this never deterred her ambition and writing.  Haardt attended the Margaret Booth School in Montgomery, a college preparatory school, and ..read more

Back row: Susan Reynolds, Rebecca Todd Minder. Front row: Cindy Sanford, Caroline Gazzara-McKenzie, and Violet McKenzie. Oh what a year 2023 has been! This year has come and gone, but we couldn't be more excited for what's to come!  Beginning in January, our team created several goals to help enhance Alabama Heritage both online and with our printed magazine. We have a lot in store for 2024, and cannot wait for everyone to see what we've been working on! Starting this year, the magazine is completely printed and packaged in the state of Alabama. We wanted to truly be Alabama's pre ..read more

Although not definitively identified, Railroad Bill was immortalized in folklore and songs. (Photo | Encyclopedia of Alabama) Who was Railroad Bill? Was he the “Robin Hood” figure the legends have described? Was he an outlaw with murderous tendencies? Or was the idea of Railroad Bill just a story meant to share at night with family and friends?  A sketch of Railroad Bill. (Photo | Encyclopedia of Alabama) The story of Railroad Bill first originated in 1895 when an African American hitchhiker was found on a Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad Line near Mobile. Train personnel fou ..read more

This stretch of Old Federal Road appears much as it did two hundred years ago. (Mark Dauber) All roads lead to Rome--or do they? The Old Federal Road, or also known as Old Byler Road could swing the vote. Governor Bibb approved construction of the road in 1816, and, when completed, it was named after its promoter, John Byler, in 1822. The Old Federal Road connected Southwest Alabama to places as far as the Tennessee Valley and became an important route for commerce and military transportation. Having first been proposed in 1806, the original route was designed to help the postal service tran ..read more

Photo of Sonia Sanchez [Wikimedia Commons] "This is a love that crowns the feet/with hands/that nourishes, conceives, feels the/water sails/mends the children,/folds them inside our history/where they/toast more than the flesh/where they suck the bones of the/alphabet/and spit out closed vowels." From "This is Not a Small Voice" by Sonia Sanchez ​ An internationally acclaimed poet, Sonia Sanchez is an Alabama-native with a twenty-seven yearlong writing career and has helped innovate the craft to what it is today. Sanchez was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1934, and describes herself as a v ..read more

Alabama actress Margaret Tallichet [Photo//Wikimedia Commons] Alabama has multiple connections to Hollywood and the big screen. Some of the most famous actors to have come from our state are the Oscar-winning Octavia Spencer, Channing Tatum, and Tallulah Bankhead. A lesser-known actress with Alabama ties is Margaret Tallichet, wife of the renowned director William Wyler. ​ Tallichet was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1914. She was descended from Albert Tallichet, who emigrated from Switzerland to the town of Demopolis. Margaret’s parents moved from Demopolis to Texas shortly before she was born ..read more

Natural Bridge was formed from the interplay of water erosion and weathering resistance. Some types of rock weather faster than others, resulting in the formation of this bridge-like structure. [All Trails] In the heart of Winston County, Alabama, off State Route 13, standing at 60 feet high and 148 feet long is the longest natural bridge east of the Rocky Mountains in North America. Just west of Bankhead National Forest, this natural archway is easily missed by many who travel through North Alabama, including myself. I have driven past the road sign titled “Natural Bridge” countless times o ..read more

Halle Tanner Dillon became the first woman ever certified to practice medicine -- a fete for any woman. She was also the first African American woman to do so. [Encyclopedia of Alabama] In 1891, Halle Tanner Dillon became the first woman certified to practice medicine in Alabama. This accomplishment was even more remarkable because she was also African American. ​ Halle Tanner was born in Pittsburgh in 1864 to a prominent Black family. Her father, Benjamin Tucker Tanner, was a Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister and eventual bishop. Her brother Henry Ossawa was a well-regarded painter of dram ..read more