Month: July 2009

So we’ve talked before (last time here) about the stone mound on the hill that the city of Oxford and their Commercial Development Authority was chipping away at to use as fill for a Sam’s Club that is to be built nearby.

The owners of Kirkwood in Eutaw have sold the home, which has also been a B&B in the past, and on September 5 they will hold an auction of interior furnishings. The Tuscaloosa News’ article reads in part:

For almost 150 years, a tall secretary desk made of rosewood and bird’s-eye maple has been at home in the Kirkwood mansion in Eutaw.

It was purchased new by Kirkwood’s original owner, cotton mogul Foster Mark Kirksey, shipped from New York to Mobile and likely sent upriver to Eutaw.

But in September, the desk by Thomas Brooks — estimated to be worth $20,000 to $40,000 or more — will be put up for auction along with about 400 other pieces of mint 19th-century furniture, oil paintings, Limoges porcelain, Waterford chandeliers and rugs that decorate Kirkwood. A few pieces of furniture, light fixtures and at least one piece of artwork are original to the antebellum house.

“This auction is one of more monumental proportion because of the collection and quality of pieces,” said Hal Hunt, owner of Hal Hunt auctions. “These are museum-quality pieces. It will draw people in from all over the U.S.”

Antique furniture styles include Empire, Classical and Federal by famous makers including John Henry Belter, Joseph Meeks and Prudence Mallard.

More than 30 oil paintings from the 19th century will be auctioned, including an 1863 signed portrait by artist Nicola Marschall. Marschall also designed the first Confederate flag and Confederate uniform.

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Norris and Rebecca Sears, who also own the Freemount antebellum home in Eutaw, bought Kirkwood last month. They plan to move most of their current antique collection from Freemount to Kirkwood after the auction.

“We are still going to have tours of Kirkwood, but we probably won’t tour until after Thanksgiving once things get settled,” said Norris Sears.

The auction of the furnishings will take place on the Kirkwood grounds at 10 a.m. Sept. 5, with a public preview of the items from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 4. To view the furnishings online, go to www.halhunt.com.

…be back on Tuesday!

…”It’s the ugliest old hill in the world,” said (Oxford mayor) Smith, who has overseen a mushrooming of big-box stores in this east Alabama city of 15,000 during his seven terms as mayor.

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Brown said the state lacks the power to halt the project, and petitions and protests haven’t done anything to stop the work.

 

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City project manager Fred Denney said officials plan to remove the top of the hill eventually to create an elevated, eight-acre site that will overlook the Choccolocco Valley and the city of Oxford.

“It would be a beautiful view,” said the mayor, who envisions a motel or restaurant atop the hill.

Indian historian Robert Thrower is aghast at what he sees as the city’s lack of concern for the historical importance of the site, which he said is similar to others along the East Coast. Groups have saved rock mounds in Montague, Mass., North Smithfield, R.I., and elsewhere.

Todd Stacy, a spokesman for Riley, said the governor believes there is nothing the state can do to save the structure.

“If the state doesn’t have jurisdiction, then it’s up for the local folks to decide,” he said.

And Harry Holstein, professional archaelogist and professor at Jacksonville State wrote in (in part):

How do we know if the Oxford mound is prehistoric and not historic? First, it fits the geographical profile of many proven prehistoric stone mound sites, which is a man-made pile of cobbles and/or boulders sitting atop a narrow hilltop, which would be impossible to farm. Second, the stone mound is within sight of a major prehistoric Woodland and Mississippian town along Choccolocco Creek. In all likelihood, the residents of this town constructed the stone mound. Third, the University of Alabama’s test excavation in April 2009 confirmed there are prehistoric Woodland artifacts under the structure, including a piece of Bangor chert that could have only been obtained by the builders from the Tennessee River drainage. Finally, common sense would say that a pile of rocks 42 feet long by 18 feet wide by six feet in height would have taken considerable time and effort to gather up and pile atop that rugged, stony hill. Settlers had no cultural motivation for such pursuits.

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In addition, when the massive, earth-moving bulldozers begin to push thousands of pounds of boulders over the edge of the hill, any fragile human remains that may have survived hundreds of years in the ground will, in all likelihood, be crushed into powder and impossible to discern by any nearby observer of the mound removal.

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We wrote in our final report to the city that the stone mound sat adjacent to the prehistoric town and that it was archaeologically significant. We were verbally assured the stone mound would not be disturbed. And to those who have said the Native American protestors should stay “in their own hometowns,” how little you know, or maybe how little you care, about your Alabama history.

Until the 1830s, the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw and other Native American groups were in their hometown — present-day Oxford, Anniston, Jacksonville and for that matter all of Alabama until they were forced from their homeland at the end of a gun to make way for what American settlers looked to as 19th-century progress. It’s a shame we forcibly removed the people in the 19th century, and today Oxford is purposefully trying to remove one of the few cultural, sacred, stone monuments they left behind. All in the name of progress.

Professor Holstein also warns about future destructive development by the city of Oxford in his comments to the magazine ‘Archaeology‘ after they also reported on the mound:

The Archaeological Resource Laboratory of Jacksonville State University conducted a Phase I survey on some property that was going to be (now is) developed by the City of Oxford in 2006. Recorded 14 multicomponet sites and revisted 13 previously recorded ones along Choccolocco Creek just south of Oxford. Recommended preservation on several including, 1Ca196, a Mississippian earthen temple mound. Oh , by the way this ceremonial site may be the 16th Century De Soto Expedition Spanish contact site of Ulibahali. Leon Smith, Mayor of Oxford was not happy with our recommendations. We also at the time informed them (Oxford officials) about the large (42 feet x 18 feet x 6 feet) stone mound atop the hill behind the new Sam’s club and of its prehistoric importance. The City said it would not touch the stone mound. So much for words!!! The bad news is there are several other multicomponent sites, slave house sites, and a NRHP 1850s Plantation house across the street from the hill and development and Oxford has its eyes on it next for development. I have suggested this area be turned into a welcome center, museum and rest area for I-20 (which lies within sight of Indiana I Farm House). Suggestion again has fallen on deaf ears by the City of Oxford! I too wish those in power would have more insight to preserve rather than destroy the past!!!

As promised, Sam’s Corporate responded to my five questions late Monday afternoon. Below, I’ll just put what I wrote to them, and then in italics you will see that they addressed each inquiry. Here it is exactly as I wrote it and as they answered:

…thank you so much for contacting me and sending me the letter from Sam’s Club. Just as you offered, I would like to speak with someone there at Corporate. Can you please forward these questions to them? I would love to speak with someone on the phone, but because it would be easier to misinterpret, misunderstand, or just not catch something over the phone, I think that email communication would be better.

I will be very happy to publish their responses on my website for everyone to see as it should absolutely be fair that Sam’s is heard from as well.

1. Thank you for clearing up the notion that Sam’s currently owns property in Oxford, as it does not currently. It’s the city of Oxford, in particular the city’s Commercial Development Authority, that is taking dirt to use as “fill” for the future Sam’s on their own. This is the same hill that everyone – including the University of Alabama study and various archaeologists – agrees has a 1000 to 1500 year-old stone mound (and this is very likely the largest stone mound in Alabama). It is not agreed upon whether the stone mound was ever used by Native Americans for burials, but just by virtue that this mound is by definition a cultural, historic landmark, what does Sam’s have to say about these actions being done on their behalf? Even if not expressly by Sam’s?

RESPONSE: The city has assured us (and we have requested) that they are not using any of this material for the initial preparation of the site that we are considering.

2. I do understand that Sam’s did contact the city of Oxford requesting information as to whether a burial mound had been disturbed in this effort. And I do understand that their response to your corporate office was that nothing of that mound had been used in preparation for the Sam’s site. I think it’s fairly clear, though, from photographs one can take with standard-issue camera, that the area all around the mound, if not the mound itself, has been disturbed. Please reference this photograph I took late last week, in which it’s obvious that chunks of the hill have been taken from just that area: http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/uploaded_images/DSC00040-726990.JPG . In fact, the Anniston Star has reported that city officials will not allow journalists to go up and view firsthand what kind of condition the mound is in. Does that give Sam’s pause?

RESPONSE: This is an issue that the city is best suited to answer as there have been developments prior to the proposed Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club does not currently own the site, so we do not have any influence on the decisions made in this area. Sam’s Club does understand the liability issues that exist for all property owners.

3. This entire issue, I would imagine, has been nothing short of a public relations disaster for Sam’s. Has Sam’s communicated this to Oxford city officials, that their lone actions are making Sam’s appear to be some cold corporate entity with no regard to local sensitivities?

RESPONSE: The city is aware that Sam’s Club is concerned about the situation, and they are aware of our processes for evaluating potential sites for future club locations.

4. Has this controversy altered Sam’s relationship with the city, given that the city’s actions have cast a negative light on Sam’s?

RESPONSE: The city is aware that Sam’s is concerned about the situation. We continue to work closely with the city and independent geotechnical engineers to help us make informed decisions about this site.

5. Given this issue with the Indian mound in Oxford and the contention regarding Wal-Mart building on the edge of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia, wouldn’t corporate be well-advised to publicly come forward with a statement that they do not condone the destruction of historical sites on their behalf and that specifically what Oxford is doing is damaging not only to them as a company, but to future generations who might only hear stories of “some mound that used to be there until Sam’s came around”?

RESPONSE: We would never knowingly choose a historical site as a location for the construction of a new Sam’s Club. The preservation of cultural and historical sites is important to us, and I can assure you that we exercise the highest degree of caution in the construction of our facilities to ensure that such cultural and historical sites are not improperly disturbed. The potential site in Oxford is no exception; we have been assured the site we are considering is not of historical significance and that no materials have been used from such sites to prepare for potential tracts for future development.

…again, thank you for the opportunity. I do want Sam’s to be heard – I’ve gotten so much response from this and I want everyone to hear ALL sides. I hope to hear from you / Sam’s Corporate very soon. I know there is another protest planned for this weekend so hopefully we can quickly get the word out about what’s really going on.

Best regards,
Ginger

I’m thinking about little summer lunches. These look good, don’t they!?

They’re perfect for a girls’ lunch – in fact, I made them last week and was so happy with them that if you come over to visit in the next week or so, I’m likely to be still so in love with them that you’ll enjoy them with me again. But be sure to act surprised!