Diamonds in the Rough: A History of Alabama's Cahaba Coal Field

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments This project began as a dream approximately twenty-­ five years ago. Through his­ tori­cal study, I wanted to re-­create the mining town of Piper, to put structures and faces on the rolling hills that I had walked as a child with my dad. Having met numerous “Piper People” at the annual Piper-­ Coleanor High School reunions, I longed to preserve their stories and to validate their memories. Earnest research wasdelayedadecade,butIlearnedintheinterimthatthescopeneededtobelarger than I first imagined. Therefore, this work represents fifteen years of diligent investigation and, I trust, constitutes a fitting testament to the miners and families of all the towns in Alabama’s sec­ ond largest coal field—the Cahaba. Countless staff members at several institutions assisted with my research. First and foremost, the University of Montevallo provided time, resources, and encouragement over the years. My history colleagues—Robert Barone, Wilson Fallin, Clark Hultquist, and Ruth Truss—have supported me since my arrival at UM. Other faculty members in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences have expressed interest, and I gained priceless administrative support from the former chair, Susan Vaughn, and from Amanda Fox. UM funded several research and special projects grants, travel expenses, and a semester-­ long sabbatical in support of my research. Staff members at the university’s Carmichael Library worked tirelessly , particularly with interlibrary loan, to acquire necessary (and of­ten obscure) sources. Finally, Tiffany Roskamp-­Bunt and Justin Barron contributed their technological expertise in preparing pictures and images. Other individuals and institutions supported effective research as well—the Archives, Microfilm, and Special Collections Departments at the Birmingham Public Library; Elizabeth Wells in Special Collections at the Samford University Library; the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at Auburn University; Debbie Pendleton, Steve Murray, John Hardin, and others at the Alabama Department of Archives and History; Bobby Joe Seales at the Shelby County Archives; Alex Sartwell and Lewis Dean at the Geological Survey of Alabama Library. Colleagues on the Alabama Historic Ironworks Commission—Jim Bennett, Marty Everse, Tom Land, and Mike Mahan—gave advice and encouragement at vari­ ous times. Doc- xii / Acknowledgments toral committee members at Auburn University—W. David Lewis, Larry Ger­ ber, Tony Carey, and David Whitten—provided sound feedback in revising the initial draft. Special thanks goes to Wayne Flynt—major professor, mentor, colleague, and friend—who read numerous drafts, offered sage counsel, and provided timely encouragement through­ out the process. Several organizations afforded opportunities to present and/or publish portions of this manuscript. “The Convict-­Lease System in Alabama, 1872–1927” appeared in the Gulf South His­ tori­ cal Review (Spring 2006), and the Alabama Review published “Dealing in Black Diamonds: Joseph Squire and Alabama’s Early Coal-­MiningOperations”(Janu­ary2011).Twoarticles—“CoalMining” and “Mining Labor”—are included in the Encyclopedia of Alabama. Presentations at the Alabama His­ tori­ cal Association, the Society of Alabama Archivists, the South­ ern His­ tori­ cal Association, and the South­ ern Industrialization Project provided venues for discussing my findings with other historians. Numerous individuals offered their stories, time, and resources to assist with my research. Ken Penhale preserved and organized a trove of letters and documentsfromJosephSquire ’sdilapidatedbarnandthenwillinglyopenedhisfilesfor my research; his assistance and friendship are priceless. Henry and Rose Emfinger worked selflessly and tirelessly to create and maintain the Aldrich Coal Mine Museum , and they are always eager to share artifacts, photographs, and information whenneeded.CharlesAdamsopenedhishomeandprovidednewspaperclippings, personal accounts, and stories of Blocton, and Marshall Goggins’s photographs added a human touch to the mining process. Elizabeth “Miss Lizzie” Frost and Dora Grace Smith offered an afternoon of hospitality and information about the Little Gem mines in Dogwood. Judge M. O. Cleveland welcomed me on a visit to William Phineas Browne’s homesite, and Jim Lewis shared his family connections to Browne. An interview with Dr. L. C. Parnell Jr. revealed the professional and family history of Adrien Sicard, and Virgil Rice provided a windshield tour of several truck mines on a rainy day. Marlene Hunt Rikard engaged me in conversation , offered initial suggestions, and assisted with her research on the Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company. Jack Bergstresser provided expertise in industrial archeology, mineralogy, and topography, and Everett Smith helped in understanding geological formations and the scientific aspects of mining operations . Finally, Douglas Blackmon exchanged information about the convict-­lease system, and Michael Williams shared key biographical data dealing with Isaac Taylor Tichenor. I am indebted to local historians who preserved their community histories and thereby provided “a personal touch” to the story of coal...