William Dawson Haynes Celebrates at Clairmont Springs

Hello, Family Trails readers, on our 5th Weaver Wednesday this July. We get one more week this month to visit Clairmont Springs, and as promised, we can finally see what we know about William Dawson Haynes. These pictures are of W. D. and his wife, Lucretia Pace Haynes.

Family trees can get complicated, confusing, and sometimes frustrating, but take a look at this picture below….my grandson, Raughley, drew this for me 6 months ago. Children remind us to keep things simple…this picture encourages me to keep learning about my family tree…it just can't be so hard.

Lucretia Pace  and W. D. were my grandmother, Ivera's maternal grandparents. Lucretia's family can be traced back to her English roots in the 16th century. (See blog posts, "We're Coming to America" and "How Did We Ever Get Here?")

W. D.'s family can be traced as far as the early 1700's in Maryland, but there is a gap that needs filling   around the time of the Revolutionary War. His parents moved to the Alabama territory before it was a state. William Dawson and his siblings were born in Georgia, then the family moved to Alabama in the Old Liberty Church community near what became Lineville. He was born on July 5, 1830. He married Lucretia Holland Pace on November 9, 1854. He had a mercantile business, "Haynes Mercantile Company," and he served as the president of the Board of Trustees of Lineville College. He fought in the American Civil War and was held as a prisoner when his regiment surrendered outside of Atlanta.  He served as the first president of the Lineville  National Bank. 

This is a letter that W. D. wrote to his granddaughter, Ivera Weaver on September 17, 1920. (Let me put a little perspective on the time frame of this letter…W. D. 's 90th birthday had just taken place. My grandmother, Ivera, was 24 when she must have written him a letter asking him to recount his adventures as a Confederate soldier. This letter is his response.)

Dear Grand Daughter, Your letter received today and contents noted. I joined as a volunteer in the Confederate Army August 1862. Company F. 51 Alabama Regiment. N. D. Johnson of Talladega was my Captain. Senator John T. Morgan was Colonel of said regiment. General Joe Wheeler was our General. I was at that time 32 years old. I served two years and 8 months in the Tennessee Army. Our  regiment was organized at Oxford, Ala. We first went to camp at Oxford and remained there a month. Then went to Tenn. Our first fight was in suburbs of Nashville. The next battle was at Luvern, Tenn. Had it on Captain Dick McCannis farm in Nashville. I could mention quite a number of others but I suppose it is not necessary to do so. I served to the end of the war which was about the middle of April 1865. I am glad to know that you and your father's family are well. Our school at Lineville is fine. Tell your mother that I received a letter today from Dawson. He and family are well, though he said the worms and jackrabbits and birds were trying to eat up their crop. Doves are there by the thousands and jackrabbits the same in number. The cotton crop in Clay will be light. Corn on upland fairly good. Love to your mama and all the balance. God abundantly bless you all is my prayer. 

Tell your mamma to write me. 

As ever your Grandfather.

W. D. Haynes

Here is W. D. Haynes's 90th Birthday picture at  Clairmont Springs. He is the gentleman seated in a coat and tie with a white beard. Below is a list of the family members who were there. At some point, someone copied this picture and typed numbers on each person and typed this list below. I could not scan that picture with the numbers on it, but at least we can read this list to see who was there. 

Here is a retyped article from the Lineville Head Light, that was written about his birthday gathering. 

The Lineville Headlight was the weekly Lineville paper from 1904-1937.(Click on the highlighted title of newspaper to read more about it and other old papers in the Library of Congress.)

Surrounded by eight of his children, twenty-eight of his fifty-five grand-children, and eight of his twenty-six great-grand-children, Mr. William D. Haynes, Sr. of this city, celebrated his ninetieth birthday at Clairmont Springs on Monday, July 5th. This great and good man has eighty-nine living children, grand-children, great-grand children, and of this number fifty four were present on this grand and glorious occasion to pay tribute to father and grand-father. 

Mr. Haynes has not lived as long as Methuselah, but he has lived in the most important era of the world's history and has, no doubt seen more of life than did the oldest man. When he first saw light of day in Green County, Georgia, on July 5, 1830, Andrew Jackson was serving his second year as president of the United States and George Washington had been dead less than thirty one years. In early childhood his parents removed to the Liberty Community of Talladega, now Clay County, but while still a young man, he came to Lineville, where he has since been engaged successively in farming, the mercantile business, and banking. 

Mr. Haynes has lived a useful, industrious, honorable , and upright life, and is esteemed, honored and loved by a wide circle of friends in this and other states. He has always been a pillar of the Lineville Baptist Church and has always given his money un-stingily to the church of which he is the only living charter member. His grandfather and father before him were Baptists, and it is a remarkable fact that his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, without exception are Baptists. 

The four sons and daughters who were present to celebrate their father's 90th birthday were W. D. Haynes, Jr, of  Merkel, Texas, D. P. Haynes of Anniston, B. H. Haynes of Lineville, and John J. Haynes of Columbiana, and Mesdames R. H. Moon and R. R. Parker of Lineville, C. S. Weaver and J. H. Wilder of Talladega, all useful, honored, and respected citizens of the social, religious, professional, and business circles of their respective communities. The beloved wife, Mrs. Lucretia Pace Haynes and one daughter, Mrs. Ella Haynes Ingram, have passed over the river. 

It is a remarkable fact that seven of the living children, (all except Mrs. J. H. Wilder) are themselves grandfathers or grandmothers. 

At the noon hour a most beautiful luncheon was spread in the pavilion under the spreading oaks where Mr. Haynes' colonel of the Confederate army, the Late Senator John T. Morgan, played with Indian playmates in his boyhood days. The luncheon was most elegantly served in cafeteria fashion by the daughters , granddaughters, and great-grand daughters of this great and good man. It was a feast fit for the gods.

Following the luncheon, exercises were held in the pavilion which the youngest son, Honorable John J. Haynes, acted as toastmaster. After paying tribute to the "greatest living American" he introduced a grandson, Reverend Earl Parker who in a most interesting way, sketched the family history. He followed Mr. W. D. Haynes, Jr., Mrs. D. P. Haynes, John H. Ingram, and Mr . C. S. Weaver, who spoke interestingly, touchingly, and beautiful, touching different phases of the life of father and grandfather. Representing sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters and great-grandsons and great-grand-daughters, Gorden Wilder, grandson, in well-chosen words, presented the man whose honor this 90th birthday celebrations held with a walking cane. This phase of the program was ended with a speech by Rev. J. J. Smylie, who spoke f the heritage of a good name Mr. Haynes has bequeathed to his descendants. The photographer then made pictures of this interesting family grouped in different ways. In some groups four generations were represented. 

Besides the family a few friends were invited to this family reunion and birthday celebration, and among the number the writer who is now Mr. Haynes' Sunday School teacher, and Mr. Haynes was the writer's first Sunday School teacher. 

Mr. Haynes caries his four score years and ten lightly. He is the picture of robust health, walks without a cane, and reads without glasses. The sons and daughters, grandsons and great grandsons, and great-granddaughters and invited guests voted unanimously in favor of  holding his 100th anniversary birthday at Clairmont Springs on July 5, 1930. 

Old Lineville Cemetery

This was quite a good bit of reading for a blog that is supposed to be interesting AND fun. Thank you for working though it all. W. D. had a very active life and lived until he was 96, so there is more in the family archives that we could pull out at a later date, but for now this is where our trail will once again take another path next week. 

Goodbye, dear Clairmont, our "Bright Mountain."

Love,

Mariellan

Weaver Family Reunions at Clairmont Springs

 July 4, 1920

William Dawson Haynes' 90th Birthday Party

The dance pavilion can be seen in the  background.

Dear Family Trails readers,
  Let's continue down our trail to Clairmont Springs, Alabama.
The Weaver family gathered at Clairmont Springs for more than 70 years. In those decades, many aspects changed, such as the dress, but the love of family remained strong. As you can see in these 2 pictures taken 66 years apart, the call for family to be together was answered by many.
In the picture above, my great-great grandfather, William Dawson Haynes, celebrated his 90th birthday with at least 65 members of his family. (There are a few family members who are in both of these group  pictures.)
I have mentioned W. D. Haynes before in a past Family Trails post and wrote that we would explore more about him in a future  post…but this is still not the one to do that! There is so much to write about W. D. and his family that we need to wait. This month's posts are all about Clairmont and our family's ties to this old resort.

July 4, 1986
Picture taken in front of Tee's cottage


The pictures below are just a tiny window into the "4th of July" celebrations. We did not carry cameras with us every minute the way we do now, but these pictures conjure up the memories of those special times.

The drive from Talladega included passing the waterwheel house and ..

stopping to walk to the Waldo covered bridge.

Cousins visit on the back porch of Tee's cottage while the delicious food buffet is arranged.

In the back yard, the home-made ice cream machines are cranked by willing workers. 

Finally, time to eat! This must be dessert time because Tee is sitting down! She never sat down to eat until she knew everyone was seated with their plates. 

Smiling faces after such a feast! 

Time for the traditional family group picture!

Visiting on the front porch...

More visiting on the front porch.

Cousins pose while on a walk past the old hotel. 

The swimming pool in 1986. The old dressing rooms can be seen in the background. 

The train passing by the hotel and the pool. 

Tee's cottage

I hope that "visiting" Clairmont has been a pleasant one for each of you.

 Maybe you have a special place in your heart for an old vacation spot…a place that you could get away from the routine of daily life, the noises and the heat of the city… a place that brought you together with family, where you could put your feet up, relax, and listen to stories told by the elderly family members. 

And what about this city heat! Maybe it is time to get away…………..

Love,

Mariellan

A Tip from the Tip Jar!

I just added six new photos to the blog post, "Bright Mountain" . They are pictures of the springs from the last time I went to Clairmont. I went with sister Rebecca and our cousin, Suzanne, and Uncle Robert. It was very difficult to walk the path to all of the springs, but these are the springs we were able to reach. We were there in the month of August. As interesting as it is to look closely at the spring boxes that have been there for over 100 years, also look closely at the woods surrounding them. The trees and overgrowth are so beautiful with hundreds of shades of green. 

Love,

Mariellan

"Bright Mountain"

Welcome back to Family Trails as we continue on our trail back to Clairmont Springs. For the past two weeks, we have visited a favorite place for the Weaver family, but as we have dug through some books and articles, it is fascinating to learn that Clairmont Springs was a special place to many people  for generations, along with the Weavers. 

This week we are digging into an article from Alabama Heritage magazine, Number 42, Fall 1996, written by John B. Scott, Jr. The pictures used in this week's post are from this article, unless stated otherwise. 

Cover photo

Clairmont Springs is in a naturally beautiful area in the Talladega Mountains. It became a resort and spa for people seeking respite from city life and in search of the curative powers of the natural spring waters. 

Painting by Tom Conner of Montgomery, Alabama

Clairmont Springs train station (no longer standing)

At least 11 of the springs are encased in concrete basins for easy access. Each had a different mineral composition, providing a natural pharmacopoeia of chalybeate, magnesia, arsenic, black sulphur, white sulfur, alum, and freestone water.  

These next 6 photos are from my photo albums at my last visit to Clairmont Springs.

Three of the springs are clustered around the base of an old beech tree, and each flows out of an old-fashioned concrete box covered with moss and lichens. The back of each box is raised and inscribed like a tombstone. One bears the legend, "Arsenic," the second "Magnesium," and the third, "Chalybeate."Although within a few feet of each other, the water of each spring has a different look, smell, and taste. "

The swimming pool was a popular spot for generations, naturally since it was fed by one of the springs and was a great way to cool off during the summer heat. This picture was taken during the 1920's. For those of us who swam there in the '60's and '70's, it looked just the same, but without the slide. The sides of the pool were lined with individual changing rooms. I feel sure that one just did not walk from the hotel to the pool dressed in their their "kini!"

The hotel, as it looked in 1996.

Sadly, this is how I remember the hotel most of my life, very dilapidated and dangerous to enter. But I do remember the smell of fried chicken and wishing that we could eat dinner there in my early years. And I do remember "wash day" when the quilts and blankets hung off of these porch railings to dry in the summer heat. But the truth is… I really did not want to eat at the hotel. I knew deep down that I would have a delicious meal at Tee's cottage that could not even compare to the dinner at the hotel. It just seemed exotic as a child to get to eat there.  As children, we would pass by the old hotel several times a day as we walked to the pool or to see the train or to walk the paths of the old springs.  But our ultimate destination was Tee's cottage..our home away from home during the summer. So next week, dear Family Trails readers, we will take the familiar path down the gravel road to Tee's cottage at Clairmont Springs. See you then. 

Love,

Mariellan

"The Highest and Coolest Resort in Alabama"

What a great title for this week's blog post!  I found it on a copy of an old panoramic postcard that my sister gave me. 

Clairmont Springs has a rich history in the story of the state of Alabama. The land in the foothills of Cheaha Mountain of the Appalachians was inhabited by American Indians and appreciated for the many springs flowing out of the mountain. The ownership of the "Clairmont Springs" land after the American Indian dates back to 1830.  The Clairmont Springs resort is 18 miles from Talladega, in the northwestern part of Clay County. After changing ownership of the land over the years, in 1909 the Clairmont Springs Company developed the land with a hotel, a dance pavilion, and  lots for summer cottages. The development was on the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railroad.

This week's blog is based on the book,  Historic Alabama Hotels and Resorts by James F. Sulzby, Jr., copyright 1960, and the lines in italics are direct quotes from this book. 

During World War I, trains stopped at the hotel for the passengers to obtain meals, since the railroad had no diners on this route. These arrangements lasted through 1920. Many of the passengers later came back to the resort as guests, never forgetting the meals they enjoyed on their their stopover at Clairmont Springs.

A recreation hall and a swimming pool, facilities for dancing, tennis, and horseback riding, and a five-acre lake for fishing and boating provide entertainment for the hotel guests. For those who enjoy rocking and talking, there is the usual spacious screened porch.

It is a beautiful spot where one may rest and appreciate the beauty of living. It is "off the beaten path," and those who come that way come for a purpose. The purpose could easily be a pleasant week end or a longer visit at this 'marvelous-time' place, where simple living reigns and where mountain breezes blow.

The old hotel register shows names from Georgia, Florida, the District of Columbia, Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, New York, Mississippi, Kentucky, California, and from all parts of Alabama. Perhaps the largest clientele has come form Birmingham, Talladega, Ashland, Lineville, Alexander City, Roanoke, Opelika, Montgomery, and Bessemer. 

I like this old book about historic hotels and resorts. I like the way it is written in the present tense for Clairmont because when this book was published, Clairmont Springs was still a busy resort. There is one detail the writer left out about the resort's activities that I can actually remember, and that is the sport of "Horseshoes!"  I remember while walking to the pool in the afternoons, we stopped to watch the men playing "Horseshoes" in the lawn across from the hotel.

So, Clairmont Springs History 101 has come to a close this week.  I hope you have enjoyed reading excerpts from this book and seeing these pictures. Come back to next week's edition of Family Trails as we continue on this month's trail through Clairmont. 

Love,

Mariellan 

Happy Birthday, America!

I hope everyone has a very Happy Fourth of July! 

God Bless America! 

Nancy Harper

Clairmont Springs, Alabama

4 generations on the steps of Tee's cottage at Clairmont Springs

Here we are in the first week of July. Families are making their plans to celebrate the 4th of July together. Menus are planned. Fireworks stores on the interstate are stocking up for the big day. Parades, beach trips, boat rides, picnics, baseball games…so many ways to celebrate such a historic day for the USA. In the Weaver family, all we have to say is "The 4th of July," and each of us knows that we are thinking of Clairmont Springs. 

For at least 6 generations, Clairmont Springs, Alabama was the place the Haynes and the Weaver families gathered to celebrate our nation's birthday.  So I think our walk on the Family Trails this month will take us to Clairmont Springs. 

Every year, this family gathered at Tee's house in Clairmont Springs. Tee's house was considered a cabin, but to children, it seemed like a mansion. The cabin had 3 bedrooms with lots of beds, a kitchen and dining room, a front porch, a back porch and a wide dogtrot that connected them all. There was no heating or air conditioning. Each bedroom had a fireplace and a big door to close at night to keep the heat inside. Ceiling fans lined the dog-trot and the porches, so there was usually a nice, steady breeze in the house. The windows and doors were kept open all summer long to keep the house cool.        

 Each family brought several dishes of food for lunch. Extra tables were lined up around the screened windows on the back porch, and this is where all the food was placed. The kitchen was full of women  preparing some of the last minute food. There was a huge pot of boiling water for the fresh corn on the cob, and children were enlisted to help shuck the corn. Other "jobs" for the children were setting out the dishes and ice tea glasses…..yes, you read this correctly….dishes and glasses! No plastic Solo cups or Chinette paper plates at this party! 

When the food had been placed on the long buffet tables, the family was called inside with the ringing of the big outdoor bell. Then one of the preachers in the family asked the blessing. Then the feasting began…fried chicken, ham, fresh green beans, corn, butter beans, deviled eggs, potato salad, squash casserole, fresh fruit salad, jello salad, marinated bean salad, fresh tomatoes, Vidalia onions, Watergate salad,  and hot rolls. 

ARE YOU HUNGRY YET? 

If not, I will continue with the desserts….

Pound cakes of different varieties, plum cake, brownies, cookies, caramel cake, and…

homemade ice cream! (vanilla and peach)

It was heaven in a bowl! Every bite of these desserts was worth the wait. So now, what to do after such a feast? Why, sit on the porch and visit some more, of course! But not if you are under 18… now is the time when all of the cousins got into their swim suits and walked to the pool for an afternoon of cooling off in the spring-fed swimming pool. Bhurrr! That was the coldest water! Swimming in the Clairmont pool was one of the special treats of being out at Clairmont. 

I hope you will return next week to Family Trails to read more about this special place and the hold it had on our family.

Love,

Mariellan