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Alabama Short Stories

66 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★ - 27 ratings

Alabama Shorts Stories takes over where our 4th grade Alabama history class left off. We dig a little deeper and find the stories that make Alabama a unique place to live and to visit. It's the perfect listen for when you are a little behind on your Alabama history.

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Episodes

Johnny Mack Brown, the Rose of Alabama Football

April 23, 2024 09:00 - 9 minutes - 6.83 MB

The University of Alabama accepted a bid to play in the 1926 Rose Bowl against powerhouse University of Washington. This was the first time a team from the South was invited to play in this historic event. The underdog Alabama team won the game in no small part because of the play of Johnny Mack Brown. Learn the story of this game and how Brown went from being the “Dothan Antelope” to one of Hollywood's leading men and stars of Western movies.  Support the Show. Support the Podcast The p...

The Alabama gold rush

April 16, 2024 09:00 - 9 minutes - 6.82 MB

We have grown up hearing stories about the gold rush. But it’s always the California gold rush they are talking about. An event so huge that years later, San Francisco’s NFL team called themselves the ’49ers after the prospectors of the 1849 gold rush. But the first gold rush started in the east and as prospectors followed the gold vein, they discovered gold in east Alabama. Learn the story about this event and what happened to the prospectors when the gold ran out. Support the Show. Suppo...

Irene Teel sees into the future

April 09, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 8.37 MB

Mrs. Irene, as she was known to neighbors, was born with a sixth sense. From a young age, she was able to find things, easter eggs, misplaced items, or the missing hunting dog. Her father tried to shield her from the scrutiny fortune tellers received in the community. Instead, Irene Teel became popular with people driving miles for her advice and wisdom. When a small child went missing, and the National Guard was called in, it was Mrs. Rena who was the most helpful. Support the Show. Suppo...

Sacred Harp Music

April 02, 2024 09:00 - 14 minutes - 9.8 MB

Music is a vital part of our lives in Alabama, and it covers all genres. This story is about one genre of music called Sacred Harp. It is named after the book of songs of the same name. at the beginning of the 20th century, these songs sounded antiquated to modern listeners. Worried that this style would go away, teachers presented Sacred Harp music as a virtue, a tradition that would be passed down the generations. And some of the most influential teachers and guardians of this tradition we...

Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

March 26, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MB

Zelda Sayre was born and raised in Montgomery, the daughter of a lawyer and politician. She was a socialite and caught the interest of young men from as far away as Atlanta. No one swept her off her feet until she met a young soldier stationed in Montgomery named F. Scott Fitzgerald. Their marriage and volatile relationship became the story ideas for books such as “The Great Gatsby” and made them the poster children of the Jazz Age.  Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is f...

Spider Martin "World's Greatest Photographer"

March 19, 2024 09:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MB

Spider Martin was a commercial photographer in Birmingham, Alabama, who billed himself with a little tongue-in-cheek as the “world’s greatest photographer.” He worked for corporate clients and earned his fair share of awards for his work. But his real claim to fame was as a photographer for the Birmingham News when he stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge documenting what the Alabama State Troopers did to John Lewis and the rest of the peaceful marchers in 1965. He would be with marchers until t...

From Good Roads to Great!

March 12, 2024 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MB

Roads in Alabama go as far back as when indians followed the trails that animals had created. These trails would be widened and “improved” as more people and bigger vehicles used them. When the car came along, it was apparent that we must have good roads and we needed them fast. The good roads movement sprang up to encourage and push state and local governments to build and maintain roads. This is the story of those roads here in Alabama. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast...

Searching for Cudjo and the Clotilda

March 05, 2024 10:00 - 11 minutes - 7.87 MB

Cudjo Lewis was a captive aboard the Clotilda when it entered Mobile Harbor, the last slave boat to the United States in 1860. The story was well known to locals in Mobile but two writers, Emma Langdon Roche and Zora Neale Hurston, went to find Cudjo and tell their version of his story. Over 80 years later, Ben Raines would find the remains of the Clotilda and bring the story to light again.  Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alaba...

Alabama Short Stories, Volume 2 - The Book

February 27, 2024 10:00 - 1 minute - 931 KB

I hope you have enjoyed the first 5 seasons of the Alabama Short Stories podcast. When I released season three, I published the book, Alabama Short Stories, Volume 1. This was the perfect solution for those who like their podcasts in written form. And as a bonus, it had pictures to illustrate the stories.  With season six of the podcast upon us, I am proud to announce volume two of the book, Alabama Short Stories. There are 30 more stories covering seasons four through six with photos. Ther...

Season 6 Teaser

February 20, 2024 10:00 - 2 minutes - 1.88 MB

Welcome to Alabama Short Stories. This is Shawn Wright, and I am happy to say that Season 6 starts on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, with more great stories about the state of Alabama. I will start the season with a story in the news the past couple of years. It’s about Cudjo Lewis and the writers who have been telling this former slave's story for the past 100+ years, and we find the Clotilda in the process. We take driving on our well-maintained roads around the state for granted, but can you i...

Veteran’s Day Gets Its Start In Birmingham

November 07, 2023 10:00 - 13 minutes - 9.2 MB

Armistice Day was created at the end of what we now know as World War I. At the end of World War II, one Birmingham native felt a need to celebrate all veterans, and he set out to honor them. Raymond Weeks took his fight to Washington, D.C., and then put his words into action by leading what has become the largest and oldest Veteran’s Day Parade in the nation in his hometown of Birmingham. Listen to this episode to determine if his effort to create a holiday was successful. Support the Show...

Smith Lake Fills Fast

October 31, 2023 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.36 MB

When Alabama Power made plans for Lewis Smith Dam in a rural area of Northwest Alabama, they knew they had plenty of time to clear the basin of trees, buildings, and other potential obstructions before the lake filled. Then the rains came, and the basin started to fill up fast. Learn about the area of Smith Lake and what happened when the rains came. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you ...

Regions Lights Up The Holidays

October 24, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutes - 5.68 MB

What do you do when you have one of the largest buildings in Birmingham that feature a smooth glass finish with lights to illuminate each window. Create art, of course! Learn about how the Regions building changes light colors and has created designs for the holidays, Olympics, and Golf Tournaments for the past 50 years. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us. Tell a frien...

John Henry, Steel Driving Alabamian

October 17, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 6.95 MB

John Henry was a steel-driving man or maybe just a folk tale. John Henry died while competing against a steam drill in West Virginia, or did he? Some think this folk hero, or real-life hero, died here in Alabama at a tunnel south of Leeds close to Dunavant. Listen to the story, and you decide if he was real and where he died. I think you know where we stand on this issue. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, the...

Carrie Tuggle starts a school and changes lives

October 10, 2023 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.65 MB

Carrie Tuggle and her husband, John, moved to Birmingham in 1883 in search of better work opportunities and social life. They threw themselves into work and growing their family. They both actively participated in the Knights of Pythias, a national fraternal organization. Carrie was a social worker and would see young boys in the court system being sent to prison with adults. It was too much for her to bear. The couple would start the Tuggle Institute to give youth another chance and change ...

Harper Lee and Truman Capote

October 03, 2023 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.48 MB

Harper Lee and Truman Capote are two of this country's most celebrated writers. Lee for her Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill A Mockingbird, and Capote for In Cold Blood, among others. Both writers got their start behind a battered old typewriter brought home by Lee’s father when they were children. They grew up as next-door neighbors in the town of Monroeville, Alabama. They would play a part in each other's most celebrated novels, yet the competition drove them apart as adults. Find out about...

Hugo Black Takes A Trolley

September 26, 2023 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.44 MB

Hugo Black was a U.S. Senator from Alabama who supported FDR’s New Deal. When an opening on the Supreme Court became available, the President knew he wanted an ally on the court, and Hugo Black was his first choice. If the President had done a little due diligence, he would have discovered that his candidate had a checkered past. In 1923, at the end of a trolley line in Shades Valley and by the remains of a race track and dried lake bed, the Klan had held one of the largest Klan events in th...

Yolande Betbeze - Miss America

September 19, 2023 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.31 MB

Yolande Betbeze was a college student at Mobile’s Spring Hill College when she saw an opportunity to help her get out of the South. She won the Miss Torch contest, which sent her to Miss Alabama and then to the Miss America Pageant, which she won in 1951. Miss America was just the start for Betbeze, as her reign created controversy and helped create a competing pageant that exists today. Listen to her story and hear what happened to her once her reign was over. Support the Show. Support th...

Shorty Price, Alabama Football’s Number One Fan

September 12, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 7.28 MB

We all know someone who feels they are their team's “number one fan.” They go to all the games, buy all the gear, and take the day off from work when their team loses. Many fans meet this description for the University of Alabama, but none can hold a candle to William Ralph Price, known to everyone as “Shorty.” Shorty Price would do his best to fire up the crowd during a game, usually getting escorted out of the stadium for his efforts. Learn about this perpetual candidate for Alabama Govern...

Sam Zemurray Goes Bananas

September 05, 2023 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.1 MB

A Russian immigrant moves to Selma and sees his first banana. He finds out they are shipped to the port of Mobile, and he hatches a plan. This small move to sell “unsellable” bananas sets off a career that will see Sam Zemurray become the leader of one the largest banana importers in the United States. His reach will go farther than Mobile as he has a hand in overthrowing Central American governments. Learn about how Sam Zemurray goes bananas. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The po...

Season 5 Teaser

August 22, 2023 10:00 - 2 minutes - 1.75 MB

Season 5 of the Alabama Short Stories podcast is just around the corner, and I can’t wait for it to get started. Hey, this is Shawn Wright, your host for another trip around the state of Alabama to learn about the characters that make Alabama, well… Alabama.  I am going to kick off the season with a story about Sam the Banana Man and his role in getting the banana that’s sitting on your counter from Central America to you just so you can throw it out when it’s too ripe. There’s a story abo...

Joe Cain and the Mobile Mardi Gras

May 16, 2023 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.43 MB

Mardi Gras was started in Mobile, Alabama. Don’t let anyone from New Orleans tell you otherwise. After the civil war, one man is credited with getting it started again by dressing like a Chickasaw Chieftan and marching through the streets of Mobile. Joe Cain is celebrated to this day with his own parade during the Mardi Gras season. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us. ...

Bombingham

May 09, 2023 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.69 MB

Terror has been used as a way to keep people in line for centuries. In Birmingham, with easy access to mining supplies, the klan used dynamite as their tool of terror. But they didn’t count on the resiliency of the citizens in the North Smithfield Community that earned the name Dynamite Hill. By the time four little girls died at the hands of a bomb while at church, Birmingham had already earned its nickname as Bombingham.  Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it...

Horace King, Architect, Engineer and Bridge Builder

May 02, 2023 09:00 - 11 minutes - 7.87 MB

When conservators removed plaster to ensure the grand staircase in the state capital in Alabama was still safe, they were shocked to find out that they were built by a bridge builder. His name was Horace King. Born a slave, he became one of the south’s pre-eminent builder of bridges, homes, and a staircase or two. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us. Tell a friend about...

Banning The Beatles

April 25, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes - 7.58 MB

John Lennon was giving a tour of his home to a reporter when he commented on the popularity of his band, the Beatles. “We’re more popular than Jesus now.” This one innocuous line made its way across the ocean to the studios in a radio station in Birmingham, Alabama, where the morning team took offense. Those two DJs would start a worldwide movement to Ban The Beatles.   Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there...

Lonnie Johnson, Inventor of Fun

April 18, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.53 MB

Lonnie Johnson tinkered so much that the neighborhood kids called him “The Professor.” He won first place in a state-wide science fair in high school and embarked on a career in the military. He later worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to work on the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the Cassini mission to Saturn. Despite excelling in all these fields, he will forever be known as the person who made a better squirt gun. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but i...

A dying woman dreams of Japanese Gardens

April 11, 2023 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MB

A Japanese war bride who went by the name of Katie Parsons, moved to Birmingham and fell in love with it. When she discovered she had an inoperable brain tumor, her dying wish was to have a garden in her memory in Birmingham. Here about how the town came together to create a garden that was bigger than her dream. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us. Tell a friend about ...

Tallulah Bankhead - Say anything about me, darling, as long as it isn't boring.

April 04, 2023 09:00 - 11 minutes - 8.11 MB

The daughter of Senator John H. Bankhead of Alabama. Tallulah would forge her own path in life on the stage and on the screen. This outspoken woman charmed audiences and shocked prudes with her talents and antics. Learn how this woman from Alabama became a star on the stage, screen and in the tabloids. Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us. Tell a friend about the podcast...

Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Mighty Wurlitzer

March 28, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutes - 5.76 MB

In 1986, the English goth band Siouxsie and the Banshees released their album Tinderbox and setoff to tour the United States. One of their venues was the unlikely Alabama Theater in downtown Birmingham. Find out about the goths and see if they could hold their own against the Mighty Wurlitzer. Support the show Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us. Tell a friend about the podcast. Buy s...

Listen to this podcast, or the devil will get you!

March 21, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.32 MB

You see a lot of things driving up and down I-65 in Alabama. Broken-down cars,  the odd mattress, the remains of every conceivable animal, and the devil, Beelzebub himself. Yes, you read that right; the devil is holding court on I-65. Learn about the sign that implores you to “Go To Church, or the devil will get you!"  Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us. Tell a friend ...

Claudette Colvin Gets Up For No One

March 14, 2023 09:00 - 11 minutes - 7.73 MB

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her bus seat to a white rider in Montgomery, Alabama. This episode is not about her. It is about a 15-year old high school student who sat down for her constitutional rights and was arrested nine months before.  Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Stories, there are a few ways you can support us. Tell a friend about the podcast. Buy some merchandise fro...

Alabama Short Stories Season 4 Teaser

February 28, 2023 12:00 - 2 minutes - 1.84 MB

Hey, this is Shawn Wright, the host of the Alabama Short Stories podcast. I am happy to announce that season 4 of the podcast is almost here. I capped off three great seasons by publishing the book “Alabama Short Stories, Volume 1.” Now I am ready to share ten more episodes of extraordinary people, places, and events.  This season I tell the story of a woman who would not move from her seat on a Montgomery bus only to be arrested, and her name is not Rosa Parks. There is a story of a Japan...

Alabama Short Stories Book Promo

October 25, 2022 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.03 MB

I hope you have enjoyed season 3 of Alabama Short Stories. If you haven’t heard the first two seasons, I encourage you to go back and give them a listen. If you prefer to read instead, I’ve got you covered. The book Alabama Short Stories, Volume 1, has been published on Amazon.com and contains all 30 stories from Seasons 1-3, and best of all, it contains pictures. Something that we can’t show on a podcast.  We all have friends and family who are just not interested in listening to podcasts,...

Kudzu

October 18, 2022 09:00 - 8 minutes - 5.79 MB

Kudzu covers every part of Alabama, and we assume it grows with wild abandon, swallowing up parked cars and buildings in its path. In this Alabama Short Stories podcast episode, we learn about how it came to Alabama and how much more time we have before the vine overtakes us. You will also hear the Alabama Short Stories Players present the radio play "Gone With The Kudzilla." https://alabamashortstories.com/kudzu/ Support the Show. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not ch...

Stars Fell On Alabama

October 11, 2022 09:00 - 9 minutes - 6.4 MB

Have you ever heard the phrase "Stars Fell on Alabama?" Of course, you have. If you grew up in Alabama, you can't avoid it. You probably can't remember the first time you heard it, but it has always been around. Is it a slogan, a song, a book, or an event? Yes, to all those and more. Hear the story about a celestial event that inspired generations of Alabamians on this Alabama Short Stories podcast episode. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Sh...

USS Alabama

October 04, 2022 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.51 MB

The USS Alabama, BB-60 was a South Dakota class battleship that served in the North Atlantic and Pacific during World War II. At the war's end, she was mothballed and stored in the Pacific Reserve Fleet in Puget Sound outside Bremerton, Washington. Twenty years later, the Navy announced in 1962 that the South Dakota class of battleships would be sold for scrap. In this episode of the Alabama Short Stories podcast, you will learn about Mobile and state officials who sprang into action to save...

Where did that town name come from

September 27, 2022 09:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MB

Alabama has its fair share of interesting town names. Of course, we would. A lot of cultures have passed through our state. The French, Spanish, and English all have left their mark. So did the different Indian nations. They left names we use today, some with our own Alabama pronunciations. There are also town names that make no sense at first glance until you learn their backstory. In this Alabama Short Stories podcast episode, we will learn about some of our state's more unique town names ...

Lou Wooster

September 20, 2022 09:00 - 10 minutes - 7.56 MB

Cholera came to Birmingham in 1873 and hit the new town hard. By the end of the summer, over half of its citizens had fled the city. Only the sick, the physicians caring for them, and the prostitutes stayed behind. This Alabama Short Stories episode tells the story of one of those prostitutes that stayed behind, Louise Wooster. Not only did their service in nursing the sick and burying the dead help at the moment, but their service helped save a city on the verge of tremendous growth. Suppo...

The First 911 Call

September 13, 2022 09:00 - 8 minutes - 6.08 MB

Creating a single emergency number was tossed about for more than a decade before the FCC and AT&T worked together on a solution. On January 12, 1968, AT&T announced that 911 would be the emergency code in the United States. There was no plan for a “first” call, and seeing an opportunity, Bob Gallagher, president of Alabama Telephone Company, decided to be the first in the country. In this episode of the Alabama Short Stories podcast, learn about that first call and what it took to implement...

Douglas Leigh Lights Up Times Square

September 06, 2022 09:00 - 11 minutes - 8.12 MB

The outdoor board has been ubiquitous around the state of Alabama. Signs are found up and down the interstate, in our towns, on back roads, and in every imaginable place. But in New York City, specifically Times Square, the creativity and scale of the outdoor boards have been taken to another level. And we have the son of Anniston, Alabama, to thank for that. Douglas Leigh began creating his “spectaculars” in the 1930s and made his mark on the Great White Way, influencing the signs we see to...

Miss Fancy

August 30, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutes - 9.28 MB

What is a zoo without an elephant? That is precisely what Birmingham citizens thought when the zoo opened in Avondale Park. Park officials set out to find their elephant, choosing an Asian elephant from the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. She was named Miss Fancy and made her debut at the Birmingham Home Products Show. In this Alabama Short Story podcast episode, you will learn about Miss Fancy’s adventures in Birmingham and beyond. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If ...

Ruth Elder, Pilot

August 23, 2022 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.39 MB

Alabama is known for its many aviators and astronauts. In this episode of the Alabama Short Stories podcast, you will learn about a woman who decided that if Charles Lindbergh could fly across the Atlantic, so could she. Ruth Elder left Anniston, Alabama, learned to fly, and became one of Alabama’s first women aviators. You will hear about some of her accomplishments and if she made it across the Atlantic or not. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alab...

Close Encounters in Mobile

August 16, 2022 09:00 - 9 minutes - 6.61 MB

In the summer of 1976, Hollywood descended on Mobile, Alabama, to tell the story of a small child who aliens had abducted.  The Mobile economy had been suffering since the close of Brookley Field seven years earlier. But Hollywood needed what no other location had, huge, empty airplane hangers. Director Steven Spielberg and actors Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Francois Truffaut, and Bob Balaban and their crew descended on the town, making a small contribution to Mobile’s econ...

Alabama Short Stories Season 3 Teaser

August 07, 2022 15:00 - 2 minutes - 1.57 MB

Hey, this is Shawn Wright, the host of the Alabama Short Stories podcast. I am happy to announce that season 3 of the podcast is almost here. There was a great response to the first two seasons, and this upcoming season will not disappoint. It’s ten episodes of extraordinary people, state icons, unique events, and questions that need to be answered. We tell a story about the bright lights of Hollywood coming to Mobile to film the story of a toddler kidnapped by aliens. Then there is a stor...

Vulcan's Torch

February 08, 2022 20:00 - 9 minutes - 6.79 MB

This is our third and final story featuring Red Mountain in Birmingham. The statue of Vulcan has been standing on a pedestal above lone pine gap on Red Mountain since 1939. Not long after that, he would be seen holding a green or red popsicle until 1999 when he came down from the mountain for a much-needed refurbishment and not because of the end of the world mentioned in episode 4. This is the story of the neon “torch,” why it was there and not the spear we see him holding today. This is o...

William Rufus King – Alabama’s Vice President

February 01, 2022 09:00 - 10 minutes - 7.31 MB

Originally from North Carolina, William Rufus King would move to Alabama and become instrumental in the establishment of Alabama as a state, writing the first constitution and creating Alabama. He would also serve the country at the national level as well. He became Vice-President of the United States with President Franklin Pierce, but he would never serve a day. This is King’s story on the Alabama Short Stories podcast. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you e...

Clark Byers sees Rock City

January 25, 2022 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.18 MB

In season 1, we learned about a man from Germany who moved to Alabama to paint portraits. We also learned about a woman who painted on spider webs. In this episode of the Alabama Short Stories podcast, we learn about a man who painted on an entirely different canvas, the roofs of barns. If you have ever seen a barn roof promoting Rock City, then Byers and his crew painted it. He was born in Alabama and lived in Georgia and Tennessee. He would come home to open Sequoyah Caverns, using the mar...

Andrew Jackson Beard – Inventor

January 18, 2022 09:00 - 8 minutes - 5.63 MB

Andrew Jackson Beard was born a slave on a plantation near Pinson, Alabama. After gaining his freedom, he went on to become a farmer, millwright, and prolific inventor. Even though he could not read or write, Beard went on to own patents for plows, rotary engines and was to make trains safer and more efficient, becoming a millionaire in the process. This is his story on the Alabama Short Stories podcast. Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short...

The Cut in Red Mountain

January 11, 2022 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.12 MB

This is our second story about Red Mountain this season and it is about the actual mountain. For decades there had been talk about tunneling through the mountain to help travelers coming from Homewood, Mountain Brook, and towns to the south. Officials even brought in a famous New York tunnel engineer to assess the plans. Finally, someone suggested they cut a slice out of the mountain and the rest is history.  Not only was travel over the mountain improved, but the Red Mountain Expressway Cu...

The Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall – Tom’s Wall

January 04, 2022 09:00 - 8 minutes - 5.94 MB

Tuscumbia native Tom Hendrix had learned about his relatives through the stories his grandmother would tell him. A trip to Oklahoma and a meeting with a woman named Minnie Long would change the course of his life. 8.5 million pounds of stone later, Hendrix had finished a project to honor his great-great-grandmother Te-lah-nay. This is their story on this episode of the Alabama Short Stories podcast.  Support the Podcast The podcast is free but it’s not cheap. If you enjoy Alabama Short Sto...