SATURDAY'S STRUCTURES - St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Lisronagh, County Tipperary, Ireland

Before coming to America in the late 1840's my O'Donnell ancestors lived in the village of Lisronagh in County Tipperary, Ireland. Recently I found online the parish records, which begin in 1808, of the Powerstown Lisronagh Parish, including the Marriage Record of my great-great-great-grandparents Richard O'Donnell (1787-unk) and Margaret Phelan:

Translation from Latin: "1809 - Day 14 February - F.C. (priest) joined in marriage Richard Donnell (sic) and Margaret Whelan (sic) of the Parish of Lisronagh. Present (unk) Weldon & Catherine Dunphy"

 I also found the Baptismal Records which include the baptisms of my great-great-grandfather Patrick O'Donnell (1823-1911) and his six brothers, as well as for three sisters who were previously unknown. This of course confirms what I had earlier discovered that our O'Donnells came from Lisronagh. It also confirms that Margaret's family name is Phelan - spelled Whelan above.

Lisronagh Church is part of the Powerstown Lisronagh Parish, in the diocese of Waterford and Lismore. It is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The church is located at the R689 regional road, 7 km north of Clonmel, and 6 km south of Fethard in South Tipperary.

Below is the history of the Lisronagh Roman Catholic Church, taken directly from the parish website: www.powerstownlisronaghparish.com .

St. John the Baptist Church in Lisronagh

"The origins of Lisronagh Church are not recorded anywhere and as such the early history is surrounded with doubt. This period in history was a time of Catholic oppression in Ireland, with the Penal Laws in place. For this reason the original church was built secretly as part of the local underground religion.

The original church in Lisronagh was built sometime in the late 18th century. It was built by local craftsmen and took the form of the simple "Barn" style church. This building faced north-south and the church, like others in the same style, was "T" -shaped, with two doors (one at either end), and contained two galleries.

Village of Lisronagh - Church at Bottom

The earliest records available make reference to a Father McGrath. According to these sources, he was the Parish Priest in the original church before his death in 1798. We can also put a lower boundary on the date of the church. The Rev. J. Welsh received two chalices in the early 1780`s - one for Powerstown and one for Quarryhole - Lisronagh`s predecessor. Despite the lack of any Parish records until 1808, it is safe to assume that between this date and Fr. McGrath`s death, the Parish and Church of Lisronagh were well and truly established.

The next stage in the church`s history took place under the pastorate of Rev. John Power (1852-66). Under his guidance, the church was enlarged to give its approximate present shape. As well as this, the roof was raised and replaced. The mid-19th century also saw the addition of a new porch to give better access and also the belfry was added around this time. However, exact dates are not known.

Interior of Lisronagh Church

After the changes in the 19th century, no more major changes occurred. Nevertheless, one generous patron deserves to be mentioned. In the 1930`s, Miss Marie Kennedy funded the two side altars, which remain part of the church to the present day. As a matter of interest, the Kennedy family played another role in Lisronagh`s history. The chalice being used in today`s celebration was donated in 1893 by Bridget Kennedy - a prior generation of the same family.

The church since then saw no significant change until 2004. This renovation has now become part of the church's history." [http://www.powerstownlisronaghparish.com/history/lisronagh.aspx]

SATURDAY'S STRUCTURES - Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, LaGrange, Kentucky

When my great-great-grandfather Patrick O'Donnell died in June 1911 he included the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in LaGrange, Oldham County, Kentucky as a benefactor of his estate - his family's parish. I had previously assumed, incorrectly, that my O'Donnell family had been members of the Church of Saint John Chrysostom in Henry County, and have even written a post here about this church. But recently in reading the small print of Patrick's will I was proven wrong.

This brief history of the church comes from History & Families Oldham County, Kentucky: The First Century 1824-1924.

"The history of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Oldham County dates back to the mid-1800s. When the construction of the L&N Railroad between Cincinnati and Louisville began, the railroad company maintained its shops in LaGrange. Many of the railroad workers were Irish Catholics. Priest from the Cathedral of the Assumption and St. Joseph's Church in Louisville served the Catholics in Oldham County. In 1871 a resident pastor was appointed for St. Aloysius Church in Peewee Valley, and LaGrange Catholics formed its Mission Church.

Father William Hogarty, pastor of St. Aloysius and the LaGrange Mission Church (1873-1877) built the first church at LaGrange and placed it under the patronage of Mary Immaculate. A majority of its members included the men employed by the railroad and their families. The land from the church was purchased from the Joseph Sauer family for the sum of $150.00, to be paid in three payments of $50.00 each. This church seated about 300 people. It was located on North Street (which was later renamed Madison Street) between 1st and 2nd avenues. It was dedicated on Dec. 6, 1875, with a list of the pewholders: Alex McKie, Mr. A. Carrol, Pat O'Donnell, Joseph Sauer, Ned Kenney, Michael Kenney, Mrs. L.A. Conners, James McLaughlin, Thomas Curley, Dan Delaney, Maurice Whelan, John Donaghue and George Boemicke. (note: bold italics from me)

The construction and the upkeep of the church was all the result of the labors of the people of the congregation: no memorial gifts or large sums of money were donated.

The church recorded its first marriage on April 16, 1877, when Michael Kenney, son of Patrick Kenney and Honora Doyle, married Sara McLaughlin, a widow. The witnesses were John Kenney and Bridget Doyle and Fr. William Hogarty was the officiating priest.



Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
LaGrange, Kentucky (built 1900)

In 1899 the railroad moved its main operation from LaGrange to Louisville. Most of the Catholic workers moved with it and the parish began to dwindle. The church history indicates that the original church was torn down and a much smaller one was erected on the same site in 1900." [page 200]

 As a mission church, the LaGrange church held Mass once a month during the winter while in summer parishioners were expected to attend St. Aloysius in Pewee Valley.

A third church was built in LaGrange in 1950 and this church (right) was also torn down.  It is no longer a mission church, having received official status as a parish in 1956.

[NOTE: I have researched the church for hours but have not found any photograph or picture of the original church built by the parishioners, including Patrick O'Donnell. I am still waiting to hear back from the priest in charge of the Archives of the Diocese of Louisville. But I wanted to include this picture of the second church built in 1900 after the original was torn down. Patrick and his daughter Josie, who cared for him in his last years, would have attended this church.]

PATRICK O'DONNELL
Patrick O'Donnell married Bridget Kennedy (1838-1893) in 1856 in Louisville and they soon moved to the town of Jericho in nearby Henry County, because of his job with the L&N Railroad. They settled here and soon had seven children - Maggie (b. 1858), Mollie (b. 1859), Alice (b. 1860), Fannie (b. 1862), Josie (b. 1864), Johnny (b. 1865), and Ella (b. 1869). Their only son, John Martin O'Donnell, is my great-grandfather.

In 1902 Patrick added a codicil to his will to include the following:

"I, Patrick O'Donnell, want to be used of my estate the sum of twenty-five dollars in celebrating Masses in the Catholic Church at Lagrange, Kentucky, for the repose of the soul of my wife Bridget Kennedy O'Donnell and my own."

JOHN J. SHEEHAN
John J. Sheehan was the brother-in-law of Patrick O'Donnell. John was born in Ireland in 1839 and had come to America as a young man. In the 1860 Census John was single and living in the home of Patrick & Bridget in Jericho, Kentucky, as a boarder, along with thirteen other men, all who were "laborers" for the railroad. Also living in their "boarding house" were their first three daughters, ages 3 months to 3 years; Patrick's brother John O'Donnell (1822-UNK), age 37; and Bridget's two sisters - Anne, age 21, and Johanna, age 29. Both Patrick and John O'Donnell listed their occupation as "Supervisor Railroad". Anne and Johanna Kennedy listed their occupations as "Domestic", most likely responsible for keeping the boarding house clean.

John married Anne Kennedy (1839-1913) about 1865 and together had nine children, only 3 living to adulthood. They settled in LaGrange, Oldham County, and were members of this same Catholic Church.

[It's interesting to note that Bridget's sister Johanna Kennedy (1830-1901) married Maurice Phelan (1835-1889) who at the time of the 1860 Census was also a boarder in the O'Donnell home. They, too, settled in Oldham County. Maurice is mentioned in the above church history as also being a pew holder; his last name is misspelled.]

John Sheehan is mentioned briefly in another history of the mission church, quoted here:

"Official 'collector of revenue', John Sheehan, took up the collection for fifty years. And for those fifty years used a long handle collection basket he passed in front of the people. The basket was handmade from a cheese box and covered with velvet. It had a flat board as a lid and was noted for its long handle. Every Sunday before he began taking up the collection parishioners could hear Mr. Sheehan drop the first coin, usually a five cent piece. They took it as a hint that everyone should contribute. When he died, Mr. Sheehan left thousands of dollars to his church." [from The Tremendous Champion of All that is Catholic, pg. 69-70]

SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - The Flemming-Selman House, Birmingham, Alabama

Home For Sale (1906)

In 1906, my great-grandfather Harry C. Flemming (1878-1955) bought his first home in a brand new development on Birmingham's Southside. It was for him and his new bride, Pearl Horst (1884-1961), whom he had married on April 18th of the same year. It has been told that Pearl was too afraid to live in the house for the first year when Harry was away because it was "too far out" in the country. Pearl and Harry would soon settle down and live here for the remainder of their lives.

"Anderson Place" Neighborhood
In 1903, J. Cary Thompson acquired forty acres of unsurveyed wilderness just south of Elyton's holding and several blocks from the nearest car line. The land, on the northern slope of Red Mountain, had belonged to Frank Y. Anderson, who had acquired it while he was land commissioner for the Alabama Great Southern Railroad. They bought what would become the 1600 and 1700 blocks of 15th and 16th avenues south. By 1905 they had the newly christened Anderson Place officially platted.

The Journal of the Birmingham Historical Society published a special issue in 1982, telling the story of the area, Town Within a City: The Five Points South Neighborhood 1880-1930.

"Between 1906 and 1910 Cary Thompson sold several lots to individuals and other developers. Thompson also built several houses for resale in addition to his own home at 1631 15th Avenue South. The area, however was still rather remote. The daughters of Harry C. Flemming, who purchased one of Thompson's houses in 1906, said that at the time it was like moving to the country, recalling that one 'could hear the owls at night.'

The success of Anderson Place, described in 1910 as 'one of the most famous home places in the [Birmingham] district,' was in large part due to the new streetcar line that began running down 15th Street in 1907, coming within a block of the development. Its graceful aging probably reflects a combination of Thompson's careful oversight, architectural quality, and relatively little recent redevelopment." [page 33]

Flemming-Selman Home (2013)

Home Life
It was here, in the upstairs master bedroom [seen front left from the street] where my great-grandmother gave birth to all eight of her children: Pearl in 1907; Susie, my grandmother, in 1909; Odalie in 1911; Harry in 1913; Charles in 1916; Jack in 1918; Margaret in 1920; and Ann in 1923. It was here where the family ate every meal together for decades. It was here where they celebrated Thanksgivings and Christmases with their children and grandchildren year after year. It was here where Harry's father Charles Flemming (1854-1932), my great-great-grandfather, lived his last years, where he died at the age of 77, and where his funeral took place.

The Flemming family celebrated untold numbers of birthdays and special occasions here in the house. Oldest daughter Pearl was married inside the home in April 1926. Pearl and her husband Bill Barriger lived here at the start of their married life, along with their two daughters. Soon after seventh child Margaret married Frank Selman in January 1942, they moved back into the home of her parents. Frank and Margaret raised all five of their children in the house.

Harry died in his home after a long illness in May 1955, after celebrating their 49th Anniversary at a party in the house. Pearl remained living in the house with Margaret and her family until her death six years later (she died in September 1961, at St. Vincent's Hospital).

Frank and Margaret lived here, celebrating birthdays and holidays, anniversaries and graduations, with their children and grandchildren. Soon after celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary, Frank died here in his home at the age of 91 in February 2012. Margaret remained in the home she was born in, refusing to be moved into a nursing home even after she could no longer walk upstairs. As she had long wished, on September 16th of this year, Margaret died in the home she was born in, where she had raised her family, and where she had lived with her loving husband. She was 92 years old.


The home has been honored as a Historical Structure by the Jefferson County Historical Society. [right]

SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - The Church of Saint John Chrysostom, Henry County, Kentucky

My great-grandfather John Martin O'Donnell (1865-1937) was born in the town of Jericho, in Henry County, Kentucky. His parents, my great-great-grandparents, were Patrick O'Donnell (1823-1911) and Bridget Kennedy (1838-1893) Both parents were Irish immigrants who had married in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1856, before settling in Jericho. They had seven children - six girls and one son - whom they raised in Jericho.

Patrick owned a grocery store in the small town, and lived across the street from his store. As Catholics, Patrick and Bridget raised their family in the Catholic church. The only such church in Henry County at that time was the Church of Saint John Chrysostom in the town of Eminence, about 8 miles from the O'Donnell family home. It remains the only Catholic church in Henry County.

The church is located at 221 S. Penn Street in Eminence, Henry County, Kentucky. Mass is held each Sunday at 9:30 am.

The History of the Church of St. John Chrysostom
[taken from www.archlou.org - the website of the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY]

"A mission church from its inception, St. John has never had a resident priest or school. The need for a Catholic spiritual home in Henry County was first documented in 1860, when Archbishop Martin John Spalding gave permission to erect a church building in Eminence. Construction began in the 1880s. Historical records are unclear as to an exact date this church was completed, but from earliest written records available, Mass was first celebrated in the church in 1890. It was dedicated under the patronage of Saint John Chrysostom.  

Until that time, Masses were celebrated in the homes of Catholic families. When the Catholic church at Bedford was sold, the organ and art-glass memorial windows were removed and brought to Eminence to grace the otherwise plain structure of St. John. The Stations of the Cross were erected in 1892. A new organ was used for the first time in December 1908.  

In the early years the church was heated by a pot-bellied stove that warmed worshippers on cold Sundays. There were no restroom facilities. In 1988, a new church hall was built behind the church, providing badly needed space for meetings and social gatherings. Until that time, a home hosted parish activities. The church interior underwent a total renovation during the summer of 1992. At that time there were approximately fifty families at St. John, grown from eight families in 1958.  

In October of 2005, St. John became handicap-accessible with the construction of a concrete ramp. Catholics of Henry County have been served by the priests from Shelbyville since the 1850s, and most recently by priests from LaGrange. St. John currently has almost 200 parishioners." - See more at: http://www.archlou.org/Parishes

It's such a beautiful little church. I have hopes to visit it and attend Mass her in the near future.  I have recently requested any possible records they may include the O'Donnell family, who must have attended Mass here.

To find out more about the church check out their website, www.ourstj.org .

SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The original St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
site of the wedding of Thomas and Charlotte McCaffrey - 1853

On Monday, August 15, 1853, Thomas Joseph McCaffrey (1832-1896) and Charlotte Elizabeth McCluskey (1838-1917), my 3x-great-grandparents, were married. Next month marks the 160th anniversary of their wedding.

They were married at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in her hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thomas was 21 years old; Charlotte was just 15. They were married by Reverend Patrick Rafferty (1791-1863). Their witnesses for the ceremony were Henry Donahue (1830-1890) and Isabel Maddon.

The McCluskey family lived less than four blocks from the church, in the Fairmount area of the city, on Hamilton Street.

History of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
[taken from www.sfxschool.org]


Interior of Old Church
NOTE: Joseph & Charlotte took their wedding vows here

"Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was founded in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty Nine. At the time of its establishment the diocese of Philadelphia was only a little more than three decades old and included all of Pennsylvania, western New Jersey and the state of Delaware.

The new Saint Francis Xavier Church was only the seventh Catholic Church to exist within the city. The site purchased for the new church was at the southwest corner of 25th and Biddle streets -- not far from the grand front steps of today's Philadelphia Museum of Art. The erection of the new church was directed by (the first Pastor of the parish) Father Michael O'Connor. At least part of the money used to build the church was raised by a city-wide collection. The cornerstone of the new church was laid on June 10, 1839. Mass was celebrated there for the first time on Sunday, December 1, 1839.

Portrait of Rev. Patrick Rafferty
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In 1842, Father Patrick Rafferty was appointed pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish. Father Rafferty took up residence in a small house at 402 North 25th Street, very near to the church. In 1844, during the anti-Catholic unrest which afflicted the United States, two Catholic churches and the homes of thirty Catholics were destroyed by fire in Philadelphia. Because of the unrest, by order of Bishop Kenrick, on Sunday, May 12, 1844, Catholic churches in the city were closed. Various accounts of the parish history indicate, however, that in spite of that situation, Mass was celebrated by Father Rafferty in our church on that day. During the month which followed, the church was guarded day and night by militia sent by the civil authorities, and by a number of parishioners who volunteered their services.

In 1845, Father Rafferty opened Saint Francis Xavier School in the basement of the church. Father Rafferty died in March of 1863.

Father James Maginn was appointed pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish in 1863. Prior to being appointed Pastor he had served for eight years as an assistant to Father Rafferty, and for a brief period after Father Rafferty's death he served as Administrator of the parish. Almost immediately upon his appointment as pastor, Father Maginn began to make improvements to the parish property. He had erected a new rectory just south of the church; he added transepts, stained glass windows and a dome to the church. He also enlarged the galleries of the building. In spite of all the improvements, it soon became obvious that the rapidly expanding parish was outgrowing its church, and especially, its school. In the late 1860's Father Maginn had constructed a three story brick school building at the southeast corner of 24th and Green streets. He also purchased two adjoining houses which would eventually become the first Saint Francis Xavier Parish convent for the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM).

Map of second church location
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

The idea of a new church became imperative when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad decided to change the grade of its track which ran near the church at Biddle Street. Because tunneling was involved in the project, the blasting of rock was necessary. That process resulted in significant damage to both the church and the adjacent rectory. Father Maginn then purchased the land at 2321 Green Street, where he constructed a rectory (this building is now the residence of our Oratory of Saint Phillip Neri community). As soon as the rectory was completed, Father Maginn began to negotiate the purchase of property to the west of the new building. That site would be the site of our present church. Father Maginn had secured three of the four properties needed when he suddenly became ill. On July 25, 1890, Father Maginn died at the new rectory.

Immediately after the death of Father Maginn, Reverend Michael Gleeson was appointed pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish. Father Gleeson wasted no time in taking up the work of constructing a new church. The purchase of the final ground needed was completed by 1894; the ground was cleared and the digging of the new church's foundations began that same year. On October 6, 1894, the corner-stone of the new church was laid by Archbishop Ryan. On December 18, 1898, the now completed church was dedicated by Archbishop Ryan and a Pontifical Mass was celebrated by Bishop Prendergast. At just about the time of the church's dedication, Father Gleeson was afflicted with a form of paralysis that was finally to cause his death on January 25, 1904, after a long, painful illness. In March of 1904, Father Thomas F. Shannon was appointed the sixth pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish.


St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
(current church - built 1898)

It would be Father Shannon's task to rally the parish in one of its most difficult moments. On March 31, 1906, a building then located at 24th and Wallace streets caught fire and was completely destroyed. During that event the fire managed to leap to the newly opened church at Green Street and it too was severely damaged. The roof of the church was completely destroyed, and a great deal of damage was done to the interior when the roof fell. [See newspaper story of church fire below.]

Almost immediately after the fire, reconstruction of the church began. A temporary alter was erected in the school on Green Street and Mass was celebrated there until the Church reopened on April 5, 1908. The cost of the reconstruction had been one-hundred thousand dollars."

To get a complete 360 degree view - top to bottom - of the present church please go to http://www.360cities.net/image/stfrancisxavierchurchphladelphia#-155.88,-10.07,69.6 at 360cities website. It is simply awesome. The church is described here: "St. Francis Xavier is a striking asymmetric Romanesque church at 24th and Green Streets near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia.  It was originally built in 1893-1898 to designs by architect Edward Durang, extended to its present size in 1906, and rebuilt in 1908 after being damaged by a fire that started in a nearby hat factory.  Unlike many Catholic churches, it did not modify its old High Altar following the liturgical reforms of Vatican II in 1962."


St. Francis Xavier - The Oratory

Fire Ruins Beautiful St. Francis' Church
[from The Philadelphia Inquirer; April 1, 1908; page 1-2]
Priests Risked Lives Saving Valuable Contents of Roman Catholic edifice That Ignited From Hat Factory Blaze

    "The beautiful interior of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Francis Xavier, at Twenty-fourth and Green streets was swept by a spectacular fire yesterday afternoon that originated in the hat factory of Henry Roelofs & Co. adjoining the rear of the edifice.
     When the firemen, after a hard battle of nearly three hours, finally had the flames under control, only the walls and the steeple of the church remained standing, the hat factory had been destroyed, and several residences nearby had been badly damaged. The total loss was estimated at $150,000. 

[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

    The fire was replete with sensational incidents. Again and again the firemen bravely risked their lives in their efforts to subdue the flames, scaling the burning and treacherous roof of the church with lines of hose, dodging falling masses of debris and narrowly escaping being buried beneath toppling walls. Three of them were badly bruised and cut as one of the walls of the hat factory fell. They were taken to the German Hospital. They were Asst. Fire Chief Waters, Charles H. Porter, Jr., assistant foreman, and Robert McClellan, both of Engine Company No. 4, Seventh and Sansom streets. Other firemen received various minor injuries, but all refused to leave their posts while there was danger of the flames spreading eastward to the residences on Green street.
     Remarkable courage was shown by Rev. John J. Fleming, acting rector of the church aided in carrying many objects ices, vestments and other articles of value that were in the sacristy or on the altar when the church caught fire. Rev. Mr. Fleming risked his life by running into the smoke-filled edifice and bearing away from the altar the Blessed Sacrament. Many of the men parishioners of the church aided in carrying many objects of value from the burning structure until the quickly spreading flames made further efforts of that sort too hazardous.
     The fire started at the storehouse of the factory of Henry Roelofs & Company, 609-19 North Twenty-fourth street. There were fifty men at work in the factory at the time, all of whom got safely out.
     The flames spread throughout the factory with remarkable swiftness. The south wall of the two-story brick structure was but three feet from the rear of the church in which were five large stain glass windows overlooking the sacristy. These glass in these windows were shattered by heat of the flames that rose from the burning factory. The wind was blowing toward the windows and through them the flames swept into the church. In vain did the firemen try to save the church, an immense granite pile upon a high terrace.
     The wind fanned the flames and they swept along the walls of the church and up through the slate roof. From the top of nearby house the firemen poured streams of water upon the burning structure, but the wind was so strong that at one time grave fears were entertained for the safety of the immediate neighborhood....

Page 2
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

    As great tongues of flames shot through the roof of the church , above which rolled great clouds of smoke, the rays of the setting sun seemed to intensify the glare. Now and then the bells of the church steeple, probably as a result of the vibration of the walls or of water descending upon them, would peel forth melancholy notes with weird effect.
     Although the interior of the church was wrecked a large crucifix over the altar and one or two effigies of saints remained unbroken. The $6000 organ was ruined while several pains were broken in the circular stain glass window in the front of the church, which was a gift of Archbishop Ryan...."



SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - Club Rex, Homewood, Alabama

During the mid-1930's, my grandfather John Huber O'Donnell (1905-1964) went into partnership with Bob Smith when they leased Club Rex in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. Huber was a stenographer at TCI, the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, a major American steel manufacturer located in Birmingham. Bob Smith was a co-worker of my "Pop" and together they had briefly owned a nightclub in downtown before taking over the lease when the country club went bankrupt.


Historic Marker in Homewood, Alabama

A popular recreational and entertainment facility, Club Rex began as Hollywood Country Club, built in the mid-1920's. It was then part of the newest subdivision being built south of Birmingham - Hollywood. The town of Hollywood was incorporated as a city in 1927. The brainchild of Clyde Nelson, Hollywood was advertised to meet a variety of needs, including health - "Out of the Smoke Zone and Into the Ozone" - and exclusivity - "one of Birmingham's most beautiful, highly restricted residential subdivisions". 

Club Rex Postcard ca. 1940

In Homewood: The Life of a City, Sheryl Spradling Summe describes the club's beginnings:

"Nelson built Hollywood Country Club on Shades Valley Highway, now Lakeshore Drive, overlooking Shades Creek where the Marriott Courtyard Hotel stands today. The large Spanish Mission-style clubhouse, with a swimming pool in the front that was a favorite place for children and teens, 'offered the finest in meals and entertainment six or seven days a week.' Although plans to add a golf course on the property were never completed. Hollywood Country Club provided members and guests 'an elite dining and dancing spot' for years....It changed ownership several times after 1930, but the building remained in existence until a fire damaged it in 1984 and subsequently it was torn down." [p. 86-87]



"Hollywood Country Club" sign added for postcard only

"Homewood added a swimming pool to its list of community recreation facilities when it began leasing the Hollywood Country Club pool in the summer of 1934. (By then the club was privately owned by G.C. Lockhart and would change hands many times in the years to come.) The popular Municipal Swimming Pool took in more than $500 during the first half of July 1934 alone. Men could rent swimsuits, and all swimmers were provided with towels. The city hired two lifeguards, Bob Purdy and Wallace Ward, at sixty-five dollars per month each and a cashier, Miss Lottie Lee Patterson, for twenty-five dollars per month...The city council allowed underprivileged children to use the municipal pool at no charge....The Summer Bus Line, which operated the Hollywood bus service originally established by Clyde Nelson, ran a shuttle to the pool from Dunn's drugstore and from Broadway at Roseland Drive, stopping at many points along the way." [p. 125]

backside of postcard

These articles appeared in Billboard magazine in 1945 [Billboard magazine, originally a trade paper for the bill-posting industry, carried news for live entertainment including vaudeville, minstrel shows, circuses, amusement parks, and fairs. Later it included news for nightclubs, and other music venues. It now carries news for music and the music industry worldwide.]


January 20, 1945 cover

"Rex, Alabama Club, Bought   Birmingham, Jan. 13 - Joe Robino, restaurant owner, has purchased for $59,500, the old Hollywood Country Club building, with five acres, a swimming pool, and new streamlined nitery equipment, including a $2,750 rotary cooker that broils 90 steaks at once. Clubhouse originally built as private country club for exclusive Hollywood residential section, has been operated on lease from foreclosures as Club Rex nitery for nine years. Club plans use of nitery entertainment and occasional guest ork." [Billboard magazine, January 20, 1945, p. 23]

July 21, 1945 cover

"Birming'm To Get 25G Club With All-Glass Blg. & Floor  Birmingham, Ala., July 16 - Birmingham steps into the big-town nitery class next month with the construction of a new $75,000 all glass club with glass dance floor and penthouse atop a circular club building. Name bands and floorshows are to be imported, according to Bob Smith, widely known nitery op promoting the project on the club membership plan with guest memberships for visitors, with 60-G already in hand. Smith operated Club Rex in Hollywood for 10 years." [Billboard, July 21, 1945, p. 27]

Poolside at Club Rex
1938

My mother has wonderful memories of summer days spent swimming at the pool at Club Rex. When she was about three-and-a-half-years-old, while swimming at the pool one day, a man came up to her and asked if he could photograph her. He picked her up and set her on a concrete bench. Later he sent her parents copies of the photographs (at right). She also had several birthday parties in the club room when she was very young. Her birthday was in December so a family member would dress as Santa Claus and visit her party each time.

The swimming pool, of course, was always a favorite place to go during the hot Birmingham summers. My mom remembers their maid would go with them and was responsible for watching she and her older brother and sister swim. A maid at that time was fairly common for families, but since she was black she would only have been able to watch the children swim from a seat - the pool itself was whites-only.



Backside of Club Rex postcard

There was an area on the lowest floor of the club, known as "The Cave Room". Here swimmers could enter in their wet bathing suits and buy burgers and eat lunch. My mother's older brother, who was five years older, worked in the Cave Room around 1944. Mom remembers giving out pool passes to friends at school during these years. She also remembers New Years Eves - her father would be out late at the club and would always bring each of the kids souvenirs from the party. When they woke up on New Years Day they would have party hats, horns and noisemakers from the night's revelry. Each year the new year would be part of the hats' decoration - "1939", "1940" etc.

My grandfather continued to work at his job with TCI while helping to run Club Rex, going over to the club after a full day at work, as did Bob Smith. For a time Bob and his wife and daughter lived on the property, in bedrooms that were part of the property, as did another partner who managed the property during the day. The property was bought by Joe Robino in 1945.

How fun it was to have a swimming pool and a night club, located less than a mile from their home, as part of your childhood memories.

SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - Elmwood Cemetery, Birmingham, AL

The oldest section of Elmwood Cemetery
Birmingham, Alabama

Elmwood Cemetery is located on 412 acres on Martin Luther King Drive in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the resting place of over fifty members of the Flemming, Horst, and O'Donnell families, to name a few.

Originally established in 1900 as "Elm Leaf Cemetery", its name was changed in 1910 to Elmwood. It was developed by several groups of fraternal organizations in the city who saw a need for a second burial ground for the city's dead, beginning with 286 acres of property. It wasn't long before it eclipsed the city's first cemetery, Oak Hill, as the most popular cemetery in town.

It's not surprising that Elmwood Cemetery was a "whites-only" cemetery for much of the past century. Not until 1970 were blacks allowed to purchase burial plots to bury their loved ones here. [See story below]

Elmwood Cemetery, like most cemeteries across the country, has sections that are dedicated solely for Catholics, solely for Jews, and solely for Greeks, to name a few. There are also several large Mausoleums on the property.

Gravesite of Charles and Odalie Horst - Block 9, Elmwood Cemetery

The first relative buried at this Elmwood appears to be my great-great-grandfather Charles F. Horst (1856-1912), buried on August 31, 1912 - 100 years ago. Other members of the Horst family buried beside him include Charles' wife (my great-great-grandmother) Odalie Fortier (1857-1920), and two of their sons: Edward Horst (1882-1916), who never married, and Omer Horst (1887-1945). They are buried in Block 9 - part of the oldest section of the cemetery.

Charles & Odalie's oldest son Charles F. Horst (1880-1964) and his wife Eliza Dilworth (1885-1960) are buried nearby in Block 17. Buried with them are their daughter Grider Horst (1908-1995) and son Charles F. Horst, Jr.(1911-1994), along with his wife Kathryn Olsafski (1917-1999).

Final Resting Place of Harry & Pearl Flemming
Block 4, Elmwood Cemetery

Charles & Odalie Horst's oldest daughter Pearl Horst (1884-1961) and her husband Harry Flemming (1878-1955) - my great-grandparents - are buried under a tree in Block 4.

Five of Harry & Pearl's 8 children are buried together in Block 29 along with their spouses and other family members, including:

• daughter Pearl (1907-1986) and her husband William Barriger (1904-1979);
• daughter Susie (1909-1989) and husband Huber O'Donnell (1905-1964), my grandparents;
• son Harry (1913-1972) and his wife Fredericka Perry (1913-1967);
• son Jack (1918-2008) and his wife Georgia Rice (1918-2005);
• daughter Ann (1923-2012), her husband Aubrey Pilkerton (1925-1999), and their son Aubrey Pilkerton, Jr. (1949-1998);
• granddaughter Mary Ann Selman (1944-2001).

Block 44 is the final resting place for Frank Selman (1920-2012), husband of Harry & Pearl's last surviving daughter. Also buried here are their daughter and son-in-law Kathie (1951-2011) and Alan Holmes (1936-2009). [Daughter Mary Ann is buried in Block 29 - see above]

Headstone for Elizabeth "Lizzie" McCaffrey Flemming
Block 7, Elmwood Cemetery

Buried in Block 7 are the first Flemmings to settle in Birmingham, another set of my great-great-grandparents, Charles Flemming (1854-1932) and Elizabeth McCaffrey (1858-1922). Four of their eleven children are buried along side them including:

• daughter Imo Thompson (1886-1919);
• daughter Lottie McMurray (1891-1937);
• son Thomas (1896-1919);
• (son Harry is buried in Block 29 - see above; son James is buried in Block __ - see below; daughter Sarah is buried in Block 32 - see below)

Also buried close-by in Block 7 is a sister of Elizabeth McCaffrey Flemming. Agnes McCaffrey O'Brien (1879-1919), along with her husband Edward O'Brien (1867-1922)

Another child of Charles and Elizabeth Flemming, son James (1889-1932) is buried in Block 42. Buried beside him is his wife Elizabeth Cahalan (1891-1972). Also buried here are their children: daughter Elizabeth (1914-1982); son Charles (1915-1932); daughter Catherine (1911-1985) and her husband Fred Caver (1905-1975); and son Frank (1924-2003) and his wife Sally Sherrill (1928-2010);

Charles & Elizabeth Flemming's youngest daughter Sarah (1893-1963) and her husband James Thomas (1891-1954) are buried in Block 32. Buried along side them is their only child Delore (1917-1999), along with her husband James Roper (1914-1993).

Buried in Block 10 is Charlotte McCaffrey Morris (1875-1925). Lottie is another sister of my great-great-grandmother Elizabeth McCaffrey Flemming. Buried with her are her husband William Morris (1868-1955), their son William (1903-1924) and daughter Charlotte Rainey (1906-1996). Infant son Joseph (1904-1904) was buried in an unmarked grave in Block 4.

Buried in Block 24 are a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law of Huber & Susie Flemming O'Donnell. Celeste Rafalsky O'Donnell (1950-2008) is buried alongside her parents and brother. In the same block but at a different location is buried my father William A. Powell, Jr. (1929-2009).

Block 22 is the site of the burial place of Karl McCaffrey (1889-1950), nephew of Elizabeth McCaffrey Flemming, and his wife Tennie Williams (1899-1978).

Integrating Elmwood: "Terry vs. Elmwood Cemetery"

 Elmwood Cemetery, a whites-only cemetery since its beginning, has been open to all races due to a lawsuit filed in federal district court in 1969 - "Terry vs. Elmwood Cemetery". On July 3, 1969, a soldier named Bill Terry, Jr. was killed in Vietnam, dying from a fragment wound to his chest, sustained in combat near Xuan Loc. Because of his honorable Army record he was given the traditional military escort back to his home in Birmingham, where his body was taken to Elmwood Cemetery to begin the internment process. When Terry's widow and mother attempted to buy a burial plot for his remain, they were refused by the cemetery manager. The reason? Bill Terry was black. Since other funeral arrangements were already in place, his widow and mother purchased a plot at the traditionally black cemetery of Shadow Lawn Memorial Park.

About this time, another African-American - Belvin Stout - was denied purchase of a burial plot at Elmwood and joined Terry's widow and mother in filing suit in federal district court against the cemetery. In making their decision for the plaintiffs the court struck down all of the cemetery's rules and regulations regarding discrimination based on race. Following the ruling, along with local and national support, Bill Terry's body was exhumed and reburied at Elmwood Cemetery on January 3, 1970. Twelve hundred marchers followed his body from Our Lady of Fatima Church to the cemetery. His remains now rests at Elmwood - just as he asked his family to do in case anything happened to him, just before leaving for Vietnam. [from" Integrating the City of the Dead: The Integration of Cemeteries and the Evolution of Property Law, 1900-1969",  Alabama Law Review, May 23, 2005, pages 1153-1166]

SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - 'Le Petit Versailles', St. James Parish, Louisiana (Part I)

Francois Gabriel Valcour Aime
(1797-1867)

Francois Gabriel Aime (1797-1867) is my 2nd cousin, 5x-removed. His mother was Marie Felicite Julie Fortier (1778-1806), 1st cousin to my 4x-great-grandfather Jacques Omer Fortier (1792-1823). Born into wealth, orphaned by age of 9, Valcour, as he was called, married Josephine Roman (1797-1856) in 1819. They were both born into wealth from distinguished Louisiana families. Together they raised five children: daughters Edwige (1819-1867), Josephine (1821-1894), Felicite Emma (1823-1905), Felicie (1825-1859), and only son Gabriel (1828-1854). Valcour built the most magnificent home on his over 2,030 acre plantation. Le Petit Versailles, named for France's Versailles Palace, had its own zoo, man made lake and river, its own train and even its own cannon. Read Part I of this excerpt from Lost Plantations of the South, by Marc R. Matrana, 2009.

"Le Petit Versailles was the home of one of Louisiana's most famous planters, Valcour Aime, whose legendary success and excesses are still widely recounted to this day. His unusual mansion at Le Petit Versailles Plantation was the crown of his plantation empire, which included many properties. And the flagship estate's gardens were among the most elaborate ever conceived in the South. The plantation mansion burned in the twentieth century, leaving but a memory of a man and a plantation that truly defined Louisiana's "Golden Age.""

In St. James Parish "Aime owned the plantation that would come to be known as Oak Alley, perhaps the most recognizable and photographed plantation in the South today. He transferred this estate to his brother-in-law, Jacques Telesphore Roman, and took possession of the old Roman family estate. This Roman plantation measured thirty arpents along the Mississippi River and extended eighty arpents back. Aime filled its fields with sugarcane and began turning an annual profit between twelve thousand and twenty-three thousand dollars."

[NOTE: When Louisiana was under Spanish rule a ruling of 1770 allowed land grants 6-8 arpents wide and 40 arpents deep.  1 arpent = 192 feet. The Roman plantation (soon to be Aime's) was 30 arpents wide by 80 wide. This means his land measured 5,760 feet wide by 15,360 feet deep.]

"By the 1830s, Aime's family had grown, consisting of five children: four daughters and one son named Gabriel. By this time, the family needed more space. The Romans' old French Colonial house where the Aime family lived was integrated into the new mansion. The new house was built in the shape of a U with a large central courtyard facing the rear. Massive columns surrounded the plantation house and also lined the courtyard, creating a very remarkable rear facade. Twin staircases on either side of the courtyard framed the rows of columns within.

In its finished version, the mansion boasted sixteen rooms, including a grand banquet hall and private children's dining room on the first floor, as well as private parlors, bedrooms, and a library on the second floor. The large central hall contained a solid marble staircase and marble floors. Also, marble of various colors was found throughout the house in mantels, wainscotting, and in the rear courtyard floor.

Louisiana Historical Marker
Hwy 18 - St. James Parish
N 30° 00.400 W 090° 45.333

Outside the structure, Aime created what was arguably one of the finest flower gardens in the nation. The gardens were designed on a twenty-acre plot as an English park, although the landscapers were actually Parisians. It has been suggested that Aime was inspired by Josephine Bonaparte's English gardens at Malmaison, and it is said that over 120 slaves were employed in the creation of the botanical wonder at Petit Versailles. A large artificial lake filled with exotic fish was built and a stream known as La Riviere was supplied with pumped water from the nearby Mississippi River. Roman bridges spanned the rivulet at various intervals. A large hill was constructed with a grotto below, and on top a crowning Chinese pagoda contained stained-glass windows and chiming bells. A small fort, complete with a cannon, was constructed and came to be known as St. Helene, in honor the island where Napoleon was exiled. And artificial ruins, some detailed with oyster shells and marble statuary, added a decorative flair to the gardens. Large hothouses were filled with much tropical vegetation, while outside, the landscape artists planted fruit trees, shrubbery, and other plants from as far away as India, China, Korea, Madagascar, Siam, and other distinct locations. A small zoo was installed, complete with exotic animals, including many species of songbirds, peacocks, and even kangaroos. In addition, the plantation's internal railroad ran through the gardens to ferry guests around the estate.


by Eliza Ripley
pub. 1912

When the gardens were finished, one of the landscapers, Joseph Muller, who studied at the famed Jardin des Plantes, remained on the plantation to oversee the landscaping. It is said that he had a crew of thirty slaves who worked exclusively in the park. Eliza Ripley visited Petit Versailles and was escorted on a tour by one of Aime's daughters. Ripley wrote of this experience in her book, Social Life in Old New Orleans:

 ' Felicie and I, with a whole escort of followers, explored the spacious grounds, considered the finest in Louisiana. There was a miniature river, meandering in and out and around the beautifully kept parterres, the tiny banks of which were an unbroken mass of blooming violets. A long-legged man might have been able to step across this tiny stream, but it was spanned at intervals by bridges of various designs, some rustic, some stone, but all furnished with parpets, so one would not tumble in and drown, as a little Roman remarked . . . . There were summer houses draped with strange, foreign-looking vines; a pagoda on a mound, the entrance of which was reached by a flight of steps. It was an octagonal building, with stained-glass windows, and it struck my inexperienced eye as a very wonderful and surprising bit of architecture. Further on was --a mountain! covered from base to top with beds of blooming violets. A narrow, winding path led to the summit, from which a comprehensive view was obtained of the extensive grounds, bounded by a series of conservatories. It was enchanting. There I saw for the first time the magnolia frascati, at that date a real rarity.'" (pages 180-182)

END OF PART 1 - Le Petit Versailles 

[Read more about this unbelievable plantation next Saturday]

SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - Donegal Castle, County Donegal, Ireland

Newly Restored Donegal Castle

Donegal Castle, built by the elder Sir Hugh O'Donnell in 1474 (that's 538 years ago!), is located in the centre of Donegal town, County Donegal, Ireland, in the northwest of the country. It was built on a bend in the River Eske. It is 35x55 feet in size, with walls eight feet thick. At the time it was built the castle was regarded as one of the greatest Celtic castles in all of Ireland. This was noted after a visit by the visiting English Viceroy, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney in 1566, in a letter he sent to William Cecil, the Lord High Treasurer, describing it as "the largest and strongest fortress in all Ireland." He added, "it is the greatest I ever saw in an Irishman's hands; one of the fairest situated in good soil and so nigh a portable water boat of ten tonnes could come within ten yards of it."

Model of 1590 Donegal Castle
Home of O'Donnell Clan
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

In 1592 the King of Tyrconnell abdicated in favor of his eldest son by his second wife, Ineen Dubh; Red Hugh O'Donnell, at the age of just 19 years old, became the head of the O'Donnell clan and the leader of Tyrconnell (now Donegal). England had taken over Ireland, against the will of its inhabitants. O'Donnell, along with Hugh O'Neil (head of the O'Neil dynasty, regarded at the time by many as King of Ireland) and other clan leaders, revolted in 1594 against the English in an attempt to drive them out of Ireland. This revolt against English occupation was known as the Nine Years War.

O'Donnell and O'Neil led several successful battles, defeating the English armies, but this was short lived. After the defection of his brother-in-law to the English side, in return for their backing his own claim to the O'Donnell chieftainship, Red Hugh - "the O'Donnell", as he was known - knew that their only chance to expel England from their country was with the aid of a Spanish invasion. It was during this time that the O'Donnell clan was forced to abandon their stronghold. Before leaving their castle they did their best to destroy it, setting fire to it, thus making it unusable to the English.

O'Donnell and O'Neil were defeated at the Battle of Kinsale, even with assistance of Spanish general del Aguila. At this point O'Donnell left for Spain, to build additional resources for the cause of Irish independence. Other Irish chieftains were also arriving in Spain at this time. O'Donnell was making plans for his return to Ireland but after a year of not hearing from Phillip III, who had promised his support, Red Hugh traveled to Valladolid, the capitol of the Kingdom of Spain, to meet with the king but died en route. He was buried at Simancas Castle in 1602.

Model of 1620 Donegal Castle
Home of Basil Brooke
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

After the Irish defeat by England, the castle and the land was granted to Sir Basil Brooke, an English Captain. Brooke repaired the tower, replacing the original slit windows with three- and four-mullioned windows to match those of the new three-story gabled manor house which he erected next to the tower. The tower roof was gabled and a huge bay window replaced the original entrance to the tower. Both Sir Basil and his son Sir Henry served as Governors of County Donegal. Henry sided with the Parliamentarians during the Civil War, losing Donegal Castle to Clanrickarde in a surprise attack. Sir Henry recaptured his castle just three days later, and his son Basil successfully defended the castle against the Jacobite forces under Sarsfield. The Brooke family owned the castle for many generations, but by the 18th century it had fallen into ruins. In 1898 the owner donated the castle to the Office of Public Works.

Donegal Castle in Ruins, ca. 1900

The following reference from Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland, published in 1900, gives a description of DONEGAL CASTLE after over a century of neglect.--

"The town of Donegal is beautifully situated on a bay of the same name, and does a thriving trade. To the tourist, the great object of attraction is its splendid old castle, the ancient seat of the O'Donnells, lords of Tirconnell. The ruin, compared with others in the island, is in a tolerably good state of preservation, and from what remains it must have been a noble mansion, and worthy of the rank of these once powerful chieftains. Two magnificent sculptured chimneypieces, in the style of James I., still remain in a very perfect state. The grand hall on the ground floor, is arched, from which several smaller apartments open; and upstairs the grand banqueting hall was lit by several Gothic windows, which look out upon the bay; and at one end are the remains of a great bay window the entire height of the chamber, which bespeaks its ancient magnificence. This ruin derives a melancholy interest from the affecting history of the life and adventures of Red Hugh, the last of the powerful line of the princes of Tirconnell and lords of Donegal."

Donegal Castle remained in ruins for over two centuries. Very recently the original 15th century castle keep, built by the elder Hugh O'Donnell, was renovated by the OPW. It is now open to the public and daily guided tours are available on the hour.

Inside the Great Hall
Renovated Donegal Castle
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

This poem, written by James Clarence Mangan (1803-1849) expresses both the great loss and the great passion people felt for this symbol of strength of Ireland, of Donegal, and for the O'Donnell clan.



Interior of Wing Addition
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]



The Ruins of Donegal Castle



O MOURNFUL, O forsaken pile,

What desolation dost thou dree!

How tarnished is the beauty that was thine erewhile, 

Thou mansion of chaste melody!

 

Demolished lie thy towers and halls;

A dark, unsightly, earthen mound

Defaces the pure whiteness of thy shining walls,

And solitude doth gird thee round.

Fair fort! thine hour has come at length,

Thine older glory has gone by.

Lo! far beyond thy noble battlements of strength,

Thy corner-stones all scattered lie!

Where now, O rival of the gold

Emania, be thy wine-cups all?   

Alas! for these thou now hast nothing but the cold, 

Cold stream that from the heavens doth fall!

Thy clay-choked gateways none can trace, 

Thou fortress of the once bright doors!

The limestones of thy summit now bestrew thy base,

Bestrew the outside of thy floors.



Exterior of Wing Addition
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]



Above thy shattered window-sills

The music that to-day breaks forth

Is but the music of the wild winds from the hills,

The wild winds of the stormy North!

What spell o’ercame thee, mighty fort,

What fatal fit of slumber strange,

O palace of the wine! O many-gated court!

That thou shouldst undergo this change?

Fireplace with Brooke Crest
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

Thou wert, O bright-walled, beaming one,

Thou cradle of high deeds and bold,

The Tara of Assemblies to the sons of Con, 

Clan-Connell’s Council-hall of old!





Thou wert a new Emania, thou!

A northern Cruachan in thy might,— 

A dome like that which stands by Boyne’s broad water now, 

Thou Erin’s Rome of all delight!   

In thee were Ulster’s tributes stored, 

And lavished like the flowers in May;

And into thee were Connaught’s thousand treasures poured,

Deserted though thou art to-day!  

                                                                                                                

How often from thy turrets high,

Thy purple turrets, have we seen 

Long lines of glittering ships, when summer-time drew nigh,

With masts and sails of snow-white sheen!

How often seen, when gazing round

From thy tall towers, the hunting trains  

The blood-enlivening chase, the horseman and the hound, 

Thou fastness of a hundred plains!

Entry Gate to Donegal Castle
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

How often to thy banquets bright

We have seen the strong-armed Gaels repair,

And when the feast was over, once again unite

For battle, in thy bass-court fair!

                                                                                                                      

Alas for thee, thou fort forlorn!

Alas for thy low, lost estate!

It is my woe of woes, this melancholy morn,

To see thee left thus desolate!