Eufaula

Eufaula, Alabama is a delightful small town of some 13,137 people.  The town’s name is derived from a tribe of the Creek Confederacy that originally lived in the area.  The Chattahoochee River, which separates Alabama and Georgia, has been dammed to form Lake Eufaula (also known as Lake George or, more precisely, the Walter F. George Reservoir) and is the self-proclaimed “Bass Capital of the World.”  The Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1964 in cooperation with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.  It encompasses both banks of the Chattahoochee River in southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia and offers a variety of wetland and upland habitats for diverse fauna. 

Eufaula’s other claim to fame is its plethora of antebellum homes.  It has the state’s second-largest historic district. The town has over 700 structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Of course, renovating these houses so they look like the ones pictured
above requires a great deal of work, time, patience and money.

Close-up of the house being renovated shows a lot
of detail work to be done

The Creek Indian tribes of the Muscogee Nation had long made the banks along the Chattahoochee River their home.  Major General William Irwin, a hero of the war of 1812, commanded the State militia in the area during the “Creek troubles” of 1836-37.  He promoted the area and his influence helped bring the first steamboat wharf to Eufaula.  The town was originally named Irwinton in honor of the General; the name was changed to Eufaula in 1843.  Ironically, General Irwin died in 1849 when he jumped from the deck of a burning steamboat on the Chattahoochee River and drowned while trying to swim to shore.  With the opening of the Federal Road, white settlers arrived in the area in droves.  By 1834 the city’s downtown area was developed.  The many impressive antebellum homes attest to the wealth and culture in the area.

First Baptist Church of Eufaula

The lovely city barely escaped the ravages of the Civil War.  On April 29, 1865, 4,000 Union Cavalry were approaching the city.  The Mayor, Dr. C. J. Pope, and several prominent citizens rode out to tell General Grierson that Confederate General Joseph Johnston had surrendered to Sherman.  Robert E. Lee had already surrendered at Appomattox.  The Civil War was over.  The city was spared.

One of several wrought iron staircases and porches in Eufaula
give the city somewhat of a feel of New Orleans



Downtown Eufaula



A lot of scroll work and iron work, more indication of French influence

Flowers adorn the town

There is a lot of pine logging in southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia,
and scores of large trucks like this one travel US 431 each day, one of the
reasons there is a push to up-grade the highway to four lanes.

Storefronts in Eufaula







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“In 1965 the Eufaula Heritage Association was formed to prevent the loss and destruction of the town’s historic treasures. (Eufaula Heritage Association Driving and Walking Tour Booklet)

The Association purchased the Shorter Mansion at auction, and made it the headquarters for both the Association and the now-famous Eufaula Pilgrimage held each spring.  While we were visiting the town (late May, 2014) it was obvious that the newest threat to the historic district was a plan to upgrade the ½ mile stretch of  US Highway 431 where it runs through the Eufaula historic district.  It is currently a beautiful boulevard with one lane in each direction and a tree-lined median with majestic oaks.  Signs throughout the area implored “Save North Eufaula Avenue - NO 4-Lane Highway”.  What a tragic loss it would be for the historic district and future generations would lose an irreplaceable insight into a bygone era.

The Shorter Mansion is open for tours and houses a small museum on the second floor

 

The Shorter Mansion was actually built as a more humble home in 1884.  It was
extensively renovated between 1901 and 1906 in the Greek Revival style.

Front porch of the Shorter Mansion

Dining room

Bedroom

Front hallway and stairs to the second floor

Wedding dresses worn by 4 generations of the same family over a period
of 70 years, for weddings in 1899, 1921, 1942, and 1969

Christening gowns from the mid-nineteenth century.  One of these was made
for George Archer Ferrell in 1892 and was actually worn later by his
grandchildren and great-grandchildren at their christenings.

Women's petticoats and slips through the years

Uniform of Admiral Thomas H. Moore.  Born in Mt. Willing, AL in 1912 but
 raised in Eufaula, Adm. Moore was a Naval aviator, Chief of Naval Operations
(1967-1970) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1970-1974).  He died in 2004

Signs like this are visible throughout the Eufaula historic district, rallying
against a proposal to up-grade the two-lane parkway to a four-lane highway.

Whether you are lured to Lake Eufaula for trophy bass or delight in the picturesque beauty of the antebellum architecture you are sure to enjoy Eufaula.

We stopped at Joe Pies for coffee, and had fresh beignets, almost as
good as those served at Café du Monde in New Orleans 

That Swiss Army knife that the TSA confiscated from you at the airport?
It's for sale at this antique store in Eufaula.  The owner bought hundreds of
knives, swords, and scissors at a TSA auction of confiscated property

 

The clerk at Superior Pecans stayed open long after closing time for us.  We had a nice visit
with her, bought a LOT of pecans, and ended up as her "customers of the day" on Facebook.
Visit them at www.superiorpecans.com 

This machine sorts and grades pecans by size, and bags them for shipment.
Sacks are weighed on the old platform scale in the left side of the picture.

For more information about the annual Eufaula pilgrimage, go to www.eufaulapilgrimage.com

“Yeah, way down yonder on the Chattahochee...” ¹ we discovered more Road Stories.

 

¹  Lyrics from “Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson