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by Doug Gelbert (Author)
Looking for a history lesson that doesn't feel like homework? You've found it. At 250history.com, the Semiquincentennial Series brings each state's distinctive landmarks to center stage to tell their fast and fun story.
We've wandered through big cities, tiny towns, muddy trails, and neon-lit highways-uncovering 5,000 historic gems along the way.
The Semiquincentennial isn't just a mouthful-it's a reminder that history is alive, sometimes weird, and always waiting to be rediscovered.
Whether you're traveling by road, by printed page, or by imagination; whether you are a lifelong native or visiting for a week, we invite you to explore 100 Alabama landmarks that illuminate the one-of-a-kind story of the Yellowhammer State.
Mardi Gras... Drifting Cowboys... Red Sticks... Red Tails... "taking the waters"... iron fronts... "pasture pool"... "Heaviest Corner on Earth"... Kit houses, Lustron houses, Usonian houses... company towns... the CCC... Grotto Movement... Meskers... the golden age of motoring... iron horses... Pauly jails... post office murals... restrictor plates... peaches... beehive ovens... "crown jewel of Southern baseball"... Operation Paperclip... "Grant's Pass"... kissing bridges... "Farmer's College on Wheels"... theaters of nature... This book will have you telling stories like a native in no time.
The photos and stories collected here are a fast and fun way to learn the explanations behind the quirks, the traditions and the secrets that make Alabama uniquely Alabama. Why did the citizens of Enterprise erect a statue os South American insect? Solved. Why were Alabamians Hank Aaron and Willie Mays not teammates in the major leagues? A mystery no more. What was the first American coin to feature braille text? Identified. Who was the first college football coach to man the sidelines in a stadium named for him? Revealed. Why did the Mississippian culture disappear? No one knows.
It is a story only Alabama can call its own. A story told in 100 landmarks. Almost all the selections within are open to the public, or at least visible from public spaces. So, fire up the GPS and see the story of the Yellowhammer State standing in plain sight on Alabama streets!
