Sunday 9/17/2023 – The Circle Continues

We departed Gunter Hill for our drive to Goat Island Brewing for our overnight stop. We took US 31 to US 80 to US 231. We stayed on US 231. The first big town we came to after we skirted on the south side of Montgomery was Wetumpka. It is located in what is called Alabama's River Region. Wetumpka is a quaint, small town with a big history. In 1834, the city of Wetumpka was incorporated, eventually becoming the seat of Elmore County. But long before its official incorporation, Wetumpka played host to a range of significant events.

What many don’t realize is the hills not only indicate the end of the Appalachian foothills, but some are actually the outline of “Alabama’s greatest natural disaster!” Roughly 80 million years ago, when most of the area was covered by the edge of an ocean, marine reptiles inhabited the water and dinosaurs lived on land nearby, a crater was created by a meteor blasting deep into bedrock under a shallow sea. The hills east of downtown are the eroded remains of the rim of the Wetumpka Impact Crater, almost five miles wide! It is one of only 200 world-recognized impact craters. This unique feature lends to the city’s nickname as the “city of natural beauty.”

From war heroes to movie backdrops, Wetumpka has also served as the staging place for many famous events, including conflicts during the French and Indian War, as well as the Creek War phase of the War of 1812. Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson stands as evidence of this today and hosts many events, including some of the largest living history events in the state. And while truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, cult classics like “Big Fish” and “The Grass Harp” were all filmed in this picturesque city.

Home Town Take Over is an HGTV series with Ben and Erin Napier. HGTV received more than 5,000 submissions, representing 2,600 towns from around the country. They selected Wetumpka because, despite hardships, natural disasters and unexpected setbacks, the community’s undying spirit and resilience showed that they were ready to kickstart a comeback with HGTV’s help. HGTV showcased 12 major renovations all over Wetumpka, including restaurants, shops, historic homes, public spaces, a new farmers’ market—and even an entire downtown street—with the goal that the impact will ripple through the community for generations to come. According to all I read, it certainly has!

Located on Hatchet Creek, Rockford was known originally as Lexington, but the name was changed to Rockford in 1835. An effort was made to move the seat, but Rockford retained its status, being selected over Nixburg and Wetumpka in May 1840. In 1906, the courthouse was renovated and has since been restored since then. Later in the twentieth century, the textile industry became a major employer for residents, particularly Avondale Mills. Avondale established a plant in Rockford and plants in Sylacauga to the north and Alexander City to the east. The Rockford plant closed in January 2008, and Avondale went out of business shortly thereafter. Since 2008, Rockford has heavily depended on their abundance of natural resources calling to outdoor adventure seekers and tourists to keep the town alive.

On US 231, there is a “milk carton” between Rockford and Sylacauga. It was once the site of Dark’s Dairy, opened around 1946 by Lillian and Ruben Dark. The dairy operated until the 1980s. After that, the block structure fell into disrepair. But now, the block structure has been restored. It’s great to see communities pull together to save and restore unique landmarks. I love seeing gems like this on our two lane adventures!

Long known as "The Marble City", Sylacauga sits above a solid deposit of the finest marble in the world. Some of the most beautiful buildings in the country have been constructed and/or ornamented with Sylacauga marble. If you’ve ever visited the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and stared up at the marble ceiling, you’ve seen a piece of Alabama history. The ceiling is made of white marble mined in Sylacauga.

In addition to lending its natural treasure to some of the nation’s most notable buildings, Sylacauga also holds the title for having the longest deposit of marble in the world. The bed of stone runs 32 miles long, a mile and a half wide, and more than 600 feet deep. The marble found in this quarry is especially desirable for two key characteristics: its purity and its durability. When paired together, these distinct qualities make Alabama marble some of the most desired in the world for large-scale buildings and monuments, as well as homes and sculptures. In 1969, marble was named Alabama’s state rock.

What is now Sylacauga was first mentioned in Hernando de Soto's records in 1540, yet the first settlers in the Coosa River Valley were the Creek Indians. The village of Chalakagay was built by Shawnee Indians in 1748, and the name Sylacauga is a derivative of the Indian words Chalakage, which mean "The Place of the Chalaka Tribe". Established in 1834, the city was first incorporated in 1838 as Syllacoga and again in 1887 as Sylacauga.

Our next town was Childersburg, it’s claim to fame is it is the Oldest Continually Occupied City in America, dating to 1540. The city’s beginnings date back to Coosa, a village of the Coosa Indian Nation that was in the area. Childersburg is billed as the oldest settlement in the nation, predating even St. Augustine, FL. That's because the area was visited, and its location recorded in 1540 when explorer Hernando De Soto made a rest stop during an early expedition. At the time, the area was a village settled by Coosa Indians.

The area that became Blountsville was settled as early as 1816. Initially called Bear Meat Cabin after the home of a Creek Indian, the town became a popular stopover for the many settlers streaming into Alabama after the Creek War of 1813-14. In December 1820, Blountsville became the county seat of newly created Blount County, a distinction it held until 1889, when the county seat was moved to Oneonta. By 1860, some five major roads ran through the town. The first school in the county, Blountsville Academy, was built in the town sometime before the Civil War. It was replaced by Blount College in 1890.

In Blountsville, we started to head west on AL 47, AL 51 and AL 91. Which brought us back onto US 31. Yes, the same route we had started the day on south of Montgomery! Our final destination for today is in Cullman Alabama. Cullman was founded by Col. Johann Gottfried Cullmann, a German refugee from Bavaria. He came to America in 1866. While working at a bookstore in Cincinnati, Ohio, he began formulating ideas of a special colony of working people. Specifically, a place for immigrants from countries such as his native Germany. He read about the vast unsettled lands in the South, and bought passage on a boat to Florence, Alabama. There he met with Governor Patton and presented his idea. The Governor furnished men and horses for him to explore available lands in North Alabama.

He finally met with Lewis Fink, the land agent for the great South-North Railroad, which had just built a line through the wilderness from Decatur to Montgomery. He contracted with the railroad for 349,000 acres with the stipulation that Col. Cullmann would pay for all advertising of the land and other expenses incurred in bringing the desired immigrants to the area. Col. Cullmann found the area to be perfect for his dream colony. Cullmann then went back north and began to advertise for colonists. In April of 1873, the first five families came by train to the spot where Cullman now stands. Each was allotted a plot of ground. The colony quickly grew, with American citizens and German immigrants moving to the area. In the middle of 1874, an election was held to incorporate the town. With thirty votes cast, there were twenty-three for incorporation and seven against. It was also decided that the town would be called “Cullman” after its founder, but with only one “n.” For the next twenty years, Col. Cullmann was instrumental in the growth of Cullman and Cullman County. He would bring in groups of settlers, sell them land, and then use that money to send back to Germany for more settlers. Between 1871 and 1895, Col. Cullmann brought more than 100,000 immigrants to the South from Europe and other parts of the United States.

April 25-28, 2011, saw a super outbreak of approximately 350 tornadoes produced by a single long–term event of related systems from Texas to Virginia. Of those storms, 199 occurred in one 24-hour period on April 27, which included 62 in Alabama. Between 5:48 a.m. and 7:13 p.m. on April 27, 2011, Cullman County was struck by four tornadoes ranging from a tiny EF-0 to two massive EF-4 storms. It was this day that Cullman, Alabama was turned upside down by a tornado. 

While devastation hit hard, something was brewing in the midst of destruction. Actions related to the rebuilding after the storm set in motion a series of fortunate events. An old high school friendship was rekindled and the passion for making good beer was sparked. Their two brew masters had a solid reputation of home brewing, designing new beers, and perfecting the American and German classics. When the two began to collaborate and brew together, magic happened, and synergy took their beer recipes to a new level. They like to call it a true “brewmance.” 

Behind the scenes stood the rest of the "brew crew." The full crew includes a rocket scientist, a geologist, an insurance agent, and a cop. What started out as a dream has become a reality. New beer has been created, dreams were fueled, and the birth of something this town had not seen since the 1800s: a brewery. 

Goat Island Brewing was established in early 2015 on a foundation of friendship and a firm belief that it is never too late to go after your dream. I love their references to “old goats” and their slogan of “Life is too short to drink baaad beer!”

Their annual Oktoberfest is next weekend, but preparations have already begun!

We are spending the night at their infamous Goat Island Brewing, a Harvest Host site. We love to stay at Harvest Host locations, because you get to interact with the business owners and enjoy some great hospitality!

We did enjoy some great beers and Mary had wine. Since they don’t serve food, we ordered in from Marco’s. Pizza for Gerry & Charlie and salad for Mary and me. We also played some Singo. We had fun, but we certainly need to learn more music if we ever hope to win!

Our sites for the night were nothing fancy, but they were quiet, safe and secure!

See you tomorrow as our #TwoLaneAdventure continues!