Weather: low 56 degrees, high 74 degrees, cloudy skies, heavy showers in the afternoon
I went for my morning walk with a light jacket, but it warmed up so much I took it off. The humidity was high, caused more by fog than anything else. By the time I got back home and ate breakfast, the fog was about gone. The next few days are forecast to give us a lot of rainy weather, so we decided to get out and see some new country before the rain got here.
We had never been to Marion, a small town about 50 miles south, so we decided to go there. Marion is another of those little towns that you have to be wanting to go there to find it. The route down there was over mostly county roads. The area was lightly populated, and many houses had been abandoned. When we finally arrived in Marion, we were surprised at the number of old antebellum homes that are still being lived in. We saw houses that dated back to the 1830s, and we think the reason so many of them are still around is that the Union army couldn't find the area during the Civil War.
Once we got into the town, we found a nice old courthouse, along with a town that seems to be frozen in time. Here's a few pictures we took.
Marion was named Muckle Ridge when it was first settled. Later on, the name was changed to honor Francis Marion, a hero of the Revolutionary War. The town is the home of Marion Military Institute, which has produced many military, political, and business leaders. Also located here is Judson College, and it was the original home of the Lincoln School, a college for African-Americans before integration took place. The number of colleges gained the town the nickname of The College City. The first Confederate flag and the Confederate uniform was designed by a teacher in the area. The Alabama Women's Hall of Fame is located at Judson College.
Visiting the area was worthwhile to us. Obviously, there has been change over the years, but there is still plenty of evidence of what life may have been 150 years ago.
About 1700 hours, we had some heavy thunderstorms pass through the area. That's probably a taste of what we will be seeing the next few days.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - Marion, Alabama: The College City
Not all who wander are lost.
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