'Southerners should recall the pages of their past'

George Buster Singleton

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Southerners should recall the pages of their past” was originally published in the Oct. 15, 1992 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

Have you ever given any thought to how lucky we are to have grown up in Dixie?

In looking at the world situation and the unrest and hatred that abounds in our civilization and in other parts of the country and world, I realize that those of us who live in the South are really blessed.

When I look back and see the hard times that we survived, it only adds to the fact that I know for sure that we can always carry on, come what may. As I travel around the countryside and talk to many of the elderly people who grew up in the South, I always hear stories of hard times. These stories most always have humorous endings – bringing laughter and merriment. Never do I hear any regrets or wishes that things had been different. Many of the fondest memories that are relayed to me are about when times were the hardest.

As I travel through the countryside this time of year and see the snow-white fields of opened cotton, the memory of the long cotton rows and the heavy cotton sack comes to mind. But as I let my thoughts wander a bit farther back in time, there is always a favorite story of good times and happy togetherness there among the sweat and hard work.

The memory of some special person, whether they were a vagabond or someone down on their luck, appears. These less fortunate were always treated with respect. Never was anyone turned away from the kitchen doors of the country homes without being fed and taken care of.

Travel, if you will, in any direction in our county; stop and talk to any of the country people, and always you will find kindness and respect. If you talk long enough, sooner or later, one or two stories will be told about the hard times, that mean old Depression. But always without fail, before the conversation is over, a good event or time of merriment will surface.

And those of use who like to slip away for a few hours of thought and relaxation can still find that special place to be alone where time stands still; a place where thoughts return to a special moment in the pages of yesterday. Even in the hustle and hurry of our society, a special place still awaits where you can raise your arms to the heavens and talk to God, man to man. And, as you stand and look across the high hills and the deep valleys and watch the setting sun disappear from the horizon, you know for sure that something awaits those who seek it.

Truly, we are lucky to live in the South; a place where friends of all races gather together and dwell in harmony and peace; a place where all can join together and return to the past for a time of fun and joy and friendship and to re-live old memories. A friend is there in time of need, regardless of background or race or creed.

Here is an excerpt from a speech made by Gov. Taylor to a group of ex-Confederate soldiers on June 24, 1897. This covers in part many of the thoughts that dwell in the hearts of those who still remember the pages of our past:

“I love to live in the land of Dixie, under the soft Southern skies, where summer pours out her flood of sunshine and showers, and the generous earth smiles with plenty. I love to live on Southern soil, where the cotton fields wave their white banners of peace and the wheat fields wave back their banners of gold from the hills and valleys which were once drenched with the blood of heroes.

“I love to live where the mockingbirds flutter and sign in the shadowy coves and bright waters ripple in an eternal melody by the graves where our heroes are buried. I love to breathe the Southern air that comes filtered through jungles of roses whispering the story of southern deeds of bravery.

“I love to drink from Southern springs and Southern babbling brooks, which cooled the lips of Lee and Jackson and Forrest and Stewart, and the worn and weary columns of brave men who wore the gray. I love to live among Southern men and women where every heart is as warm as the Southern sunshine and every home is a temple of love and liberty.

“I love to listen to the sweet old Southern melodies, which touch the soul and melt the heart and awaken to life ten thousand memories of that happy long ago. But, the music that thrills me most are the melodies and marches and songs of heartbreak and happiness that died away on the lips of many a Confederate soldier as he sank into the sleep that knows no awakening.”

As I have written many times before, we should study this period of the tragic time in our history. We should learn and understand the feelings of the times when our country was divided. A time when brother fought brother, and father fought son; a time in history when our house was divided. By better understanding this tragic period of our past, we would be much better prepared to face the many uncertain trials and tribulations that await us in the future.

From this time of our past, we can come to know the beauty and the folklore of our ancestors as they struggled and died for what they believed. By knowing and understanding the past, we can never again be led astray and taught to believe in the fairy world that we now live in.

Then, when all is said and done, the words “I’m glad that I live in Dixie” will take on a new meaning.

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from 1964 to 1987. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)