The people of Alabama's Black Belt of the 1800s are of course all gone, but some of their descendants are still here, as are, thankfully, a number of their elegant homes.
Those families graciously welcome you to tour their homes on Saturday, March 23, in two Wilcox County neighboring towns, Camden and Oak Hill.
That's seven homes, two churches and several other historic structures.
The tour runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tickets are available here.
The four homes featured in Oak Hill are:
The Fox-Jones-Mitchell home, c. 1845,
Twelve Oaks – the Kennedy-Griffin home, c. 1920,
The Dale-Kennedy-Neumann home, c. 1847, and
The Jones-McWilliams home, c. late 1840s.
Churches and other buildings on tour in the Oak Hill area are:
the Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, c. 1895,
Bear Creek Baptist Church, c. 1880,
the Dale Brothers Store – Brittany House Antiques, c. 1870, as well as
the Oak Hill School, c. 1926. Featured at the school will be a quilt display from local resident Betty Gaines Kennedy.
The homes featured in Camden are:
RiverBend – the Bell-Moore-Jones home, c. 1840,
the Bagby-Liddell-Burford home, c. 1847 and
the Jones-McIntosh-Hicks home, c. 1860.
Registration Friday night, March 22, will be in downtown Camden at the preserved Wilcox Female Institute, 301 Broad Street. Saturday morning registration will be at The Brittany House Antiques in Oak Hill, 5931 AL Highway 21 where all ticket-holders will be provided a complimentary breakfast beginning at 8:30.
Friday night there is a Southern-style Welcome Reception with entertainment requiring an additional VIP ticket. For VIP guests, the weekend starts with the Welcome Reception Friday Night, March 22, 2024, at 6:30 pm, on the grounds of Historic RiverBend Plantation in Camden.
This reception will feature keynote speakers, musical guests, the Tommy Ward Band, wine and hor d’oeuvres. You can explore the idyllic beauty of RiverBend Plantation and grounds during the cocktail hour before the guest speakers. Tickets are limited. Dress is cocktail attire.
Information on places to stay and dine during the tour is at here.
There are 15 sites in Wilcox County listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The annual tour is organized by the Wilcox Historical Society, formed in 1967. Its initial goal was to restore the Wilcox Female Institute. The mission has broadly expanded to preserve the history of the region.
An impressive number of distinguished Alabama leaders are from Wilcox County, including:
Current Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey
Current President of the University of South Alabama and former Congress member Jo Bonner
Former U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions.
Former President of the University of Alabama, Dr. Judy Bonner
Legislative leader, State Sen. Roland Cooper, “The Wily Fox from Wilcox.”
CPA and business leader James Edwin “Jim’ Tait.
Outdoorsman Ronny Simpkins
The Gee’s Bend Freedom Quilting Bee, who deserve their own entire story.
Jim Zeigler is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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