TreasureDigger
Active member
I know I've said this before, but I'm saying it again. I try to keep from getting started on stories because I can be rather long winded and they end up being too lengthy! And I don't post pictures very often because 1. I'm too lazy 2. I usually end up wanting to give 101 details about the pics and it turns into yet another lengthy story. I think that's one of the reasons students try to get into my classes... because they know we're gonna do some TALKING!! ;-)
There is a tunnel about 400 yards from my mother and daddy's house on one side of the mountain, and the other end of that tunnel is less than 1/2 mile from my house on the other side the mountain. I remember when I was growing up how I would lay in my bed and listen to the trains roll through at night. Spent a lot of time around the tracks and in and out of that old tunnel... even though my mother would always forbid me to be up there. Yes, I was strong willed and did just what I wanted to do but my mother didn't know that. ;-)
The tunnel was built in the late 1800's by former slaves and prisoners. Don't know if it's true or not, but the story is that several people lost their lives while building this thing and some of them were just thrown into the cement. True? I don't know. This is one of the longest tunnels in the state of Alabama. The first several feet overhead, on each end, is crude concrete and then the concrete ends and you can see how it is carved out of the mountain rock. When WWII broke out, the tunnel was shut down immediately until armed guards could be placed all around the tunnel, the tracks, and on top of the mountain. The trains running this line carried ammunition, metals, and other materials and items used for the war and was considered a possible target for sabotage. One of my uncles was a guard. The northeastern and central sections of Alabama were known for mining. This line hauled tons and tons of coal and iron ore for many, MANY, years. I have quite a few history stories about this tunnel and track; like the many times my daddy was caught in the tunnel when trains would come through and would have to get in one of the man holes in the walls, how just a little ways out of the tunnel was a shack where the train stopped to pick up passengers and the mail........ and many others. Several years ago, the trains stopped running and the tracks were taken up. There was a huge effort to turn this line into a Rails to Trails line, but the land owners fought it in court and won. The land went back to the land owners. I was soooooo disappointed.
A couple of weeks ago, when we had the bitter cold temps and lite dusting of snow, I walked over to the tunnel and took these pictures. I knew that anytime it turns really cold here, the mouth of the tunnel gets covered in ice - has done it all my life. Water constantly pours from the rocks and mountain, both inside and outside of the tunnel and will often freeze there when it isn't quite cold enough to freeze anywhere else. It is truly a beautiful site. The whooping icicles form all through the tunnel, not just on the outside. These are not "quality" pictures. It was too cold to piddle around so I just threw the camera up and snapped the pics. I take A LOT of outdoor/ nature pictures. I'll share some of them one day - when you've had time to recover from reading this book.
I have other tunnel pictures but could only upload 6.
Lisa
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There is a tunnel about 400 yards from my mother and daddy's house on one side of the mountain, and the other end of that tunnel is less than 1/2 mile from my house on the other side the mountain. I remember when I was growing up how I would lay in my bed and listen to the trains roll through at night. Spent a lot of time around the tracks and in and out of that old tunnel... even though my mother would always forbid me to be up there. Yes, I was strong willed and did just what I wanted to do but my mother didn't know that. ;-)
The tunnel was built in the late 1800's by former slaves and prisoners. Don't know if it's true or not, but the story is that several people lost their lives while building this thing and some of them were just thrown into the cement. True? I don't know. This is one of the longest tunnels in the state of Alabama. The first several feet overhead, on each end, is crude concrete and then the concrete ends and you can see how it is carved out of the mountain rock. When WWII broke out, the tunnel was shut down immediately until armed guards could be placed all around the tunnel, the tracks, and on top of the mountain. The trains running this line carried ammunition, metals, and other materials and items used for the war and was considered a possible target for sabotage. One of my uncles was a guard. The northeastern and central sections of Alabama were known for mining. This line hauled tons and tons of coal and iron ore for many, MANY, years. I have quite a few history stories about this tunnel and track; like the many times my daddy was caught in the tunnel when trains would come through and would have to get in one of the man holes in the walls, how just a little ways out of the tunnel was a shack where the train stopped to pick up passengers and the mail........ and many others. Several years ago, the trains stopped running and the tracks were taken up. There was a huge effort to turn this line into a Rails to Trails line, but the land owners fought it in court and won. The land went back to the land owners. I was soooooo disappointed.
A couple of weeks ago, when we had the bitter cold temps and lite dusting of snow, I walked over to the tunnel and took these pictures. I knew that anytime it turns really cold here, the mouth of the tunnel gets covered in ice - has done it all my life. Water constantly pours from the rocks and mountain, both inside and outside of the tunnel and will often freeze there when it isn't quite cold enough to freeze anywhere else. It is truly a beautiful site. The whooping icicles form all through the tunnel, not just on the outside. These are not "quality" pictures. It was too cold to piddle around so I just threw the camera up and snapped the pics. I take A LOT of outdoor/ nature pictures. I'll share some of them one day - when you've had time to recover from reading this book.
I have other tunnel pictures but could only upload 6.
Lisa
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[attachment 150749 IMG_0566.JPG]
[attachment 150751 IMG_0567.JPG]
[attachment 150752 IMG_0574.JPG]
[attachment 150753 IMG_0572.JPG]
[attachment 150754 IMG_0577.JPG]
Ma Betty
