In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly, but not universally, traced to a sparsely documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in…
A few months ago, I stopped at the Veteran's Memorial at the Liberty Park Exit of Interstate 459 to look again for relatives who…
The first substantial white settlement in what is now Gadsden was a village called "Double Springs".This was begun by a mixed American Indian and…
Christmas and Bon Ami May I explain that I’m not referring to the Bon Ami that we see on our grocery shelves today? That’s…
Christmas Pudding it has a shelf life of 300 years by Shannon Hollon A few years ago back during the "war" a few of…
A Genealogist's Christmas Wish Dear Santa: Don't bring me new dishes, I don't need a new kind of game. Genealogists have peculiar wishes For…
THE TRUTH ABOUT SANTA'S REINDEER IS REVEALED According to the Alaskan Department of Fish and game, Both male and female reindeer grow antlers…
My Childhood Christmas Memories by Jean Butterworth It is almost Christmas time and memories come flooding back remembering the simple Christmas celebrations my family…
A cemetery is a strange place to find a miniature red-brick house complete with windows, fireplace, front porch with a mailbox. There is such…
Some of our contributing authors on www.alabamapioneers.com and our sister site www.daysgoneby.me have some great books available on Amazon.com and they would make wonderful…
SOUTHERN BATTER BREAD Scald 1 quart of milk in double boiler and stir in 1 quart of water-ground corn meal, a little at a…
ALABAMA FRUIT CAKE 1924 recipe from Alabama Extension Service 1 lb. butter ¾ lb. sugar 9 eggs 1 lb. flour 2 tbsp. baking powder…
Do you still make Parker house rolls for dinner? I had an heirloom recipe that had been handed down in the family, but it…
The Christmas Oranges from the MisAdventures of Lily When my grandmother was small, there wasn’t much money for toys and dolls. The most wonderful…
SNOWBOUND AT CHRISTMAS by Inez McCollum When my brother and I were young children, getting to our grandparents in the winter time could be…
CHRISTMAS WITH THREE GROWING BOYS by Inez McCollum Christmas time was so special when our three sons were small. I was a stay-at-home Mom,…
I wonder what happened that caused this ban of toy pistols on Christmas Day? TOY PISTOLS WERE BANNED ON CHRISTMAS DAY IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA AN ORDINANCE…
Shooting Mistletoe by Shannon Hollon For many Christmas Eve's the Uncles, Aunts and Cousins would gather from miles around at my grandparents house(Big Mama…
The Day I was Born by Virginia Faye Floyd Peiffer My mom told me about the day I was born. I will never forget.…
Have you put up a Christmas Tree? Christmas trees appeared in Germany about 1600 and a few might have been found among German settlers…
Red Velvet Cake Tradition by Jean Butterworth Many years ago I started making a red velvet cake for my family, especially for my son…
Decorating the Tree by Inez McCollum Most of you are in the process of decorating your Christmas Tree. My late husband would get so…
A Traumatic and Memorable Christmas by Joe McKnight One Christmas in my early childhood stands out as both traumatic and memorable. We lived at…
Christmas Surprise by Clifford Dobyns I was five years old in 1937 and unknown to me was that my parents had decided to get…
CHRISTMAS APRONS by Dorothy Graham Gast As the holiday season approached in 1955 my less than a year old daughter and I lived with…
Prayer Warriors by Clifford Dobbyns The dictionary says that prayer is an approach to deity in word or thought: an urgent request. It defines…
Note: This story has been reported in newspapers since the 1930s, and is all over the internet including the History.com but the Alabama Department of…
Below are old photographs related to Christmas at the Alabama Department of Archives and History - they should bring back memories. Information with the photographs…
Christmas Memories of Orphan Annie and Dick Tracy by Inez McCollum As I think back to Christmases shared by my parents, brother and I,…
It's almost Christmas. I hope life isn't too frantic for you. When I look back on life, there is one thing I will always…
![Gadsden – City of Champions was an exciting place Christmas of 1940- [vintage photos from Christmas 1940 & film]](https://www.alabamapioneers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Crowd-Christmas-shopping-on-December-21-1940-in-Gadsden-by-photographer-John-Vachon3-Library-of-Congress-e1416455167589-220x305.jpg)
![So this is why Santa’s reindeer have good directions & manage to find all the houses on Christmas Eve! [photographs]](https://www.alabamapioneers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Reindeer-saddled.-ca.-1900-library-of-Congress-220x151.jpg)
![PATRON + GOOD OLE DAYS: [Old Christmas tree prints] and historic facts about Christmas celebrations](https://www.alabamapioneers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Christmas-tree-Uncle-Sam-and-phillipines-220x337.jpg)
![PATRON + Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday [see parade pictures from the 1950s in Alabama]](https://www.alabamapioneers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Float_in_the_Christmas_parade_in_downtown_Montgomery_Alabama_on_Bainbridge_Street_in_front_of_the_Capitol-220x171.jpg)
