The Alabama Experience; Point Clear

landon campbell planning move the route known for the cinema and you know when the village of it like that i'm not part of me mrs stevens ms baldwin county task perhaps best known for its history as a summer

resort community its cooling main reasons and sandy beaches have been attracting vacationers one hundred and seventy years the natural beauty and bounty of the area was noted early on spanish french and british explorers the first cardinal build a native americans before them also need to be unique and hospitable land whether it was for a day a month for the entire summer points his reputation as the queen of southern resort once enticed summer travelers by the boatload to visit its shores the historic bay frat houses that point there are reminders of earlier times when families from earl beal move over the bay bridge open up their vacation homes and spend the summer relaxing and enjoying the pleasures of eastern shore that seasonal rhythms disappearing as more people choose to make a carrier around fewer and fewer houses sit quietly through the fall and winter waiting for the cannabis awnings to go up and the porch furniture to come out many older homes along the bay have been renovated to

accommodate modern lifestyles while others have been torn down to make way for a larger contemporary designs some of the houses date from the mid and late getting hundreds and the turn of the century when the weather turns warm and the days began to get along a feeling of the old point near shows up as more families are seeing on the sunset stroll by the day another defining feature of historic point clear is the grand hotel has been famous for its location and accommodations since eighteen forty seven today the grand is owned by the marriott corporation and is a far different resort from the point their hotel that once stood on the same side with its modern convention facilities attention to service and the renown of its corporate name merry arts grand is upholding longstanding traditions while creating some new ones of that cell the appeal of

bayside rest and recreation still draws people to the eastern shore and the grand has been winning the hearts of comfort seekers for generations some of its regular customers are the children and grandchildren of devoted patrons who long ago turned visits to the grande into a southern tradition for some point there can seem more like a tropical island paradise than a quiet gulf coast community and for good reason it's been the pushback part of the point to

understand the unique character of going clear is important to know something about the surroundings and it passed what claire is located on the eastern shore it will build a approximately half way between the mouth of them will be a river and the gulf of mexico it is here that the shoreline pushes out and that day informs its landmark on a clear day immobile skyline is visible some eighty miles to the northwest to the south huge ocean going cargo ships disappear over the horizon as they move into the open waters of the gulf in the early nineteenth century more billions that essentially invented point years resort ambience were attracted to its natural beauty an invigorating time from the point the shoreline curve to the southeast for a little over a mile before striking out again the hotel in houses here are ideally situated to receive the gulf pieces

which blow over the bay and provide point there were the most agreeable and moderate average annual temperature what they're offered more billions in nearby states and humid summers in the city other eastern shore resorts grew up as well the point clear in particular have the benefits of fresh water streams and springs sandy beaches and the vast panoramic they view as noted by the early explorers are the growth of the city of tokyo from a small settlement and four into an important commercial center and seaport sparked the development of a small stretch of sand and trees the spanish ad named point clear when america gained its independence from colonial rule a period of dramatic expansion and economic growth following free market philosophy is any ambition for wealth popemobile become a busy import and export sector

business was the order of the big banking shipping and supporting industries of all kinds who up to accommodate the needs of the seaport in touch with the world it was the cotton trade though more than any other commodity that brought wealth to businessmen in the city and plantation owners a river with prosperity and congestion pollution and the fast pace that mark city like the heat and humidity or much greater more real than on the eastern shore so it was only natural that those who could afford it sought out more pleasant summertime surroundings the dreaded disease is of malaria and yellow fever that was so prevalent in the city are not as threatening across the bay so entire families would pack up their clothes furniture servants and even the horse carriage and cattle to spend the summer in the relative comfort and safety of point clear the family patriarchs could still tendered their businesses and town

by taking a two hour ride on a steam powered bagel during the golden days for one clear and eastern shore there were many boats that made the circuit from west east and back again the world but they worry that way and lot of that work has i actually relatively excursion boats they were designed to carry a group of people several hundred and all out on a moonlight why no man they would have been stats and then they would go home

there are references to buildings for rent in as early as eighteen twenty a few people who lived in the fishing village band known as williamsburg were not unaware of the attraction of their surroundings entrepreneurs may for eighteen twenty immobile visit this beautiful and helped situated summer retreat is fifteen miles below peeled on the east side of the bet its northern and southern environs are contiguous to streams and refreshing ricketts and the whole place is interspersed with old springs of the most pure and transparent want it is lush and rented a simple dreams as leon bridges fully into the scenery and the undulating waters of the bay and gulf make it romantic the oysters and fish which may be taken in the neighborhood of this place are inferior to know i'm not in the bay and the abundance of wild

paint such as deer and turkey which the whole country seems to render the most desirable spot for sportsmen a number of families have already settled in williamsburg and others are making arrangements to pass to some of it person's wishing to avail themselves of a retreat so enviable from which may be seen in good weather both more real and will be a point when applied a george li on the premises or to the proprietor and will be notices like this and reinforced the image of your healthy an attractive place to escape undesirable aspects of the city the settlement there was not much more than a primitive can't cut into the woods but the economic potential of the area had no doubt been realized by the mid eighteenth forties a group of more deal businessman capitalized on this by purchasing a large tract of land that point there they build the hotel and commissioned a survey so that lots could be drawn off and offered for sale that was very much the preserve of the wealthy it's important to

remember that these are people that means these were second homes in many cases all people describe moving over there for the summer loving family kid so all my aunts saddam as housekeepers exactly from there were separate quarters all aboard the bay boat was a grand holiday feel to the whole thing well it was never intended to be anything more than a summer rizzo the lots were laid off from the bay and down from that damn on there was a settlement from the grand hotel so now along on clear which is still a very desirable someone area other eastern shore villages also developed into popular resort communities battles wharf fair hope montrose and daphne all lie to the north of the point and all shared in the same as thousands of summer and eventually winter

visitors as well road the boats and visited the watery playgrounds over the bay the hotel on the point has endured its share of boom and bust periods as times and vacation trends change to the grand hotel remain after the other resort hotel stayed since eighteen forty seven destruction by fires and hurricanes and inevitable wear and tear caused many different owners over those years to enlarge renovate and completely rebuild the hotel and it's outlined buildings in its earliest for instagram was called simply point clear till now after a devastating fire in nineteen sixty nine the land and what remained of the hotel was purchased and rebuilt it at seventy five in enlarge and improve structure was crowned as the grand hotel the two story hotel was covered front and rear with wide galleries which today would be

called port eads was on these galleries shaded from the sun that much daily socializing took place it was abu laban ewing eventually and there and i met bert otherwise you lived in the busy year which was a very popular name to a large extent life was centered around water activities at point clear for many there was nothing so exciting is the sailing regatta is on the bay local boat raced against challengers from the mississippi and nora and saving gloves and throngs of people came on that day boats to enjoy a day on the eastern shore watching the races and dancing at the party's afterwards swimming was another favorite pastime

the hotel didn't have its modern pool until after the second world war so that they were that sandy shore and shallow waters became almost a second home to children and grown ups alike in the old days it was called baby and social conventions of the time made it quite a different experience and what is common today there's been that at its core very very you know not as you add worthless it's like in the days it was a lot of you see a lovely flowers or when we would like to pay it's come down almost forty ankles are you always will cap they don't want it here where this white stallion and all night is hearing they distort org it was a calm and fire safety measure in those days for the dining hall and kitchen to be in separate buildings away from the main living quarters the bar which contain the bachelor orders on its second floor was in a freestanding health called the

texas and for obvious reasons but texas it was situated well away from the building for the women and children's day these structures and other rental cottages serving quarters and support building for all replaced repaired or done away with over the years hurricanes in at ninety three nineteen oh six and nineteen sixteen all took their toll on various parts of the hotel repairs and upgrades dancing and music gaming gambling and water recreation of all kinds were important parts of maintaining the hotel's popularity with a tourist over the years the prosperity appoint cleared the end as we're clouds moved over the south in the eighteen sixties will build a niche port city revival lengths to the vulnerable southern economy to finance the war effort the confederacy have to have access to see the union forces sent ships to blockade will be ok and strangle supply lines stories of warships and blockade runners land

battles and cannon fire filled with history books concerning the battle will be ok as the borders of the confederacy were narrowed by advancing union forces and the battle from all be obeyed her i'd on point their hotel the gunnison house next to it and a number of other homes along the shore were called on to serve as hostages wounded soldiers were brought to point we're under the flag of troops from as far away as the battle of expert not far from the hotel within the gates of the point clear cemetery is confederate rescue more than three hundred civil war veterans are said to be buried there records of their names exact number and hometowns were lost forever in the eighteen sixty nine fire at the hotel eastern shore memorial association and close the portion of the grave site in nineteen twenty seven and record a granite marker to honor those unknown soldiers

the post war years were difficult ones for point clear the prosperous fifties were gone at the end of the sixties and beginning of the seventies destruction worse than any the war had brought came upon the hotel the eighteen sixty nine fire that left only a few of the smaller buildings and touch was followed in eighteen seventy one by the explosion at the hotels wharf of the steamboat ocean wave many died in the wreckage remained submerged just off shore for years afterward it and seventy five a new owner had rebuilt the hotel it was similar to the first but had increased unlike from one hundred to three hundred feet and all sleeping room still opened on to the galleries which still featured prominently at social activity white player august eighteen eighteen seventy a seat in a triage with you from they stretched out before me stiff south korea's coming into waters

is hard to imagine a more delightful spot in new orleans having me politically if you realize the complete comfort of a summer residence there anyone unless they may not be told how we kill germans invaded that they are forty eight hours instead of twenty four forty a career can unfold with bathing fish young sailor drawing the sane and riding through magnificent than foreigners when i have i lost a pleasant one at eighties and nineties were prosperous times for point clear the eastern shore have long been popular with well to do families from louisiana mississippi and alabama towns of river from moby you so when the hotel began operating year round it attracted even more visitors and soon was being called the queen of the southern resort even though it was considered by the mole billions as a summertime restored point clear in battles worth just to its north had developed their own year round identities fishing and farming in the hotel get most people

employed a center of business activity for point there was down the shore from the point that the sunderland company general store the sun dome and brought that families have expanded with the needs of the community they had their own commercial wharf and boat for bringing in supplies at various times over the years they operated a sawmill and cotton gin orchards and sold their own fresh produce schools and churches and all manner of social necessity is became part of the point clear landscape one room library was built that for years were said to be the smallest public library in the united states the building was eventually retired but thanks to the care and restoration of a local family it stands today on private property not far from zundel road and its original home for the summer homes that point there were not built as fancy show

places they were unpretentious traditional structures in most cases their owners typically had very elegant homes in the city instead as the tangible symbols of their wealth and position in society will the houses are very much in a vernacular tradition and also they are vacation houses so they didn't lavish they're not hostile buildings are they were built very much within the style of the time to the greek revival of victorian with the sort of added regional ambitions they were designed to take advantage of the passive cooling effect of the big reasons that typically were raised up off the ground which provided a cooling effect as well as protection against high tides during storms steep pitched roofs tall windows and doors and wide central halls were common slavin porch ceilings allowed air to flow through the attic space and cool the room most houses were similar to the hotel and that they were built just one or two rooms deep with porches on front and rear to provide maximum shape

there were no screened windows and they stayed open an all but the worst weather plumbing was primitive to nonexistent so mosquito nets over the band's wash basins and necessity jars or common household accessories another special consideration for homeowners along the shore was the frequency of summer rain storms and apparently unique solution for coping with local conditions arose when people started adding something that was referred to as the rain roof or rain porch to their houses what it is is essentially an extra porch attached to these houses and extends three to six feet beyond their existing recessed porches and has its own set of supporting post which actually meet the ground it's a very unusual looks like ups of putting a visor on one pastor provide extra protection from blowing wind warnings on course it's one of the wettest there is in the us and being right on the water facing the

prevailing southwest when you can imagine that he soaking rains us was like a very logical response to the comet of the area the growing popularity of the automobile and the construction of the causeway over will be obeying nineteen twenty seven dramatically impacted the eastern shore resort and a vote all but disappeared by the early thirties as did the passengers that role as the depression but the country the once booming tourism business the grand hotel went through but survived the nineteen thirties but it's a jewish showing a change in ownership in nineteen thirty nine brought with it the financial resources to build a new and improved grand hotel by nineteen forty one on the same site that had survived civil war fires and wind and rain a new generation of the grand hotel was opened for business this

otello had rooms that were accessed by enclosed hallways that joined at a main lobby where a six sided chimney rose up three stories high some of the words used to build this lobby was supposedly salvaged from the previous hotel if that is so in today's grand hotel maintains not only the traditions of its predecessors but a little bit of its strength for endurance as well or two added an interesting page to the history of quite clear that for a time during the hotel was turned over to the military it became a training facility for aircraft repair and maintenance units of the army air force wire fences and curtains of secrecy went up around when the military pullout of point where a hotel and a one to two year renovation in june of nineteen forty seven one hundred years after the first to resort had been opened the grand hotel was again ready for rand has been owned and operated

since nineteen eighty one the changes and growth under their leadership have modern meeting in banking facilities and new buildings for locking provision which graham has also become famous getting new traditions build upon a compliment deal is what keeps fine hotel fight the grandest the test of time many storms have battered it's your most recently hurricane frederic in nineteen seventy nine caused millions in damage but like the famous live oaks and magnolias grand does not around and shaken up but it into words was brought back like so many times in the past and made stronger by the experience the rest of point clear move forward as well traditions remain and new ones are a way of life that we enjoy it done but it was a

big deal it was yeah i'm saying that it's been

nice if you have a question or comment about this program or like to purchase a copy of it please write the taliban experience at seven thousand tuscaloosa alabama three five forty seven please include the title point clear on your request you may also call one eight hundred two three nine five to three three