The three boys toed the line that had been scratched in the dirt and then raced toward the entrance on C. D. Griffin’s count of three. As the two older boys scaled the wooden gate, the youngest—Jimmie—crawled through an opening in the fence, thus earning the honor of being the first student of the Alabama Boys’ Industrial School.1
C. D. Griffin was the first superintendent of the Alabama Boys’ Industrial School, being hired by the board in April of 1900 for an annual salary of $600, and presumably his room and board. Little is known about his background other than the fact that he resigned a similar position in another state to accept the task.2
Griffin’s experiences in providing the care, supervision, and training for these three boys and the others to follow during his first fifteen months on the job are found in his meticulously detailed handwritten diary covering both the important and the innocuous aspects of life at the school. He touched on the chores and daily activities that engaged the staff and the boys, as well as many of the expenditures he made to keep the institution running. Most revealing were the stories of the boys, with the challenges and rewards of supervising these sons of mischief.3
Griffin’s initial entry on Friday, June 22, 1900, gave an account of how the first three boys came to be students at the school.
“Went to meet Mrs. Cole and Mrs. Johnston to see about some boys. We found three boys, Jim _____, 10 years old, who has a poor home. He was willing to come to the school, and Slawson _____, 13, had not been at home for several weeks, but was willing to come to the school, Rufus _____, 12, whose mother sent a note giving her consent for the boy to come to the school. The boys were dirty, ragged, and showed neglect, but were bright. We invested in some bedding and provisions and started for East Lake. The Chief of Police told me we had three of the very worst boys in town.”
Much of the early travel to and from the school on the outskirts of Birmingham was made by streetcars, and such was the case as Griffin escorted this impish trio who looked like anything but the “worst boys in town.” Accompanied by two men who would be working with Griffin at the school, they made their way to their new home.
This photograph from an early souvenir booklet shows the boys gathered in the dining room of the old log cabin. These are most likely the first students in the school. One of the men in the background is Superintendent C. D. Griffin, and the other is his assistant John Embree.
“The boys attracted much attention on the cars. John and Evans were attending a funeral, so we had to wait for them, so it was quite late before we left East Lake. The boys were given their supper and put to bed. The start is made. I brought home 25 cents’ worth of bread and paid for it.”
Over the next few days, Griffin got a good dose of what life would be like on the farm, confronting one little crisis after another. To begin with, such heavy rain greeted the new family on their first night that Griffin commented, “everything was afloat in the morning.” The road leading into the property was “filled with water nearly to the buggy box.” That day, Griffin made another trip into town, where he arranged to buy groceries wholesale, and purchased fifty pounds of flour, a case of syrup, fifty pounds of meal, a ham, some sidemeat, fifty pounds of sugar, and fifty cents’ worth of bread. Upon return he “found the boys had done fairly well. Had picked a pail of blackberries.”
That first Sunday proved to be anything but a day of rest. On the contrary, “four lengths of fence were down and cattle were everywhere,” Griffin wrote. “John took the boys, drove the cattle out and fixed the fence.” Later in the day, there were other intruders besides cows. “After dinner, we had visitation from a lot of boys from town, but as visitors are not allowed on the place on Sunday, I soon drove them off.”
In the evening, Griffin had his first bit of trouble with the boys in his charge, probably precipitated by the unwanted guests earlier in the day.
“Our three boys were rather homesick to see their friends and began to cry. Having had no chance to bathe them Saturday, I wanted to have them bathe and change clothes. Jimmie’s pants were so torn that he was about naked. I had nothing to put on him but a pair of overalls, but he “didn’t want to put on them overalls.” Before the boys would settle down and mind, I had to spank Jimmie. That straightened them all out and I succeeded in getting them bathed and clean new shirts on them. We went for a walk and when we returned to the house I read to them and the day ended very serenely.”
Much of the work those first few months revolved around preparing the land and constructing the first building. Griffin noted that first week the boys “fixed the gate and the roadway by the gate” and also “worked on the underbrush where we want to put a bridge for our driveway,” while another entry stated that the “carpenters worked on the building until they ran out of lumber.” While workers toiled on the building, the boys were involved in more routine activities. “John and the boys prepared the ground and set out the tomato plants. The new hoes helped prepare the ground much better than the old.”
Just as would be required of such an operation today, there was always a little public relations to be done. In an entry from June 28, Griffin wrote, “Mrs. Johnston invited a number of ladies who were attending the Teacher’s Institute in Birmingham to come see the school. The ladies were all over the house and were much amused at our kitchen and dining room in the old log house. One of the visitors was a writer preparing an article on the school.”
On June 29, Griffin mentioned a new arrival. “I received a telephone from Mrs. Johnston that a boy at Mercy Home was a fit subject for our school. I communicated with Mrs. Ramsey at the house and found the particulars about the boy. The father is a drunkard and is very abusive to the boy. The mother was with him at the house and did not dare take the boy back home as the father was very brutal. The boy too large for the house. I told Mrs. Ramsey to have the mother meet me at the Exchange and I would take the boy with me. The mother met me there with her boy and he came home with me.”
As July began, Griffin had to contend with the first of what would be a continuing series of problems with his staff. On July 2 he wrote, “Our cook, George Murray, left us. We are not as well equipped as he would like so our plebian way of living does not suit his fastidious taste. He left us for town and I am once more ‘chief cook.’ ” The next day brought another resignation. “Our teamster, Parker, came to tell us that he could work for us no longer. He wanted a check for the balance due him, but I sent him to General Johnston to settle as the contract had been made with him. Having no one to drive the mules, John and the boys utilized them by plowing in the garden, preparing more ground for a crop.” But, at least, things were going well with one of the hired hands. “Our wash woman came to do the washing and ironing. She did very nicely. Was through about three o’clock. Charged us 65 cents.”
Also on July 3rd, Griffin decided to put Jimmie, the recipient of the previous week’s spanking, to a little test. “I thought of an experiment to see how far Jimmie could be trusted. I sent him on an errand to Mrs. Cole’s at Woodlawn. Gave him a note to Mr. Smithson so Mr. Smithson would take care of the horse. Gave a note with check enclosed to car conductor and note for Mrs. Cole. Jimmie reached home safely on Dollie about one o’clock with a note from Mrs. Cole and a package of boys’ clothing which will be very acceptable. Mrs. Cole had given the boy a lunch, so he did not need any dinner. I am much pleased with my experiment and Mrs. Cole was much pleased also.”
The next day, Independence Day, brought a myriad of activities and a slight setback with Jimmie. “It does not seem much like Independence Day. Could hear no noise of firecrackers all of the forenoon. I tried to get some firecrackers when in town Monday, but could find none on sale, but there would be plenty of them the next day so they told me. I wanted to get some for our boys to fire off. The boys played all of the forenoon. We had an extra good dinner. After we had the work done, I dressed the boys in some clothing that had been donated to us. Just as I was going to dress Jimmie, his mother and a man companion appeared on the scene. Of course, the dressing had to be postponed, but Jimmie came and wanted to go just as the boys were starting. I told him I wouldn’t have time to dress him now, so he would have to stay home. The mother was very angry and said Jimmie had no business to come out here in the first place, and said she was going to have the boy out of here at once, as he had a good home to go to, etc., etc. I told her while the boy was here he would have to mind. She stayed about an hour and visited with the boy.”
The remainder of July was fairly mundane. Work continued on the new building, with gravel, sand, and building materials being delivered on a regular basis. Plastering and flooring was done in the building, and the boys and staff began moving in on July 18. Griffin seemed quite pleased by this development, as he wrote, “Put up a bed in the bedroom and used the rooms. Seems very nice to sleep in a bed again. We are getting very comfortably settled.”
Toward the end of the month several incidents occurred that were somewhat outside the norm. On Sunday, July 22, Griffin remarked, “Not long after dinner, a caller came. It proved to be Mr. _____ from Montgomery with his son Jacob, 12 years old, whom he wanted to enter the school. Mr. Huff brought a letter of recommendation from Mrs. Eager. The boy would not stay at home nights and consequently the father could not control him and brought him here. Our first boy from out of town. He seems a very quiet, pleasant child.”
The next day, there was an accident quite typical of a bunch of boys that involved who else but Jimmie. “Tonight while milling, the boys were playing with the stock. Jimmie had been riding Romeo. He was off and trying to jump on again. Romeo stood by a large rock. Jimmie jumped too hard and slid clear over, falling on the rock and cutting quite a gash in his head. He cried; his wound bled profusely. We got him to the house, washed off the blood, and put on some sticking plaster. He was alright in a little while.”
In the early 1900s, those of Italian descent often endured discrimination in the South similar to that of African Americans. While not overt, Griffin’s diary nevertheless revealed a hint of prejudice between the lines in a July 23rd entry. “A man called today with a woman and two boys. Italians. The man spoke quite well but the woman did not seem to understand ‘United States.’ The man explained that the woman was his cousin and she wanted to put her two boys with the school. The Chief of Police was to send them out and the brothers wanted to see the place first. I took the necessary statistics and they said the boys would be out tomorrow.”
A note the next day closed this episode by stating simply, “Our Italian boys did not put in an appearance.” They are not mentioned again.
A paragraph from July 26th is illustrative of the unusual offenses that might lead to a boy being referred to the school. “Mr. and Mrs. _____ of East Lake called to see about putting a son here. He is 15 years old and will not stay at home. Has been off with a circus for several months. He was away from home when they came here. Had been gone for several days. They seem to be very nice people and greatly worried about their son. Mr. and Mrs. _____ said they would bring their boy right here as soon as he came home.
Two days later, the wayfaring circus traveler returned. “The new boy John, whose father and mother, the _____, came to see me a few days ago, was here and seemed to be enjoying himself with the other boys. I think John a pretty good sort of a boy and hope we can help him.”
Sunday, August 5th, proved significant in the life of the new institution. “I met Mrs. Johnston and her baby at ten o’clock. I had dressed the boys in their Sunday clothes, so they made quite a presentable appearance. I was very thankful that we had the piano so we could use it. We had some singing and then Mrs. Johnston had a Sunday School class. The first Sunday services in connection with the Alabama Industrial School. Ten boys, as follows: Raymond, Pat and Fred (brothers), Jimmie, Slawson, Henry, Rufus, John, Charlie and Jacob. Dinner passed off very nicely and then Mrs. Johnston had a quick talk with the boys. I took Mrs. Johnston and baby back to the station about four o’clock. We had a very nice sing after supper. The boys sing well and seem to enjoy it.”
The next day, a figure almost as well-known to the boys as Mrs. Johnston made an appearance at the school. “Judge Feagin and Mr. Meade, Clerk of the Court, came to make the institution a visit. They watched the boys work and made a complete examination of the building and made many inquiries in regard to our needs, aims, etc. Our company seemed to enjoy supper in our primitive dining room. The boys behaved very nicely and were much complimented by our guests.”
Tuesday marked three straight days of relative tranquility, as described by Griffin. “Had supper early and the boys had a good time playing after supper. It was a beautiful evening. They had a great time playing sheepfold in the moonlight.” According to most accounts, sheepfold was a popular game in which a group of children would join hands in a large circle while one child would chase another who was trying to break through into the safety of the sheepfold.
As the institution neared two months of operation, another group of boys on the way were much more interested in leaving the sheepfold than entering, and they made the previous antics of Jimmie seem like child’s play.