[American Legends 01] • Legends and Lore of Birmingham and Central Alabama by Crider, Beverly -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Front Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Contents Introduction Part I: Legendary Residents

1. Mummy Dearest 2. Myrtle Corbin, the Four-Legged Woman 3. The Pioneer “Madam” Who Helped Save Birmingham 4. Edgar Cayce, the Sleeping Prophet 5. The First Human Injured by a Meteorite 6. The Goat Man 7. Anniston’s James Bond 8. Where No Man (or Woman) Has Gone Before 9. Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out! 10. Holy Smokes, Birmingham…It’s Batman! 11. The Heaviest Member of Congress 12. Rube Burrow: Robin Hood or King of the Outlaws? 13. The Legend of Rena Teel 14. The Alabamians Who Proved Hitler Wrong 15. John Henry, the Steel Drivin’ Man 16. Sun Ra, Alabama’s Visitor from Saturn 17. Virginia Hill, Mistress of Bugsy Siegel 18. Fred, the Town Dog

Part II: Legendary Creations

19. Windshield Wipers: Why Didn’t I Think of That? 20. John Pratt: Inventor of the Typewriter? 21. The Alabama Indestructible Doll 22. The Van De Graaff Generator 23. The World’s First Airport 24. Folk Art of the Godwin Brothers 25. The Storyteller: Pagan Sculpture or Playful Statue? 26. Popeye, Alabama’s Sailor Man 27. Fa-so-la Singing

Part III: Believe It or Not

28. Lightning Strikes More Than Twice 29. The Wright Brothers Make Flight History in Alabama 30. America’s First Graffiti 31. Memorial to an Assassin 32. The Chiles/Whitted UFO Sighting: “The Truth Is Out There!” 33. Hueytown Hum 34. Talladega Jinx 35. Church Windows Buried in Germany During World War I 36. Swastikas on the Jefferson County Courthouse

Part IV: Mythical Creatures

37. Hoop Snakes and River Monsters 38. Skunk Ape and Alabama Booger 39. Choccolocco Monster 40. Wampus Cat 41. Alabama “White Thang” 42. Bigfoot and Black Panthers

Part V: Legendary Places

43. Bamboo Forest 44. Hauntings at the St. James Hotel 45. Ghosts of the Gaines Ridge Dinner Club 46. The Golly Hole 47. Bear Creek Swamp 48. House of Crosses 49. Cragford’s Hanging Tree 50. Kring Coffin Shop 51. Star Wound in Wetumpka 52. Gold Mining in Alabama 53. Birmingham’s Underground River 54. Quirky Town Names 55. World War II German POWs Held in Rural Alabama 56. Coon Dog Cemetery 57. The Octagon House 58. Hitler’s Typewriter in the Bessemer Hall of History 59. Bridging the Bigbee with Cocks 60. Tombstones with a Story to Tell

Bibliography About the Author