College campuses often pride themselves on being centers of culture and history. Ali Callahan already knew something about that when it came to Alabama's flagship university; she's an Alabama fan, and several times a year she and brother Noah join their parents for tailgating on campus and football games.
But there's a lot more to the University of Alabama than football.
Even so, we started our adventure at the Paul W. Bryant Museum. William Gray Little introduced football to the university in 1892, and by 1912 it was a key part of President Mike Denny's plan for the university's growth. "Football could give the capstone purpose, pride and publicity," an introductory video explains.
Over the years, the program grew and gained national notoriety, especially as Alabama won the 1926 Rose Bowl against the University of Washington, with a final score of 20-19. "Alabama shatters myth of Western football supremacy" a museum display proclaims.
The museum offers understanding of the school's football prowess, of course, and foreshadowing of the reputation it carries today. "Then as now, it was the football program by which all others were measured," says a video detailing the Bryant years.
Football history intersects with other moments in the school's story, including the Civil War and the civil rights movement. We left the museum to walk by the campus' surviving antebellum buildings, and I shared with the Callahans stories I learned from a friend who gave tours as a Capstone Man.
Union troops burned much of the campus, which then played a military role, in April 1865. The University provided a great number of soldiers to the war, and they're memorialized by a stone on the quad, yards in front of Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library. The Little Round House, which is now adjacent to the library, then served as a guard house. It was the only campus building with a specific military purpose, but it survived the burning.
So too did the President's Mansion, Gorgas House and Maxwell Hall. Woods Hall sits on Woods Quad, which was the university's original green. Union troops destroyed the buildings in this area, but Woods Hall was built from the rubble.
The University rebuilt, but conflict remained a part of its future. Before leaving campus, we visited Foster Auditorium and told Ali and Noah about Gov. George Wallace's Stand in the Schoolhouse Door. On June 11, 1963, the governor stood at the auditorium and tried to block African-American students Vivian Malone and James Hood from enrolling. I explained to the kids that Autherine Lucy previously attended the school in 1956, but was expelled after students rioted in response to her admission. In 1992, she graduated from Alabama with a master's in elementary education. The three students are now remembered by the Malone-Hood Plaza and Autherine Lucy Clock Tower in front of the auditorium.
As we left the plaza, Rachel helped Ali understand why separate but equal wasn't a realistic or fair solution to racial tensions. Black people didn't really receive equal treatment, she said, and quickly hit on an analogy to connect with her child. In some ways, it was like the difference in how the Dursleys treated Harry Potter and their own son, Dudley. Dudley got the better stuff--new clothes, new toys, a bigger room. Harry was left with what was leftover, at best.
One of Rachel's goals in these field trips has been to help her daughter see how Alabama's stories shaped the state. By walking through these places and discussing the divides Alabamians have worked to overcome, Ali is better able to understand the place she calls home.
IF YOU GO
University of Alabama
Paul W. Bryant Museum
300 Paul W. Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, closed major holidays
Admission: $2 adults; $1 senior citizen 60 and older, children 6-17
"Alabama" by Barbara A Somervill introduces young readers to the state's history, geography, notable people and more.
"One Day in Alabama: The Civil War Years" by Clarke Stallworth is the final installment in the late Birmingham News journalist's stories about Alabama history.
"100 Things You Need to Know About Alabama" by Horace Randall Williams introduces a number of topics Ali is learning during her year of Alabama history. The new book reaches from prehistoric times to modern days in anticipation of the state's bicentennial in 2019.
"The University of Alabama: A Guide to the Campus and its Architecture" by Robert Oliver Mellown details the history of the campus buildings, including those described here.