Weird Wanderings Vol. 7
by Mental Anguish
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The Boll Weevil Monument
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about
Listen to the seventh volume of the Weird Wanderings collection, by Mental Anguish aka Chris Phinney, the owner of the glorious Harsh Reality Music label, and also one of those responsible for carrying forward the cassette culture in the USA, during the 80's. In this volume, the place chosen to be approached was Alabama and its mysteries and incredible events that deserve a deep attention of the public that likes conceptual Dark Ambient. Read the liner notes and learn more about the subject thanks to the topics that Chris Phinney has been researching and exposing to illustrate the collection. I'm already very curious to travel to the US and see all these places, as I'm a lover of science fiction and fantasy in the arts. However, while I can't do that, I'm here enjoying myself and listening to Mental Anguish's beautifully immersive music that gives me a glimpse of what the stories of the tales he chooses to address in the series are like. Cover art by Ced DeBear.
credits
released August 15, 2023
Alabama - Weird Wanderings
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1. Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard
L.O. Bishop likes to tell of the time during a funeral when the pallbearers got distracted by a rabbit, dropped the casket, and set off in hot pursuit. It’s a tall tale, of course, but what do you expect at a festival held in the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard? Each Labor Day, the cemetery hosts a celebration that includes music, dancing, food and a liar’s contest.
When there are pallbearers at this dog cemetery, maintained by the Tennessee Valley Coon Hunters Association and located 20 miles south of Tuscumbia in Colbert County, Alabama, they are of the human variety. But only canines certified as coon-hunting dogs may be buried there. The cemetery Web site at coondogcemetery.com includes eulogies and descriptions from mourners, including father and son William and Bradley Ramsey, whose Ole Red was buried in a full service.
“A group of solemn men, dressed in black mourning coats and hip boots, wearing carbide lamps on their heads stood beside a mound of soil
and a freshly dug hole. A hunting horn sounded and the bay of hounds filled the air. Four similarly dressed men walked slowly toward the gathered crowd, a small wooden box carried between them.”
The last lines of William’s eulogy memorialize the relationship between hunter and dog:
“…he knows in coon dog heaven he can hunt again when the sun goes down and the tree frogs holler. May the bones of Ole Red rest in peace, through the mercy of God and may the coon hunters light perpetually shine upon him.”
The cemetery has been featured in newspapers and magazines such as Southern Living, Field & Stream and Bassmaster, as well as on television shows such as Charles Kuralt’s On the Road. People walk into the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau daily asking for directions, bureau executive director Susann Hamlin said. The cemetery has become so popular, she told us, that the bureau now sells the world’s only Official Coon Dog Memorial Cemetery T-shirt and camouflage baseball caps.
They feature images of the grave of Troop, the first dog buried at the site. Shirts and caps are $12 each, but discounts are available for large quantities. Proceeds help maintain the cemetery. The Tourism and Convention Bureau on U.S. 72 in Tuscumbia is open weekdays and opens Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the summer.
The cemetery is named for Key Underwood, who buried his dog, Troop, in the woods where they hunted together in 1937. In a 1985 interview, Underwood said he never intended the site to become a cemetery. But as other hunters needed a place to honor their loyal hunting dogs, the secluded site became a popular burial ground.
About 185 dogs have been buried at the site, with names such as Straight Talkin’ Tex, Fanney,
Preacher, Ranger, Hickory, Kate, Rusty, Queen, Loud, Doctor Doom, Beanblossum Bommer, Hardtime Wrangler and High Pocket.
And the site is tremendously popular. Groups of 20 or more can order a tour with watermelon and lemonade by calling the Tourism and Convention Center. No admission is charged for viewing the cemetery.
“We also have a package for river barge excursions,” Hamlin said. L.O. Bishop, a longtime supporter who runs a local barbecue supply business, said as many as 400 people may visit the cemetery during the Labor Day celebration. On other days, visitors come whenever the urge strikes.
“I have never been to the coon dog cemetery that I didn’t see people come in,” Hamlin said.
But whatever you do, don’t ask if you can bury your cat there. It’s dogs only, and only coon dogs. In fact, a member of the local coon hunters’ organization must be allowed to view the coonhound to ensure.
“We have people call and ask us if they can bury their pets there and we say, ‘No, this is not a pet cemetery,’” Hamlin said.
2. Frozen Faces of Mt. Nebo Cemetery
An isolated dirt lane in the woods of Clarke County, Alabama, leads to a tiny, picturesque white church. Nearby is the burial site of late members of the church, some of whom stare blankly back at visitors through concrete eyes molded into grave markers. Four graves in Mt. Nebo Cemetery are marked with death mask headstones crafted by Isaac Nettles Sr, an inventor born in the 1880s. The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown, because in an odd twist, he is buried in an unmarked grave.
No one is sure why or how Nettles created the stones, though local lore says he made impressions by pressing their faces into wet sand and used concrete and wire to create the masks. Sadly, only two of the four markers are intact, and even those are eroding. One marker has three faces on it and is marked with the word “mother.” There is a legend that the woman died while giving birth to twins, but Kerry Reid with the Clarke County museum said the marker bears the faces of Nettles’ three daughters—Pauline, Marie and Clara—and that the stone marks the burial site of his wife, Korea Nettles.
Nearby, an oversized bust missing its head marks the grave of Nettles mother, Selena. Concrete troughs flanking the bust’s head were inlaid with locks of the woman’s hair to add realism, but by the 1980s, the hair was no longer visible. The head itself went missing after that, but no one knows what happened to it.
A few graves away, Angel Ezella Nettles’ stone bears a woman’s likeness and the words “Sis. Dollie” beneath, and still another reads “Manul Burell. Died 1946. He is at rest.” The National Park Service designated the stones as historic sites based on their artistic and ethnic significance that “represent a unique burial tradition” in the community. They are the most enduring testament to Isaac’s creativity—although he was widely known locally as an inventor, none of his inventions survived. Local lore has it that he invented a perpetual motion machine that drew the interest of the Ford Motor Company, but who knows what became of that?
3. Little Nadine’s Playhouse
The birthday party didn’t have the customary air of celebration. Although cake and ice cream were served, the guests may have felt uncomfortable running and playing—the guest of honor had died four months earlier and guests were celebrating atop her grave.
Little Nadine Earles died of diphtheria a week before Christmas 1933. She was only four years old.
Her father had begun building her a playhouse as a Christmas gift when she fell ill in November. As Christmas approached, Nadine grew weaker. To raise her spirits, her parents gave her early Christmas gifts: a life-size doll and a china tea set. But Little Nadine wanted her playhouse. When her father promised to continue work when she got well, the child said “Me want it now.”
After her death, Nadine’s father completed the brick playhouse and installed it atop her grave in Oakwood Cemetery in Lanett, Alabama. Complete with awnings on its windows, a chimney and a small front porch, the house was the site of Little Nadine’s post-mortem birthday party in 1934. Inside, a photo of that celebration sits on the mantle, alongside the doll and china tea set her parents gave her that long-ago
December.
Her marker is inscribed with the words:
Our darling little girl
Sweetest in the world
Little Nadine Earles
”Me want it now”
The Earles continued to fill the house with toys and gifts—sometimes placed beneath a decorated Christmas tree—until their deaths. They are buried on the same site as their daughter.
4. The Boll Weevil Monument
Boll weevils are vicious critters that destroy crops by the acre. The beetles, which are only a quarter of an inch long, nearly ruined the nation’s economy. They found their way into Texas around 1895, and by the early 1920s had devastated cotton production, one of the largest industries.
You would think that farmers in a farming town would want nothing to do with the critters, but at the height of the epidemic in 1919, Enterprise, Alabama erected 13-foot high sculpture celebrating this pest, right in the middle of the town’s business district.
Why would farmers salute their hated enemy in this way? Well, the emergence of the boll weevil actually forced farmers to diversify. Rather than fight off the weevils, many farmers turned to peanuts, which they quickly found even more profitable. Others began to rotate crops, which increased the productivity of their land. All of Coffey County, Alabama was blessed with an economic resurgence following the boll weevil disaster. And that’s the story behind one of the nation’s most unusual monuments.
Thank the Weevil
Check out the Boll Weevil Monument in Enterprise, Alabama. It's the only statue in the nation dedicated to a bug. Short story: When the boll weevil invaded the southeast, farmers began to grow other crops such as peanuts. The peanut crops were so profitable that farmers were grateful to the bug for presenting the opportunity. Weird? Yup. –Kimberly Barnhart
Forced Bug Tourism
All elementary students in Alabama are forced to take a field trip to Enterprise to see the statute of the Boll Weevil. The teacher spouts off how in 18-something the beetle destroyed Alabama's economy and in 1919 they built this big ugly statue to honor it. Then the big yellow buses take the kids to McDonalds and they all go home.
Recorded at Harsh Reality Music
Chris Phinney – (Mental Anguish) – synthesizers, electronics, fx, final mix
Ced Debear – Cover Art
The Church of Noisy Goat
thechurchofnoisygoat.bandcamp.com
tcng899
Alabama - Weird Wanderings
____________________________
1. Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard
L.O. Bishop likes to tell of the time during a funeral when the pallbearers got distracted by a rabbit, dropped the casket, and set off in hot pursuit. It’s a tall tale, of course, but what do you expect at a festival held in the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard? Each Labor Day, the cemetery hosts a celebration that includes music, dancing, food and a liar’s contest.
When there are pallbearers at this dog cemetery, maintained by the Tennessee Valley Coon Hunters Association and located 20 miles south of Tuscumbia in Colbert County, Alabama, they are of the human variety. But only canines certified as coon-hunting dogs may be buried there. The cemetery Web site at coondogcemetery.com includes eulogies and descriptions from mourners, including father and son William and Bradley Ramsey, whose Ole Red was buried in a full service.
“A group of solemn men, dressed in black mourning coats and hip boots, wearing carbide lamps on their heads stood beside a mound of soil
and a freshly dug hole. A hunting horn sounded and the bay of hounds filled the air. Four similarly dressed men walked slowly toward the gathered crowd, a small wooden box carried between them.”
The last lines of William’s eulogy memorialize the relationship between hunter and dog:
“…he knows in coon dog heaven he can hunt again when the sun goes down and the tree frogs holler. May the bones of Ole Red rest in peace, through the mercy of God and may the coon hunters light perpetually shine upon him.”
The cemetery has been featured in newspapers and magazines such as Southern Living, Field & Stream and Bassmaster, as well as on television shows such as Charles Kuralt’s On the Road. People walk into the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau daily asking for directions, bureau executive director Susann Hamlin said. The cemetery has become so popular, she told us, that the bureau now sells the world’s only Official Coon Dog Memorial Cemetery T-shirt and camouflage baseball caps.
They feature images of the grave of Troop, the first dog buried at the site. Shirts and caps are $12 each, but discounts are available for large quantities. Proceeds help maintain the cemetery. The Tourism and Convention Bureau on U.S. 72 in Tuscumbia is open weekdays and opens Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the summer.
The cemetery is named for Key Underwood, who buried his dog, Troop, in the woods where they hunted together in 1937. In a 1985 interview, Underwood said he never intended the site to become a cemetery. But as other hunters needed a place to honor their loyal hunting dogs, the secluded site became a popular burial ground.
About 185 dogs have been buried at the site, with names such as Straight Talkin’ Tex, Fanney,
Preacher, Ranger, Hickory, Kate, Rusty, Queen, Loud, Doctor Doom, Beanblossum Bommer, Hardtime Wrangler and High Pocket.
And the site is tremendously popular. Groups of 20 or more can order a tour with watermelon and lemonade by calling the Tourism and Convention Center. No admission is charged for viewing the cemetery.
“We also have a package for river barge excursions,” Hamlin said. L.O. Bishop, a longtime supporter who runs a local barbecue supply business, said as many as 400 people may visit the cemetery during the Labor Day celebration. On other days, visitors come whenever the urge strikes.
“I have never been to the coon dog cemetery that I didn’t see people come in,” Hamlin said.
But whatever you do, don’t ask if you can bury your cat there. It’s dogs only, and only coon dogs. In fact, a member of the local coon hunters’ organization must be allowed to view the coonhound to ensure.
“We have people call and ask us if they can bury their pets there and we say, ‘No, this is not a pet cemetery,’” Hamlin said.
2. Frozen Faces of Mt. Nebo Cemetery
An isolated dirt lane in the woods of Clarke County, Alabama, leads to a tiny, picturesque white church. Nearby is the burial site of late members of the church, some of whom stare blankly back at visitors through concrete eyes molded into grave markers. Four graves in Mt. Nebo Cemetery are marked with death mask headstones crafted by Isaac Nettles Sr, an inventor born in the 1880s. The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown, because in an odd twist, he is buried in an unmarked grave.
No one is sure why or how Nettles created the stones, though local lore says he made impressions by pressing their faces into wet sand and used concrete and wire to create the masks. Sadly, only two of the four markers are intact, and even those are eroding. One marker has three faces on it and is marked with the word “mother.” There is a legend that the woman died while giving birth to twins, but Kerry Reid with the Clarke County museum said the marker bears the faces of Nettles’ three daughters—Pauline, Marie and Clara—and that the stone marks the burial site of his wife, Korea Nettles.
Nearby, an oversized bust missing its head marks the grave of Nettles mother, Selena. Concrete troughs flanking the bust’s head were inlaid with locks of the woman’s hair to add realism, but by the 1980s, the hair was no longer visible. The head itself went missing after that, but no one knows what happened to it.
A few graves away, Angel Ezella Nettles’ stone bears a woman’s likeness and the words “Sis. Dollie” beneath, and still another reads “Manul Burell. Died 1946. He is at rest.” The National Park Service designated the stones as historic sites based on their artistic and ethnic significance that “represent a unique burial tradition” in the community. They are the most enduring testament to Isaac’s creativity—although he was widely known locally as an inventor, none of his inventions survived. Local lore has it that he invented a perpetual motion machine that drew the interest of the Ford Motor Company, but who knows what became of that?
3. Little Nadine’s Playhouse
The birthday party didn’t have the customary air of celebration. Although cake and ice cream were served, the guests may have felt uncomfortable running and playing—the guest of honor had died four months earlier and guests were celebrating atop her grave.
Little Nadine Earles died of diphtheria a week before Christmas 1933. She was only four years old.
Her father had begun building her a playhouse as a Christmas gift when she fell ill in November. As Christmas approached, Nadine grew weaker. To raise her spirits, her parents gave her early Christmas gifts: a life-size doll and a china tea set. But Little Nadine wanted her playhouse. When her father promised to continue work when she got well, the child said “Me want it now.”
After her death, Nadine’s father completed the brick playhouse and installed it atop her grave in Oakwood Cemetery in Lanett, Alabama. Complete with awnings on its windows, a chimney and a small front porch, the house was the site of Little Nadine’s post-mortem birthday party in 1934. Inside, a photo of that celebration sits on the mantle, alongside the doll and china tea set her parents gave her that long-ago
December.
Her marker is inscribed with the words:
Our darling little girl
Sweetest in the world
Little Nadine Earles
”Me want it now”
The Earles continued to fill the house with toys and gifts—sometimes placed beneath a decorated Christmas tree—until their deaths. They are buried on the same site as their daughter.
4. The Boll Weevil Monument
Boll weevils are vicious critters that destroy crops by the acre. The beetles, which are only a quarter of an inch long, nearly ruined the nation’s economy. They found their way into Texas around 1895, and by the early 1920s had devastated cotton production, one of the largest industries.
You would think that farmers in a farming town would want nothing to do with the critters, but at the height of the epidemic in 1919, Enterprise, Alabama erected 13-foot high sculpture celebrating this pest, right in the middle of the town’s business district.
Why would farmers salute their hated enemy in this way? Well, the emergence of the boll weevil actually forced farmers to diversify. Rather than fight off the weevils, many farmers turned to peanuts, which they quickly found even more profitable. Others began to rotate crops, which increased the productivity of their land. All of Coffey County, Alabama was blessed with an economic resurgence following the boll weevil disaster. And that’s the story behind one of the nation’s most unusual monuments.
Thank the Weevil
Check out the Boll Weevil Monument in Enterprise, Alabama. It's the only statue in the nation dedicated to a bug. Short story: When the boll weevil invaded the southeast, farmers began to grow other crops such as peanuts. The peanut crops were so profitable that farmers were grateful to the bug for presenting the opportunity. Weird? Yup. –Kimberly Barnhart
Forced Bug Tourism
All elementary students in Alabama are forced to take a field trip to Enterprise to see the statute of the Boll Weevil. The teacher spouts off how in 18-something the beetle destroyed Alabama's economy and in 1919 they built this big ugly statue to honor it. Then the big yellow buses take the kids to McDonalds and they all go home.
Recorded at Harsh Reality Music
Chris Phinney – (Mental Anguish) – synthesizers, electronics, fx, final mix
Ced Debear – Cover Art
The Church of Noisy Goat
thechurchofnoisygoat.bandcamp.com
tcng899
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The Church of Noisy Goat Vancouver, British Columbia
A netlabel focused on Noise, Harsh Noise, HNW, ANW, Industrial, Death Industrial, Dark Industrial & Post-Industrial.
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