The Tippecanoe Club Parade
From "Selma; Her Institutions, and Her Men" by John Hardy, pub. 1879:
Another delegation soon after was sent from the "Tippecanoe Club of Selma, to attend a convention at Tuscaloosa, and on the 30th of June, 1840, the delegation composed of the following men, assembled at the Railroad Hotel, on Water street: Thos. B. Carson, A. S. Jeffries, George C. Phillips, R. L. Downman, J. F. Lee, George w. Seaman, Wm. Blevins, Geo. Brewer, J. W. L. Childers, M. C. Wiley, W. Plattenburg, J. G. Owen, Wm. Douglas, D. Dussel, where stood the magnificent canoe, with six white horses hitched to the wagon, and canoe being decorated with almost every device. Soon this grand pageant moved down Water street to Broad, then turned up Broad, followed by about five hundred persons on horse and mule back, some with saddles, some without saddles, and the delegates in the canoe, as they went along Broad street, singing--
AIR--"THE OLD OAKEN BUCKET."
The people are coming from plain and from mountain,
To Join the Brave Band of the honest and Free;
Which grows as the stream from the leaf-sheltered fountain,
Spread broad and more broad till it reaches the sea;
No strength can restrain it , no force can retain it,
What’er may resist, it breaks gallantly through,
And borne by its motion as a ship on the ocean,
Speed on in its glory--
Old Tippecanoe!
The iron-armed soldier, The true -hearted soldier,
The gallant old soldier--
Of Tippecanoe !!"
|
Hundreds along the streets joining in the chorus, many of whom were ladies These demonstrations would have been overwhelming to any other class of men than those who supported Van Buren in 1840, in Selma.
The terrible sickness and the many deaths in the town during the months of September, October, November and some in December, had the tendency to diminish the population of the place. We had but few new places of business; among them, however, we can mention Houston & Brewer, J. M. Miller, J. G. Owen, Walker & Jones, Mrs. E. Eirington, a mantua maker, N. Quinn, boot and shoe maker, and Dr. T. Wordraper.
Samuel J. Rice took charge of the planters’ Hotel.
Rev. L. B. Wright opened a Male and Female School in the basement of St. Paul’s Church.
Wm. Moore was the stationed Methodist preacher at Selma during 1840.
James Lyon, of London, opened an evening school in Nov. 1840, for young men.
During the sickly season a large number of females left the town and went to Shelby Springs, which was the treat resort for the people of South Alabama.
The 4th of July was not neglected amidst the turmoil of politics, J. W. L. Childers delivered an oration, and John M. Strong W. Plattenburg, A. H. Conoly and W. H. Fellows, were appointed a committee to publish the oration.
Thomas H. Lee opened the first regular lumber yard in the place in the spring of 1840.
The first lot of flour in barrels from the West was received by James Adams on the 15th of June 1840.
<- PREVIOUS PAGE | INDEX | NEXT PAGE ->
site by Com'See
