If you were hanging out with us last time we visited Fort Payne, then you’re already up to speed on some pretty epic stuff: legendary country music, a famous blue cat, a lifetime’s worth of socks and even a monkey assaulting a NASCAR driver mid-race.
But somehow, there’s still much more to see.
Specifically, we couldn’t help but wonder what was up with “Boom Days”? Although it only lasted a quick two years (1889-91), it’s celebrated everywhere in Fort Payne: posters, t-shirts, a mural. Thousands and thousands of people even show up every September to mingle, peruse the art, eat and generally rock out at the town’s “Boom Days Festival”. In 2015, it was even named the state’s “Event of the Year”.
Always ready to let our curiosity get the better of us, we headed back to northeast Alabama seeking answers. Rather than attend the festival (although I have, and it’s great), we were after some historical nerdery: what in the world happened in Fort Payne 135 years ago? Can we still check it out?
And, like always, we didn’t let good manners get in the way: no museum curator went unpestered by endless questions, no shopkeeper unharassed by photo requests, no food — no glorious food! — went uneaten.
So, let’s pull off the highway and explore what turns out to be one of the state’s most fascinating and historic small towns. Oh, and make sure to stick around until the end: we have a song for you.
Skip Ahead
– The Cherokee and the Legendary Language
– The “Boom Days”
– Food!: Little River Burgers & Brews
– Hank Williams?
– Epic Christmas Trees, Wax Melts and More Food (Shopping)
– Boom Town Makers Market
– Waving Goodbye
The Cherokee and the Legendary Language
But if we’re going to figure out what happened in 1889, then it helps to understand the time before that — long before a guy named Major Payne showed up and built a fort here (…what? No, no. Not that Major Payne.). 200 years ago, there was a nearby Cherokee settlement called “Willstown”. In the early 1800s, Cherokee legend Sequoyah himself moved here and created his perhaps even more legendary written language.
When they weren’t making fun of him, they assumed he was trying out witchcraft.
Let’s spare a moment to consider a person from a non-literate society, who nevertheless created a written language entirely from scratch — despite opposition and ridicule from his people. When they weren’t making fun of him, they assumed he was trying out witchcraft. His wife, for example, used to burn his manuscripts.
As it turned out, Sequoyah was right. His language was a success, helped level the playing field with white people, and inspired the creation of indigenous written language across the world.
Let us also consider that this language was created right here in Fort Payne. Ask permission, and you can even go check out a cave to see some of the early Cherokee writing inscribed on the walls.
If you paid attention in high school (what…no one?), then you have probably begun to guess what else happened to the Cherokee here.
The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail runs directly through Fort Payne. This cemetery site is from a mission and church in the 1820s and 1830s, predating the trail. All of the original buildings are gone, but the graves remain. Some are clearly settlers, but some are unmarked — possibly Cherokee who died during internment.
The U.S. Army built a fort here to hold the Cherokee before their removal. The town began around this fort, which is now long gone. However, remnants of a cabin from that complex are protected just off the main street.
All of this is to say, to step foot in Fort Payne is to walk in a place that has both nurtured historical greatness and yet witnessed the deepest of tragedy.
The Boom (Shaka-Laka) Days
After the Indian Removal…well, not much happened in Fort Payne. While the Civil War may have raged nearby, it largely skipped the settlement. But that relative calm changed abruptly in the 1880s once coal and iron were discovered and the railroad was complete.
And this, fellow travelers, is the legendary “Boom Days”: an era when Northern investors with heavy pockets flooded into the valley. In the course of two whirlwind years, Fort Payne went from a small, rural community of under 500 to a feverish industrial city many, many times that size.
The swell of money surging into the “Pittsburgh of the South” led to the creation of some of the more interesting architecture in northern Alabama. And here’s where we come in: much of it is still there.
So let’s explore the “Boom Days” world as it was in 1889. Okay, maybe that parking lot wasn’t there back then, but hey, you get modern plumbing. Seems like a fair trade.
We’ll start with the depot itself, a beautifully preserved museum that’s well worth a visit.
There are a wealth of period artifacts on display — from all eras of the town’s history — but this one was my favorite. If the vintage cash register isn’t enough, then how about this newspaper clipping, featuring a juicy bit of late 19th century upper-class intrigue?
Pro tip: step out back to check out the caboose (1971). And make sure to go inside…
…as the entire interior is covered in a mural depicting the town during the Boom (shout out to the artist, Lydia Randolph).
And once all those newcomers disembarked from the trains, they were immediately greeted by…
Wandering the “Boom Days” Downtown
The city, newly erupting with money.
The centerpiece was undoubtedly the luxury DeKalb Hotel. And it was mammoth. It also burned in 1918, a not insignificant architectural loss for the city and, really, the state. But the historic downtown strip, beautiful and flexing all that 1889 cash money, remains.
Shown above is the centerpiece and one of Alabama’s few remaining opera houses (and the only one still in use today).
We stepped inside where we ran into…
Santa! (And check out that interior, my peeps.)
But really…all of these 1889 buildings now house various secret delights. So let’s walk to the ones next door, knock and see who’s too polite to turn us away.
First up, the Emma Kane Jordan Folk Art Gallery, home of 90 handmade dioramas. That’s right, 90. Their origin involves everything from a secretive artist to a traveling roadside museum. Read about it here.
Now, let’s try another door…
Who am I kidding? This is Fort Payne; everyone opened the door. Come, let us tax their generosity!
Next stop: the Hosiery Museum, where you can peruse a little bit of everything Fort Payne: Cherokee history, the mining boom and the town’s reign as “Sock Capital of the World” (Sound wild? It is. Dig into that story here.).
And take a moment to tickle your inner vintage: this place has every manner of ridiculously complicated, pre-digital sock knitting machine imaginable.
What’s this? There’s an upstairs? And the door’s already open?
Meet the Will’s Valley Model Railroaders who are years deep into building what is perhaps Alabama’s largest model train track. No, really…this thing is huge. Take what you see here and multiply it by 10.
And the project is directly tied to the area’s railroad past. See that model downtown on the right? That’s recreated Collinsville. The recreation of Fort Payne is currently underway.
Reach out here to visit. And definitely bring your kids.
Back outside we head to the city park, catty-cornered from all this historical goodness. The park was also built in 1889 as a leisure spot in front of the hotel. The fountain is part of the original design.
“Yes,” you may be wondering, “but why is the water blue? I mean, surely the water wasn’t blue in 1889…or, was it?” (And really, Fort Payne sure seems enthusiastic about suspect water.)
I posed that question and was told that the guy in charge…well, he just likes the water blue. And, really, who am I to argue with that?
But the blue water brings us to the end of our Boom Days tour: ultimately, the iron and coal deposits here couldn’t compete with Birmingham. Almost as quickly as it had begun, the Boom was over. Still, it was enough: Fort Payne had emerged as a true city.
Now for the Important Part: Food!
Yes, yes…I know: I promised food. So let’s make a stop at Little River Burger & Brews, repeat winners of “Best Burgers in DeKalb County”.
Man, check out those garlic & parmesan fries. Do they look amazing? Well, they taste even better. The folks here make all of their own dressings and sauces as well. And check out that burger where—
What…? No! Of course I wouldn’t out myself as a weakling by ordering a veggie burger AND posting it publicly…
Okay, listen. Maybe — just maybe! — I did. But here’s the thing: they also have many, many real burger options (i.e. The Pizza Burger, The Cowpoke, The Pimento Burger, many more). And the fact that the people here took pity on a shameless, undignified vegetarian such as myself just goes to show what I found over and over: they care deeply about customer service.
The Alabama Ramble has taken me to many restaurants, but I have never had so many employees ask about my meal and thank me for coming. Even people working in the kitchen came out to check on me.
Wait! Wait! Where are you people going?! We’re not done here.
We have their signature, homemade Mason Jar Desserts to attend to. I opted for the banana pudding, and it was glorious. Other options: Oreo and cheesecake.
Next Stop: …Hank Williams?
And now, after having our fill of both history and glorious calories, let’s see what modern Fort Payne has to offer. But before we do, let’s make a brief stop here.
“Wait,” you might reasonably ask, “why are we stopping at an alley…?”
Well, as it turns out, this isn’t just any old alley. Instead, let us pause for a moment to allow Hank Williams to make an entrance…and, well, also his big exit. You may well have heard the story: on his final day, Hank took a morning stop for a haircut. While it may only be an alley now, in 1953, this was the location of the barbershop.
What’s That, You Left Your Spouse at Home?: Let’s Go Shopping!
I have made much of Fort Payne’s past, and rightly so. But before we go, let’s take a moment to appreciate the present, where downtown is alive with small businesses.
Here are snapshots of but a few of the folks holding it down in Fort Payne’s core. We’ve all heard it before, but it’s important, so let’s say it again: support local.
Alice Circle whose store also includes an arts/crafts space and a cafe run by the local high school’s culinary program.
The Poppery on Main: any and every type of popcorn you can imagine, all popped in house.
Blue Jug: a health-food spot, specializing in alkaline water which, I admit, I didn’t know was a thing. This place is also the homebase for Butter Snob Baking, and man…it’s good. If you’re lucky, they’ll have one of their Fruity Pebble macaron ice cream sandwiches.
One of many, many unbelievable Christmas trees in Tiger Lily Flowers & Gifts.
The beautifully curated Bleu River Home Accents and Candle Bar.
Our Final Stop: The Arts, the Bovine and…a Song?
And what’s this? Boom Town Makers Market, a store named after “Boom Days”?
Let’s investigate…
While we didn’t turn up anything new about Boom Days here, we did discover that Boom Town Makers Market is Fort Payne’s hub for local art. However you get your art fix, this place will take care of you.
Looking for something beautiful and traditional? Say no more.
Or maybe you’d like something more funky? How about this pair of dapper bovine?
Whatever your creative fancy, whatever moo-ves you (sorry, sorry), then Makers Market probably has it.
But my favorite part? If you happen to be here when Judy-Nicole is working, then just ask and she’ll sing you a song. And unlike you and me, she can actually sing. Check the video above to get a listen.
Waving Goodbye to Lookout Mountain
We’ve only begun to explore the stories and legends that make Fort Payne. We didn’t even get to the world’s largest cake, shaped like the state of Alabama and weighing in at a whopping 128,238 pounds (roughly the weight of 10 full-grown African elephants, the locals had to cut it with a sword). Or the town’s resident author who made the first modern-day hike of the 900-mile Trail of Tears.*
Nevertheless, Alabama’s adventures are many, and the time has come to leave. So, with bellies full and wallets lighter, let’s head back to the highway. And as the “Sock Capital of the World” and the “Boom Days” fade in the rearview, we’ll look ahead to our next Ramble in a land of ancient riverside cliffs, legendary outlaws and gloriously unhealthy food.
I’ll see you there.
Photos: Wesley Miller and Ashley Goode
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Explore more of Fort Payne: Investigating Fort Payne, the “Sock Capital of the World”
*Note: if you buy through this link, then I do get a commission. It costs you nothing, I promise. But it does help support my work.
