bigkyle28
A Mystery Unsolved Unsolvable
This post is really more about the story than the photos.
This grave is located just as you turn onto Bain's Gap road from Choccolocco road.Bain's Gap road takes you through some beautiful mountainous scenery and ends at Fort McClellan in Anniston Alabama.Fort McClellan was closed in the late 90's during one of the rounds of base closings.The Army deeded the entire area to the City of Anniston.
Anniston immediately closed this road because for decades the Army had used this beautiful mountainous area for artillery practice and this had left a large amount of unexploded shells in the area which had to be removed before the road could be reopened.The cleanup was finally completed in the first half of 2006 and was made available for public use.There were several articles in the paper concerning the beautiful scenery and mountains this road passes through so of course I had to go see it for myself.
I noticed this grave right off so on the way back I stopped to check it out because it is so unusual.The fact that it is by itself and the road being more or less around it piqued my interest so I decided to see what I could find out about it.I did several online searches and made a few phone calls but details concerning this grave continued to elude me.
A few weeks ago I went to the online version of The Anniston Star I thought maybe there would be an obituary or something so I did a search there and hit pay dirt.George Smith a senior editor had written an article about this very grave in October of 2002 but the online version did not contain the whole article,it really was just a few brief lines.I sent Mr Smith an E-Mail concerning the article and he was gracious enough to mail me the whole article he interviewed a lady who was the child's niece while she was placing a floral arrangement on the grave which is where the following information comes from.
It has been a family tradition for someone to clean up and leave a floral arrangement every Mothers Day that has been passed down through four generations and the niece's daughter has already agreed to continue it when her mother becomes unable to do so..The niece had never even seen a picture of Woodrow and her knowledge concerning him had been passed down to her from her Grandmother Woodrow's mother.The cause of his passing was never told to her,this lady has been doing this since 1973.
"Over the years some have wondered why the one lonely grave beside the road."
Her mother always told her it was there because a church was going to be built there but after his death it was decided that the church would be built about a quarter of a mile down the road.The grave is located on land that was once the maternal grandfather's farm.
"A great-uncle lived across the road and a great grand mother's farm was a mere stone's throw from the church."
Mr Smith tried on several occasions through the years to find information concerning the little grave but strangely none knew the history behind it.Surprisingly he uncoverd the story of the small grave in the offices of the Anniston Star it seems that this lady worked the front desk there.
I have thought a lot about the why and wherefores of this little grave.This is pure speculation on my part but when the land was sold to the Army or the state or whoever I think there was probably some kind of stipulation that the grave could never be moved or relocated or disturbed in any way.That's the only reason I can think of that the roads would be built around it like they are.
View On Black Large
A Mystery Unsolved Unsolvable
This post is really more about the story than the photos.
This grave is located just as you turn onto Bain's Gap road from Choccolocco road.Bain's Gap road takes you through some beautiful mountainous scenery and ends at Fort McClellan in Anniston Alabama.Fort McClellan was closed in the late 90's during one of the rounds of base closings.The Army deeded the entire area to the City of Anniston.
Anniston immediately closed this road because for decades the Army had used this beautiful mountainous area for artillery practice and this had left a large amount of unexploded shells in the area which had to be removed before the road could be reopened.The cleanup was finally completed in the first half of 2006 and was made available for public use.There were several articles in the paper concerning the beautiful scenery and mountains this road passes through so of course I had to go see it for myself.
I noticed this grave right off so on the way back I stopped to check it out because it is so unusual.The fact that it is by itself and the road being more or less around it piqued my interest so I decided to see what I could find out about it.I did several online searches and made a few phone calls but details concerning this grave continued to elude me.
A few weeks ago I went to the online version of The Anniston Star I thought maybe there would be an obituary or something so I did a search there and hit pay dirt.George Smith a senior editor had written an article about this very grave in October of 2002 but the online version did not contain the whole article,it really was just a few brief lines.I sent Mr Smith an E-Mail concerning the article and he was gracious enough to mail me the whole article he interviewed a lady who was the child's niece while she was placing a floral arrangement on the grave which is where the following information comes from.
It has been a family tradition for someone to clean up and leave a floral arrangement every Mothers Day that has been passed down through four generations and the niece's daughter has already agreed to continue it when her mother becomes unable to do so..The niece had never even seen a picture of Woodrow and her knowledge concerning him had been passed down to her from her Grandmother Woodrow's mother.The cause of his passing was never told to her,this lady has been doing this since 1973.
"Over the years some have wondered why the one lonely grave beside the road."
Her mother always told her it was there because a church was going to be built there but after his death it was decided that the church would be built about a quarter of a mile down the road.The grave is located on land that was once the maternal grandfather's farm.
"A great-uncle lived across the road and a great grand mother's farm was a mere stone's throw from the church."
Mr Smith tried on several occasions through the years to find information concerning the little grave but strangely none knew the history behind it.Surprisingly he uncoverd the story of the small grave in the offices of the Anniston Star it seems that this lady worked the front desk there.
I have thought a lot about the why and wherefores of this little grave.This is pure speculation on my part but when the land was sold to the Army or the state or whoever I think there was probably some kind of stipulation that the grave could never be moved or relocated or disturbed in any way.That's the only reason I can think of that the roads would be built around it like they are.
View On Black Large