Tennessee River
Reports from the Tennessee River expedition
-
Full house at the Kennedy Douglass Center for the Secret History gallery talk
Full house at the Kennedy Douglass Center for the Secret History gallery talk. Thanks to KDarts for making this happen
-
Kathryn Boyd Rice, 94, regaled us with stories of life in Sheffield AL
Kathryn Boyd Rice, 94, regaled us with stories of life in Sheffield AL and as an illustrator and artist. She designed the cotton logo for the industry still used today
-
-
One of the last mom and pop stores
After World War II around 1955, my dad got a job with TVA. He would have made a lot more money but he wanted to do something else. So he opened up a small country store in Courtland Alabama.
-
-
-
The modesty of southerners: Women hide behind their tablets and phones whenever the shantyboat goes by
The modesty of southerners: Women hide behind their tablets and phones whenever the shantyboat goes by
-
New ships mate Age and I celebrate his arrival with a shot of Dr Thunders peachy fire whiskey
New ships mate Age and I celebrate his arrival with a shot of Dr Thunders peachy fire whiskey
-
Susan Stewart’s grandpa was chief clerk on a packet boat around 1910
Susan Stewart’s grandpa was chief clerk on a packet boat around 1910
-
Secret History shantyboat open house at Florence Harbor Marina
Secret History shantyboat open house at Florence Harbor Marina
-
Secret History at the Florence Kennedy Douglass Center for the Arts this weekend
Secret History at the Florence Kennedy Douglass Center for the Arts this weekend
-
In a land of mostly dry fountains, Florence got it going on
In a land where the previous generations’ civic hardscaping have devolved into dry fountains most everywhere, Florence Alabama’s got it going on
-
Join us for a Secret History exhibition at Kennedy Douglass Center for the Arts in Florence AL. Opening reception Friday at 5:30pm and artist talk Sunday 1-3pm. Shantyboat Open House at Florence Harbor Marina Friday 2-4pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday and Monday 4pm-7pm.#shantyboat #art #alabama #exhibitions #socialpractice (http://ift.tt/2aRiGzw)
-
Family Shantyboat Photos
One of the many folks we met in Florence Alabama shared these photos of their family shantyboat with us.
-
Times Daily: Telling secrets: California artist gathers river stories from a shanty
Times DailyBy Monica Collier Wes Modesβ 1940s era shanty boat is docked on the bank of a river. Modes is in the Shoals and will be part of βA Secret History of American River People,β sponsored by the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, Friday through Sunday. For four days, Friday through Monday, the Kennedy-Douglass Center…
-
-
-
-
The Boxcar Cafe in Sheffield. Lots of old history here
The Boxcar Cafe in Sheffield. Lots of old history here
-
Welcomed by a whole brood of curious kids in Florence
Welcomed by a whole brood of curious kids in Florence
-
-
Tennessee River trash pouring out of the mouth of Sweetwater Creek
Tennessee River covered in trash ironically pouring out of the mouth of Sweetwater Creek. Perhaps @ijamsnaturecenter should introduce @florencealabama to their trash booms
-
The most curious lock crew we’ve ever encountered at Wilson Lock
The most curious lock crew we’ve ever encountered at Wilson Lock
-
Tiny tiny shantyboat 93 feet down at the bottom of Wilson Lock and Dam
Tiny tiny shantyboat 93 feet down at the bottom of Wilson Lock and Dam. Thanks to Gino, one of the lock staff, for the photo
-
Florence Courier-Journal: The Riverβs Life and People
A rustic recreated 1940s shanty boat, a daring river voyage, and a meticulous archive of river stories are all part of a multi-year art and history project, A Secret History of American River People. Santa Cruz, California artist Wes Modes is currently floating his homemade houseboat down the historic Tennessee River.
-
-
Lockmaster at Wheeler Dam checking out project postcard
Lockmaster at Wheeler Dam checking out project postcard
-
-
Cara introduced me to the concept of Meat and Two
Cara introduced me to the concept of Meat and 2. Meat and 2 sides
-
When we boated up a creek to this little town, you’ll never believe what happened.
We boated up a creek as close to a nearby little town as we could get, still a 20 minute walk away to get much-needed propane and fuel. I bet Jeremiah that we could get there in less than 20 minutes hitchhiking, even with the wait. The moment we stepped into the road, before we’d…
-
Crossing the expanse of Tennessee River lakes often feels endless
Crossing the expanse of Tennessee River lakes often feels endless
-
Waiting for the crowds to subside, cocktail hour and dominos with Jeremiah
Waiting for the crowds to subside, cocktail hour and dominos with @dudicusmaximus
-
A Morning with Zachary Nelson
We ran into Zach Nelson while we were docked at Brickyard Marina. He brought over his 72 year-old grandfather Joe who told us stories while Zach played our shantyboat guitar.
-
In the far away land of Alabama there are electrical outlets in public places
In the far away land of Alabama there are electrical outlets in public places such as parks, buildings and patios. Apparently they are not terrified that homeless people will charge their cell phones. People here don’t believe us when we say that this doesn’t happen where we come from
-
-
We thought we might fit under the train bridge at Decatur AL
Train bridge Decatur AL. We thought at first we might fit under. Not so much
-
Passing the time with the song game on the way to Decatur
Passing the time with the song game on the way to Mussel Shoals
-
Do you know people in Decatur AL we should talk to?
Do you know people in Decatur AL we should talk to?
-
Cocktail hour! Next on the Shantyboat Guys!
Cocktail hour! Next on the Shantyboat Guys with @dudicusmaximus
-
Thanks to Ditto Landing for hosting us in Huntsville
Thanks to Ditto Landing for hosting us in Huntsville, especially director Brandi Quick
-
@dudicusmaximus finally noticed the shantyboat head dedication. Three years with the project
@dudicusmaximus finally noticed the shantyboat head dedication. Three years with the project
-
Apparently we were in USA Today (Thanks Joan Raspo)
Apparently we were in USA Today (Thanks Joan Raspo)
-
WAFF Huntsville: Shanty floating down the TN seeking hidden histories of river people
Get close enough to the Tennessee river, you can hear itβs story. But you can only learn so much, standing on the shore. If youβve been on the banks the past week in North Alabama, you may have noticed a tiny shack floating down the river. No matter what you may think about the odd…
-
Here’s @gooddoghazel perched on the side of a cliff at Painted Bluff
Here’s @gooddoghazel perched on the side of a cliff at Painted Bluff
-
Sonnie Hereford, Civil Rights Pioneer
We were fortunate to be able to talk to Sonnie Hereford IV, who at the age of 5 was the first child to integrate public schools not just in Huntsville, but in Alabama.
-
Chef Forest Wilson and daughter Yasmin who run a vegan & veggie food truck at Lowe Mill in Huntsville
Chef Forest Wilson and daughter Yasmin who run a vegan & veggie food truck at Lowe Mill in Huntsville
-
World War 2 ammunition bunkers and 50s Cold War fallout shelters on Redstone Arsenal
World War 2 ammunition bunkers and 50s Cold War fallout shelters on Redstone Arsenal
-
-
@gooddoghazel is NASAs new spokesmodel. With Saturn V rocket
@gooddoghazel is NASAs new spokesmodel. With Saturn V rocket
-
Beautiful Indian Creek in Triana Alabama heavily polluted with DDT from the Redstone Arsenal
Beautiful Indian Creek in Triana Alabama heavily polluted with DDT from the Redstone Arsenal
-
Nathaniel Chisolm of E&N Good Home Cooking in Triana. His wife Emma is the E in E&N
Nathaniel Chisolm of E&N Good Home Cooking in Triana. His wife Emma is the E in E&N
-
An Interview with the Arsenal Archaeologist
I had the opportunity to interview Ben Hoksbergen, archaeologist for the Redstone Arsenal. He took us upriver in his boat to several artifact sites and up to Paint Rock near the Guntersville Dam to see prehistoric paintings on the rock.
-
WVLT Knoxville: Shanty boat tours America’s rivers via Knoxville
It’s a hot summer day on Knoxville’s Volunteer Landing and an old mountain shack rolls up to the dock. Right out of the Beverly Hillbillies.
-
In Huntsville? Stop by the Secret History Open House on the shantyboat at Ditto Landing. See the boat, tell us your story, play the banjo. We’ll be here until 7pm
In Huntsville? Stop by the Secret History Open House on the shantyboat at Ditto Landing. See the boat, tell us your story, play the banjo. We’ll be here until 7pm
-
-
Most epically scenic interview ever with archeologist Ben Hoksbergen perched on the side of Painted Bluff
Most epically scenic interview ever with archeologist Ben Hoksbergen perched on the side of Painted Bluff
-
@gooddoghazel near Hobbs Island on Ben Hoksbergen’s boat on our archaeology tour
@gooddoghazel near Hobbs Island on Ben Hoksbergen’s boat on our archaeology tour
-
Visitor Nate playing banjo during the shantyboat open house
Visitor Nate playing banjo during the shantyboat open house
-
Join us for a Shantyboat Open House! Tue & Wed 3-7pm Ditto Landing Huntsville
Join us for a Shantyboat Open House! Tue & Wed 3-7pm Ditto Landing Huntsville
-
-
-
5th Ave School, first integrated public school in Alabama in 1963. Now honored with a brand new medical tower
5th Ave School, first integrated public school in Alabama in 1963. Now honored with a brand new medical tower
-
Site of the Huntsville slave cemetery now honored with medical offices. Last used in 1870. Euphemistically known as “Georgia” in the Black community
Site of the Huntsville slave cemetery now honored with medical offices. Last used in 1870. Euphemistically known as “Georgia” in the Black community
-
UK DailyMail: Could you live on a ‘shantyboat’? Artist calls this tiny homemade floating shack home as he journeys around the Tennessee River
A homemade ‘shanty boat’ is currently floating down the Tennessee River through Alabama to remind Americans of their ‘forgotten history’.
-
Doris Turner – What does the river mean to you?
Excerpt from interview with Dorris Turner in Guntersville, Alabama along the banks of the Tennessee River.
-
Have a beater car we can borrow for a few days in Huntsville? Downtown is literally 10’miles from the river
Have a beater car we can borrow for a few days in Huntsville? Downtown is literally 10’miles from the river
-
-
Cara pilots on a hazy afternoon through high bluffs
Cara pilots on a hazy afternoon through high bluffs
-
-
-
Secret History is front page in the Guntersville Gleam
Secret History is front page in the Guntersville Gleam
-
TVA bans new floating homes, but allows existing homes to stay
Since the 1950s, floating homes on the water have been an endangered species in the US. With the exception of thoseΒ on city- or county-owned waters, boathouses are all but extinct on the Mississippi River. On Tennessee Valley Authority controlled waters in the Tennessee River watershed, floating homes are also endangered.
-
Doris Turner talked to us about her daddy who was a captain on the Guntersville and Huntsville steamboats hauling railroad cars 22 miles to Hobbs Island
Dorris Turner talked to us about her daddy who was a captain on the Guntersville and Huntsville steamboats hauling railroad cars 22 miles to Hobbs Island
-
Pete Sparks and Larry Smith, both Guntersville historians, told us about the TVA impounding of Lake Guntersvilke, the Civil War and the Cherokee removals
Pete Sparks and Larry Smith, both Guntersville historians, told us about the TVA impounding of Lake Guntersvilke, the Civil War and the Cherokee removals
-
Huntsville Times: Fishing For Stories
Artist cruises into Huntsville today (or tomorrow) on a shantyboat river journey. The boat was built by California-based artist Wes Modes, who is traveling America’s rivers to document the stories and history of people who live and work along the rivers. And he’d love to know who he should talk to.
-
Cara with Dorris Turner, 75, whose father was a steamboat captain in Guntersville
Cara with Dorris Turner, 75, whose father was a steamboat captain in Guntersville
-
The case of the “stolen” johnboat solved. Four agency APB. Fastest response ever. Found drifting and brought to hotel dock by a boat repair fella
The case of the “stolen” johnboat solved. Four agency APB. Fastest response ever. Found drifting and brought to hotel dock by a boat repair fella
-
Empty shore where the johnboat was tied up while I went to the hardware store. Stolen?
Empty shore where the johnboat was tied up while I went to the hardware store. Stolen?
-
Guntersville police chief Jim Peterson, fourth generation in this little welcoming town of 8000 (and an Alabama fan).
Β Guntersville police chief Jim Peterson, fourth generation in this little welcoming town of 8000 (and an Alabama fan). I am told that here I should say “Roll tide.”
-
-
Since we are such terrible fishermen, the only fish we’ve been able to catch have been the dead fish stinking up the harbor
Since we are such terrible fishermen, the only fish we’ve been able to catch have been the dead fish stinking up the harbor
-
Guntersville Gleam: He’s running the river in a shanty boat
Guntersville Advertiser-Gleamby Joe Cagle People in Guntersville are used to seeing the same sort of traffic coming in and out of the city harbor. The occasional pontoon boat, a bass boat or even a Guntersville Police boat are the norm, with big yachts sometimes visiting. But a very different kind of boat pulled into the…
-
To visualize this properly, imagine sheet lightening rippling along the bottom of this threatening cloud we need to boat home in
To visualize this properly, imagine sheet lightening rippling along the bottom of this threatening cloud we need to boat home in
-
Moments before lightening in the distance cleared the pools
Moments before lightening in the distance cleared the pools
-
Early evening johnboat adventure with Cara and @gooddoghazel for public pool, liquor and ice
Early evening johnboat adventure with Cara and @gooddoghazel for public pool, liquor and ice
-
-
Knoxville Mercury: Shanty Dreams: A Quest for the Forgotten Stories of the Tennessee River
βWhat the hell have I gotten myself into?β is all I can think as I prepare to board the shantyboat Dotty. This thing doesnβt even look like it could float, much less survive a 652-mile trek down the Tennessee River.
-
The muppet Hoggle from the movie Labyrinth discovered rotting in unclaimed luggage and restored
The muppet Hoggle from the movie Labyrinth discovered rotting in unclaimed luggage and restored
-
Old AA buddies of Squirlesy’s modeling in Guntersville Alabama
Old AA buddies of Squirlsy’s modeling in Guntersville Alabama
-
Who knew there was craft beer in small town Northern Alabama? Main Channel brewing in Guntersville
Who knew there was craft beer in small town Northern Alabama? Main Channel brewing in Guntersville
-
-
Within hours of arriving in Guntersville Alabama the cops arrived…
Within hours of arriving in Guntersville Alabama the cops arrived… to welcome us to town, ask questions about the shantyboat and the project, to tell us stories, bring the local newspaper, tell us where to eat, and offer us information, contacts, and rides. Police Chief Jim Peterson, Alabama Trooper Lt Terry Ware, Gleam reporter Joe…
-
Ghost children in antique store in Gintersville Alabama
Ghost children in antique store in Gintersville Alabama
-
After numerous hours on the boat Hazel is glad to ge back to dry land in Guntersville Alabama
After numerous hours on the boat Hazel is glad to ge back to dry land in Guntersville Alabama
-
-
-
-
An Hour of Frogs
An ocean of lily pads in a lake on the river host a universe of frogs. Here’s a field recording of frogs in a lily pad field on the Tennessee River near Scottsboro, Alabama at 10pm.
-
Artist on Tennessee River Journey to Gather Stories
California artist collecting stories of river people HI-RES PHOTOS AVAILABLE: Click Here A rustic recreated 1940s shantyboat, a daring river voyage, and a meticulous archive of river stories are all part of a multi-year art and history project, A Secret History of American River People. Santa Cruz artist Wes Modes is currently floating his homemade…
-
The sun is a blazing fireball 90 degrees F At 10 in the morning
The sun is a blazing fireball 90 degrees F At 10 in the morning