Category Archives: -Alabama

-Alabama, Abandoned, Churches and Temples, Houses, Stores, Uncategorized

Visit Sceptre: A Day Trip to an Alabama Movie Set and Free Roaming Goats

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An island in the Alabama River hosts a tribe of friendly goats and a movie set for the film Big Fish. Not far from Montgomery, the town of Sceptre, Alabama, is actually Jackson Lake Island. In 2003, Tim directed the movie where part of the storyline take place in a magical town known as Sceptre, where the grass is so lush you don’t need shoes.

Gun Island Chute

The movie’s premise is that the father is known to tell tall tales, and on the day of his son’s birth, he lured the biggest fish with his wedding ring. This is just one of the tales he tells his son over the years. It stars Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, Albert Finney, and other notable actors. The town of Sceptre stretches along Main Street with houses and commercial structures. Today, only a few of the houses remain. In 2023, one of the prop structures caught on fire after a lightning strike. A tornado in 2021 caused damage, too.

The island is privately owned by former Montgomery mayor and US Congressman Bobby Bright and his wife, retired judge Lynn Bright, and it has been in their family for years. The goats had roamed the island for years before Big Fish came to town. Unfortunately, the trip of goats was lost to coyotes. The Brights decided to bring the goats back to the island. They are very used to humans. (One tried to climb into my car while I was packing my camera gear.) Unfortunately, in 2020, two baby goats disappeared, and it was believed that someone smuggled them off the island.

The original shoe line where people tossed their shoes since the grass is so lush you don’t need shoes. It is still a tradition today.

I highly recommend taking a trip to the island. There is a charge per person. If you are there for the day, the goats and the walk down Main Street would make a good day. Bring lunch, and you might have goat visitors. You can boat and fish in Gun Island Chute, the water surrounding the island. There is also RV Parking for overnight stays. I highly recommend visiting in the winter. The leafless trees add to the Southern Gothic appeal that is part of Big Fish. Fall would be a great time, too, because beautiful trees surround the lake.

Scroll down to see the original movie trailer.

Based on the front, I believe this might be a store and not a house.
A view down Main Street towards the church.
One of the other houses on the street. I assume it is the original color. It’s almost a haint blue.
This is my favorite remaining house. I love the woodwork.
Another house
I love this house, too.
This is the house where the pie scene takes place.
The beautiful church.
One of paths around the island

If you’ve never seen the movie, it can be streamed. For those who have seen it, here is the original trailer; you can see the trees and the town featured here.

-Alabama, Houses

A Queen Anne in Tuskegee, Alabama

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-Alabama, Cemeteries, Vernacular Headstones

Alabama’s Coon Dog Cemetery

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Located in rural northwest Alabama is the world’s only coon dog cemetery. Founded in 1937 on Labor Day, the cemetery began when Key Underwood buried his beloved coon dog, Troop. Officially, the cemetery’s name is the “Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard.”

The hand-chiseled gravestone of Troop, the first burial

Coon dogs are a type of scenthound used to hunt raccoons, feral pigs, and other animals. For a dog to be buried in the cemetery, the owner must verify they are a coon hound, a witness must verify the dog is a coonhound, and a board member of the cemetery must verify the dog is a coon hound. If a dog passes those tests, then their final resting place will be among a couple hundred of other coon hounds.

Queen, died 1962

The cemetery is filled with a mixture of professional and handmade headstones. Many headstones had a mixture of mementos left for the dogs, from rocks to balls

Easy Going Sam (4-8-1989-9-12-2002). Notice the color at the top of the cross.
The hand-sculpted market for High Pockett
One of the statutes honoring the coon dogs.

-Alabama, Abandoned, Churches and Temples

Mt. Zion Methodist Church-Colbert County, Alabama

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Information on this church is limited. The oldest burial, according to FindAGrave, was in 1865.

-Alabama, Cemeteries

The Grave Houses of Alabama’s Peck Cemetery

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Located near Falkville, Alabama, there are two grave houses located in a large pasture. The houses are part of a small family cemetery.

The grave houses belong to Elizabeth Ann Wiggins Brown (1938-1889) and her husband, John Jemisom Brown (1927-1890). According to FindAGrave, there are six burials in the cemetery.

An unlocked gate is at the entrance. I chose not to enter and shoot from the pull-in.

-Alabama, Churches and Temples

Cosmic Christ Mosaic-Huntsville, Alabama

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The First Baptist Church of Huntsville is home to a fantastic mosaic officially titled “Cosmic Christ.” Still, it is colloquially known as “Eggbeater Jesus” because the bottom part of Jesus’s body resembles a whisk. The mosaic was inspired by Huntsville being the home of NASA’s Marshall Space Center and the United States Space and Rocket Center, and by a Bible passage that referred to a ‘cosmic christ.’ Glass artist Gordon William Smith designed it in 1966, and the mosaic was installed in 1973. It cost $115,000 to complete. It took over 14 million pieces to make the mosaic.

Over the years, the mosaic began to deteriorate, and it was decided to restore it in 2016. The restoration lasted until 2022. It took 4.3 million blown glass tiles to restore. The church continues to use the original tiles in art projects.

In addition to the “Eggbeater Jesus,” the church is noted for its 229-foot steeple made by Campbellsville Industries, a company based in Kentucky. Known as the “God Rocket.” it is the largest premade steeple in the world.

The combination of the tower and the mosaic makes for an incredible piece of public art that you can see on Governor’s Drive. If you are ever in Huntsville, it is a must-see. If you are able, try to visit it at night when the mosaic is lit up.