Union Springs is the county seat of Bullock County, Alabama. Like many towns, it experienced significant growth because of rail lines that ran through the time. With a population of just over 3,400, the town is filled with palatial homes that show how the town thrived.
The Rainer-Lewis is one of those homes. The Neo-Classical Revival home was completed in 1904 for William Walton (W. W.) and Celia Rainer. W. W. served as the Merchant and Farmers Bank president and was also involved in state politics. William passed away in 1929, and census records indicate that Celia lived in the home until she died in 1931.
I cannot determine who the homeowners were from 1931 to 1971. I know that the Rainer children were not living in the home in the 1940s. Confirmed homeowners after that were J. W. Springers in 1971 and D. F. Masters in 1980. John Mertz sold the home to Helen and Frances Masters in 1993.
Albert and Joice Lewis owned the home for the longest time outside of the Rainer family. They owned the home from 1994 to 2009 until they relocated to California. Dr. Joice Bailey Lewis served as superintendent of Bullock County schools. She was the first female superintendent for Bullock County.
The home was last occupied in 2015. Since then it has slowly fallen into disrepair.
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 hadroamed 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 houseI 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.
This Summerville residence located across from Augusta Country Club has ties to the family of Maj. Archibald Butt, an Augustan who died aboard the Titanic in 1912. Historic Augusta estimates the home’s construction around 1902, but city records indicate it was built in 1891. The property remained in the same family since the late 1930s, when Dr. G. Lombard Kelly, then Dean of the Medical College of Georgia, purchased it.
The home was put on the market and sold. Photos can be seen on Zillow.
The Second Empire House is on Broad Avenue, on the edge of downtown Albany. Built in 1889, it was built for Samuel Farkas, a Hungarian immigrant who came to the United States to work for his uncle, who was setting up dry goods stores in Albany. He became a successful businessman, and his wealth was estimated to be over $350,000 (almost $11 million today) when he died in 1915.
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