Childersburg is a town of 5,000 located in Talladega County southeast of Birmingham. The major employer there is a paper mill that operates on the banks of the Coosa River. By all indications, Childersburg is, and always has been, a quiet little town. But that is not the case as shown in the 2002 documentary “Boom Town.”

During the 1940s Childersburg experienced explosive growth when the US Army decided to locate an ammunition plant there. Thousands of people from across the nation came to work on the massive construction project spreading over 13,500 acres.

The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant employed a workforce of over 25,000 people. Its primary products were TNT and gunpowder, but other chemical substances used in the production of ammunition were also produced there. Construction began in April of 1941 – before Pearl Harbor – and the plant continued operations until the end of World War II. Operations at the plant were so secretive during the war that even the majority of plant workers were surprised after the war to find that heavy water made in Childersburg was used in development of the atomic bomb.

“Boom Town” includes interviews with four people who worked at the plant and extensive 1940s film footage shot in Childersburg by the US government. Also included are interviews with two historians who have studied Alabama contributions to the World War II effort.

“Boom Town” Back Story
Max Shores has been producing and directing documentaries and public affairs programs about Alabama for over 20 years. Most of that time has been spent at the University of Alabama Center for Public Television, but he also worked with Alabama Public Television in Montgomery for several years. His documentaries have traced DeSoto’s route through Alabama, unraveled the amazing story of the kudzu vine, and revisited the sensational stories of Phenix City’s past.

We asked him a few questions about this project:

Why did you choose to tell this story?

Many of the stories that I produce relate to childhood memories. I grew up in northwest Alabama but my family visited relatives living in Coosa County which is just south of Talladega County where Childersburg is located. I remember folks talking about farmers with big wads of cash earned at the powder plant in their overall pockets. They talked about all the traffic on the highway leading to Childersburg. They talked about the fear that the plant might have been attacked during the war and blown Alabama off the map.

Because the Childersburg ammunition plant discontinued operations soon after World War Two, its contributions to the war effort are not widely known by those of us who came along after the war. In fact, when I began my research I found that there are very few people who worked at the plant still living in Childersburg. I am glad that I was able to find four people who were willing to share their stories so they can be passed on to future generations.

How did the Project Evolve?

The Childersburg story was headline news in the 1940s, so I was able to find film and photographs to illustrate the story, but I wanted to find people who had lived the story. I anticipated finding more people who had worked at the plant than I actually did. As I telephoned and visited Childersburg, I heard many fascinating stories second hand, but finding people who could talk first hand about WWII times became quite a challenge. I spoke on the phone with some people who were experiencing health problems that prevented them from being interviewed for TV. I was told about people who had passed away and taken their memories with them. Was it too late to capture this story?

Ultimately I stumbled on just the right people, but it was a long process.

Did you make any personal discoveries while making this documentary?

The fears, sacrifices, and valiant efforts in the face of adversity by the World War Two generation have been written about, but hearing people tell their own stories is much more powerful than the written word. They speak with pride. Their faces show the pain they felt and the amazement they experienced.

DVDs of Boom Town may be purchased for $21.00 each
using Visa, MasterCard, or Discover by calling:
1-800-463-8825
(Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Central Time)

Mail orders send check or money order to:
University of Alabama Center for Public Television & Radio
P. O. Box 870150
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0150

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Max Shores.

Anti-Gambling Movement Leaders in 1952 Phenix City

Present discussions regarding gambling here in Alabama are reminiscent of a time in the state’s past when Phenix City allowed many forms of gambling and state government officials looked the other way. Phenix City’s past was the subject of my documentary, “Up from the Ashes: The Rebirth of Phenix City.” I did the documentary, which was nominated for an Emmy Award, ten years ago. There has been renewed interest in Phenix City’s story recently because the state of Alabama is currently involved in a vigorous debate regarding bingo. Higher forms of gambling are forbidden here by state law, but bingo in various forms has been allowed for several years. Bingo began in Alabama as a way for non-profit organizations to raise money, but has escalated into big business in some locations. The governor has created a special task force which has taken action to end bingo operations, but the attorney general has ruled that the bingo operations are within the law. It appears that many people in the state would like to have an opportunity to vote on the issue.

Phenix City is located across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, Georgia. It grew primarily as a bedroom community for the larger city of Columbus. The people of Phenix City worked in Columbus but were frequently the first workers to be cut when jobs had to be thinned. There just weren’t enough jobs for the people of Phenix City. Further, the town did not have a tax base large enough to support basic services. Gambling operations were proposed as a solution and they put it to a vote.

"They voted to authorize gambling to come in, illegally, of course, and they collected revenue in the form of licenses of illegal gambling operations," explains former Alabama governor John Patterson. "This was a conscious decision that the city fathers made."

The gambling operations provided jobs for the people of Phenix City and money for the city’s coffers. Since Columbus is home to Fort Benning, a large military operation, the customer base for Phenix City’s gambling was largely military men.

It started with a lottery, called "the Bug." On one occasion the building housing the lottery operation became so full of excited people that it literally collapsed. The lottery was just the beginning and Phenix City ultimately became the home of a powerful crime syndicate. The streets were lined with casinos. Alabama state law prohibited such operations, but state officials took no action either because they were paid off or because they were afraid of retaliation.

A few brave citizens in Phenix City banded together and managed to get local candidates to run on a platform opposing gambling. The gentlemen in the photo above were leaders in that movement. They were beaten outside the polling place on election day in 1952. As more people rallied to fight the crime, there were more beatings. There were bombings. And there was a murder. The murder of Phenix City attorney Albert Patterson following his election to the position of state attorney general brought national attention to the crime in Phenix City. Alabama’s governor took action, declaring marshall law. The National Guard took over the town and cleaned everything up in 1954. In 1955, Phenix City was awarded LOOK magazine’s All-America City award, given to cities that had been turned around by citizen involvement. Today it is a beautiful, thriving city.

For more about my documentary, visit http://maxshores.com/phenixcity

DVDs of “Up from the Ashes: The Rebirth of Phenix City” may be purchased for $21.00 each by calling 1-800-463-8825.

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Across Alabama’s Black Belt on Highway 80
Called the Black Belt because of its rich, dark soil, the area of south Alabama traversed by Highway 80 on its route across the southern U.S. was the staging ground for some of Alabama’s most significant moments in history. It was here that DeSoto met Tuscaloosa, cotton plantations flourished, the Confederacy was born, and civil rights were won. Follow Highway 80 through Demopolis, Selma, Montgomery, and Tuskegee on a journey through Alabama history.

Boomtown
Chronicles the explosive growth of Childersburg, Ala., when a World War II ammunition plant was located there. Includes extensive film footage from the 1940s and interviews with people who worked at the plant. Click for more…

Bridges to the Past
Covered bridges served vital needs in the days of horse drawn transportation. Today they provide picturesque recreational attractions which give visitors insight into how people lived in the past. “Bridges to the Past” documents Alabama’s eleven remaining historic covered bridges which are open to the public. All were built from 1850 through the 1930′s. A few are still in use for motor traffic today, but most are limited to foot traffic. Click for more…

From Territory to State
The constitutional convention held in a Huntsville cabinetmaker’s shop paved the way for Alabama to become a state in 1819. The reconstructed shop is one of several buildings which make up Alabama Constitution Village, a living history museum where 1819 life is demonstrated by interpreters dressed in period attire. This study guide includes a glossary, discussion questions, and a concise summary of Alabama’s move to statehood. Click for online study guide…

In Search of DeSoto’s Trail
Traces the march of the Spanish explorer through Alabama and the Gulf states and highlights the work of Alabama archaeologists in documenting the history of his explorations.

On The Azalea Trail
Mobile, Alabama is widely known as “The Azalea City,” but the evergreen azaleas for which it is famous are not native to the area. These oriental plants with brilliant spring blooms were imported during the 1920s to create a tourist attraction known as the Azalea Trail. From the 1930s through the 1950s, tourists flocked to Mobile to see azaleas in bloom. Although the Azalea Trail’s attraction to tourists has declined in the ensuing years, its legacy still can be seen at Bellingrath Gardens, in the rise of Mobile’s horticulture industry, and at Mobile’s annual Festival of Flowers.

Sweet Home Alabama
The nineteenth-century homes featured in this program stand as monuments to a forgotten way of life that shaped the way we live today. Ranging from simple dogtrot cabins to elegant mansions, twenty rural and small-town homes are featured in short essays on topics such as architectural styles, the people who built them, or the people who care for them now. Based on the book, “Silent in the Land” by Chip Cooper, Harry Knopke, and Robert Gamble.

Up From the Ashes: The Rebirth of Phenix City
Phenix City had a reputation as being “the wickedest city in America” until the National Guard crushed a crime syndicate there in 1954. This program looks at the resurrection of Phenix City and shows how a group of boys fulfilled the vision of their ancestors and restored respect to their hometown by winning the national Little League Baseball championship in 1999. Click for more…

White Gold
Visit the historic salt works that supplied this valuable mineral to the Confederacy during the Civil War and tour modern industries that use Southwest Alabama salt to make products ranging from chlorine bleach to rocket fuel.

DVDs may be purchased for $21.00 each
using Visa, MasterCard, or Discover by calling:
1-800-463-8825
(Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Central Time)

Mail orders send check or money order to:
University of Alabama Center for Public Television & Radio
P. O. Box 870150
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0150

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Max Shores.