An interview with Lisa
This was written about a
family’s history discovered when talking to a member of the Fraternal,
Greenwood, Foley Cemetery Preservation Society.
The Society has been established by
family and friends of those buried at the three cemeteries in Pratt City,
Alabama. The Society is forming a non-profit organization that will arrange to
maintain and care these cemeteries on an on-going basis. The second clean-up
day is scheduled for Saturday, March 23rd, next Saturday starting at
9 AM.
As I have been exploring the many burials at
this group of unkempt cemeteries, I realize that there are many stories that
tell the history of those dearly beloved parents, grandparents, great
grandparents and other family members that lie at rest under the lovely oaks in
Pratt City, Alabama just outside of Birmingham.
Recently while chatting with Lisa, one of the members of the newly
forming Preservation Society, something Lisa said gripped my heart and squeezed
ever so gently, bringing tears to my eyes.
I knew at that moment that I needed to tell her story so that the
community might better understand why we so desperately want to make things
right again…
That being said.... I want to introduce you to
Lisa F.
Penny:
“Lisa, thank you for talking with me about how Fraternal Cemetery, in
particular, has come to mean so much to you and your family! Please tell me about your earliest memories of
Pratt City....”
Lisa:
“I grew up on Trilby Street in Pratt City. My grandparents lived on one side of
us and my aunt, uncle and cousins lived on the other side. Our house was built by my dad, a fireman, with
the help of his co-workers. I remember
how great it was to have family near. My
cousins taught me how to throw a football, ride a bike, play with Barbie dolls
and just be a kid. We had a cool
basement den where all of the kids would come to play. A friend messaged me not long ago, ours was
one of the first houses with an electric garage door opener. Memories!”
Penny: “Did
you ever live anywhere else before Trilby St?”
Lisa: “No that was the first place I lived,
until I was ten when we moved to Forestdale. We went to St. Catherine's Church across the
street from Fraternal Cemetery. We used
to have Easter Egg hunts on the church grounds.... it was a very special place. As a kid I remember the mausoleum in the cemetery scared me. My mom has told me stories of when she was young
and looking across the street at it from the school at St. Catherine’s.”
Penny: “You bring up Fraternal Cemetery and
St. Catherine’s Church. How close did
you live to them?”
Lisa: “A half mile at the most.”
Penny: “When we have talked earlier you mentioned to
me that you recall an early experience when a tornado hit the area near St.
Catherine’s. What difficult task did you
have to perform after the tornado?”
Lisa: “My grandparents, Fenton Burns and Mae Belle
Hannigan are buried in the Fraternal Cemetery. For many years we went to the cemetery to keep
their graves and the Hannigan plot behind it, clean. My dad would then go clean the Dugan’s plot
and use his lawnmower and weed eater to clean near the road and keep a path for
people to walk. Back then there were
quite a few people who went regularly to Fraternal. Two older women kept the graves near the
entrance to the right cleaned. After the
tornado, we went to clean and found a lot of the amber glass that had come from
St. Catherine's Church which was damaged by the tornado. The April 27th, 2011 tornado was a lot
more devastating. A huge tree covered my
grandparents’ grave. A very nice man
from St. Patrick’s Church, Donnie Shober, took it upon himself to cut up the
tree and clear it off because he knew my parents were unable to do that anymore. He did a great job. Then later a neighbor in the adjoining house
cut down a tree and dumped it on the
plot behind them. You cannot even see
the huge Hannigan stone now.”
Penny: “Am I correct that these were your maternal
grandparents buried there? When did they
pass and what did your grandfather do for a living?”
Lisa: “They were my maternal grandparents. My granddad died in 1968. I think my grandmother died in 1998.”
“My granddad worked for
TCI and my grandmother was a homemaker. My dad being a fireman worked 24 hours and was
off 48. The days he worked, my grandmother would cook for all of us including
my cousins, aunt and uncle, my Mom and I.”
Penny: “Do you think your
great grandparents came to the area
first?”
Lisa: “My grandfather immigrated from England and
worked in the coal mines. That may have
been the reason they moved to Pratt City.
His name was Daniel Hannigan. That is the grave I so desperately want to
clear.”
Penny: “ Ah! So your great grandfather is buried at
Fraternal too! Lisa, what about your
great grandmother, Daniel’s wife? Was she buried with him at Fraternal?”
Lisa: “Yes Daniel’s wife is buried next to him... I think her
name was Rose.”
Penny: “So that is how your grandparents came to be
buried at Fraternal. It could be the TCI
connection. But it was probably the earlier
coal mining connection for sure. I think
I read somewhere that Pratt Mining Company was later bought by TCI. So it’s all closely connected for sure. Since
your great grandparents were buried there first, that’s going aways back in the Pratt City history.”
“You have talked about
your Mom as a young girl, staring into Fraternal Cemetery and how the Mausoleum
frightening her. Did you say she went to
school at St Catherine’s? She must have
lived in the neighborhood for a long time too?”
Lisa: “Yes, she lived there as a child and went to
St Catherine’s. All of my cousins went
to school there, too.”
Penny: “What about your dad? Where did he attend school?”
Lisa: “Not sure of the name of the elementary
school, but he went to Ensley High School.”
Penny: “So he was a long time
resident of the general area. You
mentioned that your dad was with the local fire department? Tell me a bit about that experience.”
Lisa: “My Dad was a fireman in the Birmingham
area for 47 years. He was always a hard
worker. He worked at Station 3 for his
whole career, on Highland Avenue. It was
great going there as a kid and wearing the fireman's helmet.”
Penny: “When did he retire and was
that when he started taking care of the family plots over at Fraternal?”
Lisa: “My dad retired in 1998. They (the family) had been taking care of the
cemetery plots since I was a kid.”
Penny: “Who had been caring for the
plots before the family started?”
Lisa: “I never saw anyone else...it was always individuals.”
Penny:
“Wow that is quite an undertaking for so many years. How
old are your parents now? Do they still
try to take care of the sites?”
Lisa: “They are 87 and 86. They are unable to work at the cemetery anymore
but they worry about how it will be cared for in the future. They have been to visit although I don’t want
them to go up there alone. They think
they are bulletproof, but I have heard enough stories to be cautious. Over the years there have been rituals
performed there and gas stolen from vehicles.
I am always cautions and never go alone.”
Penny: “It pays to be cautious! No need to take chances! At
their age, what are their wishes and concerns regarding Fraternal Cemetery now?”
Lisa: “They want it the way it used
to be…. it is our family. Our houses may
be gone but the memories and the cemetery are still there. Loved ones are buried there. They (my parents) will be buried there. Their old neighbor Marie Mackinaw was recently
buried there (in February). It is home. It always will be, no matter what the tornado
or vandals took away. It is still home.”
Penny: “You’ve told me that they are
worried about how the cemetery is going to be cared for in the future. Why should the people of Jefferson County
care about conditions and trying to salvaging these cemeteries today?”
Lisa: “These cemeteries are a part
of our history. They should be preserved
like any other treasure. These are our
ancestors, our history and our families. They deserve to be honored and remembered much
like the 16th Street Baptist Church. These
places are all a part of what makes us- US!”
Penny: “What can the community do to
help out?”
Lisa: “The community needs to get involved…churches,
groups, individuals. It takes all of us to accomplish miracles… and
it can happen. Just think. This could be YOUR relatives who have been forgotten. They all deserve respect and dignity. I
think it can happen. We have looked for
someone for years to help and Eddie Bratton is now the leader. He is making it happen.”
Penny: “What can people do at the clean up on March
23rd at Fraternal Cemetery?
Lisa: “I hope people show up to help
at the cleanup. There are many of us who
have a personal interest because of family plots. There are many who just want to help. We need to continue to reach out to people -
near and far - to spread the word. This won’t be solved in one cleanup... so it
takes commitment and working together to make it happen. If not for us, then for those who are there
in their final resting place, won’t you help?”
Thank you for sharing your story,
Lisa. It sounds like a miracle is about
to happen! Lots of hands are needed to get
this project really rolling. If you
would like to help out, take route 78 to Pratt City and turn left on Hibernian
Street to find the cemeteries back on Logan at Sheridan Road. Hope to see you all on Saturday March 23,
2013 at 9 AM.
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