Blasts from the past
By Staff
John Hicks FCT Staff Writer
Featured speaker Roger Bedford Sr. drew a large audience of history lovers to Monday night's meeting of the Seekers of the Past.
Bedford, assisted by Bob Rogers and former Vina resident Kathleen Massey Thompson, presented a program about two different but compelling aspects of Franklin County history.
The first part of Bedford's program dealt with the life of Isaac Rogers (1836-1908), the great-grandfather of Bedford and Bob Rogers.
Rogers shared photographs of Isaac Rogers with the audience, and recounted the stories he had heard from family members about the Civil War veteran. Roger's name appears on the Civil War monument at the Franklin County Courthouse.
Bedford and Rogers donated a copy of Tattered Volunteers by Harry V. Barnard to the Franklin County Archives. The book tells the story of the 27th Alabama Infantry, which Rogers joined when it was organized in January 1862. Col. Adolphus A. Hughes led the regiment.
Rogers, who was from the Pleasant Site community, rose to the rank of captain during the war. He was captured by Union forces during the Battle of Fort Donelson, and spent time in the notorious prisoner of war facility at Camp Douglas, Ill.
Rogers was freed in a prisoner exchange, and saw action in many subsequent campaigns, including the Battle of Vicksburg. When the war ended in 1865, he was recuperating from a foot wound in a South Carolina hospital. He eventually walked home to Franklin County.
"He walked all the way home from South Carolina with his wounded foot," Bedford said.
Bedford produced the sword that Isaac Rogers had carried during the war, and let audience members inspect the 19th-century artifact.
"This saber is the only item he brought home from the war," Bedford said. "It's become a family treasure."
After Rogers returned to Franklin County, he became a prominent civic leader in the area. Rogers and his family lived in the old Burleson community after the war.
Bedford then asked Kathleen Massey Thompson to talk about the White Oak Hub Company in Vina, which was managed by the Massey family until it closed in 1957.
The White Oak Hub Company was one of three in the United States. At its peak the factory manufactured 400 wagon wheel hubs a day with the use of specialized machinery that cut holes for the spokes of the wheel.
The factory, which began operating in the late 19th century, was located near where Vina City Hall stands today.
Thompson exhibited two of the very rare hubs, and shared photographs and documents with the audience.
Bedford said he wants to help organize an oral history project for the area.
"My dream is that we can begin to have oral history sessions all over Franklin County," Bedford said. "There's no reason why we shouldn't have town meetings and oral history meetings for all of our communities."
Bedford said that getting people together to share their memories was an excellent way to preserve the heritage of Franklin County.
"You get together and tell different versions of history, and you get the right version out of it," Bedford said. "If we don't start preserving our history, these stories are going to be lost. The Franklin County Archives should be a depository for these oral histories. This would be a wonderful legacy to leave our children."
Bedford closed his presentation with a spirited reading from Tattered Volunteers, which includes several of Isaac Rogers' letters from the Civil War. Bedford then related his memories of growing up in Vina.
Bedford's recollections elicited stories from the audience about their own Vina experiences.
The Seekers of the Past explore historical topics concerning the Franklin County area. For more information, call the Franklin County Archives at 332-8827.
Franklin County Archives director Chris Ozbirn contributed to this story.
