Coldwater Mountain

Mike Poe, PO BOX 2414, Anniston, AL 36202 Anniston AL USA

By James Carroll

304 Plato St.

Weaver, Al. 36277

Jamescarroll30@gmail.com

3/30/2011

Mike I read an article in the newspaper about the woman who lost her dog that she loves dearly. The article was in support of naming the bike trails in memory of her dog, Floyd. Now I love her dog even though I have never seen him but I also think there are some people who are deserving of consideration.

Almost any man who lives in the community, which is now called Wellborn, can remember a man named Pat Leahey. Pat Leahey was a mountain man who lived at the northern foot of Coldwater Mountain. He had a cabin on the Coldwater side of the mountain and spent most of his free time there. Any boy or group of boys could go there anytime they wanted to and was welcome there. Pat would always be cooking something in a large cast iron pot hanging in the fireplace and when it was done, you could eat all you wanted. He had an endless supply of tall tales to tell the boys. Pat’s wife never went with him on his trips to the mountain, as she was busy with her church and community. There is not one person in that community who, when sick was not prayed for by Mrs. Leahey.

Sam Shears, who lived near Pat Leahey and may have been related in some way, was also a hunter and foundry worker. Almost everyone who lived in Wellborn knew Sam shears. Most of the hunters in the community hunted with Sam. They would meet at Sam’s house about daylight and drink coffee before setting out on a hunting trip. You never seen the like of rabbits they would bring back. Sam would like to have one of his dogs represented in the naming hat. Sam is recently deceased.

Theodore Roosevelt on March 13, 1905, awarded William Johnson a homestead of eighty acres of land stretching across the mountain from north to south and just a little west of the very top.

My brother and I bought the eighty acres of land from a woman who was the daughter of William Johnson. His daughter was named Marie Johnson Marchman. We learned from Mrs. Marchman that her Johnson family had a home on the mountain where her dad raised a bale of cotton every year. They also had chickens and hogs.

Mr. Johnson worked in one of the foundries in Anniston. William Johnson also used to harvest timber from the mountain and snake it to the railhead in Coldwater to be shipped to the mill for processing. He made most of the trails you will find on Coldwater Mountain by snaking logs with a team of mules. He also had a sled that he used to haul up supplies and take his cotton and hogs to market.

Sincerely

James Carroll

Ray Martin

By James Carroll

Ray Martin was kind of a rugged man who lived on the north side of Coldwater Mountain. He had a cabin about half way up the mountain behind Bruce Haynes house where he lived with a wife and a son named Lanny. He got around by mule and wagon, which was a common site back during World War 2. I saw him occasionally when he came to my dad’s store to purchase kerosene for his lamps and bread or coffee.

On one of his trips to the store he observed two local boys bashing each other’s teeth out. That is when he knew what he would do with the piece of land that he owned between Hunter Street and Rowan Street and Newborn Street.

Ray Martin built an open air boxing ring on his property and announced that anyone who wanted could go there and use the boxing ring free of charge at any time. The boys came from miles around to settle their differences in the ring with rules and good sportsmanship.

I would be proud to see a bike trail named in honor of Ray Martin.

By James Carroll

Just after World War 11 E C Lloyd was mayor of Anniston. He built a bread bakery out on Highway 202 at Hunter St. For some reason he could not find a slicer and wrapper combination so he sold the bread wrapped but not sliced. the bread cost 10 cents a loaf retail. At the Ritz Theatre E C Lloyd started a club named The Kiddy Club . Every Saturday morning he had a drawing and some lucky boy and girl would win a bicycle. The only cost for you to be elegible to see a movie and win a bike was three Lloyds bread wrappers.

How about a trail named for a man who gave children more bikes than anyone else in Calhoun County.