The state's Forever Wild program has recently acquired hundreds of acres of biologically important forest in Jackson County, Ala. The 535-acre Sims, Swaim and Johnson addition to the Walls of Jericho Forever Wild tract was purchased in May 2010 from the Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy with support from a $640,000 Forest Legacy grant from the USDA Forest Service. The land is located along the Estill Fork tributary to the Paint Rock River and isadjacent to the James D. Martin-Skyline Wildlife Management Area. The Sims, Swaim and Johnson addition will be used for public recreation and conservation efforts, and will increase public access to the popular Walls of Jericho trail system located near the communities of Skyline and Hytop. State lands managers have documented more than 15,000 hiking and horse trail users annually on the growing trail system. New land acquisitions such as this ensure the public's access to the property and enhance the quality of life that state lands afford Alabamians. Considered one of the most biologically diverse and important regions in the United States, the Walls of Jericho Tract supports several species of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and plants recognized under the Alabama Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy as species of highest conservation concern. As part of the Paint Rock River watershed, this area contains several springs and more than 3,000 feet of perennial stream habitat along Estill Fork Creek. The habitats within and along the Estill Fork waterway support some of the last remaining populations of several species of fish and mussels protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The plan to purchase the land was developed in 2008 through a partnership formed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Forever Wild Program, the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC), the Alabama Forest Resources Center (AFRC), the Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and the State of Tennessee's Wildlife Resources Agency. Working cooperatively with the AFC to administer the Forest Legacy Program, the AFRC helped direct the project grant towards this purchase. For more information about the Forest Legacy Program, visit either the AFRC website, www.alfrc.org or the AFC website,www.forestry.alabama.gov. Forever Wild has secured more than 210,000 acres for public use and conservation efforts since its inception in 1992. The program also provides affordable and accessible hunting opportunities for all Alabamians, and helps to generate $1.4 billion of annual economic impact throughout the state. To learn more about the Forever Wild Program, visit www.alabamaforeverwild.com.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. For more information please see www.outdooralabama.com.
Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center Opens
Seventy-eight years after the Jackson County trial of nine black men accused of raping two white women caught the world's attention, officials Monday dedicated a museum they say shows how far the civil rights movement has come. The Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center officially opened with a dedication ceremony, coinciding with the first day of Black History Month. The museum is located at Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church, the oldest standing African American church in Jackson County dating to 1878.
Featured speaker Lecia J. Brooks, the director of Montgomery's Civil Rights Museum and an employee of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said it takes a strong, courageous community to not hide the past. Brooks said the stories of the nine boys, Judge Horton and so many others will now have a place to be told. Shelia Washington, Jackson County Multi-Cultural Heritage Foundation Executive Committee member, has spent the last 17 years working on bringing honor to the case of nine black teenagers accused of raping two white women while on a train traveling through Jackson County.
Kathy Horton Garrett, granddaughter of Judge James E. Horton, who presided over the re-trial of the nine men in Decatur in 1933, spoke of the convictions of her grandfather. Garrett, who was 17 when Horton died in 1973, said she really didn't get a chance to discuss the case with her grandfather but learned from the overwhelming number of letters he had received from around the world what an extraordinary man he was. About a year after all nine men were convicted in a Jackson County courtroom, with eight getting the death sentence and the ninth life in prison, Horton ordered a new trial for all nine because insufficient evidence was presented at the first trial.
History of The Scottsboro Boys
On March 25, 1931, a skirmish between a group of black boys, and a group of white boys broke out on a Southern Railroad freight train. The train stopped in Paint Rock, Alabama, and the nine black boys were arrested on charges of assault. Two girls dressed in boys clothing, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, were found hiding on the freight train as well. They were all taken to Scottsboro, Alabama, the Jackson County seat. The two girls agreed to testify against the boys on a rape charge. The men were sentenced to death, despite the fact that one of the girls later denied being raped. They were all eventually paroled, freed or pardoned, some after serving years of a prison sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturned the verdicts under the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause. The court ruled that the right of the defendant's to have competent legal counsel had been denied in the Scottsboro trials and ordered new trials for each of the accused.
However, they will forever be known simply as "The Scottsboro Boys." Their names were Charles Weems, Clarence Norris, Andy Wright, Ozie Powell, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, Willie Roberson, Roy Wright and Haywood Patterson.
The Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center memorializes the struggles of a determined people to overcome the destructive, evil force of racism. It celebrates the positive actions of those of all colors, creeds and origins who have taken a stand against the evil tyranny of racial oppression. It stands as testimony of how faith and Christian values may "move mountains" and change lives for the betterment of our community through education.
Visit the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center and learn the lessons of the history of the beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement in the event our society calls, "The Scottsboro Boys Trials." Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church is located at 428 West Willow Street, Scottsboro, Alabama. Their hours of operation starting in March are the 2nd and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. They will also open by special appointment. For an appointment call 256-244-1310.
Portions of this article were taken from The Huntsville Times, David Brewer - Times Staff Writer; The Daily Sentinel, DeWayne Patterson - Writer; and Scottsboro Stories Blog, Garry Morgan.
The state's Forever Wild program has recently acquired hundreds of acres of biologically important forest in Jackson County, Ala. The 535-acre Sims, Swaim and Johnson addition to the Walls of Jericho Forever Wild tract was purchased in May 2010 from the Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy with support from a $640,000 Forest Legacy grant from the USDA Forest Service. The land is located along the Estill Fork tributary to the Paint Rock River and isadjacent to the James D. Martin-Skyline Wildlife Management Area. The Sims, Swaim and Johnson addition will be used for public recreation and conservation efforts, and will increase public access to the popular Walls of Jericho trail system located near the communities of Skyline and Hytop. State lands managers have documented more than 15,000 hiking and horse trail users annually on the growing trail system. New land acquisitions such as this ensure the public's access to the property and enhance the quality of life that state lands afford Alabamians. Considered one of the most biologically diverse and important regions in the United States, the Walls of Jericho Tract supports several species of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and plants recognized under the Alabama Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy as species of highest conservation concern. As part of the Paint Rock River watershed, this area contains several springs and more than 3,000 feet of perennial stream habitat along Estill Fork Creek. The habitats within and along the Estill Fork waterway support some of the last remaining populations of several species of fish and mussels protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
employee of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said it takes a strong, courageous community to not hide the past. Brooks said the stories of the nine boys, Judge Horton and so many others will now have a place to be told. Shelia Washington, Jackson County Multi-Cultural Heritage Foundation Executive Committee member, has spent the last 17 years working on bringing honor to the case of nine black teenagers accused of raping two white women while on a train traveling through Jackson County. 
Kathy Horton Garrett, granddaughter of Judge James E. Horton, who presided over the re-trial of the nine men in Decatur in 1933, spoke of the convictions of her grandfather. Garrett, who was 17 when Horton died in 1973, said she really didn't get a chance to discuss the case with her grandfather but learned from the overwhelming number of letters he had received from around the world what an extraordinary man he was. About a year after all nine men were convicted in a Jackson County courtroom, with eight getting the death sentence and the ninth life in prison, Horton ordered a new trial for all nine because insufficient evidence was presented at the first trial.
However, they will forever be known simply as "The Scottsboro Boys." Their names were Charles Weems, Clarence Norris, Andy Wright, Ozie Powell, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, Willie Roberson, Roy Wright and Haywood Patterson.
Visit the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center and learn the lessons of the history of the beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement in the event our society calls, 
