Last week while my husband John and I were Florida bound on a Sons of the Pioneers road trip, we drove across southern Alabama and by accident ended up on a stretch of the Hank Williams Lost Highway, Route 82, not far from Montgomery, Alabama.
My dad had always enjoyed Hank's talent and songwriting, and often sang "Kaw-Liga," "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It," and "Mansion On the Hill." Those songs always stood out in my mind when I was little, as I have fond memories of my dad singing them and playing them on his guitar.
Hank was born in 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama. His birth name was Hiram King Williams. I've always been amazed at what Hank achieved as a writer and performer at such a young age. John and I often discuss the fact that Hank accomplished more in the last six years of his life than most performers do in thirty years.
As we were driving along Highway 82 southeast of Montgomery, we came to the little town of Union Springs. Passing by Prairie Street we could see their historic buildings in the distance so we turned around to have a closer look. There was some sort of statue in the middle of the street about a block away. Driving up to it, the description explained that Union Springs was the Bird Dog Field Trail Capital of Alabama!
Soaking it all in, this little town of barely 4,000 was also the county seat of Bullock County, and we soon discovered their courthouse building. As John was getting snapshots, something to my right caught my attention, and again we turned around for a better look. There it was, at the corner of Prairie and Hardaway Avenue, a Hank Williams mural on the side of a store building.
Created by artist Wes Hardin, the mural depicts a scene from 1948. Hank did a performance here. He was hired to play at the grand opening of the Western Auto store, owned by merchant E.L. Jackson. It appeared that every living resident in Union Springs showed up for the event. This in itself brought more memories to me, as when I was younger, I loved the Western Auto store in my hometown, and was where I purchased my very first 10-speed bicycle with money collected from pop bottle hunting, babysitting and odd jobs. Also, friend Terri Murray’s family owned this.
We were so thrilled to find this, giving us a deeper appreciation of Hank's Alabama roots and the beginnings of his music career.
Hank would pass away on New Year's Day 1953 at the young age of twenty-nine of a heart attack in the back seat of a baby blue Cadillac.
If you have a chance to visit this wonderful area of Alabama, take the time to discover the impact of Hank Williams. And in Montgomery, Alabama, you may visit his final resting place.
There is a wonderful museum in Montgomery, the Hank Williams Museum, located at 118 Commerce Street. Visit their website at thehankilliamsmuseum.net
Thank you, Hank, for the music. You'll always be country music's first superstar.
I hope that I will be able to see his son, daughter or grandchildren in concert or even get to meet them and interview them some day.
Comments