Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County---May 23-29

With the end of school approaching and the Memorial Day Holiday just around the corner, summer fun is on the minds of many. With summer comes hot weather in the south and the need for a place beat the heat. In the past, citizens went down to the “ole swimming hole” to relax. Calhoun County has many places to cool off during the hot southern summers due to the large numbers of lakes and creeks in the area. A popular place for many years to beat the summer heat was Coldwater Creek but that was not the only place.

Oxford Lake Park was a Victorian playground for not only the citizens of Calhoun County but tourists visiting the Anniston Inn. The park was created in the late 1880s and provided recreation activities including swimming, boating, dancing, and bowling. In the earliest days of the park, it boasted a race track and mini-zoo. For many years, the swimming pool and bathhouses were the only one’s in the county. The park was accessible first by trolley cars and later by buses. Today, many still visit the lake in its present incarnation for children to play in the splash pad.

Just outside of Jacksonville was the Big Springs which had served as the campsite area for Andrew Jackson’s army on the way to fight the Creek Indians. By the 1830s, settlers arrived in the area and the Big Springs became a popular place to enjoy a picnic and cool off in the summer. Jacksonville also had the Nesbit Lake Country Club where the community could enjoy the sports of boating and canoeing.

In Wellington, near the intersection of Highways 431 and 204, sits Crystal Springs Lake. The lake, fed by a natural spring, opened in the late 1930s as a recreation facility. By the 1950s, it was purchased by a local family who operated the lake during each summer. The lake had volleyball courts, a snack bar, and a small “beach” area for swimmers to enjoy when taking a break from the water. This lake complex was a huge hit with the students at nearby Jacksonville State looking for a way to relax.

Cheaha State Park, located on the southern border of the county, has a lake and swimming area at the base of the mountain. The park has been a long-time getaway for the citizens of Calhoun County. In the late 1880s, Annistonians traveled by wagon and horseback to enjoy a day at Cheaha. The area was eventually made into a state park. Today, the park maintains the lake for visitors throughout the year.

When Camp McClellan (later Fort McClellan), opened in 1917, a large swimming complex was built for the soldiers to enjoy. The camp and the county had such a warm relationship, citizens with the proper medical certificate were invited to come swim in the pool during certain times of the week. When the military made Fort McClellan a permanent post, swimming pools were added for the soldiers of various ranks throughout the military post. Eventually, permanent gymnasiums that included indoor pools were built as recreation facilities for soldiers. In addition, many of commands had outdoor swimming pools up until the base was closed in the 1999. Fort McClellan had two lakes, Reilly and Yahoo, where soldiers and their families could enjoy fishing, picnics, and swimming during the warmer months of the year.

The major cities in Calhoun County often maintained pools throughout much of the 20th Century for their citizens to enjoy. Today, there are aquatic centers that are state-of-the-art indoor facilities in many of the larger cities within the county. While these indoor complexes allow one to enjoy the water year-round, there are still a few “ole swimming holes” to be found around the county.

To learn more about the history of Calhoun County pick up a copy of Images of America: Calhoun County (ISBN 978-0738589985), Anniston (ISBN 978-0738506012), or Anniston Revisited (ISBN 978-1467114752) by Kimberly O’Dell.