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The People Who Lived on the Land that is Now Redstone Arsenal, page 316
Recreation. Gene said he and his brothers worked--there wasn't much recreation. His grandfather rented land and the boys farmed it, sharing the profit. Gene stated: “Grandpa always gave us a list of what we had to do that day [each day], and if we didn't do it, he'd get the switch out. We planted, cultivated, and followed the mules??"they were our farm equipment. We hand picked cotton.” He didn't recall where A.C. had the cotton ginned.
At home, they listened to a battery-operated radio. Gene said: “We didn't go to town much. We were working people.” Sometimes he went in the Model-T truck with his grandfather when he bought supplies for the store in Huntsville.
Neighbors. Gene said, “Frank Jacobs lived near the road (there was a dirt road going south by Frank's to the east of McAlpine) in a big house. I think it was two-story.” This was Parcel D-195. Gene stated:
The Tolberts lived on the south side of the road and the Barleys lived on the north side. The Tolberts [who were white] had one of those houses with a hall in it and two rooms on each side [dogtrot type]. There was no other house on their property. They farmed it. No neighbors were between.
The Barleys were colored. They were nice people. They had an old frame house. It burned and they built a new house. It was a big one-story house with drop siding. They had some big barns. May King lived where we lived.
A.C. Turner Measured the Rise and Fall of the River
James Long said that he remembered Arthur Turner used to “walk down to the Tennessee River and write down how much the river rose and fell and mail the figures to the TVA office in Knoxville.” He said Turner went down and measured all through the summer and winter.
Alton “Gene” Neal died in the Spring of 2007.
Alton E. (“Gene') Neal during his years as a Huntsville police officer.
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