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PORCH FALL 1998 |
The original one-story home was built in 1897 by my grandfather, I.P. Russell,Jr., for my grandmother, Katharine Rebecca Sanders, as their Honeymoon Cottage. The couple,wed November 16,1898,celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1948. Two sons and a daughter, my mother, were born here.
Shortly after WWI, a second story ,in the Greek Revival Style,was added after a chimney fire burned off the roof. The upstairs served as a temporary home for the following family members:elder son,Sanders Russell,his wife and young son in the 1920's;younger son,I.P. Russell,III, his wife and infant daughter in the 1940's;only daughter, my mother,her husband and 3 children in the 1950's; and finally grandson, Harold Russell Phillips, his wife and infant daughter in the 1960's. Additionally, my grandmother's parents lived in the house in the 1920's during their final illnesses. Also, several other extended family members spent summers as house guests working in the family Harness Horse Training and Racing business known as "Russell Stables".
Breeding, training, and racing fine horses began with my great-grandfather, Israel Pickens Russell,Sr., who bred fine Saddle and Carriage Horses.
My grandfather showed Ebony King to a Show Horse Grand Championship in New York City at the Madison Square Garden, in the early days of the Stables. My grandparents and their children traveled the County Fair Grand Circuit Harness Races from the early 1900's through the 1940's. The Circuit included races from South Georgia to Lexington,Kentucky, to Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, and by the 1950's, into Pennsylvania and New York.
The horses wintered here on the Alabama Century and Heritage Andrew Jackson Land Grant Farm originally acquired by my great-great-grandfather, James Russell, in the 1820's and 1830's. The house is also located on that farm in Jackson County, Alabama, near Stevenson, Alabama.
Eldest son, Sanders Russell,won the 1962 Hambletonian as a Trainer and Driver among other notable successes.
He was inducted into the Alabama Sportsman Hall of Fame at Birmingham, AL . In 1970 , he was inducted into the US Harness Racing Living Hall of Fame.
Upon the deaths of my grandparents in the 1950's the house was deeded to my mother, Helen Russell Phillips, who in turn deeded it to me upon her death. The pictured railing, shutters, and side entrance were added in 1997-98 in the most recent renovations.
The house is celebrating more than 100 years owned and lived in by the Russell and Phillips families.
As friends and family members drop by the Front Porch, sit in the original front porch swing which replaced my grandfather's beloved Hammock, and have a glass of Pink Lemonade; they escape the sounds of the city, share the gentle breeze, and listen to the untouched sounds of nature, as the Israel Pickens Russell,Jr. Home enters the 21st Century.
Family members are invited to click on the Hummingbird to visit the Russell Family Website at My Family. Com; where they may log in with their passwords, submit additional items of interest, view the Family Calendar, and leave personal news and messages in a private web location.
Submitted by Kathryn Elizabeth Phillips, Present Owner
Music and Animals are important to the Russell and Phillips family life. My grandmother owned and played a beautiful Chickering Square Single-String Piano which occupied most of the Living Room at the House. My grandfather played Trumpet in the first Band of Stevenson and most family members have excellent singing voices. Sanders Russell was a talented ballroom dancer. My mother sang all of her life in the Choir of the First Methodist Church of Stevenson, as do all her children today. My sister, Frances P. Crownover, is the Church Pianist and I played the Organ at the Church for over 40 years. I teach private piano pupils, also. My brother, Harold Russell Phillips, played Trumpet in the High School Band, as did his son, Russ. His daughter, Karen played Flute and Piano. Sanders' two sons are accomplished pianists. The eldest son, Walter S. Russell, earned a doctorate in Music and the Humanities and was a College Piano Teacher. Pickens,III's daughters, Emily and Mary, played Trumpet and Flute, respectively, in the High School Band.
All family members love animals. Son, Pickens Russell,III bred, trained, and raced Harness Horses; Grandson, Walter, was a Harness Horse Racing Judge; Grandson, Henry, worked as a Groom as a high school and college student , as did Harold R. Phillips. Emily R. Campbell, daughter of Pickens,III, worked at the Red Mile Track at Lexington,KY and is an avid horseback rider today. Kathryn Phillips breeds, trains, and handles Champion Chow Chows and Tibetan Spaniels under the Kennel names Gin-Chow and Gin-Tai Tibetan Spaniels. Frances Crownover also assists her in training and handling the Tibetan Spaniels. Harold Russell's son, Russ, and daughter, Karen, worked as Veterinarian Assistants during their High School and College years. Russ is a Veterinarian and partner in Williams Animal Clinic at Scottsboro, AL . Harold and wife, Ann, breed and train Harness Horses in the family tradition here on the farm. Harold also raises hogs and cattle. They own Cedar Hill Farms located on the original Land Grant Farm and use the original Barns and Race Track of Russell Stables. Thereby, keeping the Tradition Alive and Well !
