Nuts
about
Dothan
By
Thomas R. & Deborah A.
Fletcher
Dothan
,
Alabama
, is a drive-by city—too often. Beckoned south, lured to the beaches of the
Florida Panhandle, people drive by. We’ve
done it too—just another town on the way.
Next time, stop by for a visit. It’ll
be worth it. You’ll find the
Dothan
area has much to offer.
Snuggled in
Alabama
’s southeast corner—
Georgia
to the east and the
Florida
panhandle south—
Dothan
lies at the heart of
Alabama
’s Wiregrass Region. The region is
named for a tough, wiry grass that once covered the
Alabama
plains along the
Chattahoochee
River
. The round-bladed, bunch grass in
the Aristida family served as a
primary nutrition source for the vast herds of cattle initially brought by the
Spanish. Today the grass is fairly
scarce, and most residents wouldn’t know it if they saw it.
Known as the “Peanut Capital of the World,”
Dothan
has many options for the traveling public: take a relaxing walk or have a
picnic at Dothan Area Botanical Gardens, indulge in a bit of culture at the
Wiregrass Museum of Art, or stop by
Landmark
Park
for a look at the farming ways of long ago.
Visit the
US
Army
Aviation
Museum
on
Fort
Rucker
. Skydiving is available at the
Headland
Airport
for the truly adventurous—everything in a nutshell.
Originally known as “Poplar Head,” for an area well, the city was
established as
Dothan
in 1885, taking the name from the Bible, where the name means “wells.”
In
Millennium
Park
there’s a statue of Joseph, with the inscription, “For I heard them say,
let us go to
Dothan
Genesis 37:17.”
In
1893
Dothan
out bid other area locations to be the site of the first railroad to pass
through the region. The railroad
ensured
Dothan
’s growth and prosperity. This
small city of 60,000 today, serves as a hub for southwest
Georgia
and the Florida Panhandle—and a center for health care, business and retail
services for the Wiregrass Region.
Cotton
was once king—agriculturally speaking, until the boll weevil wrecked havoc
upon the crop. Farmers needed
another viable crop and they turned to the peanut.
Today,
Dothan
is the center of the
US
peanut-producing region. Nearly
half the peanuts consumed in
America
are grown within a 100-mile radius of
Dothan
. Each fall there is a two-week
festival honoring the peanut harvest—the National Peanut Festival.
There’s even a gold peanut monument by the Dothan Convention and
Visitors Bureau.
Landmark
Park
is a 100-acre part set aside to
preserve the cultural heritage of the Wiregrass Region.
The park features several special events throughout the year.
Spring Farm Day is one such event. Experience
the living history of life on the farm a hundred years ago.
Live
Bluegrass
music at the park gazebo sets the scene for Spring Farm Day—a celebration of
the farming heritage of the Wiregrass region. Spring on the farm means
work—and plenty of it. Costumed
volunteers bring farm life of years gone by to life.
See the garden plowed by a pair of mules, watch sheep being sheared, take
in the quilting or soap and basket making demonstrations.
The park is designated as “
Alabama
’s Official Museum of Agriculture.” There
are several historic structures, relocated to the park from various areas of the
region. There’s a one-room
schoolhouse, a church, and a general store where visitors are greeted by
volunteers. There are nature trails
for hiking and exploring. Finally
there’s the 8,000 square feet interpretive center and planetarium.
The
Dothan Area Botanical Garden (DABG) is a partially wooded 50-acre site that
makes for a relaxing escape for a quiet walk or a picnic.
The garden location, a former soybean farm on
Headland Avenue
, was purchased in 1996 so it’s new by botanical garden standards, just
getting firmly rooted. The gates
opened to the public in 1997—no entrance fee. Currently there are eight
completed gardens: Azalea, Butterfly, Camellia, Demonstration, Gregory,
Heirloom, Herb and Rose, with other gardens planned.
The Southern Heirloom Garden was established to preserve seeds and plants
from past generations for the future. Most
species were collected from old homes, gardens, and roadsides of the southeast.
The Rose Garden, DABG’s first established garden contained 450 rose
bushes. The
Demonstration
Garden
has produced more than a ton of vegetables for the local food bank.
DABG—committed to the conservation of natural resources for future
generations—provides the public with opportunities for education, research,
and the enjoyment of beauty.
The
US Army Aviation Museum at
Fort
Rucker
features a collection of more than 160 military aircraft, encompassing one of
the world’s greatest collections of military helicopters.
Forty-five aircraft on public display illustrate the Army’s involvement
in aviation from the days of the Wright brothers, including World War 1 combat
aircraft through modern equipment such as the UH-60 Black Hawk and the AH-64
Apache currently seeing action in
Iraq
. An extensive research library is
part of the museum.
The
Wiregrass Museum of Art was founded with the express intention of supporting
local artists, while providing educational programs and increasing the area’s
overall appreciation of the arts. It
is the only art museum in southeast
Alabama
. Located in a former Power &
Light utility building dating from 1913, the structure is on the list of
National Historic Buildings. The
16-feet high walls of the main gallery offer plenty of open, airy exhibition
space.
There’s
art all around
Dothan
.
Dothan
’s “Festival of the Murals” is a series of murals painted on the walls of
historic buildings depicting the history of the Wiregrass Region.
Since the running theme is peanuts, don’t miss the many “Peanuts
around Town” displays. Much like
Chicago
’s cows and
New Orleans
’ fish, these are sculptures, structured as a peanut but shaped into something
more—like the “Elvis” peanut in front of the Days Inn on Ross Clark
Circle. There’s the “Officer I.
B. Nuts” at the Dothan Police Department.
A peanut becomes a fire hydrant complete with Dalmatian outside the Fire
Department. The four-foot sculptures
dot the lawns of organizations, businesses and homes of
Dothan
to promote “The Peanut Capital of the World.”
IF YOU GO:
Plowing with a pair of mules, Spring Farm Day, Landmark Park
Miss
Headland, at the Headland Airport
Alabama beauty strolls by the Salute to the Peanut Industry mural by
artists Susan Tooke and Bruce Rickett
Headland
Municipal Airport 
Couple strolling together through Dothan Area Botanic Garden