By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
Not to be confused with Horton Hears A Who, or the venerable Christmas classic, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (both of which are wonderful children’s books written by Dr. Seuss, and full of life lessons), this is a different type of Horton. It is the tale of an unscripted, delightful adventure that I think is part of the purpose of the holiday season. Mind you, not as intense as the shepherds hearing and seeing angels, or the Magi arriving at their divinely-orchestrated destination many months later (courtesy of a godly GPS system better known as the original “OnStar,”) this falls squarely into the “peace-on-earth-toward-men-of-goodwill” category, and is yet another entry into my personal “Awesome Alabama” file.
Those of us who live in Athens or Decatur are hopefully aware that we are home to some of the most important Civil Rights history of the 20th century. In 1933, Judge James Horton set aside the rape conviction of Haywood Patterson, one of a group of young black men who had been wrongfully accused of rape by two women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. In the second trial, Ruby admitted to lying about the incident.
Judge Horton’s bold move to stand for the truth at all costs caused death threats for him as well as his family, the end of his career as a judge, and resulted in a rather remarkable personal re-invention involving a whole new life raising prize-winning Angus cattle and field crops. Enter the Horton house, that once stood on the exact site of today’s Athens City Hall before it was disassembled, moved to Greenbrier, reassembled, and became home for several decades to the Horton family while Judge Horton poured into farm and family. Mayor Ronnie Marks surmises that his office in City Hall is located where Judge Horton moved downstairs once he was bed-ridden and was cared for by his family at home until he passed in 1973 at the age of 95. Judge Horton is buried in Athens City Cemetery.
In 2023, the antebellum house was donated to the City of Decatur, miraculously moved across the river from Greenbrier, and settled on property in Old Town that had once been owned by the family of Frances Tate. It is now in the process of being repurposed into a civil rights museum that will commemorate the Scottsboro Boys’ trial and the bravery of Judge Horton.
John Horton, one of the grandkids who gathered around the dinner table and learned important truths from Granddaddy Horton, has been an Athens Now client, has helped me when I have written about his granddaddy in other columns, and has become a friend. When I found out that Decatur was hosting a historical homes tour for the holidays, and that the Horton house would be open, I called John and said, “I gotta see where you slid down the banister.” He replied, “And, the snakes in the closet?” “All of it,” I said, happily, and we met at Granddaddy’s new “home” on December 14.
Here is where it gets good. Unbeknownst to John, his cousins were already gathered in the kitchen, and there was an unplanned and precious family reunion that started in the kitchen and ended out on the street. I got to meet the cousins, see all the nooks and crannies, and hear the stories. But what made it the best for me was that throughout the house and then on the street, people of different races, backgrounds, and beliefs gathered to celebrate courage, Christmas, what happens by following God when it’s hard, and unapologetically wish each other “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” I think that Granddaddy Horton and our Savior smiled at the sight of it.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year, dear readers!
December 20, 2024
