History of Lokey's Landing
Memories recalled by Montgomery Lokey
Long before the white man arrived in Shelby County, Creek Indians hunted and lived on Lokeys Landing. In the summer of 1967 after the Roman Plows (bulldozers with sharp front blades) cleared the land which was to be flooded by the waters of Lay Lake, my Dad and I wandered the land and found on the farm just east of Lot 35, piles of mussel shells which were probably the residue from a small Indian village. One pile was about a foot deep and a circle of 15 inches diameter. We also found several arrow heads on the farm over the years .
In 1821 Reubon Mardis, a native of Tennessee received a land grant from the US Government for much of the land for lots 1 - 9 and lots 26-36. Reubon and his second wife Margaret possibly lived on the hill in front of the ferry landing. They had 5 children and two slaves. Reubon died in the mid 1840s. His wife Margaret probably lived out most of her life at the house at the landing. She is listed in the 1860 slave holder census with 6 slaves. It is not know when the Ferry started operating but was during Reubon’s life time.
In 1842, Reubon transferred the land to his son Napolian Bonapart (N B) Mardis, a prominent Shelby county lawyer, a founding father of Columbiana who also donated land to the Columbiana Methodist church where it currently exists. N B served in the CSA 25 Division as a quartermaster Captain until he was elected Probate Judge in Shelby County in 1862. N B probably lived in Columbiana where he practice law and also served as the town Post Master. He is buried with his wife in the Columbiana cemetery.
The land for lots 11 – 15 was granted to John Neely in 1822, and the land for Lots 16-25 was granted to Thomas Mickle (1836) and James Shelton (1835). The property was transferred through many owners until 1915 when my great uncle Charles W. Lokey, Sr bought the farm. In 1953, Uncle Charley, sold the farm to my parents, Albert and Frances Lokey. In the 1980’s the land was gifted to my sister, Elayne, myself, and our spouses.
The original Lay Dam built in 1915 only raised the Coosa River a few feet at the farm. In the mid 60’s Alabama Power reworked Lay Dam to raise the water to the 397 foot elevation taking in about 150 acres of the farm. After surveying the pool level (397) and flood plain (401), the big Roman plows cleared the trees. In January of 1968, the water rose to fill the lake in about 24 hours. Thus Lay lake expanded to its current size and produced a very long shoreline for the farm. My Dad attempted to deepen the water bank depths in some areas like the slough south of lot 7 and the area south of lot 27. Mardis Ferry Road was raised above the flood plain in front of lots 4, 5, and 6 with dirt from the nearby banks and riprap was added to protect the shoreline. Eventually when Lokey Drive (originally Hummingbird Lane) was constructed, the county vacated Mardis Ferry Road on the entire farm.
In about 1926, My grandparents, Owen and Molly Lokey, moved to the farm to manage it and rent/operate the ferry. The farm produced beef cattle and row crops. Horses were a big part of the operation. Their family consisted of my Aunts Mary (Revis), my Dad, Albert, and Frances Helen (Phelps), also known as Skeet. They lived in a house on the north edge of lot 6 overlooking the ferry and the Coosa river. During WWII, my grandmother proudly displayed two Blue stars in the window for Albert and Skeet who served in the Army and Navy respectively.
The Mardis originally constructed the ferry across the Coosa river in front of lot 6. It was one of four ferries in the area. During the ferry’s operation it was also known as McRae’s Ferry, Owen’s Ferry, and finally Lokey’s Ferry. It served as a route between Columbiana and Talladega. In the 1950’s and 60’s, I remember the landing as a wide cut out in the bank of about 75 feet wide and 100 long. The landing exited out to Mardis Ferry Road. The dirt road extended from Columbiana to the ferry landing and out of the farm on present day Old Lokey Ferry Road.
In 1821 Reubon Mardis, a native of Tennessee received a land grant from the US Government for much of the land for lots 1 - 9 and lots 26-36. Reubon and his second wife Margaret possibly lived on the hill in front of the ferry landing. They had 5 children and two slaves. Reubon died in the mid 1840s. His wife Margaret probably lived out most of her life at the house at the landing. She is listed in the 1860 slave holder census with 6 slaves. It is not know when the Ferry started operating but was during Reubon’s life time.
In 1842, Reubon transferred the land to his son Napolian Bonapart (N B) Mardis, a prominent Shelby county lawyer, a founding father of Columbiana who also donated land to the Columbiana Methodist church where it currently exists. N B served in the CSA 25 Division as a quartermaster Captain until he was elected Probate Judge in Shelby County in 1862. N B probably lived in Columbiana where he practice law and also served as the town Post Master. He is buried with his wife in the Columbiana cemetery.
The land for lots 11 – 15 was granted to John Neely in 1822, and the land for Lots 16-25 was granted to Thomas Mickle (1836) and James Shelton (1835). The property was transferred through many owners until 1915 when my great uncle Charles W. Lokey, Sr bought the farm. In 1953, Uncle Charley, sold the farm to my parents, Albert and Frances Lokey. In the 1980’s the land was gifted to my sister, Elayne, myself, and our spouses.
The original Lay Dam built in 1915 only raised the Coosa River a few feet at the farm. In the mid 60’s Alabama Power reworked Lay Dam to raise the water to the 397 foot elevation taking in about 150 acres of the farm. After surveying the pool level (397) and flood plain (401), the big Roman plows cleared the trees. In January of 1968, the water rose to fill the lake in about 24 hours. Thus Lay lake expanded to its current size and produced a very long shoreline for the farm. My Dad attempted to deepen the water bank depths in some areas like the slough south of lot 7 and the area south of lot 27. Mardis Ferry Road was raised above the flood plain in front of lots 4, 5, and 6 with dirt from the nearby banks and riprap was added to protect the shoreline. Eventually when Lokey Drive (originally Hummingbird Lane) was constructed, the county vacated Mardis Ferry Road on the entire farm.
In about 1926, My grandparents, Owen and Molly Lokey, moved to the farm to manage it and rent/operate the ferry. The farm produced beef cattle and row crops. Horses were a big part of the operation. Their family consisted of my Aunts Mary (Revis), my Dad, Albert, and Frances Helen (Phelps), also known as Skeet. They lived in a house on the north edge of lot 6 overlooking the ferry and the Coosa river. During WWII, my grandmother proudly displayed two Blue stars in the window for Albert and Skeet who served in the Army and Navy respectively.
The Mardis originally constructed the ferry across the Coosa river in front of lot 6. It was one of four ferries in the area. During the ferry’s operation it was also known as McRae’s Ferry, Owen’s Ferry, and finally Lokey’s Ferry. It served as a route between Columbiana and Talladega. In the 1950’s and 60’s, I remember the landing as a wide cut out in the bank of about 75 feet wide and 100 long. The landing exited out to Mardis Ferry Road. The dirt road extended from Columbiana to the ferry landing and out of the farm on present day Old Lokey Ferry Road.
My grandfather Owen, usually in his high top riding boots, bought the ferry in 1930 from his brother and operated the ferry until the 1940s when it sank and the bridge at Childersburg took most of the business. Connection to the people like the Hutchison's on the Talladega side were lost.
It was not until 1948, that Alabama Power Company finally ran electricity to the farm houses.
My parents moved into a small house located on lot 7 in the late 40’s . It was primitive without a shower or a bath.
It was not until 1948, that Alabama Power Company finally ran electricity to the farm houses.
My parents moved into a small house located on lot 7 in the late 40’s . It was primitive without a shower or a bath.
In March of 1953, my father notice ominous clouds approaching from the west, rushed into our home (which was located on lot 7) and quickly got our family under a mattress in the bed room. The house took a direct hit from a tornado. The roof on my grandparent's home was torn off and my grandfather pinned by a swinging door held on to my tiny grandmother who was being flung around by the wind. The houses and storage buildings were completely destroyed but we were all safe. Others in the area were not as lucky and lives were lost.
In the mid 50’s my parents built a new house where my grandparents had lived. It offer a beautiful vista of the Coosa river. It was built with strong concrete and concrete block to protect from future storms. The white house with a large porch was built to look like a smaller version of the Presidents home at Auburn University. This was the results of my Dad being the caretaker of the President’s home and where my parents made their first home in the house’s garage apartment.
At least three other houses were on the place when I was a kid. The Buster house on lot 14 was unoccupied and was used to dry clover seed and house our dog when in heat.
Two families lived in the other two houses. Thomas and Irine Barnett lived in a house on the north east corner of lot 1 and Talmage Mallory and his mother lived in the house on the point on lot 27. All three houses had a well.
Unknown to myself, my Dad would let Mr. Barnett raise watermelons on the south west corner of lot 1 to sell. On a sunny hot summer day, my cousin Tony and I found the plot. Not knowing how to tell when a melon was ripe, we just went through the field busting large melons over our knees to find a ripe one. We had made a pretty good mess of things when we hear my Dad yell all the way from our house to stop and get out of that field. Not one of my better days!
Talmadge was a gentle soul but was severely handicapped. Dad paid him what he could to do odd jobs on the farm, herding cattle, picking up firewood, and cutting the fields. I was amazed how he dug a ditch for a water line over the width of lot 5 from the house to the barns. The ditch was straight, about a foot deep, and through the deep red clay that overlays most of the farm.
Dad was an agriculture major from Auburn and he brought back many ideas on how to improve the land. He was also a committee chairman for the local soil conservation committee. He built terraces in several of the fields to stop the erosion. He planted bahia grass over much of the farm where it is still prevalent (lots 8-11, lots 27-32 and lot 36.) Kudzu was planted on lots 3 and 4. Corn grew on lot 2. I remember reading a book under the trees on lot 4 underneath the kudzu smelling the sweet purple blooms.
Hay and implement barns and a corn crib were built on the north east edge of lot 5. The herd’s bull was kept in a small field between the barns. The bull was in the herd January to June and in the pen from July to December. This created calving in the cooler part of the year which made for healthier calves. Dad had studied genetics in ag school and sought to improve the herd over time with different pure bred bulls. The herd size varied over time ranging from about 60 to a hundred brood cows. The breed of choice for my Dad was Hereford, a dark red cow with a white face. He used dogs to help herd the cows but could also gather the herd using a special yell of his own. My job for years was to feed and water the bull by carrying a 5 gallon bucket of feed from the crib to the barn every evening. My sister and I also raised our show calves in this area also.
About midway on lot 7 was the milk barn. The family milk cow provided nourishment to the family. Daily in the early dawn hours, my Dad would walk down to the barn to milk the old jersey cow. Every few weeks my mother would make butter from the cream. Dad kept the cow’s food in two big 55 gallon drums with an old door for the top. One day he told me to cautiously raise the door and look in. I saw two small skunks sleeping on top of the cornmeal.
Behind the milk barn was the corral where Dad gathered the herd for shots, sprayed for flies, and often separated the feed steers for departure to sales. The fences were made from strong post and 2x8 boards up to maybe six feet high. On several occasions a cow would crawl over these high fences. He planned to build a new corral after the water was raised in 68. After his death in December of 67 and with the help of Mr. Duffy, I built the new corral on the line between lots 6 and 7. I used Dad’s plans which called for the fence to be over 7 feet tall. On a hot summer day as we nailed a top board, Mr. Duffy asked me, “What are you going to raise? Kangaroos?”
Dad planted Arizona Cypress for the family’s Christmas trees on lot 14. Each December my family would make a trek to this hidden area to select and cut the year’s tree. There were probably 50 trees in the beginning. I’m not sure any survive today. After my Dad died, my Mother and I made one last trek for a tree. As I climbed up the swaying tree to cut the top out like my Dad did, Mother watch nervously and declared that tradition had ended.
In the small protected slough surrounded by lots 7-11 was a spring that provided the farm with fresh clean water. Probably 50 gallons of cool water flowed from the concrete spring house each minute . In the summer watermelons were left in the pool to cool. After electricity came to the farm a pump house was constructed on the north side of this slough to push water to the houses and barns. In 67 before the water was raised, my Dad had the slough dug out to form deep water banks around the slough. We also had to remove the pump house and dig a new well. While helping my Dad tear down the pump house, I took a break on a power pole laying down on the ground. I didn’t realize a fire ants bed was behind me until I had a lot of ants on me. I ran down the hill to lay in the pool of water at the spring in hopes of ridding myself of the ants.
A new well was attempted near the main house on the south line of lot 5. It was about 6 inches in diameter and only gave about half a gallon a minute. So a second well was drilled on the south edge of lot 6 in 1966. It furnished the house with plenty of water for the last forty years.
As a kid, I remember learning to swim in the old ferry landing. We were always cautioned about the steep drop off about 15 feet out from the water's edge where the original ferry launched. By then the ferry landing was used by local boaters to launch their ski boats in the water. Misters Dewberry, Bentley, and Joel Carey were regulars. I would watch impatiently on summer Saturdays for them to arrive and then begged them for ski pulls. On one occasion, a sea plane with engine trouble landed on the river and moored in the landing.
In the 1950’s and 60’s, the Wilsonville Boat Club rented about an acre of land on the bank in front of lot 5. A large dock was constructed for boats and swimmers. I remember swimming from the dock many times with my cousins. My Mother patiently took us down for late afternoon swims all through summer. One year I tried to see how late in the year I could swim. She took me down each day and watched me swim. I made it to early November.
On the upper end of the Boat Club was a tall Poplar tree that stretched out over the river . A cable was attached to a limb at the top of the tree and a swing was constructed where we kids would swing and drop off into the water. Great fun! For the more daring , the tree offered a limb up about a 30 foot to rest on before you dropped into the river. I can still see my cousin Tony sitting on the limb for about an hour getting up the nerve to finally drop off into the water.
The boat club offered parties, events and sometime some spectaculars. My cousin Larry attempted twice to fly a kite from his skis. The wooden kite broke apart as he came out of the water and the metal one folded back as his skis came off the water.
The farm has many beautiful views over the water. My favorite is from Lot 6 with the full moon over the horizon. In the distance is a small set of low mountains which look like a sleeping giant. The moon rises over his chest as it lays a gold reflecting band of light on top of the river all the way to the river's edge. Another favorite is the view from lot 27 which looks up and down the main channel. Many of the lots on the west side have amazing sunsets. We love this farm and find it very emotional to part with it but want to share it with others that will value the place not in dollars but in the beauty of the land.
In the mid 50’s my parents built a new house where my grandparents had lived. It offer a beautiful vista of the Coosa river. It was built with strong concrete and concrete block to protect from future storms. The white house with a large porch was built to look like a smaller version of the Presidents home at Auburn University. This was the results of my Dad being the caretaker of the President’s home and where my parents made their first home in the house’s garage apartment.
At least three other houses were on the place when I was a kid. The Buster house on lot 14 was unoccupied and was used to dry clover seed and house our dog when in heat.
Two families lived in the other two houses. Thomas and Irine Barnett lived in a house on the north east corner of lot 1 and Talmage Mallory and his mother lived in the house on the point on lot 27. All three houses had a well.
Unknown to myself, my Dad would let Mr. Barnett raise watermelons on the south west corner of lot 1 to sell. On a sunny hot summer day, my cousin Tony and I found the plot. Not knowing how to tell when a melon was ripe, we just went through the field busting large melons over our knees to find a ripe one. We had made a pretty good mess of things when we hear my Dad yell all the way from our house to stop and get out of that field. Not one of my better days!
Talmadge was a gentle soul but was severely handicapped. Dad paid him what he could to do odd jobs on the farm, herding cattle, picking up firewood, and cutting the fields. I was amazed how he dug a ditch for a water line over the width of lot 5 from the house to the barns. The ditch was straight, about a foot deep, and through the deep red clay that overlays most of the farm.
Dad was an agriculture major from Auburn and he brought back many ideas on how to improve the land. He was also a committee chairman for the local soil conservation committee. He built terraces in several of the fields to stop the erosion. He planted bahia grass over much of the farm where it is still prevalent (lots 8-11, lots 27-32 and lot 36.) Kudzu was planted on lots 3 and 4. Corn grew on lot 2. I remember reading a book under the trees on lot 4 underneath the kudzu smelling the sweet purple blooms.
Hay and implement barns and a corn crib were built on the north east edge of lot 5. The herd’s bull was kept in a small field between the barns. The bull was in the herd January to June and in the pen from July to December. This created calving in the cooler part of the year which made for healthier calves. Dad had studied genetics in ag school and sought to improve the herd over time with different pure bred bulls. The herd size varied over time ranging from about 60 to a hundred brood cows. The breed of choice for my Dad was Hereford, a dark red cow with a white face. He used dogs to help herd the cows but could also gather the herd using a special yell of his own. My job for years was to feed and water the bull by carrying a 5 gallon bucket of feed from the crib to the barn every evening. My sister and I also raised our show calves in this area also.
About midway on lot 7 was the milk barn. The family milk cow provided nourishment to the family. Daily in the early dawn hours, my Dad would walk down to the barn to milk the old jersey cow. Every few weeks my mother would make butter from the cream. Dad kept the cow’s food in two big 55 gallon drums with an old door for the top. One day he told me to cautiously raise the door and look in. I saw two small skunks sleeping on top of the cornmeal.
Behind the milk barn was the corral where Dad gathered the herd for shots, sprayed for flies, and often separated the feed steers for departure to sales. The fences were made from strong post and 2x8 boards up to maybe six feet high. On several occasions a cow would crawl over these high fences. He planned to build a new corral after the water was raised in 68. After his death in December of 67 and with the help of Mr. Duffy, I built the new corral on the line between lots 6 and 7. I used Dad’s plans which called for the fence to be over 7 feet tall. On a hot summer day as we nailed a top board, Mr. Duffy asked me, “What are you going to raise? Kangaroos?”
Dad planted Arizona Cypress for the family’s Christmas trees on lot 14. Each December my family would make a trek to this hidden area to select and cut the year’s tree. There were probably 50 trees in the beginning. I’m not sure any survive today. After my Dad died, my Mother and I made one last trek for a tree. As I climbed up the swaying tree to cut the top out like my Dad did, Mother watch nervously and declared that tradition had ended.
In the small protected slough surrounded by lots 7-11 was a spring that provided the farm with fresh clean water. Probably 50 gallons of cool water flowed from the concrete spring house each minute . In the summer watermelons were left in the pool to cool. After electricity came to the farm a pump house was constructed on the north side of this slough to push water to the houses and barns. In 67 before the water was raised, my Dad had the slough dug out to form deep water banks around the slough. We also had to remove the pump house and dig a new well. While helping my Dad tear down the pump house, I took a break on a power pole laying down on the ground. I didn’t realize a fire ants bed was behind me until I had a lot of ants on me. I ran down the hill to lay in the pool of water at the spring in hopes of ridding myself of the ants.
A new well was attempted near the main house on the south line of lot 5. It was about 6 inches in diameter and only gave about half a gallon a minute. So a second well was drilled on the south edge of lot 6 in 1966. It furnished the house with plenty of water for the last forty years.
As a kid, I remember learning to swim in the old ferry landing. We were always cautioned about the steep drop off about 15 feet out from the water's edge where the original ferry launched. By then the ferry landing was used by local boaters to launch their ski boats in the water. Misters Dewberry, Bentley, and Joel Carey were regulars. I would watch impatiently on summer Saturdays for them to arrive and then begged them for ski pulls. On one occasion, a sea plane with engine trouble landed on the river and moored in the landing.
In the 1950’s and 60’s, the Wilsonville Boat Club rented about an acre of land on the bank in front of lot 5. A large dock was constructed for boats and swimmers. I remember swimming from the dock many times with my cousins. My Mother patiently took us down for late afternoon swims all through summer. One year I tried to see how late in the year I could swim. She took me down each day and watched me swim. I made it to early November.
On the upper end of the Boat Club was a tall Poplar tree that stretched out over the river . A cable was attached to a limb at the top of the tree and a swing was constructed where we kids would swing and drop off into the water. Great fun! For the more daring , the tree offered a limb up about a 30 foot to rest on before you dropped into the river. I can still see my cousin Tony sitting on the limb for about an hour getting up the nerve to finally drop off into the water.
The boat club offered parties, events and sometime some spectaculars. My cousin Larry attempted twice to fly a kite from his skis. The wooden kite broke apart as he came out of the water and the metal one folded back as his skis came off the water.
The farm has many beautiful views over the water. My favorite is from Lot 6 with the full moon over the horizon. In the distance is a small set of low mountains which look like a sleeping giant. The moon rises over his chest as it lays a gold reflecting band of light on top of the river all the way to the river's edge. Another favorite is the view from lot 27 which looks up and down the main channel. Many of the lots on the west side have amazing sunsets. We love this farm and find it very emotional to part with it but want to share it with others that will value the place not in dollars but in the beauty of the land.