Freyhofer Visit Postponed. North Across the River Sold Out.

Yesterday I made the announcement that Horst Freyhofer, the son of a former Camp Aliceville POW, would visit the Aliceville Museum this Thursday, March 4. That visit has been postponed until Thursday, March 11, at 10 a.m.

If you have not yet explored the Aliceville Museum http://cityofaliceville.com/MuseumMain.htm, it is well worth the trip to Pickens County, Alabama. Many artifacts from Camp Aliceville are there, along with correspondence from former POWs and former MPEG guards, and items pertaining to other aspects of World War II.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd also like to notify my readers today that my first book, North Across the River, is officially sold out. I am extremely grateful to all those who took an interest in this little known tale of the Civil War. This blog will continue to post new information about Roswell and Sweetwater Creek when it becomes available, so please continue to share.

More Pete Mayhall Photos from May 1944

Bruce Mayhall visited Alabama recently and collected some family pictures from Camp Aliceville days. The photos shown here were processed on May 5, 1944 and show a group of young people--MPEG guards stationed in Aliceville and local residents enjoying a picnic outing on a spring weekend.

Bruce's mother Ruth kept the photos and put captions on the backs of many of them. She often referred to this fun-loving group as "the Aliceville Gang." It included Pete and Ruth Mayhall, Billie Frances Pate, Kathryn Pate Johnson, Olga Gibson Robinette, Hugh and Dot McCall (at left), Billy Mouchette, and a soldier named Jake.

Many of the MPEG guards who came to Aliceville enjoyed dating Aliceville residents, and quite a few married and settled in the Aliceville area after the war.

ANNOUNCEMENT: On Thursday, March 4, Horst Freyhofer, the son of a former Camp Aliceville POW, will visit the Aliceville Museum. Freyhofer was captured in North Africa in 1943 and was interned in Camp Aliceville before being transferred to other POW camps. Museum Director Mary Bess Paluzzi will welcome Mr. Freyhofer to the museum, and we hope she will share some of his insights with us in the future.