Ghost Sign

Another ghost sign in downtown Northport. Also, note the blue shirt in the right hand side of the picture. He's an employee of the City of Northport who waters all the planters every morning.

If you click to enlarge, you can see the string of little yellow bulbs above the awning out front. They've been there for many years to add a special glow at night.

A morning stroll

Doors

Kentuck Museum

This mosaic tile mural is in the courtyard of the Kentuck Museum in historic downtown Northport.

The Kentuck Museum and Art Gallery features art by regional and national artists. If you're ever near Tuscaloosa in October, the Kentuck Festival is a 'don't miss' event.

Ghost Signs

Ghost signs, backstreet of downtown Northport.


Not sure what a graphone is, but you could buy one here at Alabama Furniture Co.

Skywatch Friday

Brooding sky over Artist's Row. Continuing the downtown Northport tour, behind Main Street you'll find this row of artists' studios/galleries and other small shops. Please visit Skywatch Friday to see beautiful skies from around the world. Happy Weekend Everyone!

Edited to add: Hey! I almost forgot, today is the First Anniversary of Tuscaloosa Daily Photo! Hard to believe it's been a year since I had jury duty, got some shots of downtown from the top of the courthouse, and started a blog.

Northport 5 & 10

Gotta love a five and dime store still in business, thumbin' their noses at Walmart.

I'm guessing this is the same Jim (James) Shirley whose house I featured a few days ago.
According to the historic marker at his house, he was the town surveyor and built the first commercial brick buildings in the 1850s.

Anders Hardware

Anders Hardware is a classic old time hardware store in downtown Northport. This is the backstreet entrance, which actually looks like the main entrance! Anders is celebrating its 100th year this year. They also have another store in Tuscaloosa. They seem to be thriving in spite of the Lowe's and Home Depot invasion. They must have a really loyal customer base.

Here's the Main Street entrance.

This is the warehouse behind the store. Glad someone with a paint sprayer skipped over the sign.

Northport Barber Shop

Downtown Northport Barber Shop, complete with turning barber's pole.

The friendly barbers kindly allowed me to stick my head in the door for this shot!

There's a barber's pole at the backstreet entrance too!

Here's Rusty

Rusty the big red dog is a folk art sculpture and landmark in Historic Downtown Northport. He stands guard on top of Stephens Gallery and is a local favorite and symbol of the Kentuck Arts Center and Festival.

Shirley Place

Shirley Place in downtown Northport is on the National Historic Register.
Mr. Marvin Harper, the home's last owner and caretaker, passed away in April. Mr. Harper sold the home to the City of Northport in 1997 with the agreement that he be allowed to live in it until his death. He was the great nephew of James Shirley and was a noted historian and preservationist. His dream was to have the home become a heritage and learning center. The home is open for tours by appointment.

Stephens Gallery

While I was strolling around historic downtown Northport taking pics, Mr. W. Lackey Stephens stepped out of his gallery and said, "Well, you're out early." I noticed the paint brushes and palette knife in his hand and made the connection...the artist himself. He'd been painting since daylight, so he was earlier than me.

He graciously allowed me to photograph him, then invited me into the studio and shared his artwork. Mr. Stephens was the CEO of Zeigler Co. for 25 years before retiring. His oil painting is his hobby. In his words, "I do this for fun. When it stops being fun, I'll stop doing it."

He works in oils in the chiaroscuro style, which emphasizes light and shadow.

"The shadows define the light." I'm thinking there's a life lesson in that statement.

Most of the painting in the gallery were still-life, with a few landscapes. He does commissioned portraits of people and of pets.

He added a few strokes to this painting while I watched. He explained that he started this one and never finished it, so had recently picked it back up. He pointed out several "errors" he intended to correct. I thought it was beautiful as is.

The gallery is in what was the first "luxury" gas station in Tuscaloosa County. Luxury being defined as having a cover to pull under when it rained! When Mr. Stephens acquired the building, he left the "no loafing" sign, complete with cobwebs. He also showed me where the gas pumps used to be and the old bottle caps cemented into the cracks where the Coke machine sat out front. Great art, history and interesting conversation - my kind of morning!

Historic Downtown Northport

Historic Downtown Northport is just across the river from Tuscaloosa. It is probably the best preserved and most historic part of Tuscaloosa County. Stay tuned for details including: the barber shop, the hardware store, the cafe, the 5&10, artists' studios, historic homes, and more.

Across the River, Northport

This lovely old home is in historic downtown Northport, the city across the Black Warrior River from Tuscaloosa. Northport has done an outstanding job of restoring their old downtown buildings. Click to enlarge so you can see the brick sidewalk and details on the house. As you can see, this home is now being occupied by Main Avenue Antiques.