Jim Phillips is a producer of educational and historical videos, a lecturer on antebellum Alabama history, an appraiser and buyer of old american bottles, coins, paper money, tokens, and jewelry, and (whew) a researcher and video documenter of historic property and structures. Tuesday night he brought his skills, knowledge, and a few of his artifacts to the Brent-Centreville Library where he shared, for about an hour and a half, an engaging walk through Alabama history. He covered the Creek Indian Wars, Andrew Jackson, Horseshoe Bend, William Weatherford, Burnt Corn Creek, The Trail of Tears, why native americans refuse to have a $20 bill in their possession today, to the Battle of New Orleans. He told stories of the times that Old Hickory engaged in gunfights to defend the honor of his lovely wife, Rachel (I lost count, but he says it was more than a hundred duels. The man had a temper). You will have to attend a lecture to find about the $20 bill. 

He told ghost stories of Alabama cemeteries and haunted mansions, riverboat life, cotton bales and chicken litter on the decks, privies hanging over the steamboat railings (pre EPA years), gruesome boiler explosions and body parts that landed in the streets of Mobile and Selma, home remedies (some that proved lethal or fatal) and popular concoctions and elixirs that could be found in all of those collectible bottles that are still discovered around homesites and old plantation burn piles and trash dumps today. If you think I am rambling you should have heard Jim, he had a lot to tell and he tried to fit it all in to 1.5 hours. He pointed out that he should have put this history lesson into a lecture series.

All kidding aside, Jim Phillips is an entertaining and informative lecturer. If you enjoy Alabama History, in particular Antebellum period history don’t pass up an opportunity to take in a lecture by Jim Phillips. He may not pass through Brent-Centreville Library anytime soon  but you can find him by email at jgp.alhistory@gmail.com to arrange tours or group speaking events.

Thank you Jim Phillips for your evening in Bibb County!

  • Terry Morton Artifacts
  • Bibb Belles Welcomed Guests to Lecture
  • Jim Phillips examines artifacts
  • Jim Phillips talks to Preston James & Dalton Murphy
  • Jim Phillips making his point
  • Jim Phillips telling one of his ghost stories
  • Jim & Twan Stacy attended Phillips lecture