Lily Flagg's Signal

01/09/2024

She's baaaaaaack.
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I'm excited to share that I'll once again be on on this Thursday at 11:45 to talk Huntsville history! You can catch the interview on the television of course, or afterwards via the TVL website. Bonus points if you get a good, meme-worthy screenshot of me accidentally making faces while I talk.
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A big goal of mine with this show has been to share local history in a way people could enjoy and learn from, which occasionally means branching out of the audio streaming format to show off my homemade clothes and dorky hobby on live television.
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You cannot escape the cow podcast. It is everywhere.
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On a sappy personal note, a loved one of mine who recently passed used to watch TVL from her sick bed. She was able to see my first two appearances on the show and was so proud/excited about it. Getting to continue doing this now that she's no longer with us has been weirdly emotional, and I know I'm only able to be here because of the support and encouragement from all of you, so thank you. 💜
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01/07/2024

Another picture that was a year in the making.
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Speaking of taking a long time to put something together... Season four. 😂 As I've "grown" while making this show, I've found myself more and more confident stepping away from just the well-known local stories and into things that require more digging. The Monte Sano Hotel and Lily Flagg have name recognition, and those episodes draw people in, but it's also a lot of fun to go off the beaten path on topics that are just as interesting but, to my knowledge, haven't been extensively written about or published on. This is more time consuming, but also more rewarding.
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This has also encouraged me to take better notes and document the research that doesn't make it into the episodes, whether it's because it's slightly off-topic, kind of boring, or just too long to squeeze in. My hope is to eventually be able to turn these notes over to the archives, particularly ones relating to those less-researched topics (which you'll be hearing more about soon!) so future researchers can build off of them.
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01/04/2024

Look ma, they named a road after me! 😂
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There are two kinds of people in Huntsville (Alabama):
1) those who know Lily Flagg was a world famous, award winning, butterfat-production-record-setting Jersey cow and
2) those who have no idea for whom the street, neighborhood, and various other things (like this show) are named.
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This podcast is for both types of people! I'm between seasons now, with about a month left in the hiatus, but there's a backlog of a few dozen episodes now for you to listen through to learn more about this weird city and its history, from the eccentric to the inspirational and yes, a very special cow.
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01/01/2024

Here's to a year of showing up, sniffing books, and not doing that thing where I barely say hi to people and then quietly sneak out a side door leave the party early.
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I've shared a bit about the knowledge gaps I want to fill this year (space race happenings, Huntsville during the Civil War, indigenous groups who were here first), and I'm curious: what areas of local history do YOU want to learn more about this year?
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12/31/2023

Oh no, another "end of year" roundup post. 😂
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Rather than sharing my top nine most-liked-by-other-people posts, I wanted to share nine amusing and/or bizarre local history things I got to talk about this year. What was your favorite?
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1) The founder of the Huntsville Times getting in legal trouble for impersonating a TVA employee in the 1930s (episode 11)
2) Early 1800s travel writer Anne Royall calling out Huntsville's wealthy in her book for not assisting more after a tornado in the area (mini-episode 4)
3) Garden mogul Henry Chase selling kudzu as a decorative plant and shipping it all over the country (episode 15)
4) The original owners of the waterworks bashing each other in the press in the 1820s (episode 24)
5) Local dignitaries and a brass band parading through town on a trolley to celebrate the new street cars. (episode 9)
6) Telegraphers "accidentally" on purpose not warning confederate leaders about approaching 🇺🇲 troops so that Huntsville could be taken back by the Union (mini-episode 3)
7) Heiress Virginia McCormick adopting the deer that used to live on the courthouse lawn (episode 13)
8) A barbecue feast thrown underground in Shelta Cave for publicity in the 1880s (episode 22)
9) William Burritt watching his house burn down as he was moving in and him immediately saying "yeah, just build it again on the same foundation" (episodes 16 & 17)
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12/30/2023

Tiny slides for a tiny podcast. 😂
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I'm in the process of converting old family photo slides to digital, and in doing so I encountered this gem of a seventies throwback: University Drive heading east.
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I've seen lots of photos of town from the mid-1970s on the page, but there's something special about seeing a picture taken by your own family members. It's also exciting to see that photographing facets of daily life seems to run in the family. 😅
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12/28/2023

Between-seasons shenanigan logo.
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Inside me are two wolves, I mean cows. One feels guilty asking for support for the show and doing this sort of promo post, but the other is pleased with the bonus content and wants people to know. Both bovines think this logo is horrendous.
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Between seasons, I've been dropping little mini-episodes or articles available to everyone contributing an Abe Lincoln per month or more (there are extra perks for higher tiers, too, and stickers!). If that's your thing and you want to help cover my subscription and other podcast expenditures, check it out. If not, I totally understand and still hope you enjoy this ugly art I made. 💜
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12/26/2023

The "snowpocalypse" photos I took last year are the gift that keeps giving, even if it was essentially shorts weather this holiday weekend.
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I've noticed there's always a significant bump up in listenership on holidays, meaning this silly cow podcast is probably some people's traveling companion, escape from family drama, or a general diversion from an overload of festive things altogether, and I just wanted to express my gratitude to anyone who chose this show for their Christmas listening.
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I'll be back with new episodes February 2024. 💜
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12/23/2023

Do me a favor: if you see someone claiming Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas, tag them here. 😅
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The Alabama Department of Archives & History ( on IG 💜) put a video out about this last year, but to summarize: no, it seems we weren't the first. Alabama made Christmas a bank holiday in 1848, a full decade after Louisiana declared it a day of "public rest."
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Why do I care so much? Because there are so many REAL things that happened here, firsts and otherwise, that are actually worth celebrating. We don't need these made-up click bait "facts" to be an interesting state. (Just ask, I'll send you some cool and true ones!)
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Photo is of some lovely decorations.
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12/22/2023

My home recording studio could never!
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There are some (good!) coming for season four, including but not limited to audio quality improvements, but nothing I do will top the fanciness of Huntsville's own .3
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I've been a public radio fan since college, so it was quite the honor to be featured on WLRH's "Arts Underground" earlier this year and have the opportunity to share local history nerdiness with a wider audience. Today I got to join in on another AU episode, this time for everyone's favorite seasonal holiday: Festivus!
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Swipe for a selfie outtake with THE Katy Gannaway of WLRH fame. 💜
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12/18/2023

This post was a year in the making. 🌷☀️🍂❄️ Worth it?
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The piece of land on Clinton Ave in Old Town between White and Calhoun streets holds the distinction of having structures used only for educational purposes for over two hundred years.
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From the pre-statehood Green Academy that operated until mid-Civil-War to the East Clinton public city school (one of the first four in the state to desegregate in 1963) to its current occupant of Providence Classical School, the site has seen a lot.
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This building, constructed in 1938, is one of my favorite Art Deco structures (though I've never been inside!)
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12/15/2023

Presenting the last minute gift guide for the local history nerds in your life! While not everyone does the "gift thing," I wanted to highlight a few local places I love supporting.
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For the artsy person: I absolutely adore my prints of historic Huntsville buildings (including 206 Eustis and the Russel-Erskine) by . She and many other local artists have their work available for purchase at 🎨
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For book nerds: some of my current favorites (of many by local authors) are John O'Brien's "Notorious Antebellum North Alabama" and Sonnie Hereford III's "Beside the Troubled Waters." Nancy Rohr has a new book out now called "Enduring Voices" about local women during the Civil War that I'm also excited to read. 📚
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For the "I want experiences, not things" type, since material objects aren't the only way to tell someone you're thinking of them: trips to (which also has memberships and the for classes!) or are always a hit, or you can book a special tour through town with 👟
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For the person who has it all: consider making a donation in their honor to groups helping preserve and teach history, like , , , or Special Collections 💜
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Lastly, on a selfish note, you can always get a monthly membership to the podcast Patreon for access to bonus content, swag, episode shout-outs, behind the scenes posts, and more. 😂
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I'm sure I've left quite a few things out, as there are SO MANY options around town. What, if anything, are you getting the history nerds in your life?
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12/14/2023

Happy 204th "birthday" to the state of Alabama!
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On today's date in 1819, President James Monroe signed off on adding Alabama as the 22nd state.
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This is notably different than the date of ratification, when the constitutional convention here in Huntsville signed off on the document (that was in August of 1819).
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That constitutional convention took place on the site of what's now where the buildings have been recreated to appear as they may have during the signing.
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Swipe to see that first constitution (when it was on display at for the bicentennial)
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12/08/2023

The December 7, 1941, edition of the "Huntsville Times" looked a lot like its other Sunday editions: two dozen pages (many of which were comics!) with articles on FDR's diplomacy, construction on the arsenal, updates on the TVA, and sports score recaps.
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When the paper was printed that morning, eighty-two years ago, they had no way of knowing what was about to happen in Pearl Harbor.
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Cut to the next day - Monday, December 8 - with the headline shown above. "Congress Votes War Quickly; FDR Gives Report on Losses"
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Locally, this "seriousness of the national situation" also meant new security concerns and precautions for the arsenal, as shown in the article pictured.
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"Huntsville Times," 8 Dec, 1941. Background image of the Times Building, corner of Greene/Holmes.
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12/04/2023

No new episode on streaming, since we're between seasons, but I do have a huge "thanks" to give!
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I love making this show and would do it even if there were far fewer listeners, and I know everyone on the Internet does that "it's not about the numbers" schtick every now and then, but let's be honest: it feels good to know people enjoy the thing you make.
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It's encouraging to see how many people like the show and listen to my little nerd sessions (top show on Spotify for HOW MANY people?! And Spotify isn't even where most of my listeners come from?!), and it's been wonderful to get to interact with so many of you.
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If you're already missing the weekly local history content here between seasons, you can join the Patreon starting at one Abe Lincoln a month to get tiny episode tidbits throughout the show's hiatus. More on that later this week.
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Also, shout out to the person who gave a one star review when I had only one episode out and then left it. 💜🤣
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12/01/2023

A waterworks/Big Spring Park then versus now...
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The painting on the top portion (and slide 2) is William Frye's 1850 interpretation of the waterworks' pump house. The lower photo (and slide 3) is a photo from approximately the same vantage point earlier this year.
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Image of Frye's oil painting courtesy
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Want to hear more about the history of two centuries of Huntsville waterworks? Check out "The Way of (Huntsville's) Water" whenever you get your podcasts!
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11/29/2023

Some WWII-era history for you.
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Sent from the state capital to the superintendent of the Huntsville water works on December 9, 1941, this telegram encouraged the city utilities to take precautions against sabotage in response to the Pearl Harbor attack two days prior.
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Keep in mind that Huntsville wasn't nearly as important to national defense at the time as it is now. This telegram is a brief look into the mindset and fears of people all over the country as we entered WWII.
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Telegram photo courtesy of 💜
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To hear more tales of our two centuries of water works, check out the two part episode "The Way of (Huntsville's) Water" wherever you get your podcasts!
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11/28/2023

I don't have a clever caption but I do think this looks cool.
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After Dr. Fearn purchased the Huntsville (Alabama) waterworks in the 1830s, he began swapping over the pipes from cedar logs to iron ones like these, which carried water from the Big Spring up to the downtown square and beyond. This picture was taken in 1878, after the city had taken over running the waterworks.
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Image courtesy of 💜
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Want to hear more about the 200 years of Huntsville's water works? Check out "The Way of (Huntsville's) Water" parts one and two wherever you get your podcasts!
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11/28/2023

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We want to thank Lily Flagg's Signal for her recent episode celebrating the bicentennial of the Huntsville Water Works. We enjoyed meeting her and sharing the information we uncovered as we looked back at the history of the oldest water system west of the Appalachian Mountains.

It was so much information that she's made it into two episodes of her podcast, the first of which dropped this month. You can check it out here: https://linktr.ee/lilyflaggpodcast

11/27/2023

Last episode of the year out today!
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Episode description: "In honor of the bicentennial of the Huntsville water works this year, I've done a two-part episode sharing history and fun facts. In this episode I'll be talking about the system in its time as a public utility, starting in 1858, including expansions, odd fire fighting techniques, diseases, and fancy toilets! Join me for part two of two looking at the surprisingly interesting history of the first public waterworks west of the Appalachian Mountains." (18 min)
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Huge thanks to the patrons, including Allison, Emily, Eric, Laura; check my bio to join their illustrious local-history-podcast-supporting ranks! Also lots of a gratitude to the team at for their insight and help with research! 💜
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"The Way of (Huntsville's) Water, Part Two" is available now!
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11/26/2023

Make sure to LOG into your favorite podcast streaming service tomorrow to catch part two of the season three finale: "The Way of (Huntsville's) Water."
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I'll be covering some of the highlights and my favorite findings regarding our waterworks in the time since it changed hands from private owners to the city, so from 1859 onwards.
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The logs shown here are reproductions made at to test and show the techniques (have I mentioned how awesome everyone there was in providing research info and insight?! The sweetest. 💜)
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11/24/2023

Expense accounts, but make it fun.
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Are you a Black Friday shopper, and if so, do you save receipts? Dr. Thomas Fearn, owner of the Huntsville Waterworks from 1836 to 1858, sure did! He kept detailed notes of his own spending as well as for his businesses, and many of these account books (original and typed/transcribed by Nancy Rohr) can be viewed at the Special Collections 💜
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I did a highlight of some of the more humorous entries in this week's episode, "The Shape of (Huntsville's) Water, Part One" but here are some of my favorite lines from Fearn's 1842 accounts:
Ci**rs & ice & figs: $2
Toothbrush and grapes: 56¢
Oranges and omnibus: 75¢
3 Bbls. flour: $21
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If you're wondering, a barrel of flour is 196 pounds, meaning he bought 588 pounds of flour.
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11/23/2023

Thankful for you history nerds who follow this account and/or listen to the show and enjoy the topics, get excited about fun facts, and hopefully learn something cool about our city every now and then.
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If you celebrate today, may your food be well-seasoned and the company be people who make you feel loved.

11/22/2023

WOOD you like to see a cool old photo?
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This picture from 1949 depicts the old cedar log pipes used in the first phases of the Huntsville water works (1823~1836), as opposed to the more modern pipes.
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To hear more about the first thirty-five years of the water works, including how Dr. Fearn's tasks upon buying the system in 1836 included redoing much of the previous work (such as replacing wooded pipes with iron ones!), check out the newest episode! "The Way of (Huntsville's) Water, Part One" is available wherever you get your podcasts.
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This photo courtesy of 💜
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11/21/2023

The humble beginnings of a 200+ year enterprise!
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It was early 1823 when Hunter Peel first entered into a contract to pump water from the Big Spring up the bluff to the town square Huntsville, Alabama, thus starting the first waterworks system this side of the Appalachian Mountains.
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Check out the new episode, "The Way of (Huntsville's) Water," to hear about Peel, his public fighting with business partner James Barclay, and the various other owners of the Huntsville water works during its early days.
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Depicted here are
1) a contract signed by Hunter Peel, LeRoy Pope, and Judith Pope on April 14, 1823, original courtesy of 💜 The Popes owned the land on which the spring is located but gave permission for waterworks construction and water usage.
2) a newspaper clipping from the "Alabama Republican" newspaper on March 28, 1823, courtesy of Special Collections 💜
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Swipe to see the spring earlier this year as viewed from the steps up the bluff to the courthouse square.
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11/20/2023

New episode time! 💧
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Episode description: "Huntsville's water works had its bicentennial this year, and a lot has happened in the two hundred years that residents have been pumping spring water throughout the town. In just the first 35 years, there were public spats, lots of hollowed out logs, a high turnover rate of ownership, some cool hydraulic technology, and a guy who felt the need to purchase 588 pounds of flour all at once. Join me for part one of two looking at the surprisingly interesting history of the first public waterworks west of the Appalachian Mountains." (28 min)
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Huge thanks to the patrons, including Allison, Emily, Eric, Laura; check my bio to join their illustrious local-history-podcast-supporting ranks! Also lots of a gratitude to the team at for their insight and help with research!
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"The Way of (Huntsville's) Water, Part One" is available now!
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11/19/2023

Tomorrow's episode hint.
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Hint: read the sign.
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Part one of the season three wrap-up premiers tomorrow, and it's all about the history of ! More specifically, I'll be talking about the first thirty-five years of the Huntsville Water Works, back when it was privately owned and honestly full of drama. 😅
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Look for "The Shape of (Huntsville's) Water, Part One" tomorrow wherever you get your podcasts!
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11/17/2023

"Flowers from my G children"
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This is possibly the sweetest photo I've found while researching for the show. Jean Dent, the subject of this week's episode, took this picture of a vase of flowers gifted to her by her grandchildren in 1999. She held it in high enough regard that she kept the photo in a scrapbook alongside letters of support from local dignitaries, lists of honors, and other accolades, as though to say that among all those awards, the love of family was most important.
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Her scrapbooks, including this photo, are available from the Special Collections 💜
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For more info on this incredible woman and the many ways she improved the lives of Triana citizens as a public health nurse, check out this week's episode, entitled "Nurse Dent," wherever you get your podcasts!
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11/16/2023

Speaking of the Triana Health Clinic (which is exactly what I'm doing in this week's episode about Nurse Dent)... look who's coming to town in a few months!
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"Crossroads: Change in Rural America" by the Smithsonian focuses on celebrating and examining changes in small towns across the US, and for two months in 2024 they'll be here in Triana, Alabama!
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I'll be sharing more when the date gets closer, and in the meantime you can also find the podcast on most streaming services if you want to learn more!
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