STARS FELL ON ECLECTIC

STORY BY BREANNA MANLEY PHOTOS BY CLIFF WILLIAMS & KAITLIN FLEMING

Elizabeth “Betty” Stricker noticed the signs when she moved to a farm right outside of Eclectic several years ago. Cut to the shape of a star, the signs boldly declared, “Stars fell on Eclectic,” and were scattered throughout the town. Stricker remembers feeling so welcome at the time, mostly because of the signs and their genuine reminder that Eclectic is special. She wanted to know why: Why is the town of Eclectic was so special? and what makes the inscription so much more than a slogan?

Everyone she talked to offered a different story. Some credited the slogan to a magical phenomenon from 1800s; others gave credit to a widely accepted belief amongst townsfolk that each child in Eclectic would grow up to be a star. Regardless of the answers she received, Eclectic residents agreed there’s no place quite like Eclectic.

“When I moved here, driving up and down the roads, I noticed these stars along the roadside, just all over the place. The more I got involved with the town of Eclectic, the more stars I seemed to see around the town. Getting involved with the town museum, I started learning more about the founder of Eclectic,” Stricker explained.

The Eclectic Museum, which opened in September, showcases donated items from the residents of Eclectic. Each item helps to share a little bit of the town’s history. Located between the Eclectic Fire Department and the

public library, the cinderblock building now serves as the perfect place for those interested in the history of the town to see memorabilia from recent eras and learn more about the city’s history. Through generous donations from local residents, the museum showcases artifacts dating back to the early 1900s, such as a large phone from the 1920s; school albums from a number of years past; old cheerleading uniforms; and a large collection of photographs. The museum also has a number of Teague Bottles, which were saved by people within the community from the 1960s when the Teague Bottling Company had a plant in Eclectic. Old accounts of history also can be found in newspaper clippings. The idea of a museum was initiated by one proud Eclectic resident, Betty Coker, who is also the librarian History Collected for the local library. With dedication and determination,

Above: A museum and a bit of funding from a grant Coker applied for, the commemorating the museum came to fruition. Coker and local volunteers, city's history opened in September; Facing Page: Star-shaped signs welcome visitors to the City of Eclectic. including Stricker, made the museum happen because preserving history for generations to come has always been important to them. Through her work with the museum, Stricker learned about Dr. M.L. Fielder (1835-1911), the town’s founder and a practitioner of Eclectic medicine, which was a branch of American medicine oftentimes using botanical remedies as a form of healing. According to local historian, Jimmy K. Lanier, Fielder moved to the area as a boy with his parents. In 1877, Fielder purchased 122 acres that had once been the site a Creek village named Tumkeehatchee. That land is where the present City of Eclectic, Alabama, now stands. Fielder chose to go into the medical field, probably

due to his family’s close ties in medical career fields. He attended the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati, where he learned about Eclectic medicine, before continuing his education at Grafenberg Medical Institute in Tallapoosa County.

“He named Eclectic after his favorite medical practice class, and it uses more of a holistic approach to medicine and looking at the whole body and thinking about the different aspects,” Stricker said.

As Stricker’s curiosity grew, she began researching the meaning behind the star signs by talking to Eclectic residents. Auburn professors also shared information about the historic meteor shower, otherwise known as the Leonid Meteor Storm.

The Leonid Meteor Storm was a beautiful display of more than 150,000 meteors that fell each hour Nov. 12, 1833. Though the entire United States could see the show, those who lived in Eclectic shared a tale of the stars falling over the town. This tale has remained part of Eclectic’s history ever since, leading a large number of residents and surrounding community members to feel the significance of the small town.

Whether the town’s slogan is based on the once-ina-lifetime meteor shower or the holistic environment brought on by the town’s founder, the stars found throughout Eclectic are a treasured part of the community and contribute to Eclectic’s reputation as a one-of-a-kind place to visit, shop and live.

In 1999, William Teague fashioned the signs, which are

dedicated to his Stars Shine Brightly in Eclectic late wife, Betty Jo Clockwise from Above: Museum Teague, who passed displays feature costumes away in 2020 at the age of 90. “Eclectic, the star of Elmore County, and other memorabilia in chronological vignettes; Photographs and documents are among the exhibits; A plaque on the back of Eclectic's has a rich and welcoming signs dedicates them wonderful history. to a recently deceased citizen This is of the community. where the charm of the old South and all of its wonderful traditions clash in a friendly manner with its passion for progress in creating a dynamic future for itself and its citizens. It is said that when the spectacular meteor shower of Nov. 12, 1833, lit up the night sky in Alabama, the stars actually fell on Eclectic, Alabama. It has not been determined whether this Leonid meteor shower actually sent any debris anywhere near Eclectic, but the romantic in all of us would like to think so,” Lanier wrote.

Take some time out of your weekend to visit the Eclectic Museum to see some of the artifacts on display. More displays will be added in the coming months, as donations are still being accepted. The museum is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.