A Fair Hope to Succeed

There is a beautiful community called Fairhope, situated along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay in Alabama. With a little research, we learned the municipal pier, considered to be the “town square” by Fairhopers, is a must for visitors. We also learned Fairhope was conducting a “tree lighting” for the Christmas season. To our absolute delight, this led us to visit multiple times

On the day of the tree lighting (Fairhope doesn’t merely light a Christmas tree, they light all of the trees up and down their streets, simultaneously!), we decided to visit the Fairhope Museum of History. As we were moving around the rooms we were greeted by Louie who quickly turned a simple visit into a wonderful experience for us. Louie regaled us with stories of Fairhope, bringing to life what may have otherwise been some brief, dry reading on our part.

We learned Fairhope had been founded in 1894 as an experiment. Begun by a group of populist reformers, led by Ernest Berry Gaston, the intent was to establish a “single-tax” community based on economist Henry George’s philosophy.

The group came from multiple states, primarily the upper mid-west and a few from the east coast. Mr. Gaston himself was a journalist and Populist Party officer from Iowa. Mr. Gaston and his partners hoped to set up a system which would alleviate many of the financial and social struggles of the time period. The single-tax philosophy, although not socialism per se, contains socialist ideas of land ownership and taxation. Their intent was to create a utopian community to benefit all, not merely a few land speculators. This led to a name for the new town when one of the members stated he felt the colony “had a fair hope of succeeding”. Hence Fairhope, AL came into existence.

The single-tax concept is based on the idea that land belongs to the community and not to an individual. The colony, as the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation is known, owns the lots of land as common property. The land is leased to the individuals for use and development. Any improvements or development of the property such as a house, belongs to the individual, but never the land. The colony owns the land. The colony also pays any taxes owed on the land while the individual only pays their annual rent. The funds raised by the rent go into the public coffers for common improvements such as roads, parks, municipal services, etc. The City of Fairhope was incorporated in 1908 and exists as the municipal entity today. However, the colony still does exist as well, and is not only in operation but continues to grow with additional property purchases.

Anyone living on property not owned by the colony are deeded landowners paying their own taxes while anyone living on colony land, still lives under the single-tax corporation. They still only pay the rent. The city and the colony have developed a working relationship which is clearly beneficial to the entire community. Fairhope is a thriving, growing place never having seen a revitalization, they never needed one.

In addition to the story of Fairhope’s beginnings, Louie asked us if we knew about the Jubilees. We did not, so he walked us around the corner to another display filled with photographs. These photos depicted people along the shoreline of Mobile Bay, in the pre-dawn hours, collecting fish and crabs by the net, bucket or cooler full.

A Jubilee is a natural phenomenon which only takes place in Japan’s Tokyo harbor, and on the east coast of Mobile Bay. When multiple weather and water conditions are just right, the fish and crabs fall into a stupor, so to speak. As a result, they float right up to the shoreline. Anyone lucky enough to be on hand or well in tune to the conditions, can just scoop up their fill of fresh seafood with very little effort. But woe to the neighbor who fails to share the news. According to Louie, they can expect to fall off the “list” of those informed in turn, during the next jubilee.

To the best of my understanding, a Jubilee requires a warm, east wind blowing across a rising tide during the late spring to early fall. August is apparently the best month for them. Other factors come into play as well, but locals perk up when they see calm water, after a storm, on a summer night. The conditions, when just right, foster the depletion of oxygen from the water by microorganisms deep in the bay. The loss of oxygen causes the marine life to move, in mass, toward the shore seeking oxygen richer water. However, the loss of oxygen leaves them in a physical condition preventing normal motor function. This means they literally lose the ability to swim, etc.

An event can happen over many miles, or as a smaller occurrence along a single property. There is typically at least one Jubilee each summer but often there are multiple occurrences in any particular year, 2021 being a particularly prosperous one, we hear. The only struggle is identifying the location where a Jubilee is occurring. Louie assured us the eating is good for many, when blessed to be on hand for a Jubilee.

There were many other exhibits to see at the museum, including the old town jail that was still in use as recently as 2002. The jail structure was made of plaster walls, so the interior of the cells was completely lined with iron bars to prevent escape. When the building was enlarged to a second floor, the plaster walls would not have been strong enough to hold up its weight. Therefore, the iron structure of the jail became the foundation that keeps the building standing.

We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Louie and gave him our heartfelt thanks as we said goodbye. At Louie’s advice, we headed upstairs to review the French-style dress collection of the Dogwood Trail Court before leaving. The Dogwood Trail Court is a group of young women annually selected as goodwill ambassadors representing Fairhope. In the past, they have marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as the inaugural parade for President Obama. The dresses were ornate and beautiful, although Misty enjoyed them much more than I did, I’m sure.

After looking over the dress collection and photos from years and decades past, we headed back out to enjoy the waning afternoon as the time for the Christmas festivities approached. I have to say, this unique town has a fair hope of remaining a special place for us and we will remember it with fondness and joy.