Why I Spent My Fourteenth Birthday in Florence, Alabama

My birthday was spent touring the Forks of Cypress plantation on August 12, 2025. In addition, I saw the ruins of the former Forks of Cypress plantation house, graves of the enslaved and the enslavers, and later in the day, I went to the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, all of which were located in Florence, Alabama. I was able to meet other descendants of the Forks like myself, interview the filmmaker of the documentary named “Echoes of the Forks of Cypress,” as well as view it, and I got to sit in on the Q&A.  

As a brand new 14-year-old, I find it heartbreaking that many people do not know their family history or even about their ancestors. Everyone, regardless of age or race, should know some of their family history.  It is never too early or too late to find your family’s lore! I have always been taught about my maternal family, ancestors, and relatives. I believe that being taught had a massive impact on my feelings about this trip. It was an enormous privilege to walk where my ancestors walked and see where they worked. 

I found it shocking how hot it was at the plantation ruins. The ruins are all that are left after the home burned on June 6, 1966, when it was struck by lightning. The foundation of the house and columns are all that currently remain. I could hardly fathom standing at the former plantation site ruins for longer than 20 minutes, let alone working in that climate.  

The filmmaker, Fredrick Murphy presented his film, “Echoes of the Forks of Cypress,” at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library later that evening after our tour. Murphy, director of the documentary, informed us that he was a descendant of one of the many enslaved individuals who were at the former Forks of Cypress plantation in Florence, Alabama.

 I asked Murphy about his thoughts on the descendants’ opportunity to take a trip to the former plantation site. 

“This project and being here today with your mother [Andrea Blackstone] and everyone else that’s here who are descendants of the enslaved as well as the enslavers, is something very important because what it does is it speaks to one progress and the unification of individuals that are coming together and saying ‘hey, we can share information which can provide a comprehensive history for both sides because there are some things that we didn’t have that we were able to provide and vice versa,’” Murphy said.  

 During the Q&A at the library, Curtis Flowers, a Jackson family descendant on the enslaver side, was asked how someone could find records of the enslaved.

“The official government records for African Americans did not exist before 1870,” Flowers said.

 There may just have been an age and gender listed in official documents. Enslaved people were counted without names in family records of families like the Flowers.

“Like a lot of other people in this room, [they were included in] wills, in inventories, where property is listed, and a dollar figure attached to a name. Those records are in our families, and they’re in the courthouse too, but you may have copies of them. You can go to the courthouse. You can write to the courthouse, or call the courthouse, or go online, if you don’t live close enough to go yourself, and you can find these records. There are just thousands and thousands of them out there that have never been tapped,” Flowers stated. 

The trip was an eye-opening and life-changing experience. I learned how brutal life was for many of our ancestors. A call to action for you is to delve into your own family history and share what you find with young people in your home or family. It can help others understand their roots and it can have a positive impact on their lives. So, go home, share your family history with each other, and research to learn about your ancestors!

If you would like to follow or reach out to Murphy, you can find him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HistoryBeforeUs and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/historybeforeus at History Before Us.