CUMMINS CEMETERY, (Copeland Rd), LIMESTONE COUNTY, ALABAMA

Photo by the Mother of Cliff Cumins, Old Polaroid Camera, 1980s photo from the north end?

Photo by the Mother of Cliff Cumins, Old Polariod Camera, 1980s

Photo by C. Wayne Austin 2001. Photo from the south end showing the front.
 This old log house was built by Levi Cummings, probably before 1810 making it the oldest home in Limestone County before it was burned by arsonist/vandals in about 2003. It was located on a small ridge a couple hundred yards west from the Cummings Cemetery. From the look, it appears this was a shotgun house and the center part was later enclosed. These are old hand hewn logs. The ones on the base spanned the entire width of the house. They could very well be American Chestnut logs an extinct tree.

Cliff Cumins has two pictures of the old log house that his mother took with a Polaroid camera in the early 80�s.
In 2005, Cliff Cumins, his wife, and Mother went back to see the place. A local man who has lived in the area all his life, took them to the house place. The man said that a couple years prior to this, the present owners, who were planning on restoring it, had refused to let some deer hunters camp there. That night they, or someone else, burned the place. When Cliff was there he walked all around the place and there was no doubt that there had been a fire with several partially burned logs remaining in place.

Cliff's last name is spelled CUMINS, because his granddad misspelled the surname. The granddad's brothers and sisters spelled their name CUMMINS. Many of the other relatives spelled the name like it is here in the cemetery,  CUMMINGS. The story related to him by my Dad was that Levi Cummings/Cummins had moved into this area, homesteaded and built this house. At the time, the area was considered to be Indian territory and the Governor of Tennessee sent troops there and forced everyone to move. It is believed that Levi was one of those encroaching on Indian Lands who had to move. Also about 20 miles southeast from this site stood Fort Hampton, the only Fort built by the US Government devoted to keeping the American Settlers from encroaching on native Indian lands. We are not privy to the details of how this affected Levi Cummings but know sometime after 1810 he was back living here with his growing family.

Thank you, Cliff Cumins.
[Wanda & Cliff ccumins007@centurytel.net] Updated 14 Feb 2012