“My grandparents, Jack and Mordie Arnold, moved back to Fairhope in 1930 because they wanted their eight children to attend the Organic School. I think the first house they lived in was the American Legion Building, then they moved out to a dairy. My grandfather was once the chief of police and the fire chief in Fairhope. My Dad, Claude, graduated from the Organic School in 1936 and went to work for the Alabama Geodetic Engineering Society. He was a land surveyor and then enlisted for World War II. He was the navigator on a PT boat. Dad came back from the war and purchased Fairhope Title and Survey Company and operated it until 2003, right after my mom died.
Dad surveyed and mapped all of Fairhope and much of Baldwin, Mobile, and surrounding counties. He provided for his children, nephews and many friends over his 60-plus years as an engineer and land surveyor. We have all 70,000 of the surveys performed by FT&S Co. Inc., in storage. Many are hand-drawn original maps. Even now, land surveyors will pull up deeds referenced by the survey performed by Claude W. Arnold. People trusted my dad and knew his surveys were right. My first job when I was 11 years old was cleaning dad’s office,typing out the descriptions on the index cards and filing the maps away. We want to get a scanner to scan and document all of the maps. It’s overwhelming to think about it, but these records are important to tell the history and story of Fairhope.
Since my older brother, Michael Arnold, died two years ago I’ve been working closely with my cousin, Bobby King, on this project. We hope to help other land surveyors who may have old records to be scanned with the purchase of the scanner. Bobby has been the caretaker of the map collection since 2003 and can tell a story about every map in the collection.
I’m the baby of the family and have 10 brothers and sisters and two step-siblings. We were one of the first homeschooled families in Baldwin County. My favorite meaning of my name, Alodia, is free land. It’s Greek by origin, but I was named after a Filipino lady. She was a nurse at a school in Texas that my mom was sent to when she was eight or nine years old. It was an awful experience for my mom, but Alodia took care of her and was the light in the darkest chapter of my mom’s life.
My mom, Dian, died when I was 21. My sister and I took care of dad until he died three years later. My 20s were taking care of my eldertly father and it forced me to mature quickly. I worked in banking, got married and had a child. I had a second child, turned 30, and got a divorce. I spent the next 10 years trying to figure out who I was. There was a lot of prayer and trial and error.
I worked at two law firms in Pensacola but needed a change. I launched a magazine franchise in Pensacola with N2 Publishing Community Magazine. It was going strong when the territory opened in Fairhope, I took that so I could move back home and cover the place that has meant so much to my family. I signed the paperwork for Fairhope Living on March 27, 2020, then the governor issued the stay-at-home order. It was not a great time to start a new magazine and sell advertising, but I knew it was right for me and was determined to make it happen.
Our goal is to connect old Fairhope with new Fairhope and to feature a different mix of people. We are going to keep educating and sharing stories about the history of Fairhope. Understanding the past helps you appreciate what we have today. My family has lived in Fairhope for generations. My roots are deep here, but I understand when families say it has become unaffordable. I work at Manci’s on the weekends to help cover the rent on my small, adorable house in the Founder’s District.
I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I’ve learned when you are called to do something, you don’t have another choice and you will find ways to make it work. Fairhope Living is also my way of giving back to the community. I’ll be able to continue to give back to the community with the Fairhope map project.”
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The “Our Southern Souls” is now available for presale and makes a great Christmas gift. Shipping is free through November 30 for pre-sale orders.
Here is the link:
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