Fairhope in the Roaring Twenties

Book excerpt: The 1920s roared into the quiet bay-front utopian village of Fairhope in roadsters and riverboats carrying free thinkers, nudists, bootleg whiskey, Socialists, progressives, and some of the leading counter-culture authors and artists of the century. Founded in 1894 as a model cooperative colony, Fairhope had a name before it was a place because its settlers believed their unique venture would have a "fair hope" of success. Its cornerstone was the law of equal freedom for all. During the Jazz Age, flappers and wealthy visitors from metropolitan centers of Chicago and New York abounded during the post-war boom. They flocked to the beautiful resort spot on Mobile Bay, an entertainment center with dance and yacht clubs and a waterfront casino. The town's individualistic roots also attracted famous idealists, intellectuals, and social critics of the day, as well as mavericks, Communists, and some just plain kooks.