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The Dancing Rabbit Recreation Society |
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Founded in 1983, The Dancing Rabbit Recreation Society is dedicated to the gentlemanly pursuit of sportsman recreation. The Society derives its name from the 1830 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek between the U.S. Government and the Choctaw Indians which opened further land for settlement. The extent of the current plantation, having been in the family for over 160 years, is located in Butler County in Lower Alabama on acreage settled by five Burkett brothers in 1837 and the land grant to in-law Mark Franklin by President Andrew Jackson for service in the War of 1812. The lodge, erected shortly after the society’s founding, is currently undergoing renovations that will provide the visitor with the comfortable accommodations while still maintaining its rustic atmosphere. The property is bounded on the east by historic Panther Creek. A hike along the creek leads through an old Native American camp site dating to the Mississippian Era; where artifacts overlooked by archaeologists can occasionally be found by the observant hiker. Left behind by the Creek Indians, who were once numerous in this area, this camp site was likely frequented by the notorious Savannah Jack, who in 1818 led the Creeks in the Ogly-Stroud and Butler Massacres. Captain William Butler, a veteran of the Creek Indian War, and for whom the county was named in 1819, was one of the victims killed and their bodies mutilated by Savannah Jack and his band of renegades. A search party recovered the mutilated bodies of Captain Butler’s group on nearby Pine Barren Creek. A short hike further north on Panther Creek to Armstrong's Crossing, is the site of the attack by the outlaws John Hipp and Charles Kelley; where on December 23, 1892 the rogue duo robbed and murdered Butler County tax collector Jake Armstrong. Hipp and Kelley had terrorized Butler County for over a year before being apprehended. A vigilante mob removed the two from the Butler County Jail, and summarily hung them from the second story of Butler County Court House. It is interesting to note that a deed from John Hipp to Evan Burkett for sale of property on Panther Creek is contained among family documents. Along the northern boundary is Sweet Bay Branch, a tributary to Panther Creek, which meanders through a hardwood bottom of hickory and beech. The bottom is noted for past sightings of the elusive albino deer and the endangered Florida Panther. For many years, these hardwood bottoms were trapped for mink and the sounds of hounds voiced the chase of fox and deer. The most memorable hound was Bad Dan from Kemmer’s Stock of Mountain Curs, whose breed can be traced back to the era of legendary Cherokee brave, Falling Rock and the famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone. Today the hounds pursue only cane-cutter rabbits and coyote. Turning in a southerly direction, several hiking trails converge on an old cotton field. A “logrolling” in the 1850’s cleared the field for agricultural pursuits and the remaining longleaf pines were tapped for turpentine in the 1920’s. A modern-day traveler strolling along the tranquil nature trails will be drawn to the pristine grounds maintained by vintage tractors and antique farm implements, where the indigenous longleaf pines have been replanted and the sedge grass allowed to return to its native state. Other points of interest include “The Spring,” where early settlers watered their stock; the scenic bluff at Panther Creek; and a square-wall, hand-dug well. The passerby may also be drawn to the dark water of the “Smith Wash Hole” for a rejuvenating “bath” or a relaxing afternoon of angling for mudcats and perch. The nature lover will be delighted by the food plots and treestands where abundant wild game can be observed and young hunters can experience the exhilaration of a first kill. The entrepreneurial spirit may be kindled with a trek through a contemporary Christmas Tree Farm of Leland Cypress and Douglas Firs. “Rebel’s Rest,” a unique memorial, is planned to honor 117 Scots-Irish ancestors and their regimental units who opposed the Yankee invasion during the War of Secession. Such a monument will likely arouse a moment of quiet reflection and is a good place to contemplate one’s own heritage and links with the past. The pace of the sojourner likewise mirrors the bucolic setting, and it is doubtful that daily concerns can corrupt the solitude as members and guests consider more prodigious events such as the cosmic return of Halley’s Comet in 2061.
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