Everyone has a story, and a Spanish Fort man has documented his on paper.

Earby Markham has been a Baldwin County resident since shortly after his birth in Mobile. Spanish Fort is all he has ever known as home. In his self-published memoir, “Growing Up Baldwin County, Before it Exploded – A Memoir,” he has created a record of his history.

The memoir covers the period from the 1960s to the landfall of Hurricane Frederick, a pivotal moment that marked a population boom in Baldwin County.

INSPIRATION

Markham said the encouragement of friends to put his stories on paper is the inspiration behind this and a previous memoir.

“This book is my personal history. They are events that I participated in that were pretty common to everybody growing up here,” Markham said. “It is just a reflection of growing up and how things have changed and the growth but not in a negative way. It’s just an acknowledgment that things were one way before Hurricane Frederick, which I use as a landmark, and how they were different after that.”

Some of the landmarks and story topics that appear in the book include Camp Cullen, a Catholic summer camp in the Point Clear area of Fairhope, Daphne’s Mayday Pier, working potato fields, dawn patrol, Alabama Point and more.
Markham’s book does not feature any photographs, and he admits the omission was a logistical and timing error. He also said much of his collection of photographs from years past was heavily damaged when a tree landed on his home during Hurricane Sally. It took two cranes to remove the tree. Despite the damage and loss of material possessions, Markham takes the positive side.

“I have lived on the coast my entire life, and I have had one tree in the house," he said. "I think I have done pretty good.”

CHALLENGES

Markham is learning as he goes on many fronts from self-publishing to writing. He said his biggest challenge in self-publishing was learning to navigate Kindle Direct Publishing.

He joked that his degree in criminal justice and time working for the Mobile Police Department taught him how to print well in small boxes but isn’t an immense help with creative writing. He hasn’t let that slow him down.

When asked if he would encourage others to put their stories in print, Markham answered quickly.

“Absolutely,” he said. “It is invigorating and exciting because it is something I have done. I am not a traditional creative person, so all of this is new to me. When people connect with what I write and they say they can see themselves in there or see it in their mind's eye, that to me is the validation and reward.

"... Everybody has a story. Two people that see the same thing will have two different stories. I like to hear other people’s stories, so I do encourage them to write.”

Markham’s book is available exclusively through Kindle and Amazon, but he hopes to one day see his work on local shelves and in the local museums. He also said he would love to see a copy of his book in every vacation rental in Baldwin County.

“I hope the place always keeps its magic so every new generation can feel how special Baldwin County can be,” Markham said. “It is a great place. I fully enjoy living here. I have lived in other places, worked and lived in other states, but I always come back to Baldwin County and the Eastern Shore.”