The Fair Hope of Heaven: A Hundred Years After Utopia

The small town of Fairhope, Alabama, founded to prove Henry George's theory of single tax, has prospered in recent years as a retirement and tourist community. The Fair Hope of Heaven takes an introspective glance back in time as it examines the town as it once was and reveals stories of some of its famous visitors including Clarence Darrow and Upton Sinclair; its founder, reformer and editor E.B. Gaston; and the world-renowned educator Marietta Johnson. With an eye to its origins and a vivid memory of many of its most colorful citizens, Mary Lois Timbes expands on her memoir Meet Me at the Butterfly Tree by sharing historical anecdotes and the idealistic programs and characters of the town's reformist past. As she pauses to reflect on the changes that have attracted new residents in recent years, Timbes brings to the forefront an awareness of the qualities that have helped Fairhope retain its appeal as a unique enclave in small town America. Through her portrayal of a dynamic community that has evolved through time, Timbes delivers an original perspective that anticipates a healthy future for the special place that once was an eccentric experiment and will always be Fairhope.