A group of 35 retirees representing over 17 northern states including New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Oregon traveling on a tour called the Deep South Tour were greeted by Kelley Smith from the Demopolis Chamber of Commerce and Kirk Brooker with the Historical Society Thursday during their hour and a half rest stop in Demopolis.

The group arrived at the Demopolis Civic Center around 10:00 a.m. where they were served refreshments and waited for the festivities to begin. Smith introduced herself to the group and officially welcomed them to the City of Demopolis.

She then split the group into two groups and one group stayed at the civic center to hear the history of Demopolis and take a tour of the civic center. While the second group was led by a Marengo Maid to the old antebellum home called Bluff Hall, were they would tour the home and then the two groups would switch.

The group that stayed in the civic center listened to Brooker as he gave them the official history of the ‘Vine and Olive Colony’. Brooker told the group about the soldiers of Napoleon’s army coming to the new world and getting land grants from the American government into order to start a colony that they named Demopolis. He then turned the floor over to Kim LeCroy who works for the Demopolis Yacht Basin and she discussed the benefits the waterways have for the City of Demopolis.

Smith said that the Deep South Tour starts in Atlanta, Georgia and ends in New Orleans, Louisiana and then travels back to Atlanta. The tour lasts about a week and makes stops all over the southern states.

She also said that the tour goes about six times a year and that they will be making another stop in Demopolis next Thursday.