Welcome to the Official Website of
Uniontown, Stories from the Canebrake
Step beyond the history books and into the remembered world of Uniontown, Alabama. Through fear, family, boyhood mischief, sacrifice, and survival, Robert E. Woodfin preserves the experiences that shaped a child and followed him into manhood.
The Author
Robert E Woodfin
Robert E. Woodfin was born in Uniontown, Alabama, on October 1, 1947. After moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1961, he graduated from Central High School and began a distinguished thirty-year military career spanning the United States Marine Corps and Air Force.
A Vietnam veteran and lifelong learner, Woodfin holds master’s degrees in Human Resource Management and Education. He now resides in Tucson, Arizona, preserving the memories that shaped his remarkable journey.
The Book
Uniontown, Stories from the Canebrake
Uniontown, Stories from the Canebrake is Robert E. Woodfin’s deeply personal account of growing up in 1950s Uniontown, Alabama. Across nineteen vivid stories, he revisits family, poverty, segregation, childhood adventure, racial fear, migration, military service, and survival.
Tender, unsettling, and reflective, the book preserves the voices, places, hardships, and fleeting joys of a Southern childhood while revealing how those formative years shaped the man he ultimately became.
Watch
Book Trailer
Return to 1950s Uniontown, Alabama, where childhood wonder lived beside poverty, segregation, and fear.
Follow Robert E. Woodfin from the red dirt of the Canebrake to the battlefields of Vietnam in a powerful journey through family, survival, sacrifice, and hope.
Read
Initial Chapters
Chapter 1
Civil Rights: Words of Fear
A young boy confronts the fear and confusion surrounding civil rights in segregated Uniontown, where danger could reach even his family’s front yard.
Chapter 2
The Wood Cutter—I Remember Laney Johnson
Robert remembers Laney Johnson, a towering, mysterious relative whose quiet presence and demanding work cutting wood left a lasting impression on his childhood.
Chapter 3
I Remember When Mrs. Adams, Dick, and Jane Taught Me to Read
Aheartfelt recollection of Mrs. Adams, early school days, and the Dick and Jane books that introduced Robert to reading and a wider world.
Chapter 4
Boys My Age, A Summer Story from Uniontown
Robert revisits a memorable Uniontown summer filled with boyhood curiosity, restless adventure, friendship, and experiences that revealed the dangers surrounding childhood freedom.
Testimonials
What Readers Are Saying
Suggested testimonial copy for client approval; no reviewer identities were provided in the manuscript.
Ben
“A moving collection of memories that makes history feel immediate, personal, and deeply human. Woodfin captures both the hardships and the enduring warmth of the world that raised him.”
Williams
“Tender, painful, and unforgettable, this book reveals childhood innocence unfolding within a divided society. Every story carries the weight of lived experience and the power of remembrance.”
Sara
“Robert E. Woodfin writes with honesty and reflection, preserving the voices, places, and struggles of Uniontown while tracing a remarkable journey from boyhood to military service.”
John Doe
Correspondence
Stay in Touch
For press, rights, and author inquiries
info@robertewoodfin.com