Today in History for Aug. 15, 2014

G.R. Boulware

Aug. 15, 1754 – Federal Indian agent Benjamin Hawkins was born in Warren County, N.C.

Aug. 15, 1814 – During the War of 1812, at the Siege of Fort Erie, Edmund P. Gaines, who arrested former Vice President Aaron Burr near Fort Stoddert in Alabama, was in command on the fortifications at Fort Erie when a British assault was bloodily repulsed.

Aug. 15, 1824 – Lafayette arrived in Staten Island, N.Y., beginning his historic tour of the United States.

Aug. 15, 1841 - Julia Tutwiler was born in Tuscaloosa. Tutwiler, president of what later became the University of West Alabama, worked to secure the admittance of women to the University of Alabama, to reform Alabama's prisons, and to expand educational opportunities for women.

Aug. 15, 1842 – Gillchrist R. Boulware was born near Conecuh County’s Brooklyn community. He first entered Confederate service as a private on April 1, 1861 at Sparta in Co. E of the 4th Alabama Infantry and continued as a private until Dec. 13, 1862, when he was elected 1st Lt. and served until Jan. 11, 1864. He served in the secret service department from Jan. 11, 1864 until the end of the war in 1865.

Aug. 15, 1859 - Charles Albert Comiskey, namesake of Chicago’s famous Comiskey Park, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

Aug. 15, 1861 - On this day, just months after he surrendered Fort Sumter, South Carolina, Union General Robert Anderson was named commander of the Department of Kentucky.

Aug. 15, 1889 – The Lower Warehouse at Claiborne shipped two bales of new cotton on this day, the first of the season. The bales, which weighed 540 pounds and 610 pounds, were raised by W.S. Moore.

Aug. 15, 1911 - W.O. Hudson, who lived near Evergreen, brought in the first bale of cotton raised in Conecuh County that season. The bale weighed 371 pounds and brought $40.00 or about 11 cents per pound. The J.H. Farnham Mercantile Co. purchased to cotton.

Aug. 15, 1914 – On the final day of the Monroe County Masonic Conference at Franklin, a new Masonic lodge hall was formally dedicated and a “very large crowd” watched the cornerstone and dedication ceremonies, which were conducted by the Rev. D.B. Dismukes, F.S. Dailey, J.J. Dunn, G.A. Harris, W.G. McCorvey, W.S. Nash, Reuben Perry, Robert McCants, P.S. McKinley, J.J. McMillan, J.J. Sessions and A.C. Lee.

Aug. 15, 1914 – Baseball teams from the Franklin and Chance communities played a doubleheader at Franklin, and Franklin won both games, 6-3 and 8-7.

Aug. 15, 1950 – Army Sgt. N.L. Rickard of Monroe County was killed in action in Korea.

Aug. 15, 1952 – Hank Williams performed two concerts at Greenville Stadium, one starting at 3 p.m. with the second following at 8 p.m.