Tuesday, January 31, 2017

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Jan. 31, 2017

Jefferson Davis
19 YEARS AGO
FEB. 5, 1998

Evergreen weather observer Harry Ellis reported .17 inches of rain on Jan. 26 and .05 inches on Jan. 27. He reported a high of 64 degrees on Feb. 1 and lows of 31 on Jan. 26 and Jan. 31.

Jury selection for Dorsey trial set to begin Feb. 16: The capital murder trial of Ethan Dorsey is scheduled to start in less than two weeks, and the pre-trial wrangling continued Tuesday as a change of venue motion was heard in Judge Sam Welch’s courtroom.
Dorsey is accused of killing Richard Cary, Scott Williams and Timothy Bryan Crane, then 13, in November 1996 at Cary’s Grocery in the Brooklyn community.
Dorsey’s attorney, Robert King, told Welch he did not believe his client could get a fair trial in Conecuh County due to a large amount of media attention surrounding the case.
Welch told the court he would take the matter under advisement and would make a ruling after potential jurors were questioned about prior knowledge of the case.

Fire station to cost $130,000: The Evergreen City Council has agreed to hire an architect to design a new fire station, after finding out it will cost between $130,000 to $160,000.
City Administrator Clayton Davis told the council rough estimates he had received were $160,000 at the high end and $130,000 at the low end. This amount would build a four-bay fire department on the Semcor property.
The council approved unanimously to hire the architect to design the station.

44 YEARS AGO
FEB. 1, 1973

Man is held on murder charge: A 20-year-old man is being held in the pistol slaying of another man late Friday night.
Willie Calvin Lee, 20, died of a shot in the heart from a .32 caliber automatic pistol. The shooting happened about 11:30 Friday night at the Charlie Floyd residence on Westside.
Deputy Sheriff Horace Weaver and Evergreen policemen James Powell, Larry Morrison and Milton Hooks went to the scene. A short time later they arrested Jessie James Golden, 20, at his mother’s residence on Rural Street.

Eric Pugh Joins U.S. Navy: Eric Gordon Pugh enlisted in the United States Navy at Montgomery on Jan. 22. Eric is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Pugh of 116 Taliaferro St., Evergreen.
Pugh has been in the Navy’s CACHE Program since October 1972. He qualified for and went on active duty in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program.
Pugh will receive his basic training or “Boot Camp” at the Naval Training Command, Orlando, Fla.

Eugene Darby is the new president of the Conecuh County Cattlemen’s Association. He succeeded Jim Oliver at the annual meeting last week. Bill Brown, first vice president of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, took part in the program.

These Conecuh County teenagers staged a walk-a-thon Saturday for the March of Dimes. They raised considerable funds for the March of Dimes as they walked from Conecuh County High School in Castleberry to Ft. Dave Lewis National Guard Armory in Evergreen.

69 YEARS AGO
FEB. 5, 1948

Brooklyn Man Killed In Accident Tuesday: Two men were killed and one injured in a head-on collision between a car and log truck nine miles north of Brewton Tuesday. The dead are W.A. Griggers, 60, of Brooklyn, who was driving the car and truck driver Anderson Smith, 41, of East Brewton. Reuben E. Blackwell of Brewton was riding in the cab of the truck but was thrown clear and escaped with injuries.

Local Bus Station Is Made Regular Rest Stop: Announcement was made Tuesday that effective Wed., Feb. 4, the local bus station would become a regular rest stop for all buses passing through Evergreen. Passengers will be permitted to unload and buy sandwiches, drinks, etc. Some of the buses will stop long enough for full meals.
Since Jaxon’s was destroyed by fire a little over a week ago, buses have had no regular rest stop. It is hoped that the rest stop here will become a permanent arrangement. The local bus station is operated by Mr. A.M. Lee.

Mrs. E.B. James left Tuesday for Marbury, where she will attend the funeral of her son-in-law, Thomas M. McConnell Sr., who was accidentally killed by a train Monday.

Dr. W.A. Taliaferro, a native son of Conecuh County, delivered a very inspirational and entertaining talk to the local Rotarians at their regular luncheon meeting Wednesday of this week.

94 YEARS AGO
FEB. 7, 1923

Robber Captured: Sheriff Barfield several days ago arrested and now has in jail Albert Waters, who it is alleged has confessed to the robbery of Riggs Brothers store at Castleberry on the night of Jan. 13. It is said that Waters had a quantity of the goods taken from the store on his person at the time of his arrest. Waters implicated another party in the robbery, and he was arrested and placed in jail, but the following day established a positive alibi and was liberated.

The Orpheus Club of Evergreen will present Alex Skovgaard, Danish violinist, and wife in a concert on Feb. 13 at the courthouse. As he is an artist of high standard in the musical word a large attendance is expected from the surrounding towns and vicinity of Evergreen. Tickets will be on sale soon for $1 and 50 cents. – Miss Augusta Farnham, Chairman of Ways & Means Committee.

Mrs. H.K. Wright of the millinery department of I. Long & Sons store left several days ago for New York to make selections for the spring and summer line of millinery for that store, also ready to wear. This popular store expects to have the swellest lines in these departments they have ever carried.

Nick Stallworth left last week for Montgomery to accept a responsible position with the Durr Drug. Co.

The body of Ola Dunn, who died on Friday at her home at Foley, was brought here Saturday and conveyed to Mt. Zion for interment.

119 YEARS AGO
FEB. 4, 1898

John A. Gafford, the murderer of Bartow Lloyd, will be tried on next Friday for his life in the circuit court at Greenville.

County Superintendent Hardy was here Saturday making glad the hearts of school teachers by paying them for the last quarter of the past year.

Brake & Wilson’s Comedians will appear in splendid repertoire at Savage’s Opera House two nights, Feb. 9th and 10th. They have a fine reputation and never fail to please wherever they have been. They carry their own special scenery. Tickets at J.W. Clarke’s.

Dr. J.A. McCreary had the misfortune to get seven bales of cotton burned on Wednesday. He had them stored under a shelter in his back yard and about 12 o’clock they were discovered to be on fire. Sufficient help immediately came to extinguish the fire, but there will be a clear loss of perhaps 50 pounds to the bale. How the fire originated is a mystery that cannot be explained. The doctor thinks it was caused by some little children playing with fire.

Commissioners court will convene second Monday in February.

Greening Lodge No. 53, AF&AM, meets third Friday night of each month. Visiting members welcomed.


The Jefferson Davis Literary Society met Friday evening and was called to order promptly at 2:30 o’clock p.m. by the president, C.J. Crawford.

Today in History for Jan. 31, 2017

Jan. 31, 1606 - Guy Fawkes was executed after being convicted for his role in the "Gunpowder Plot" against the English Parliament and King James I.


Jan. 31, 1686 – Norwegian missionary and explorer Hans Egede was born in Harstad, Northern Norway.

Jan. 31, 1729 – Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen died at the age of 69 in Middelburg, Netherlands.

Jan. 31, 1752 – American Revolutionary Patriot Gouverneur Morris was born to the wealthy Morris family in New York City, New York.

Jan. 31, 1861 – During the Civil War, in New Orleans, La., the U.S. Branch Mint, the Customs House, and U.S. schooner “Washington” were seized by Louisiana State Troops.

Jan. 31, 1862 - Telescope maker Alvin Clark discovered the dwarf companion of Sirius.

Jan. 31, 1862 – During the Civil War, Special War Order Number 1 was issued by President Abraham Lincoln. The order was directed toward Union Major General George B McClelland to advance toward Manassas prior to Feb. 22, 1862.

Jan. 31, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought on Bull Island, and Confederates attacked the Federal blockading squadron of Charleston, S.C. Also on that day, a Federal operation took place between Murfreesborough and Franklin, Tenn., with skirmishes at Unionville, Middleton and Rover, Tenn.

Jan. 31, 1864 – During the Civil War, an eight-day Federal operation between Maryville, Tenn. and Quallatown, N.C. began. A Federal cavalry reconnaissance also took place between Madison Courthouse and Mount Carmel Church, Va.

Jan. 31, 1865 - General Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies.

Jan. 31, 1865 - The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and it was submitted to the states for ratification. It was ratified by the necessary number of states on Dec. 6, 1865.

Jan. 31, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Oxford, Kansas. Three months of Federal operations in North Alabama and East Tennessee also began. A Federal expedition began from Fort Pike (near present day Slidell, La) to Bayou Bonfouca, La. A two-day Federal expedition from Morganza to New Roads, La. began.

Jan. 31, 1872 – Western writer Zane Grey was born in Zanesville, Ohio. He is best known for his novel, “Riders of the Purple Sage,” which was published in 1912.

Jan. 31, 1876 - All Native American Indians were ordered to move into reservations.

Jan. 31, 1893 - The trademark "Coca-Cola" was first registered in the United States Patent Office.

Jan. 31, 1902 - Tallulah Bankhead, star of stage, screen, and radio in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, was born in Huntsville, Ala. The daughter of U.S. Congressman William B. Bankhead, Tallulah was most famous for her flamboyant lifestyle, throaty voice, and stage role in “The Little Foxes” (1939) and her part in the film “Lifeboat” (1943). (There is some question of the exact birthdate; this is the most generally accepted.)

Jan. 31, 1905 – Writer John O’Hara was born in Pottsville, Pa.

Jan. 31, 1912 – The home of J.S. Daw near Hampden Ridge, Ala. was destroyed by fire.

Jan. 31, 1913 – Pro Football Hall of Fame split end, safety and kicker Don Hutson was born in Pine Bluff, Ark. Hutson was an All-American at Alabama and played his entire pro career for the Green Bay Packers.

Jan. 31, 1914 – This day, a Saturday, was the deadline to pay poll taxes in Conecuh County, Ala. because Feb. 1 fell on a Sunday.

Jan. 31, 1914 - Alabama author and illustrator Dorothy Warren Fox was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Jan. 31, 1915 – Author, poet and diarist Thomas Merton was born in Prades, France.

Jan. 31, 1915 – Musicologist Alan Lomax was born in Austin, Texas

Jan. 31, 1915 – During World War I, Germany was the first to make large-scale use of poison gas in warfare in the Battle of Bolimów against Russia.

Jan. 31, 1916 – According to The Conecuh Record, “Chief Jones created a ripple of excitement” in Evergreen, Ala. on this Monday “by shooting a dog on the streets.”

Jan. 31, 1917 – During World War I, Germany announced the renewal of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic as German torpedo-armed submarines prepared to attack any and all ships, including civilian passenger carriers, said to be sighted in war-zone waters.

Jan. 31, 1919 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Ga. He played his entire Major League career (1947-1956) with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962.

Jan. 31, 1923 – Norman Mailer, the author of 1948’s “The Naked and the Dead,” was born in Long Branch, N.J.

Jan. 31, 1931 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop and first baseman Ernie Banks was born in Dallas, Texas. He played his entire Major League career (1953-1971) with the Chicago Cubs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

Jan. 31, 1938 - Alabama author Faye Gibbons was born in Carter's Quarter, Ga.

Jan. 31, 1939 – The GA-ANA Theatre was first opened in Georgiana, Ala. by Fred McClendon.

Jan. 31, 1945 – U.S. Army private Eddie Slovik of Detroit, Mich. was executed for desertion, the first such execution of an American soldier since the Civil War.

Jan. 31, 1946 – The Democratic Republic of Vietnam introduced the đồng to replace the French Indochinese piastre at par.

Jan. 31, 1947 – Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan was born in Refugio, Texas and raised in Alvin, southeast of Houston. He would go on to play for the N.Y. Mets, the California Angels, the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

Jan. 31, 1957 - A.C. Lee and Miss Alice Lee visited on this Thursday afternoon in Pensacola, Fla. with Mr. Lee’s brother, H.A. Lee.

Jan. 31, 1959 – Members of the Dyatlov Expedition arrived at the edge of a highland area and began to prepare for climbing. In a wooded valley, they cached surplus food and equipment that would be used for the trip back.

Jan. 31, 1961 - Voters approved financing for a domed stadium in Houston, Texas.

Jan. 31, 1963 – Lyeffion High School junior Peggy Tanner was crowned Miss Lyeffion 1963 during a program held on this Thursday night in the school auditorium. Nancy Ikner, an eighth-grader, was named Junior Miss Lyeffion.

Jan. 31, 1963 - Conecuh County businessman Frank Preston Sharpe was killed when his pickup crashed into a truck early on this Thursday night near Evergreen, Ala. Sharpe, 56, was killed instantly when the pickup he was driving crashed into a truck about 2.4 miles north of Evergreen on Highway 83 at 7:15 p.m. He was driving toward Evergreen after completing his day’s route selling fish. Sharpe was the owner of a seafood market in Evergreen and resided on a McKenzie Route. He was well and favorably known in the Evergreen area.

Jan. 31, 1967 – The Conecuh County CowBelles and Cattlemen held their annual banquet meeting at the Evergreen High School lunch room. The following CowBelle officers were elected for 1967: Katie Sue Burt, President; Myrtle Robison, vice president; Louise Ptomey, treasurer; Marjorie Stacey, secretary.

Jan. 31, 1968 – As part of the Tet Offensive, a squad of Viet Cong guerillas attacked the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, and Marine Cpl. James Conrad Marshall of Monroeville, a 1964 graduate of Monroe County High School, died defending the embassy. The guerillas managed to seize the embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S. paratroopers landed by helicopter on the building’s roof and routed the Viet Cong. Marshall Hall, the Marine Corps Security Guard training center at Quantico, Va. was later named in James Marshall’s honor.

Jan. 31, 1971 – The Winter Soldier Investigation, organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize war crimes and atrocities by Americans and allies in Vietnam, began in Detroit.

Jan. 31, 1972 - In a communiqué charging President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger with “unilaterally” divulging the substance of the secret talks, creating the impasse at the secret meeting, and distorting the facts, North Vietnam published the nine-point plan they submitted during the secret talks.

Jan. 31, 1976 – Race car driver Buddy Rice, who won the 2004 Indianapolis 500, was born in Phoenix, Az.

Jan. 31, 1976 – Comedian, actor, producer and screenwriter Paul Scheer was born in Huntington, N.Y.

Jan. 31, 1977 – Local weather reporter Earl Windham reported a low of 16 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 31, 1979 – The Butler Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in Greenville was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Jan. 31, 1986 - The movie “Stripper,” screenplay by Alabama author Charles Gaines, was released.

Jan. 31, 1988 - The first episode of "The Wonder Years" aired on ABC.

Jan. 31, 1988 - Herb Alpert performed the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXII. The Washington Redskins beat the Denver Broncos, 42-10.

Jan. 31, 1993 - Weather observer Harry Ellis recorded 6.14 inches of rain in Evergreen, Ala. during the month of January 1993.

Jan. 31, 1999 - The Denver Broncos won Super Bowl XXXIII, their second consecutive Super Bowl win. Cher sang the national anthem.

Jan. 31, 1999 – Former Major League first baseman Norm Zauchin passed away in Birmingham, Ala. at the age of 69. He started his professional career in 1950 with the Double-A Birmingham Barons, where he set a Rickwood Field record with 35 home runs. He went on to play for the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators.

Jan. 31, 2000 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported a total of 4.42 inches of rain during the month of January 2000.

Jan. 31, 2003 - The Chicago White Sox announced a deal that would change the name of Comiskey Park after a 93-year association with the Comiskey name.

Jan. 31, 2005 – Hillcrest High School retired the basketball jersey of player Chris “C.J.” Riley, who died over the Christmas holidays.

Jan. 31, 2007 – Suspects were arrested in Birmingham in the UK, accused of plotting the kidnap, holding and eventual beheading of a serving Muslim British soldier in Iraq.

Jan. 31, 2013 – Major League Baseball first baseman Fred Whitfield, a native of Vandiver, Ala., passed away at the age of 75 in Gadsden due to complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He played pro baseball from 1962 to 1970 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cleveland Indians, the Cincinnati Reds and the Montreal Expos.


Jan. 31, 2016 – A UFO was reportedly seen around 6:22 p.m. on this Sunday in Leeds, a suburb of Birmingham. The witness in this case was outside helping his son work on his truck when they looked up and saw a bright, slow-moving light coming from the southwest. The father ran inside for a pair of binoculars and through the binoculars he could see the light had a “fog-like hue” around it. They continued to watch as the object, which emitted no sound, made a 45-degree turn “really different than a normal aircraft.” They watched the object until it disappeared from view behind the tree line.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Tues., Jan. 31, 2017

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  14.30 inches

Winter to Date Rainfall: 14.80 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 14.30 inches

Notes: Today is the 31st day of 2017 and the 41st day of Winter. There are 334 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

Monday, January 30, 2017

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Jan. 30, 2017

19 YEARS AGO
FEB. 5, 1998

Stinson Petroleum honored the 1996-97 Class 1A State Champion Sparta Academy Warriors and Lady Warriors this past Saturday night at the school. Stinson Petroleum donated a framed picture of the state champions to hang on the gym wall. Pictured with the teams are Mrs. Ralph Stinson and Mary Stinson Bell, who represented Stinson Petroleum.

Lady Warriors defeat Lowndes Academy: The Sparta Academy Lady Warriors ended their regular season this past Saturday night with a 65-56 victory over Lowndes Academy. The Lady Warriors finished the season with a record of 23 wins and one loss. They will play this Saturday, Feb. 7, in the area tournament at Escambia Academy.
Lady Warriors scoring in double figures Saturday night were Nikki Jones with 28 points, Andrea Ward 20 points and Jennifer Coker 10 points. Rounding out the scoring were Shelly Bell with four points and Cass Ralls, Jenny Harper and Sally Hartley with one point each.

Sparta Warriors lose to Lowndes Academy: The Sparta Academy Warriors lost to Lowndes Academy 97-74 on Sat., Jan. 31, 1998 in Evergreen. The Warriors will play Crenshaw Academy in the area tournament this Friday night, Feb. 6. The winner of that game will play Escambia Academy on Saturday.
Scoring in double digits for the Warriors were Seth McIntyre with 22 points, Jason Robinson with 17 points and Chad Morris with 11 points.
Rounding out the scoring for the Warriors were Rod McIntyre with nine points; Jake Adams, seven points; Shannon Brown, six points; and Lee Booker, two points.

Lady Warriors defeat Crenshaw Academy: The Sparta Academy Lady Warriors defeated Crenshaw Academy, 65-26, on Tues., Jan. 27, 1998 in Evergreen.
Scoring in double figures for the Lady Warriors were Nikki Jones with 13 points; Andrea Ward and Jennifer Coker, 12 points each. Other Lady Warriors scoring were Cass Ralls, Shelley Bell and Ashley Hammonds with six points each; Kristin Smith, three points; and Jill Pate, two points.

44 YEARS AGO
FEB. 1, 1973

These Evergreen Aggies racked up three wins last week to run their season record to 23-0. Friday night they play Jackson in Jackson and will be at Castleberry Tuesday night. Next home game is T.R. Miller here Friday night, Feb. 6. Shown with the three trophies they have already won this year are Lemond Jones, David Thomas, David Carroll, Wavie Ausby, Cleve Fields and Eddie Stallworth; and Coach Charles Branum, John Stallworth, Anthony Armstrong, Rueben Parrish, Chamberlain Green and Willie Locke.

Evergreen’s Wavie Ausby led the Aggies in scoring with 20 points in the final game of the South Alabama Conference tournament held at Lurleen B. Wallace State Junior College in Andalusia. Winning all of their games in the tournament the Evergreen team went on to win the SAC championship. The tournament games gave the Aggies a 20-0 record.

Area Tourney Set Here At E.H.S.: The five top junior teams in South Alabama will match up this Friday and Saturday night at Evergreen High School in the District 1, Area 2 state tournament. Castleberry’s Conecuh County High School squad will represent Conecuh County in the meet. They earned their slot by dropping a strong Evergreen High five 37-30 last Saturday. The junior Blue Devils are 8-1 for the year and are seeded first.
The other four teams in the tournament and their records are: Chatom Middle School, 7-1; Atmore, 13-3; J.F. Shields of Beatrice, 11-2; and East Choctaw, 8-3. Chatom is seeded second in the field.
Games begin Friday night at 5:30 p.m. with Atmore and East Choctaw playing the only first round game. At 7:15 p.m., Chatom will meet defending champ J.F. Shields, and in the nightcap, Castleberry takes on the winner of the Atmore-Choctaw battle.
Saturday night will see the consolation game at 6:30 p.m. and the championship tilt at 8 p.m. The winner of the tournament will participate in the substate tournament for the right to play for the state tournament.
Last year, Shields played its way into the state semifinals before falling. Marshall Middle School of Evergreen claimed second spot in the district tournament.

The Conecuh County High Junior Team of Castleberry is seeded first in the area tournament being played here Friday and Saturday night. The players are Larry Blackmon, Billy Sanders, Calvin Miniard and Eddie Garner; Melvin Moncrease, Leonard McGuire, Kenneth Gross and Sammy McCreary.

69 YEARS AGO
FEB. 5, 1948

Lyeffion Lashed By Aggie Point Parade, Final Score 50-20: In their final encounter with county opposition, the Evergreen High Aggies romped to an easy 50-20 win over the hapless Lyeffion Yellow Jackets.
Gillis “Crip” Jones tossed eight field goals through the hoop, four of them on rebound shots, for a 16-point night high total. Georgie Brown had 11, Brenton Carpenter with 10 and Mickey Logue with 10 points followed in the scoring. V. Dees was the Lyeffion offense dropping in five field goals for 10 points.

Aggies Win 44-40 Over Uriah Cagers: The Evergreen High Aggies stopped a last quarter rally by the Blacksher High Bulldogs of Uriah here last Friday night to win a well-played contest by a 44-40 score. The Aggies had the game, but the big show of the evening was the Bulldog’s Gulsby. The big center went on a 20-point scoring spree tossing baskets from all angles.
The Evergreen scoring was evenly divided as has been the case all season. Benton Carpenter was the leader with 13 points, Mickey Logue tallied nine, Gillis “Crip” Jones and Jack Cunningham each made eight points. Tucker aided Gulsby with eight points of the Uriah total.

Castleberry Panthers Lose To W.S. Neal: The Castleberry Panthers lost the first game of the season on their home court to a fast passing W.S. Neal cage squad by a 23-16 score. The Eagles of Neal High grabbed an early lead and were never headed.
“Pill” Dees, outstanding Castleberry forward, was held to seven points by the close guarding East Brewton team. Clark with four, Beasley with three and Pate with two rounded out the Panther scoring.

James Carpenter Plays With Sunflower College: James Carpenter, former star athlete at Evergreen High School, is playing a forward position on the Sunflower Junior College basketball squad. The Sunflower Trojans recently defeated Wood Junior College at Morehead, Miss., home of the Trojans. James scored nine points in this game and played an excellent defensive and floor game as well.
While attending high school here, James was a star back and end on the football squad, a mainstay on the cage team and a leading batsman on the baseball squad. He could pitch, but preferred to play first base. James is the son of Mr. and Mrs. B.F. Carpenter, who live on Bruner Avenue here.

94 YEARS AGO
FEB. 7, 1923


Aggies Defeat Butler High: Evergreen Aggies played at Butler High at Greenville on last Friday night. The Evergreen girls had a hard fight but won, the score being 17 to 14. Francis Hicks proved to be the star of the game, although good work and hard playing was rendered by the entire team. The lineup was: forwards, Francis Hicks, Susan Dickey; guards, Leona Donald, Wilsie Mae Hines; jumping center, Pauline Dreaden; running center, Carrie Shoemaker.

Today in History for Jan. 30, 2017

Jan. 30, 1661 – Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, was ritually executed more than two years after his death, on the 12th anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.


Jan. 30, 1703 – The Forty-seven Ronin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenged the death of their master.

Jan. 30, 1776 - The Continental Congress directed that no apprentices be enlisted for military service without the written consent of their master or mistress.

Jan. 30, 1780 - Alabama's third governor, Israel Pickens, was born in North Carolina. The former U.S. Congressman moved to St. Stephens, in the Mississippi Territory, in the spring of 1817 to take a job as a register of the land office for Washington County. Wasting no time in establishing himself in his new home, Pickens purchased almost 3,500 acres in southwest Alabama in less than a year and became the first president of the Tombigbee Bank of St. Stephens. He served as Alabama's governor from 1821 to 1825.

Jan. 30, 1781 - Maryland became the 13th and final state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, almost three years after the official deadline given by Congress of March 10, 1778, and the Articles took effect on March 1, 1781, remaining the law of the land for only eight years before the Constitutional Convention rejected them in favor of a new, more centralized form of federal government. They crafted the current U.S. Constitution, which took effect in 1789, giving the federal government greater authority over the states and creating a bicameral legislature

Jan. 30, 1816 - Union General Nathaniel Banks was born in Waltham, Mass. Banks was a political general – he had few military skills, but as an anti-slave Republican from Massachusetts, he helped President Abraham Lincoln’s administration maintain support in that region.

Jan. 30, 1820 – Edward Bransfield sighted the Trinity Peninsula and claimed the discovery of Antarctica.

Jan. 30, 1835 – In the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States, Richard Lawrence attempted to shoot president Andrew Jackson, but failed and was subdued by a crowd, including several congressmen.

Jan. 30, 1847 – Edgar Allan Poe’s wife, Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe, passed away from tuberculosis at the age of 24 in Fordham, Bronx, N.Y.

Jan. 30, 1847 - Larvae and snow fell together in the Eifel Mountains in Germany.

Jan. 30, 1860 – Reuben F. Kolb of Kolb’s Battery married Callie Cargile (also referred to as Mary Caledonia Cargile), the daughter of Thomas and Louisa Ann Cargile also of Eufaula. The couple would have three children: Reuben F. Kolb Jr., William H. Kolb, and Emily F. Kolb.

Jan. 30, 1861 – During the Civil War, the Federal revenue schooner, Lewis Cass, was captured by Alabama State Troops in Mobile Bay, Ala.

Jan. 30, 1862 - The U.S. Navy's first ironclad warship, the "Monitor," designed by John Ericsson, was launched at Greenpoint, Long Island, N.Y., into New York's East River. The vessel was commissioned on Feb. 25.

Jan. 30, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Dyersburg, Tenn.; and at Deserted House, Kelly's Store, near Suffolk and at Turner's Mills, Va. Confederates also captured the US Steamer, Issac Smith, in the Stono River, in the vicinity of Charleston, S.C.

Jan. 30, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought in the vicinity of Chickamauga Creek, Ga.; at Windsor, N.C.; and at Medley, West Virginia. A five-day Federal operation also began between Batesville and Searcy Landing, Ark., and a Federal reconnaissance began between Culpeper and Madison Courthouse, Va.

Jan. 30, 1865 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Chaplintown, Ky.; near Lake Verret and at Bayou Plantation, La.; in La Fayette County, Mo.; and near Lawtonville, S.C. Federal reconnaissance was also conducted from Long Bridge to Bottom’s Bridge, Va.

Jan. 30, 1878 – The Pickens County Sheriff, discovering that citizens of the town were furious and wanted to lynch former slave Henry Wells for burning Carrollton’s courthouse in 1876, took Wells to the new Pickens County Courthouse and secured him in the garret room at the top of the building in an effort to protect him. In the midst of a thunderstorm on this night, Wells stood at the garret window, looking down at the mob that meant to kill him. Legend says that a flash of lightning etched Wells’ face onto the window pane.

Jan. 30, 1882 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, N.Y. He served as the thirty-second president of the United States from 1933-1945. He was the first president to serve more than two terms.

Jan. 30, 1885 – W.B. Green Sr. died at Burnt Corn, Ala. at the age of 89. A veteran of the Seminole War of 1836, he moved to Monroe County in 1838.

Jan. 30, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Willie Louiselle had returned to his home in Michigan after a visit with his son, the Hon. W.H. Louiselle of Manistee, Ala. “The old gentleman has fallen very much in love with south Alabama,” The Monroe Journal reported.

Jan. 30, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that A.E. Peterman, who for several years had been “the clever and accommodating” L&N Agent at Repton, Ala., had been transferred to Scranton, Miss., and was to be succeeded by W.S. Teas.

Jan. 30, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Postmaster Ricou and his family were occupying the dwelling vacated by J.T. Salter.

Jan. 30, 1908 – The Conecuh Record reported that the Baptist Church of Evergreen, Ala. planned to hold opening services in its “new building.” Construction of the building began 2-1/2 years before this event and had just reached completion.

Jan. 30, 1912 – Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Barbara Tuchman was born in New York City. She won her first Pulitzer Prizes for 1963’s “The Guns of August,” and she received her second for 1972’s “Stilwell and the American Experience in China.”

Jan. 30, 1915 – William H. Wright, 28, died of consumption on this Saturday night. His funeral was conducted the following afternoon and was conducted by the Rev. W.T. Ellisor. Wright was buried in the Evergreen, Ala. cemetery.

Jan. 30, 1915 – German SS officer Joachim Peiper was born Berlin, Prussia, Imperial Germany.

Jan. 30, 1928 - A movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book, “Horns and Orange Blossoms,” was released.

Jan. 30, 1931 – National Book Award-winning novelist Shirley Hazzard was born in Sydney, Australia.

Jan. 30, 1933 – President Paul von Hindenburg named Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (or Nazi Party), as chancellor of Germany.

Jan. 30, 1933 - Capt. Dave Lewis, Lt. Homer Kindig and Lt. Jessie Jackson attended a meeting of the officers of the National Guard in Montgomery, Ala. on this Saturday night, according to The Evergreen Courant.

Jan. 30, 1935 – Richard Brautigan was born in Tacoma, Washington. He is best known for his best-selling 1967 book, “Trout Fishing in America.”

Jan. 30, 1941 - Alabama author Gregory Benford was born in Mobile, Ala.

Jan. 30, 1942 - The P.N. Owen home, located one mile north of Frisco City, burned early on this Friday afternoon “with only a few of the household furnishings being saved.” The exact cause of the fire was unknown, but the fire started in the kitchen. Owen received a few severe and minor burns in an attempt to save a trunk.

Jan. 30, 1942 – Monroe County High School’s boys and girls basketball teams played J.U. Blacksher in Monroeville. MCHS’s boys beat Blacksher, 20-13, but Blacksher’s girls beat MCHS, 14-13.

Jan. 30, 1948 - Evergreen High School’s boys basketball team stopped a last quarter rally by J.U. Blacksher High School in Evergreen, Ala. on this Friday night to win, 44-40. Gulsby led Blacksher with 20 points. Benton Carpenter led Evergreen with 13 points, Mickey Logue scored nine, Gillis “Crip” Jones and Jack Cunningham had eight points.

Jan. 30, 1949 – Escaped Russian minister, the Rev. Robert Tarzier, Field Secretary of the Russian Bible Society in Washington, D.C. spoke at the Evergreen Baptist Church in Evergreen, Ala. “Tarzier escaped from the Soviet secret police a little over four years ago. At that time, he was pastor of one of the largest Baptist churches – the well known church in Riga, Latavia.”

Jan. 30, 1950 – Ollie Finklea retired at the age of 70 from his duties as Buena Vista, Alabama’s postmaster, a position he assumed after his father’s retirement on June 3, 1910.

Jan. 30, 1950 – Lola B. Harwell, a fifth and sixth-grade teacher at Georgiana (Ala.) Elementary School, died unexpectedly on this morning in her classroom, where she had just returned from a movie that was shown to her students. Harwell had been a teacher since September 1906 and had never once been absent or tardy since taking her first job at Ebeneza in Butler County. She also taught in Conecuh County and was principal at Avant in Butler County before going to Georgiana.

Jan. 30, 1950 – For the second straight year, the strawberry season in Castleberry, Ala. began several weeks ahead of schedule as several growers on this day brought in crates of strawberries. Lonnie Beasley of Hamden Ridge arrived in Castleberry with the first crate of the 1950 crop, and those berries were sold to local buyer, R.T. Holland. Normally, the strawberry season ran from March 15 to April 1.

Jan. 30, 1951 – Army Cpl. Oland H. Kirkland of Escambia County, Ala. was killed in action in Korea at the age of 25. According to the Korean War Veterans Honor Roll, Kirkland was a member of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was killed in action while fighting the enemy in South Korea. Kirkland was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean War Service Medal.

Jan. 30, 1956 - With the Montgomery Bus Boycott about to enter its third month, segregationists bombed the home of boycott spokesman Martin Luther King Jr. The home sustained moderate damage, but no one was injured. The young minister addressed the large crowd that gathered after the blast, declaring, "I want it to be known the length and breadth of this land that if I am stopped this movement will not stop."

Jan. 30, 1964 – In a bloodless coup, General Nguyễn Khánh overthrew General Dương Văn Minh's military junta in South Vietnam.

Jan. 30, 1965 – Isaiah Mims, 31, of Owassa was killed instantly when his car was hit by an L&N train on this afternoon at the main railroad crossing at Owassa, Ala. State Trooper Pitchford investigated the accident and said that Mims “evidently heard the train approaching too late to bring his 1957 Ford to a stop and skidded to rest on the tracks in the path of the oncoming train.”

Jan. 30, 1965 – Some one million people attended former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill's funeral, the biggest in the United Kingdom up to that point.

Jan. 30, 1966 - Alabama experienced its coldest ever recorded temperature of -27°F at New Market in Madison County. The average low temperature during January for nearby Huntsville was around 29°.

Jan. 30, 1968 – During the Vietnam War, what is now known as “The Tet Offensive,” began at dawn on the first day of the Tet holiday truce, as Viet Cong forces – supported by large numbers of North Vietnamese troops – launched the largest and best coordinated offensive of the war, driving into the center of South Vietnam’s seven largest cities and attacking 30 provincial capitals from the Delta to the DMZ.

Jan. 30, 1971 – A “Rattlesnake Rodeo,” sponsored by the Escambia-Conecuh Wildlife Association, was scheduled to get underway on this Saturday morning. There was to be a grand prize of $100 for the largest rattlesnake turned in during the rodeo which was scheduled to end on Feb. 6. Contestants were required to register in advance for a $1 fee at Flo Drilling & Pump Co. in Brewton, Ala. Area of the rodeo was limited to Escambia and Conecuh counties. Snakes had to be turned in by 3 p.m. on Feb. 6 at Flo Drilling & Pump Co.

Jan. 30, 1971 - Operation Dewey Canyon II began as the initial phase of Lam Son 719, the South Vietnamese invasion of Laos that would commence on Feb. 8.

Jan. 30, 1972 – British army parachutists shot 27 unarmed civil rights demonstrators in Derry, Northern Ireland – an event known as “Bloody Sunday.” The protestors had been marching to oppose the new British policy of imprisoning people without a hearing.

Jan. 30, 1974 - Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He would go on to portray Bruce Wayne and the Batman in the movies “Batman Begins” (2005), “The Dark Knight” (2008) and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).

Jan. 30, 1977 – Local weather reporter Earl Windham reported 1.01 inches of snow in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 30, 1978 - The defending state champion Wilcox Academy Wildcats had to go into overtime to defeat the Sparta Warriors, 47-40, in a game on this Monday night in Camden, Ala. Terry Peacock had 10 points; Gray Stevens, Steve Dubose and Tony Raines, eight each; John Hall, four; and Johnny Ralls, two. The loss dropped Sparta to 11-7 on the season, according to Sports Information Director Byron Warren Jr.

Jan. 30, 1978 - Dr. John Dan Hagood, 71, a native of Evergreen, Ala., died on this Monday in Santa Fe, Fla. Graveside services were to be held in Evergreen on Feb. 2 at 11 a.m. in Magnolia Cemetery with the Rev. Braxton McCurley officiating. Dr. Hagood was the son of the late Dr. and Mrs. J.W. Hagood of Evergreen and a member of a prominent, pioneer South Alabama family. He was one of Florida’s most eminent and respected surgeons and served with distinction in the U.S. Navy in World War II.

Jan. 30, 1986 - The Evergreen (Ala.) Chamber of Commerce was scheduled to hold its annual Promotion-Membership Banquet on this Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. Sheldon Morgan, well-known Mobile bank executive, was to be the guest speaker, according to President Willene Whatley. Whatley was to preside and report on 1985 activities and give the response and conclusion after the program. The invocation was to be brought by Dr. Lamar Jackson. The report of the Nominating Committee was to be given by Chairman Gerald Salter. Judge of Probate Frank T. Salter was to introduce the speaker, Sheldon Morgan, who was head of the marketing division of First Alabama Bank of Mobile.

Jan. 30, 1992 – Winton M. Blount III of Montgomery, Ala. was the keynote speaker at the Evergreen-Conecuh County Chamber of Commerce’s annual membership banquet at the Quality Inn in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 30-31, 1993 – Weather observer Harry Ellis reported lows of 29 degrees on both of these days in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 30, 1994 - Natalie Cole sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXVIII. The Dallas Cowboys won, 30-13, over the Buffalo Bills.

Jan. 30, 1994 - Alabama author Lucile Vernon Stevens died in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Jan. 30, 1996 - Comet Hyakutake was discovered and was dubbed “The Great Comet of 1996” due to its close passage.

Jan. 30, 2000 - The New York Mets announced that Garth Brooks would begin training with the team on Feb. 20.

Jan. 30, 2000 - John Rocker of the Atlanta Braves was suspended from Major League Baseball for disparaging foreigners, homosexuals and minorities in an interview published by Sports Illustrated.


Jan. 30, 2009 – Former Alabama governor Guy Hunt passed away from lung cancer at the age of 75 in Birmingham, Ala.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Mon., Jan. 30, 2017

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  14.30 inches

Winter to Date Rainfall: 14.80 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 14.30 inches

Notes: Today is the 30th day of 2017 and the 40th day of Winter. There are 335 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

115-year-old news highlights from The Monroe Journal from Jan. 1902

Manning Harper grave in Booker Family Cemetery.
The Monroe Journal newspaper in Monroeville, Ala., under the direction of editor and proprietor Q. Salter, published five editions 115 years ago during the month of January 1902. Those issues, which were dated Jan. 2, Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 23 and Jan. 30, can be found on microfilm at the Monroe County Library in Monroeville, Ala. What follows are a few news highlights from those five editions. Enjoy.


JAN. 2, 1902

Mr. G.A. Tuthill, the efficient postmaster at Claiborne, was among our New Year callers.

Miss Callie Faulk resumed her school at Tekoa Monday after spending the holidays at home.

Wm. H. Farmer, who has been foreman on The Journal for the past four months, left Saturday to accept a position on the Biloxi (Miss.) Daily Herald.

Superintendent Forte will be at his office Friday and Saturday with $3,308.78 for disbursement to teachers of public schools for the first quarter of the current scholastic year.

MANISTEE: The Bear Creek Lumber Mill is now in operation at this place and doing nice work.
Mrs. Sarah Stacey is visiting her niece, Mrs. W.L. Middleton, at Jones Mills.

Volume Thirty-Five: The Journal begins its thirty-fifth volume with this issue. The past year has been one of the most prosperous in many respects in its history. The publisher has been enabled to add many improvements and its plant is now one of the best equipped in the country. We have received many words of commendation and kindly acts of encouragement during the year and the number of new names added to our subscription list attest the paper’s growth in public favor.

Marcus R. Sowell left Saturday for Montgomery to enter upon the duties of a clerkship in the office of the State Auditor.

JAN. 9, 1902

The annual reunion of United Confederate Veterans will be held at Dallas, Texas April 22 to 25, 1902. The general commanding announces that 1,390 camps have affiliated with the association and applications from many more have been received at the headquarters. Veterans everywhere are urged to send to the headquarters for organization papers.

A sad accident occurred at Pine Orchard, a few miles from here (Burnt Corn) on the 26th ult. Mr. Manning Harp and his brother-in-law, Mr. Bat Booker, were out hunting when Mr. Booker stumbled and fell accidentally discharging his gun, the contents taking effect in the chest of Mr. Harp. He lived only a short time.

There is some talk of a petition for a mail route from Burnt Corn to Peterman, the mail to connect with both the north and southbound trains, and the discontinuance of the present line from Burnt Corn to Evergreen. This change will be of decided advantage to the people of this community (Burnt Corn).

Jno. McDuffie was down from River Ridge Monday.

Mr. Griffin of Griffin Bros., Excel, looked in on us Tuesday.

Capt. T.A. Nettles was down from Kempville the first of the week.

F.W. Hare, Esq., is back from Auburn where he spent the holidays with relatives.

JAN. 16, 1902

Sheriff Harrengton made a business trip to Beatrice last week.

Three negroes and a mule were drowned in the backwater from the river near Bell’s Landing last Friday. The negroes, two men and a woman, driving a mule attached to a wagon, started to the landing to meet the boat and evidently plunged into a hole that was over their depth. All were drowned.

Pythian Officers: At the last meeting of Prairie Queen Lodge No. 167, Knights of Pythias, the following officers were elected: O.O. Bayles, chancellor commander; C.E. Bizzelle, vice chancellor; N.J. Stallworth, prelate; C.L. Hybart, master of work; H.W. Jones, master at arms; J.H. Barefield, keeper of records and seal; J.B. Stallworth, master of exchequer; A.R. Boulware, master of finance; C.W. McClure, inner guard; J.M. Daniel, outer guard.

Wm. B. Green of Burnt Corn, one of the newly appointed County Registrars, was here last week conferring with his colleague.

Capt. Thos. S. Wiggins is at his Flat Creek plantation for a few days, superintending preparations for the planting of another crop.

Edgar Baas of Jones Mill brought his two hundred-odd pounds of avoirdupois to town Tuesday, leaving a pleasant reminder of his visit to this office.

The infant son of Mr. and Mrs. W.S. Moore died at Perdue Hill on Tuesday after an illness of several weeks, aged about one year. The parents have sympathy of the community.

JAN. 23, 1902

Date of Meeting Changed: At the last communication of Monroeville Masonic Lodge the bylaws were amended changing the time of meeting to Wednesday before the third Sunday in each month at 10 o’clock a.m., instead of on Saturday as heretofore. The members and visiting brethren will please bear this in mind.

Hollinger: Daniel McNiel is down the creek putting two saw mills for the purpose of cutting 100,000 crossties for which he has contracted.

Miss L.L. Hightower of Nero, Ala., who has been visiting relatives in the city for some time, left yesterday on the steamer Mary for her home. It is to Miss Hightower’s credit that her tardiness was the cause of the Mary being able to save passengers of the sinking steamer Frank Stone Saturday night. An officer of the Mary states that the boat was to have left before the Stone, but knowing that Miss Hightower intended returning to her home by the boat that afternoon, the boat waited half an hour for her, and so the Stone left in advance of the Mary; but even after the half hour wait, Miss Hightower reached the wharf two minutes late, just in time to see the Mary heading upstream. – Mobile Register.

Dr. J.F. Busey of Jones Mill dropped in to see us while in town the first of the week.

Rev. J.Z. Haney, who served the Presbyterian church at this place the past 12 or 18 months, has removed to Arkansas to accept a new charge.

Prof. W.S. Porter of Excel, one of the teachers in the Jones Mill school, was in to see us Saturday, and enrolled his name as a regular reader of The Journal.

JAN. 30, 1902

Capt. J.H. McCreary of Turnbull was in town yesterday.

County Surveyor T.A. Rumbley says the calls made for his services have never been so numerous and urgent as at present.

Flomaton: The remains of Mr. Will Townsend, son of our former postmaster, who died at Ennis, Texas, on the 18th inst., were interred here with Masonic honors on Monday following in the presence of a large concourse of sorrowful and sympathizing friends. Every mail adds to the list and he finds it impossible to attend promptly to his correspondence and surveying at the same time.

Manistee: The Bear Creek Mill Co. is turning out some nice lumber since their new mill has been started up.

Small Pox at Provo: An outbreak of small pox in the vicinity of Provo is reported to Health Officer Wiggins by Dr. J.F. Busey, physician at Jones Mill. The disease developed several days ago and there are now seven cases under treatment. By direction of the Health Officer, the infected houses have been quarantined and immune nurses provided for the sufferers. It is hoped that these measures together with the enforcement of vaccination, the disease may be prevented from spreading further.


Capt. W.H. Andrews of Perdue Hill was in town Tuesday shaking hands with his many friends.

Today in History for Jan. 29, 2017

Entrance to Fort Dale Cemetery in Butler County, Ala.
Jan. 29, 1737 – American Revolutionary figure Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, Norfolk, Great Britain. He would publish his most influential work, a pamphlet called “Common Sense,” in 1776.


Jan. 29, 1777 - Facing a surprise British counterassault in the bitter cold and with a snowstorm approaching, American commander Major General William Heath and his army of 6,000 abandoned their siege on Fort Independence, in Bronx County, New York.

Jan. 29, 1777 - General George Washington put Major General Israel Putnam in command of all Patriot troops in New York. Putnam was charged with the defense of the city and its water routes.

Jan. 29, 1820 - Britain's King George III died insane at Windsor Castle.

Jan. 29, 1843 – The 25th President of the United States, William McKinley, was born in Niles, Ohio.

Jan. 29, 1845 – Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, "The Raven" was published for the first time in the New York Evening Mirror and became a popular sensation. Though it made Poe a household name almost instantly, he was paid only $9 for its publication.

Jan. 29, 1858 – Jasper N. Dennard became postmaster at Burnt Corn, Ala.

Jan. 29 1860 – Russian novelist, playwright and physician Anton Chekhov was born in the seaside town of Taganrog.

Jan. 29, 1861 - Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state. It was the 34th state to enter the Union. The struggle between pro- and anti-slave forces in Kansas was a major factor in the eruption of the Civil War.

Jan. 29, 1861 – The U.S. Revenue cutter, Robert McClelland, was seized by Louisiana State Troops near New Orleans.

Jan. 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, a six-day Federal operation began in the vicinity of Blue Springs, Mo. A skirmish was fought at Lee's House, close to the Occoquan Bridge, over the Occoquan River, in Virginia.

Jan. 29, 1863 - General Ulysses S. Grant was placed in command of the Army of the West and was given orders to capture Vicksburg, Miss.

Jan. 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought in the vicinity of Richmond, La.; at Pinos Altos Mines, New Mexico, with Indians; and near Collierville, Nashville, and Yorkville, Tenn. A Confederate expedition also began to Daufuskie Island, S.C. A Federal engagement also began on the Bear River (or Battle Creek), in the Utah Territory with Indians.

Jan. 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes occurred near Cobb’s Mill and near the Tennessee River in North Alabama.

Jan. 29, 1864 – Joseph Ganes Sanders, the “Turncoat of Dale County,” resigned from the Confederate army.

Jan. 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, a 26-day Federal operation began from Vicksburg, Miss. to Waterproof, La., laying waste to the countryside by raiding plantations and confiscating anything of value, not necessarily of military value--just of value. Skirmishes were also fought at Gloucester Court House and a second day of skirmishing occurred near Jonesville, Va. A four-day Federal operation began in Isla of Wright County, Va.

Jan. 29, 1865 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Danville, Ky.; near Harrodsburg, Ky.; and at Robertsville, S.C. A 10-day Federal operation began between Bayou Goula and Grand River, La., with skirmishing at Richland Plantation.

Jan. 29, 1880 – Actor W.C. Fields was born William Dukenfield in Darby, Pa.

Jan. 29, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that “a negro man was drowned at Hanter’s Mill, this county, last week, while floating saw logs into an aqueduct or canal made to convey them to the mill.”

Jan. 29, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that “Messrs. Wm. Smith, T.B. Baily and several others living on Flat Creek, while looking after some beaver traps last week, found the carcass of a catfish measuring four feet and two inches in length, and 13-1/2 inches across the head. The fish had swam out while the banks of the creek were overflowed, and when the water receded it was too shallow for the fish to return to the creek, it was frozen and died.”

Jan. 29, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported a “Singular Freak of Nature” in that day’s edition of the newspaper. “In looking over the little museum of curiosities accumulated by Capt. W.S. Wiggins, our attention was attracted by a forked ear of corn. It has three distinct and perfectly developed prongs all growing from one stem. They were all filled out with well matured corn and were all three encased in one husk. The above monstrosity was grown by Capt. T.M. Riley of Riley, post office, this county.”

Jan. 29, 1900 – The American League of professional baseball was organized in Philadelphia with eight founding teams.

Jan. 29, 1906 - J.H. Moore of Perdue Hill, Ala. passed through Monroeville on this Monday on his way to Selma to buy machinery for a saw mill plant which he was establishing at Perdue Hill.

Jan. 29, 1915 – The home of Mr. and Mrs. L.E. Foxworth in Beatrice, Ala. was nearly destroyed by fire.

Jan. 29, 1915 - In the Argonne region of France, German lieutenant Erwin Rommel led his company in the daring capture of four French block-houses, the structures used on the front to house artillery positions.

Jan. 29, 1916 – During World War I, Paris was first bombed by German zeppelins.

Jan. 29, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. James Scales of Jackson, Ala. “died from disease.”

Jan. 29, 1927 – Novelist and essayist Edward Abbey was born in Indiana, Pa.

Jan. 29, 1936 - The first members of the Baseball Hall of Fame were named in Cooperstown, NY. The group included Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson.

Jan. 29, 1948 – A British South American Tudor IV four-engine passenger plane called the “Star Tiger,” flying from the Azores to Bermuda, disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle with a crew of six and 25 passengers.

Jan. 29, 1959 – The Evergreen (Ala.) Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting and election of officers at the Evergreen High School lunchroom. Guest speaker was Dr. George R. Stewart of Birmingham, a former Birmingham-Southern College president, who worked for Alabama Power.

Jan. 29, 1963 - The first members to the Pro Football Hall of Fame were named in Canton, Ohio. The list included Sammy Baugh, Johnny Blood, Dutch Clark, Red Grange, Mel Hein, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard, Don Hutson, Bronko Nagurski, Ernie Nevers, Jim Thorpe, Bert Bell, Joe Carr, George Halas, Curly Lambeau, Tim Mara and George Preston Marshall.

Jan. 29, 1964 – Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Reed was born in Allentown, Pa. He would go on to play college ball at Kutztown and pro ball for the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.

Jan. 29, 1968 – Pro Hall of Fame cornerback and safety Aeneas Williams was born in New Orleans, La. He would go on to play for the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams.

Jan. 29, 1968 - In his annual budget message, President Lyndon B. Johnson asked for $26.3 billion to continue the war in Vietnam, and announced an increase in taxes.

Jan. 29, 1973 - The fighting continued in South Vietnam despite the cease-fire that was initiated on Jan. 28, 1973, under the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords.

Jan. 29, 1979 - San Diego teen Brenda Ann Spencer explained why she sprayed bullets on classmates on this day in 1979, saying “I don't like Mondays.”

Jan. 29, 1980 – The Cobb House in Grove Hill, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Jan. 29, 1980 – The Old Fort Dale Site, the Fort Dale Cemetery, the Old Log Barn and Oak Grove Methodist Church, all located in the Greenville, Ala. vicinity, were added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Jan. 29, 1988 – Frisco City High School’s varsity boys basketball team beat J.U. Blacksher, 59-53, in Frisco City. Top Frisco City players in that game included Cleveland Banks, Robert Byrd, Lorenzo Lawson, Terry Tucker and Clifton Tucker.

Jan. 29, 1989 - Billy Joel sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXIII.

Jan. 29, 1989 - The television program “Home Fires Burning,” teleplay by Alabama author Robert Inman, was broadcast.

Jan. 29, 1993 – Journalist, novelist and poet Gustav Hasford, a native of Russellville, Ala., died at the age of 45 in Aegina, Greece. He suffered from untreated diabetes and died of heart failure. His semi-autobiographical novel “The Short-Timers” (1979) was the basis of the film “Full Metal Jacket” (1987). He was also a United States Marine Corps veteran, who served during the Vietnam War.

Jan. 29, 1995 - The San Francisco 49ers became the first team in National Football League history to win five Super Bowl titles. The 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers, 49-26, in Super Bowl XXIX. San Francisco quarterback Steve Young threw six touchdown passes in the game.

Jan. 29, 1998 - A bomb exploded at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., killing an off-duty policeman and severely wounding a nurse. Serial bomber Eric Rudolph was charged with this bombing and three other attacks in Atlanta.

Jan. 29, 2002 – In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush described "regimes that sponsor terror" as an “Axis of evil,” in which he included Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

Jan. 29, 2002 - The Monroe Health Foundation had raised more than $655,300 for the construction of a cancer treatment center in Monroeville, Foundation Director Pattie Crawford said in a report on this Tuesday to the Monroe County Hospital board. The foundation planned to break ground for the cancer treatment center in the spring of 2003 at property located adjacent to Regions Bank in Monroeville. The property was donated to the hospital by Peoples Exchange Bank and the Tommy Black family.

Jan. 29, 2004 - Major League Baseball owners approved the $430 million sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers from News Corp. to Frank McCourt.

Jan. 29, 2013 – A gunman killed a school bus driver and held a six-year-old boy hostage in an underground bunker in Midland City, Alabama.
  

Jan. 29, 2016 – A UFO was reportedly seen around 6:30 p.m. on this Friday in Jasper, which is in Walker County, not far from Birmingham, Ala. The witness in this case, along with his mother and sister, reported seeing three “balls of light” that changed both speed and direction. All three “bright lights” traveled south through the sky and made a pair of 90-degree turns, moving “dramatically” more slowly between these turns. At first, the witnesses thought the first object was a bright star, but realized it couldn’t have been a star when it began traveling toward them at great speed. All three lights were visible for five to 10 seconds.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Sun., Jan. 29, 2017

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  14.30 inches

Winter to Date Rainfall: 14.80 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 14.30 inches

Notes: Today is the 29th day of 2017 and the 39th day of Winter. There are 336 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Singleton provides little known facts about President Abraham Lincoln

1861 photo of Abraham Lincoln
(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Some little known facts about President Abraham Lincoln” was originally published in the Feb. 5, 1998 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

I don’t believe that there is a person alive who knows anything about our past history that doesn’t have a special time or period that they like to study and think about. As for myself, I can sit all day and read and study the dreadful times of the Civil War. As I have stated many times in my writings, both sides of my family were directly involved in this bloody time in our history; this probably is one of the major reasons why I have read and studied everything I come across about his bloody and awesome time in the history of our country.

Regardless of the many lives that were lost on both sides, and the blood that was shed, many happenings and events of this period happened in strange surroundings and when studied and discussed tend to be on the funny side. The horrors of war are never funny, but some of the characters that were involved in some of the events sometimes touches the funny bone.

Much has been said and much more has been written about President Abraham Lincoln and the part he played in the dreaded Civil War. If one studies and researches history, this man played a major part in this war that divided our country for a number of years. Some of the decisions that this man made during his time in the White House affects us even today. But, even though he was a great man, much fun was passed from one to another of the people that knew him. I mean no disrespect, but I would like to mention a few events of the lighter side.

Photographs of President Lincoln were few and far between before 1860. But, as he became more and more in the eyes of the public, everyone from school children to the Union soldier drew pictures of him and the way he looked. Never was he seen when his clothing was neat and matched as it should have been. A lot of people were awed by his huge hands and feet and his extremely long arms and legs. One lady who knew him said this: “His skin was shriveled and yellow. His shoes, when he had any, were low. He wore buckskin breeches, a linsey-woolsey shirt and a cap made from the skin of squirrel or coon. His breeches were baggy, and lacked by several inches meeting the tops of his shoes, thereby exposing his shinbone, sharp, blue and narrow.”

Another friend that knew Lincoln said that his trousers were always about five inches too short. Though a vest or a coat was customary, he never wore one and frequently wore only one suspender. “He wore a calico shirt, tan brogans, blue yarn socks and an old straw hat.”

D.H. Wilder, who knew Lincoln before he was president, said this: “He had legs that you could fold up; his knees stood out like the high hind joint of a Kansas grasshopper. Most of his buttons were always missing off his shirt. He was very tall, gawky and rough looking; his pantaloons didn’t meet his shoes by at least six inches.”

Emilie Todd, the younger sister of Mary Todd Lincoln, the president’s wife, had this to say about her brother-in-law: “When I first saw him, I kept thinking of ‘Jack and the Bean Stalk,’ and I feared he might be the hungry giant of the story – he was so tall and looked so big with a long-full black cloak over his shoulders. He wore a fur cap with ear straps which allowed but little of his face to be seen. Expecting to hear “Fe, fi, fo, fum,’ I ran and hid behind my mother’s skirts.”

A British journalist after first seeing Lincoln had this to say about him: “To say that he was ugly is nothing; add that his figure is grotesque is to convey no adequate impression. Fancy a man about six feet high, and thin in proportion, with long, bony arms and legs, which somehow seem always to be in the way; with great rugged furrowed hands, which grasps you like a vice when shaking yours; with a long scraggy neck and a chest too narrow for the great arms at his side. Add, this to figure a head, coconut shaped and somewhat too small for such a stature, covered with rough, uncombed hair, that stands out in every direction at once; a face furrowed and wrinkled, and indented as though it had been scarred by vitriol. A high narrow forehead, sunk beneath bushy eyebrows; somewhat dreamy eyes, that seem to gaze at you without looking at you. Put this together with a close-set thin lipped, stern mouth, with two rows of large white teeth, and a nose and ears that seem to have been taken by mistake from a head twice the size.

“Clothe this figure then in a long, tight, badly fitting suit of black, creased, soiled and puckered at every salient point, put on large, ill-fitting boots, gloves too long for the long bony fingers, and a hat covered to the top with dusty fluffy crepe. And then add to this an air of strength, physical as well as moral, and then add a strange look of dignity coupled with grotesqueness, and you will have the impression left upon me by Abraham Lincoln.”

Lincoln’s seemingly total unconcern about his looks and his clothing may have stemmed from his early life. On the western frontier where he grew up, it didn’t matter a hill of beans how a boy or girl, man or woman dressed.

All accounts indicate that he ignored repeated attempts to provide for his personal security. This man put everything within his power into the preservation of the Union. His failure to heed the warnings of his advisors proved to be his downfall. Perhaps had he survived and had the chance to finish his term as president, things might have been different, even today.

But, the winds of change blows in many directions; we cannot understand many of the strange events that await in the distance. History has proven this time and time again. As we try to look into the future as to what is to come, all we can do is speculate.

Since the month of February is often referred to by our historians as “Lincoln Month,” I think that we should give some thought to this past president during the month of his birth.


(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School, served in the Korean War, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County in June 1964 (some sources say 1961) and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from 1964 to 1987. For years, Singleton’s column “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. Some of his earlier columns also appeared under the heading of “Monroe County History: Did You Know?” He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)

Today in History for Jan. 28, 2017

Jan. 28, 1624 – Sir Thomas Warner founded the first British colony in the Caribbean, on the island of Saint Kitts.


Jan. 28, 1777 – British general John Burgoyne submitted an ill-fated plan to the British government to isolate New England from the other colonies.

Jan. 28, 1781 - General Daniel Morgan reported to General Nathanael Greene that his men had observed the British army moving towards the Catawba River.

Jan. 28, 1798 – Future University of Alabama President Basil Manly Sr. was born near Pittsboro, N.C. He went on to serve as the University’s president from 1837 to 1855. He died at the home of Basil Manly Jr. in Greenville, S.C. at the age of 70 on Dec. 21, 1868 and was buried in Springwood Cemetery in Greenville.

Jan. 28, 1813 – Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice” was first published in the United Kingdom.

Jan. 28, 1820 – A Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev discovered the Antarctic continent, approaching the Antarctic coast.

Jan. 28, 1821 – Alexander Island was first discovered by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen.

Jan. 28, 1828 - Confederate General Thomas Carmichael Hindman was born in Knoxville, Tenn. Hindman was raised in Alabama and educated in New York and New Jersey. He fought at Chickamauga and Atlanta, and was wounded twice.

Jan. 28, 1841 – Welsh-American explorer and journalist Sir Henry Morton Stanley was born in Denbigh, Wales, UK. He went on to become a journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of central Africa and his search for missionary and explorer David Livingstone. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly asked, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

Jan. 28, 1846 - Montgomery was selected as the capital of Alabama by the state legislature on the 16th ballot. Montgomery won the final vote largely because of promises of Montgomery city leaders to provide $75,000 for a new capitol and because of the emerging prominence of the Black Belt region of the state.

Jan. 28, 1856 - Alabama author and dramatist Joseph M. Field died in Mobile, Ala.

Jan. 28, 1858 – Welsh-Australian geologist and explorer Tannatt William Edgeworth David was born in St. Fagans, near Cardiff, Wales.

Jan. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, Federal property in New Orleans and Ft. Macomb, near New Orleans, were seized by the 1st Regiment, Louisiana Infantry.

Jan. 28, 1862 - The tenth president of the United States, John Tyler, passed away at the age of 71 in Richmond, Va.

Jan. 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, six days of Confederate operations between Greensburg and Lebanon, Ky. began.

Jan. 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Indian Village, La. and at Collierville, Nashville, and Yorkville, Tenn. A four-day Federal operation between La Grange, Tenn. and Ripley, Miss. began.

Jan. 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Dallas, Ark.; and at Fain’s Island, Indian Creek, Island Ford, Kelley’s Ford and Swann’s Island, near Dandridge, and at the Lee House on the Cornersville, Pike, Tenn. Two days of skirmishing also began near Jonesville, Va. A 14-day sustained operation began in the vicinity of New Berne, N.C. A 12-day Federal operation between Gallatin and the Cumberland Mountains, Tenn. began.

Jan. 28, 1865 – During the Civil War, the Confederate torpedo boat St. Patrick attacked the USS Octorara in Mobile Bay, Ala.

Jan. 28, 1865 – During the Civil War, a 13-day Federal operation against Indians began in the vicinity of Fort Zarah, Kansas, and a skirmish was fought at Combahaee River, S.C. A three-day Federal expedition from Strawberry Plains to Clinch Mountain, Tenn. began with a skirmish being fought at Athens, Tenn.

Jan. 28, 1873 – Novelist Colette was born Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette in Saint-Sauveur-en Puisaye, France.

Jan. 28, 1878 – The Yale Daily News became the first daily college newspaper in the United States.

An. 28, 1884 – Swiss physicist and explorer Auguste Piccard was born in Basel, Switzerland.

Jan. 28, 1887 – In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, 15 inches wide and eight inches thick.

Jan. 28, 1904 - The University of Chicago awarded blankets with the letter “C” to all seniors that played football during the 1903 season. This event marked the beginning of the sports letter tradition.

Jan. 28, 1905 – Residents of Gadsden and Attalla in Alabama felt an earthquake around 10:20 p.m. The quake “shook houses, rattled windows and doors, broke up glassware and frightened the superstitious.”

Jan. 28, 1906 – The Rev. J.B. Kilpatrick filled his regular appointment at Pleasant Hill Church and “preached a most excellent sermon.”

Jan. 28, 1912 – Artist Paul Jackson Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming.

Jan. 28, 1915 – The Monroe Journal reported that the contract for the construction of a railroad bridge across the Alabama River near Pine Hill, Ala. had been awarded to the American Bridge Co. by the Gulf, Florida and Alabama Railroad.

Jan. 28, 1915 – Will “Willie” Ellis, 49, of Evergreen, Ala. died on this night from consumption and he was buried the following day. The local Masonic lodge, of which he was a member, conducted the funeral at his home and he was buried in the cemetery at Antioch Church. He was raised to the degree of Master Mason on May 2, 1896.

Jan. 28, 1915 - The Coast Guard was created by an act of the U.S. Congress to fight contraband trade and aid distressed vessels at sea.

Jan. 28, 1915 - In the country’s first such action against American shipping interests on the high seas, the captain of a German cruiser ordered the destruction of the William P. Frye, an American merchant ship.

Jan. 28, 1920 – H.P. Lovecraft completed “The Terrible Old Man,” which was originally published in Issue No. 4 of The Tryout, 7 in July 1921.

Jan. 28, 1922 - The National Football League franchise in Decatur, Ill. transferred to Chicago, and the team took the name “Chicago Bears.”

Jan. 28, 1927 - Alabama author Thomas Turner was born in Oxford, Ala.

Jan. 28, 1938 - German race car driver Bernd Rosemeyer, known as the “Silver Comet,” reached the speed of 268 mph on the Autobahn, just before his death.

Jan. 28, 1941 – Evergreen High School’s basketball team was scheduled to play Lyeffion High School in Lyeffion, Ala.

Jan. 28, 1941 – The Evergreen Courant reported the following Confederate Pensioners in Conecuh County as of Jan. 1, 1941: Veteran: Brown, John T., McKenzie, Ala., Rt. 1; Widows: Brown, Emma, Evergreen, Ala.; Carter, Drucilla, Evergreen, Ala., Rt. 2; Castleberry, Susie M., Castleberry, Ala.; Crosby, Janie, Evergreen, Ala.; Floyd, Virginia B., Evergreen, Ala.; Hardee, Virginia, Belleville, Ala.; Kendall, Rebecca J., Brooklyn, Ala.; McKittrick, Margaret, Evergreen, Ala.; Nichols, Fannie, Evergreen, Ala., Rt. 2; Nored, Susan H., Repton, Ala.; Raines, Mary E., Repton, Ala.; Salter, Eugenia A., Evergreen, Ala.; Thomas, Mary C., Herbert, Ala.; Worrell, Ardella Viola, Castleberry, Ala.

Jan. 28, 1941 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the recent ratings of enlisted men in Battery C, 117th Field Artillery, who formerly were stationed as a unit of the Alabama National Guard at Evergreen, Ala., had been announced that week by Captain William D. Lewis, battery commander. The ratings were as follows: Sergeants, George H. Joyner; Corporals, Floyd H. Purnell, Robert Salter, Marvin Kindig, Elmer Morrison and James Tanner; Privates First Class, Herman Armstrong, Walter Bower, Walter Holland, Cecil Padgett, Olon Padgett, Winton McIntyre, Wesley Shefield, James Bryant, Lee Cole, Hagood Ellis, Bennie Gatlin, James Henderson, James Logan, Richard Potts, Rufus Burt and James Weaver. Besides Captain Lewis, other commissioned officers in the unit were First Lt. John C. Holman and Second Lt. Leon A. Salter.

Jan. 28, 1948 – German SS officers Hans Aumeier, 41, and Arthur Liebehenschel, 46, were both executed by hanging in Krakow, Poland.

Jan. 28, 1949 – Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team improved to 6-4 on the season by beating Georgiana, 47-38, in Evergreen.

Jan. 28, 1953 – The Alabama Historical Association erected three historical markers in Autauga County. Those markers were erected in memory the Pratt Gin Factory, Albert J. Pickett and Alibamo Indians.

Jan. 28, 1957 - The Brooklyn Dodgers announced that circus clown Emmett Kelly had been hired to entertain fans at baseball games.

Jan. 28, 1958 - Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers was seriously injured in an auto accident in New York. He would never return to play again.

Jan. 28, 1959 - The Green Bay Packers of the National Football League signed Vince Lombardi to a five-year contract as the team's coach and general manager.

Jan. 28, 1960 – The National Football League announced expansion teams for Dallas to start in the 1960 NFL season and Minneapolis-St. Paul for 1961 NFL season.

Jan. 28, 1960 - Alabama author Zora Neale Hurston died in Fort Pierce, Fla.

Jan. 28, 1971 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Sandra Owens, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Owens of Evergreen, Ala., was to be a contestant in the Lurleen B. Wallace State Junior College’s first annual Beauty Pageant to be held on Feb. 6, 1971 at 7:30 p.m. in the Andalusia High School Auditorium. Sandra, a freshman majoring in elementary education, was a popular student at Evergreen High School, where she was chosen class favorite; served as a majorette; and was selected to appear in the senior Superlatives in the annual. She was Miss Evergreen for 1970 and was selected to attend Girls State.

Jan. 28, 1973 – During the Vietnam War, a cease-fire went into effect at 8 a.m., Saigon time (midnight on Jan. 27, Greenwich Mean Time).

Jan. 28, 1975 - President Gerald Ford asked Congress for an additional $522 million in military aid for South Vietnam and Cambodia.

Jan. 28, 1976 – Basketball player Mark Madsen was born in Walnut Creek, Calif. He went on to play at Stanford and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jan. 28, 1985 – Supergroup USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) recorded the hit single “We Are the World,” to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.

Jan. 28, 1986 - The U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after takeoff from Cape Canaveral, Fla. All seven of its crewmembers were killed.

Jan. 28, 1989 – The Bank of Andalusia on South Court Square and the Covington County Courthouse and Jail were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Jan. 28, 1990 - Aaron Neville sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXIV. Joe Montana got his third MVP award. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Denver Broncos, 55-10.

Jan. 28, 1996 - Diana Ross performed as the featured halftime performer at Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, AZ. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17. It was the fifth Super Bowl for the Cowboys.

Jan. 28, 2002 - J.U. Blacksher High School’s girls basketball team improved to 11-3 on this Monday with a 52-48 win over Flomaton High School in Flomaton. Alisha McGhee led Blacksher with 22 points, six rebounds and four steals. Gretta Gregson scored 15 points. Other standout Blacksher players in that game included Lora Fralick, Brooke Harrison, Lindsey Harrison and Jennifer Silcox.


Jan. 28, 2006 – Iraqi-Israeku rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri died around 10 p.m. in the Bikur Holim Hospital in Jerusalem after being hospitalized with pneumonia.