March 26, 1692 – In connection with the Salem witchcraft
trials, John Hathorne, Jonathan Corwin and Rev. John Higginson questioned
Dorothy Good, who was in jail.
March 26, 1776 - The Provincial Congress of South Carolina
approved a new constitution. The legislature renamed itself the General
Assembly of South Carolina and elected John Rutledge as president, Henry
Laurens as vice president and William Henry Drayton as chief justice.
March 26, 1780 - The British Gazette and Sunday Monitor was
published for the first time, becoming the first Sunday newspaper in Britain.
March 26, 1804 - The U.S. Congress ordered the removal of
Indians east of the Mississippi to Louisiana.
March 26, 1804 - The Louisiana Purchase was divided into the
District of Louisiana and the Territory of Orleans.
March 26, 1812 – A political cartoon in the Boston Gazette
coined the term "gerrymander" to describe oddly shaped electoral
districts designed to help incumbents win reelection.
March 26 ,1818 – William Wyatt Bibb, governor of the Alabama
territory, sent a letter to Big Warrior at Coosada, a village north of
Montgomery. The letter reported that “on Friday night, the thirteenth of this
month, a family consisting of men, women and children, while sitting peacefully
around their fire on the Federal Road about 65 miles this side of Claiborne,
was attacked by a party of red men and eight killed. The next Friday, five men
riding quietly along the road in the same neighborhood were fired on, three
killed and one badly wounded.”
March 26, 1827 - Composer Ludwig van Beethoven passed away
at the age of 56 in Vienna.
March 26, 1830 – The Book of Mormon was first published in
Palmyra, New York.
March 26, 1859 - Poet and classical scholar A.E. Housman was
born in Fockbury, Worcestershire, England.
March 26, 1862 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought between Federals and Confederates near Denver City,
Colorado; in the vicinity of Boonville, Mo., at Gouge’s Mill, another at
Humansville and Warrensburg, Mo.; and near Apache Canyon in the New Mexico
Territory.
March 26, 1863 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought at Palatka, Fla.; at Madisonville, Ky.; with Apache
Indians on the Rio Bonito River in the New Mexico Territory; and on the
Woodbury Pike in Tennessee.
March 26, 1864 - General James B. McPherson assumed command
of the Union Army of the Tennessee after William T. Sherman was elevated to
commander of the Division of the Mississippi, the overall leader in the West.
March 26, 1864 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought in the vicinity of Quitman, Ark.; at Campti, La.;
at Clinton, Miss.; and out from Greenville, S.C. at Black Jack Church.
March 26, 1864 – During the Civil
War, a nine-day Federal operation between Camp Douglas and the Cedar Mountains
in the Utah Territory began against the Goshute Indians, who were suspected of
receiving aid from the Mormons. Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant also
joined the Federal Army of the Potomac, whose headquarters was in the field at
Culpepper Courthouse, Va.
March 26, 1865 – Lt. Col. Andrew Barclay Spurling’s Union
troops reached Pollard, in present-day Escambia County, Ala., around 6 p.m.
Between Sparta and Pollard, Spurling captured 20 prisoners in skirmishes and
reached Pollard without losing a single man.
March 26, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought
at Muddy Creek, Ala. Muddy Creek was listed on a period map as being south of
Bon Secour along what is the present day intercoastal canal. A skirmish was
also fought in the vicinity of Spanish Fort, Ala.
March 26, 1865 – During the Civil
War, a skirmish was fought in Bath County, Ky.; and a four-day Federal
operation between Bonnet Carre to the Amite River, La. began.
March 26, 1865 – During the Civil War,
under the watching eyes of President Lincoln, the cavalry forces of Gen. Phil
Sheridan crossed the James River, 15,000 strong. On his way to join Grant’s
forces around Petersburg, Sheridan took advantage of the fact that Lincoln was
on a tour of the City Point area to review the troops and consult with the
generals. The aggressive Sheridan would assist Grant in pressuring the
Petersburg line.
March 26, 1874 – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Frost
was born in San Francisco, Calif.
March 26, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that the work
of repairing the Methodist parsonage had commenced.
March 26, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that Judge
Sowell had “quite an extensive new ground cleared just outside of town
(Monroeville) on the Evergreen road.”
March 26, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that a new post
office, called Carlisle, had been established about eight miles west of
Kempville.
March 26, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroe
County Sheriff Burns was visiting his family at Newtown Academy.
March 26, 1891 - The regular monthly drill of the Monroe
County military company was held at Monroeville. The attendance was very good
and the day was devoted to review of tactical maneuvers and practice in guard
duty preparatory to making a creditable appearance at encampment that summer.
The boys were entertained at the Hudson House as the guests of the Monroeville
Section. The next county drill was to take place at Buena Vista on April 30
when the Flag was to be presented with fitting ceremonies.
March 26, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from
the Jones Mill community, that there was “a flourishing literary school” at New
Hope a few miles from the mill.
March 26, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from
the Tinela community, that the community now had two stores, a post office and
a blacksmith shop, besides three churches and Knights of Pythias Castle Hall.
March 26, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from
the Manistee community, that “a certain gentleman near this place ploughed up
two acres of land last week and killed 69 rattlesnakes and hit at the 70th
one.”
March 26, 1896 - Col. B.L. Hibbard spoke at Pineville to an
audience of about 200 people. “He is an able advocate of the free and unlimited
coinage of silver and of the nomination of Capt. Johnston for governor,”
according to The Monroe Journal. “The Col. is himself a candidate for
representative.”
March 26, 1896 – Alabama’s first chapter of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy was organized in Camden, Ala. Its organizing
president was Miss Sallie Cargill Jones. Jones and most of the other charter
members of Alabama Charter Chapter No. 36 remembered the days of the war
because they had sent their brothers, fathers, husbands and friends to war with
words of encouragement and love.
March 26, 1897 – The “Money Pit” at Oak Island claimed its
second victim when Maynard Kaiser, a worker, fell to his death.
March 26, 1903 - There was “heavy frost” in Monroeville on
this Thursday morning.
March 26, 1903 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mr. W.
Barney Mims, who had been in the employ of Mr. J.W. Fore for several months,
left a few days before to accept a position with Melton & Co. at
McWilliams. Also, Mr. R.O. Hicks of Thomasville had accepted a position as
salesman in the mercantile establishment of Mr. John W. Fore.
March 26, 1903 – The Monroe Journal reported that Miss Fanny
Patrick had returned from Atlanta where she had been for several weeks
selecting her stock of spring millinery. She was accompanied home by her little
nephew, Master Albert Patrick of Opelika.
March 26, 1903 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from
the Tekoa community, that Miss Callie Faulk’s school at Tekoa was coming to a
close. She had been very busy practicing for the concert at the close of her
school.
March 26, 1906 – The school at McWilliams, with Mr. J.W.
Riley as principal and Gladys McClelland as his assistant, closed on this day.
March 26, 1908
– Austrian-German SS officer Franz Stangl was born in Altmünster,
Austria-Hungary.
March 26, 1910 - Orville Wright piloted the first plane in
Alabama, causing the Montgomery Advertiser to report “a strange new
bird soared over the cotton fields west of Montgomery.” The Wright brothers
came to Montgomery to set up a pilots’ training school. Several pilots were
trained, but the brothers left the area by the end of May. Replacement parts
for broken machinery were difficult to locate in the area and the flyers'
efforts were frustrated by numerous spectators during their stay.
March 26, 1911 – Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee
Williams was born in Columbus, Miss.
March 26, 1914 – The Evergreen Courant reported that “a
northern gentleman, who is spending some time in Evergreen, says he saw the
first shot fired on Fort Sumter.”
March 26, 1916 - A movie version of Alabama author Mary
Johnston's book “Audrey” was released.
March 26, 1916 – Dr. W.B. Sanders of Troy, a candidate for
congress, spent this day in Evergreen, Ala.
March 26, 1917
– During World War I’s First Battle of Gaza, British troops were halted after
17,000 Turks blocked their advance.
March 26, 1920 – “This Side of Paradise” was first
published, launching 23-year-old F. Scott Fitzgerald to fame and fortune.
March 26, 1922
– The German Social Democratic Party was founded in Poland.
March 26, 1923 – Confederate veteran James Thomas “Jim”
Fincher died on this Monday afternoon at his home in Evergreen, Ala. after
about two weeks’ illness, aged 81 years. Fincher had lived in Conecuh County
“for many years and was held in high esteem by all who knew him as an upright,
honorable citizen. He served four years in the Confederate army and his record
as a soldier was without blemish. At the time of his death, and for several
years previous, he was Commander of the local camp of Confederate Veterans. In
his passing we have another striking reminder that the thin gray line is
becoming fewer in numbers.” Fincher was born in June
1842 in Stewart County, Ga. (Some sources say he was born in 1844 at Pond Town,
Macon County, Ga) He first enlisted in a local militia, the Simpson Rangers in
Florida and was transferred to Co. E, 3rd Bn. Florida Cav. Later, he served
with Co. I, 15th Confederate Cav. Still later, he was transferred to Co. E,
15th Conf. Cav. better known as Amos' Cavalry. They were mainly from Santa Rosa
County, Fla. Fincher drew a pension from Conecuh and also applied for a Florida
pension, unsure if he drew from both places. He was enumerated in Conecuh in
the 1907 and 1921 Ala. Confederate censuses. He fought at the Battle of Mt.
Pleasant in Monroe County. He was buried in the Old Evergreen Cemetery in
Conecuh County.
March 26, 1923 - The Monroeville Electric Light Plant was
finally completed and the current was turned on on this Monday evening for the
first time in a test run with a maximum load. All connections appeared to have
been properly made and the plant operated to the entire satisfaction of the
superintendent, owners and patrons. Barring unforeseen emergencies, light and
power was to be available daily from this point on. The city authorities had
eight lamps of approximately 100 candle power placed at intervals around the
public square while a large number of dwellings and business places were also
being served.
March 26, 1923 - Congressman John McDuffie arrived in Monroe
County from Washington on this Monday, having made the trip by automobile, the
trip taking six days. He was accompanied by Mrs. McDuffie and their daughter.
March 26, 1928 - A movie version of Alabama author Octavus
Roy Cohen's book “Lone Babies” was released.
March 26, 1928 - Messrs. G.W. and S.M. Castillow of Excel
visited Monroeville on this Monday. They reported many fields already planted
to cotton, but few farmers had planted corn or other grain.
March 26, 1930 – Beat poet Gregory Corso was born on
Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village.
March 26, 1931 - Leonard Nimoy was born in Boston, Mass. He
was best known for his role as Mr. Spock of the Star Trek franchise.
March 26, 1931
– The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union was founded in Vietnam.
March 26, 1938 - Senator D. Hardy Riddle, candidate for
Governor of Alabama, addressed a small crowd of Monroe County citizens at the
courthouse on this Saturday night. His coming was not well advertised, and it
being Saturday night, kept the attendance down. While the crowd was not large,
they were very attentive, according to The Monroe Journal.
March 26, 1941 – Around 10:30 p.m. on this Wednesday night,
flying cadet J.D. Eiland Jr. of Maxwell Field crash landed an “advance trainer”
plane at the Evergreen, Ala. airport. On only his second cross-country night
flight ever, Eiland became lost and began running low on fuel when he
discovered he was over Evergreen and headed for the airport. The plane’s left
wheel, propeller and left wing were damaged, but Eiland was not injured.
March 26, 1942 – Novelist and poet Erica Jong was born in
New York City. She is best known for her 1973 novel, “Fear of Flying.”
March 26, 1943 – Investigative journalist and non-fiction
author Bob Woodward was born in Geneva, Ill.
March 26, 1945 – Pfc. Elly Hubbard Cowart Jr., 25, of
Conecuh County, Ala. was killed in Germany while crossing the Rhine River. Born
on March 23, 1920, he is buried in Witherington Cemetery in Conecuh County.
March 26, 1947 - R.C. Snowden issued a call on this
Wednesday for candidates to practice and start training on Sun., March 30, at
the Monroe County High School athletic field. Snowden explained that he hoped
to put together a team representing Monroeville in the Tri-County League that
summer. The league was composed of teams in Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe
counties.
March 26, 1953 – The Evergreen Courant reported that
Evergreen City Clerk John Hunter Thornley had tendered his resignation to the
City Council and Mayor Vernon B. Millsap said the resignation had been
accepted. Thornley agreed to serve on in the post of city clerk until some time
in April so that city officials could have adequate time to hire a replacement.
Thornley became city clerk in September of 1945 and had served continuously in
that post until his resignation.
March 26, 1953 - The Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
discontinued its Montgomery and New Orleans trains No. 7 and No. 8. Both of
these trains were “locals” and had been handling the mail service for all the
local stops between Montgomery and New Orleans.
March 26, 1953 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Sgt.
First Class James W. Tolbert, whose wife, Charlotte, lived on Route 2,
McKenzie, Ala., recently arrived in Germany and was serving with the 43rd
Infantry Division. The 43rd, now stationed in southern Germany, was
undergoing constant field training as part of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization Army. SFC Tolbert was serving with Co. B of the 143rd
Tank Battalion. Before reentering the Army in March 1949, Tolbert was a farmer.
His father, James A. Tolbert, lived on Route 1, McKenzie.
March 26, 1953 – The Monroe Journal reported that
Monroeville’s new deep water well, with a guaranteed capacity of 900 gallons of
water per minute, would be put into operation within a week. This announcement
was made by local water board officials, who stated the 1,500-foot well would
be joined to the town water main within a few days. During the previous several
months, the Layne Central Drilling Co. had been installing the pump and motor
for the well, on which drilling operations were completed in December 1952.
March 26, 1953 – The Monroe Journal reported that sealed
proposals would be received in the office of the Monroe County Board of
Education in Monroeville until 9 a.m. on April 17 when they were to be publicly
opened and read for the purchase of the Megargel school building.
Superintendent of Education H.G. Greer said the proposal was limited to the
sale of the building and the successful bidder would be given until Nov. 1,
1953 to remove the building from the Megargel school land site.
March 26, 1953 – The Monroe Journal reported that Henry C.
Boone of Mineola, who had been serving in the U.S. Army in Korea for 15 months,
was recently promoted to the rank of sergeant. Sgt. Boone entered the service
on June 18, 1951. Before that time, he attended J.U. Blacksher High School at
Uriah.
March 26, 1959 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the
Star-Crest Recording Company of Hollywood, Calif. had announced that it was
considering for recording and national album release a song written by a local
composer, Miss Lucile Ross of 114 Belleville St., Evergreen, Ala. Her song was
“Separation: Two Friends Part.”
March 26, 1960 – “Wild River,” a movie version of
Alabama author Borden Deal's book “Dunbar's Cove” and Alabama author
William Bradford Huie's book “Mud on the Stars,” was released.
March 26, 1960 – Pro Football Hall of Fame running back
Marcus Allen was born in San Diego, Calif. He would go on to play for the USC,
the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was inducted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
March 26, 1964 – Evergreen High School’s Athletic Booster
Club held the school’s annual “All Sports Banquet” in the school’s lunchroom.
Coach Tom Jones of Lee High School in Montgomery was the invited guest speaker.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of letters by John Law
Robinson and Henry Allman.
March 26, 1965 - A young truck driver, delivering a load of
bananas to Scranton, Pa. lost control of his vehicle, and careened into town at
90 miles an hour, spilling bananas all along the way. The incident, which
unfortunately ended in the driver's death, inspired the Harry Chapin song,
“30,000 Pounds of Bananas.”
March 26, 1969 – During the Vietnam
War, a group called Women Strike for Peace demonstrated in Washington, D.C., in
the first large antiwar demonstration since President Richard Nixon’s
inauguration in January.
March 26, 1970 – South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
implemented a land reform program to solve the problem of land tenancy.
March 26, 1973 – National Baseball Hall of Fame first
baseman George Sisler passed away at the age of 80 in Richmond Heights,
Missouri. During his career, he played for the St. Louis Browns, the Washington
Senators and the Boston Braves. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.
March 26, 1975 – Don L. McInnis was accepted as a recruit by
the Alabama State Troopers.
March 26, 1975 - The city of Hue,
in northernmost South Vietnam, fell to the North Vietnamese.
March 26, 1976
– Actress Amy Smart was born in Topanga, Calif.
March 26, 1976 - The York Rite bodies of Monroeville were
scheduled to hold their regular meeting on this Friday at the Masonic Temple on
Sheffield Road at 7:30 p.m. All York Rite Masons were urged to attend. The
Spring York Rite class was to be held on Fri., April 9. Petitions could be
obtained from A.T. Lewis, secretary of the Monroeville York Rite bodies.
March 26, 1981 - Tammy Michelle Elliott, a fifth-grader at
Southside Elementary School, won the Conecuh County Spelling Bee at the Conecuh
County Board of Education office in Evergreen, Ala.
March 26, 1982 – A groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial was held in Washington, D.C.
March 26, 1983 - Sparta Academy was scheduled to begin the
1983 baseball season against Hooper Academy in Evergreen, Ala. The rest of
Sparta’s schedule was as follows: March 29, at Fort Deposit; April 1, v. South
Butler; April 2, Monroe Academy Tournament; April 5, at Monroe Academy; April
8, v. Greenville Academy; April 12, v. Escambia Academy; April 14, at Fort
Dale; April 16, at Hooper; April 19, v. Wilcox Academy; April 23-26, District
Playoffs; May 9, Regional Playoffs.
March 26, 1983 – Jennifer Till, 10, of Excel broke her old
limbo skating “world record” on this Saturday at Skate World in Mobile, Ala.
Till guided her 4-foot-4, 62-pound frame under a limbo stick just 6.75 inches
off the floor, breaking her old world record of seven inches, which was set
during the summer of 1982. Till first rolled under 7 inches and then, in front
of an estimated 450 persons including a camera crew, she glided under the
6.75-inch mark. Till was a fourth-grader at Excel School and was a member of
the Blanton’s Roller Rink junior skate team. She was featured on WKRG-TV’s 10
p.m. news broadcast that night.
March 26, 1991 - J.D. Taylor killed a large turkey on this
day “in the woods,” according to The Evergreen Courant. The gobbler weighed 18
pound, had a 10-inch beard and ¾-inch spurs.
March 26, 1992 – The Monroe Journal reported that, for the
seventh straight year, the Heart of Dixie Trailride wagon train, passed through
the Monroe County area on its way to the World Championship Rodeo, which was
scheduled to be held in Montgomery on April 1-4. The 21 old, new and
mixed-style wagons reached Repton on the afternoon of Sun., March 22, and set
up camp in the old elementary school parking lot. From there they traveled
through Bermuda and camped at the Burnt Corn Fox Hunting Club on the night of
Mon., March 23. The next stop was at Old Texas.
March 26, 1997 - The 39 bodies of Heaven's Gate members are
found in a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. The group had committed suicide
thinking that they would be picked up by a spaceship following behind the comet
Hale-Bopp.
March 26, 1998 – The Evergreen Courant reported that a North
Carolina family had hired the Jones Company, a private investigation firm in
Asheville, to help find Betty Lou Dougherty, 57, of Asheville, whose car was
found in Conecuh County, Ala. in February 1998.
March 26, 2000 - The Seattle Kingdome was imploded to make
room for a new football arena.
March 26, 2005 – Retired Air Force Lt. Col. William E.
Molett passed away at the age of 86 and was buried in West Tennessee Veterans
Cemetery in Memphis. He graduated from the Southwest State Agricultural School in
Evergreen, Ala. in 1936 and then joined the military, became a master
navigator, recorded 6,000 hours as an aircraft navigator, including 91 flights
over the North Pole. He also taught polar aviation for three years and returned
as a Lt. Col. in the Air Force. During his career, he served in World War II,
the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In 1996, he wrote a book called “Robert
Peary and Matthew Henson at the North Pole.” Born in Orrville, Ala. on Jan. 26,
1919, he was also a comic strip writer for Stars and Stripes and was a
recipient of the Flying Cross, Bronze Star and Air War Medal. He was a master
duplicate bridge player and director.
March 26, 2009 - The next chapter in the ongoing lawsuit
over Evergreen’s disputed mayoral election was scheduled to unfold on this
Thursday at the Conecuh County Government Center in Evergreen. According to
officials with the Conecuh County Circuit Clerk’s Office, an evidentiary
hearing in the case was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Courtroom B. Judge
Edward McDermott, a retired Mobile judge who was appointed to hear the case,
filed an order on March 11 that called for subpoenas to be issued to a number
of individuals, including members of the Conecuh County Board of Registrars,
who were in office at the time of the mayoral run-off election.
March 26, 2014 - The National Labor Relations Board ruled
that college football players at Northwestern University could unionize.
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