Today in History for Feb. 16, 2019

John Wesley Hardin

Feb. 16, 1820 – The Rev. Andrew Jay was born about three miles from Jayvilla in Conecuh County, Ala. He went on to serve as a Baptist minister, military officer, commissioner of roads and revenue, tax assessor and state representative. He passed away at the age of 62 on July 18, 1883 and was buried in the Old Beulah Cemetery in Conecuh County.

  

Feb. 16, 1826 – Timothy Horton Ball was born in Agawam in Hampden County, Mass. A minister, teacher, historian and author, most of his life was spent in Clarke County, Ala. and in 1882, while living in Grove Hill, he would publish “A Glance into the Great South-east; or, Clarke County, Alabama, and its Surroundings, from 1540 to 1877.”

Feb. 16, 1864 – During the Civil War, the Federal Navy initiated operations against the forts at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Ala.

Feb. 16, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred near Gurley's Tank, Ala.

Feb. 16, 1894 - Infamous gunslinger John Wesley Hardin, who lived in Pollard, Ala. for about 18 months, was pardoned after spending 15 years in a Texas prison for murder. Hardin, who was reputed to have shot and killed a man just for snoring, was 41 years old at the time of his release.

Feb. 16, 1895 - Alabama formally adopted a state flag for the first time. The legislature dictated "a crimson cross of St. Andrew upon a field of white," which was the design submitted by John W. A. Sanford Jr., who also sponsored the bill. This flag remains Alabama's flag today.

Feb. 16, 1895 - Alabama author Florence Glass Palmer was born in Uniontown, in Perry County, Ala.

Feb. 16, 1900 – Passenger service was established on the Louisville & Nashville railroad through Monroeville, Ala.

Feb. 16, 1903 - W.D. Garrett died at his home on this Monday morning, aged 77 years. His remains were laid to rest Wednesday at Mt. Pleasant, according to The Monroe Journal.

Feb. 16, 1917 - Rev. C.W. McConnell of Roy, Ala. was in Monroeville on this Friday to “provide himself with a car so that he may the more conveniently meet his appointments at widely separated points.”

Feb. 16, 1918 - Profs. C.H. Newsome of Pineapple and J.B. Sellers of McWilliams were examined by the Wilcox County Examining Board on this Saturday. Newsome was granted exemption while Sellers was accepted.

Feb. 16, 1921 – The first ripe strawberries of the season were exhibited in Evergreen, Ala. on this day by E.C. Lee, taken from his Castleberry farm. This was the earliest exhibition of strawberries on record for Evergreen.

Feb. 16, 1921 - The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Country Club in Evergreen was held on this Wednesday afternoon, and officers were elected for ensuing year. They included J.S. Stearns, President; C.R. Taliaferro, Secretary-Treasurer; Board of Directors, W.H. Wild, L.T. Rutland, E.L. Stallworth, J.C. Cheney and E.J. McCreary. Resolutions were passed restricting fishing in the club pond and streams on property owned by it.

Feb. 16, 1928 – The Evergreen Courant reported that J.L. Kelly, Mayor of Evergreen and prominent attorney, had entered the race for nomination for County Solicitor for Conecuh County in the coming Democratic primary. He was opposing J.E. Jones, the incumbent. Kelly was a native of Conecuh County, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Kelly of Repton. He finished his law course at the University of Alabama, and had since that time engaged in the practice of law in Evergreen.

Feb. 16, 1928 - The formal announcement of Mr. B.E. Jones, prominent attorney of Evergreen, for the office of Circuit Judge of the 21^st Judicial Circuit of Alabama, appeared in this day’s edition of The Evergreen Courant. It had been pretty generally known for several months that Jones was a candidate for the office. He was opposed by F.W. Hare of Monroeville, whose announcement was made in the Monroe Journal the previous week. They were seeking the office held by Judge John D. Leigh of Brewton. The 21^st Judicial Circuit was composed of Baldwin, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties.

Feb. 16, 1928 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mr. J.H. Stove of Ceygnet, Ohio, Funeral Director and Embalmer, had arrived in Monroeville during the previous week and had opened for business in the building next door to the post office. Stove was a graduate of the Cincinnati College of Embalming and held a license for the State of Ohio. He planned to carry a line of coffins, caskets and funeral supplies. Hearse and ambulance service were also to be available at all times at reasonable prices.

Feb. 16, 1928 – The Monroe Journal reported that a joint reunion of Confederates and Union soldiers was being proposed. A joint reunion of the Union and Confederate veterans was expected to illustrate that the bitterness of the War Between the States had ended. Representative Howard (D) of Nebraska had told a House judiciary committee during the previous week, in advocating his bill proposing such a gathering that year in Washington. Chairman Hersey of Maine asked Howard to obtain the endorsement of the commanders of both the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Confederate Veterans for the proposed meeting before the committee considered the plan. Under the bill, the government would pay all expenses of the reunion.

Feb. 16, 1928 – The Monroe Journal reported that doctors A.B. Coxwell and R.A. Smith had moved to new suites of offices in the Simmons building. Doctors Harper and Yarbrough also had apartments in the building. Dr. J.M. Johnson had established his dental office in the apartments vacated by Coxwell and Smith.

Feb. 16, 1929 - Confederate Veteran John J. Booker, well known and highly respected citizen of Conecuh County, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Joe Andrews, near Belleville. Deceased was a native of Conecuh County, having been reared in what was known as the Lone Star community near Skinnerton. He was a veteran of the War Between the States and at the time of his death was 89 years old. Interment was made in Lone Star cemetery on Sun., Feb. 17.

Feb. 16, 1938 – The first ever meeting of the Evergreen Rotary Club was held on this day in the Evergreen Hotel in Evergreen, Ala.

Feb. 16, 1939 – The Monroe Journal reported that work on the Monroe County School building program was progressing rapidly and was one of the largest PWA Projects in the state, consisting of a brick combination auditorium and gymnasium at Monroeville and Uriah; a brick gymnasium at Frisco City; five-room addition and toilet sanitation at Excel, and four-room addition at Beatrice. Total of these improvements amounted to approximately $105,000 for which the County Board of Education is receiving a 45 percent grant or gift from the United States Government. The completion of these projects was expected to leave Monroe County with what was “generally recognized as the most modern school plant of any rural county in the state.”

  

Feb. 16, 1951 – Army SFC Howard W. Hall, 31, of Clarke County, Ala. died of wounds in South Korea. Born on Feb. 13, 1920 in Randolph County, Ala., Hall was a member of the 73rd Heavy Tank Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on February 16, 1951 and died of those wounds the following day. His family lived in several places but they were living in Lamar in Randolph County, Ala. when he was born. The son of Martha and John W. Hall, he enlisted in Randolph County and was awarded the Bronze Star. He was buried in Park Hill Cemetery in Columbus, Ga.

Feb. 16, 1954 – Monroe County High School’s varsity boys basketball team picked up their 15^th win of the season, and their tenth win in a row, by beating Excel, 68-44, at the coliseum in Monroeville, Ala. Bobby White led MCHS with 21 points; Joe Stevens scored 14; and Paul Fowler scored 12. Matchett led Excel with 16 points, and Stacey scored 12.

  

Feb. 16, 1960 – W.S. Neal High School’s varsity boys basketball team beat Evergreen, 66-44, on this Tuesday night.

  

Feb. 16, 1966 – For his actions on this day in Vietnam, Capt. Clinton O. “Neal” Hyde Jr. of Evergreen, Ala. was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Heroism. Hyde was a senior advisor with a paramilitary strike force unit that was conducting a search and destroy operation in the Tion Phuoc District in Vietnam. On two occasions after his force made contact with the Viet Cong, Hyde organized a fire and maneuver tactic that forced the insurgents to withdraw from their positions. While pursuing the enemy, Hyde and his counterpart, along with the lead element of the friendly force, became pinned down by intense hostile automatic weapons fire. With complete disregard for his safety, Hyde exposed himself to deadly fire to move to the rear to radio for an air evacuation of friendly casualties. After the medical evacuation, Hyde further exposed himself to enemy fire while moving to the front of the force to adjust mortar fire on hostile emplacements. His accurate adjustment of supporting fire drove the Viet Cong from their positions and allowed the friendly patrol to continue their mission. Hyde, the son of Mr. and Mrs. C.O. Hyde of Evergreen, was a graduate of Evergreen High School and West Point Military Academy.

Feb. 16, 1968 - The first-ever 911 call was placed in Haleyville, Ala. State Representative Rankin Fite made the call fom the mayor's office and it was answered at the police station by Congressman Tom Bevill. The system was put into operation within weeks of AT&T's announcement that it planned to establish 911 as a nationwide emergency number. The Alabama Telephone Company, in a successful attempt to implement the number before AT&T, determined that Haleyville's equipment could be quickly converted to accommodate an emergency system.

Feb. 16, 1969 – Army Sgt. Ralph Gerald Dunn, 21, of Andalusia, Ala. was killed in action in Kon Tum, Vietnam. Born on Oct. 27, 1947, he was buried in Andalusia Memorial Cemetery.

Feb. 16-20, 1970 – Evergreen High School hosted the 10-team District 1, Region 2, Class 3A Basketball Tournament at Memorial Gymnasium in Evergreen. On Feb. 16, Atmore High School played W.S. Neal High School at 6:30 p.m., and Marshall High School of Evergreen played Jackson High School at 8 p.m. On Feb. 17, Marengo County-Dixon Mills played Escambia County Training School at 6:30 p.m. and Evergreen High School played Camden Academy at 8 p.m. On Feb. 18, Union High School of Monroeville played the winner of the Atmore-Neal game at 6:30 p.m., and Monroeville High School played the winner of the Marshall-Jackson game at 8 p.m. Semifinal round games were played at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Feb. 19, and the championship game was played on Feb. 19.

  

Feb. 16, 1975 – Weather observer Earl Windham reported 3.0 inches of rain in Evergreen, Ala.

Feb. 16, 1978 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Lyeffion High School’s varsity boys basketball team had upped their record to 15-5 during the past week by beating Georgiana, 51-47, in Lyeffion. Adrian Woods led scoring with 19 points. Harold Kyser and Ricky Hall both reached double figures with 15 and 11 respectively.

Feb. 16, 1978 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Tim Robinson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Robinson, had been named to the Dean’s List at the U.S. Army Military Academy, West Point, New York, for the first semester, officials at the Academy announced. Robinson was a 1977 graduate of Lyeffion High School where he was an outstanding and popular student. Because of his superior high school record, Tim received an appointment to the Academy.

Feb. 16, 1978 – The Monroe Journal reported that Navy Lt. (junior grade) Wilson E. Frye, the son of George D. Frye of Uriah, was participating in exercise “Readiex 2-78” off the Southern California coast. He was serving as the weapons officer of the submarine USS Guardfish, homeported in San Diego. A 1975 graduate of the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Frye joined the Navy in September 1968.

Feb. 16, 1978 – The Monroe Journal reported that Concord Baptist Church in Buena Vista had been added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage by the Alabama Historical Commission. The privately-owned church, located on County Road 56, was the former Church of Christ Concord. It was owned by deacon J. Lindsey of Beatrice.

Feb. 16, 1979 – Sparta Academy’s girls basketball team beat Escambia Academy, 25-23, in the semi-final round of the Alabama Private Schools Association District III Basketball Tournament on this Friday night in Monroeville. Melissa Thacker led Sparta with eight points; Mary Claire Robinson scored six; and Angie Driver scored five.

  

Feb. 16, 1982 – In the quarterfinal round of the Class 1A, Area II tournament in Castleberry, Ala., Lyeffion beat Conecuh County High School, 89-65.

Feb. 16, 1984 – The Monroe Journal reported that Chief Warrant Officer George Singleton was given a valuable service award by local Girls Scouts during the previous week. The award was presented by Susan Sanderson, area Girl Scout cookie chairman, for his assistance in Girl Scout cookie sales and for allowing the cookies to be stored at the National Guard Armory in Monroeville before distribution. The annual cookie sale was underway, and cookies were to be available for several weeks.

  

Feb. 16, 1991 – Hillcrest High School’s Dameion Fantroy, who competed in the 175-pound weight class, set a state record by bench-pressing 360 pounds at the state powerlifting meet in Eufaula, Ala. The previous state record of 340 pounds was set in 1988.

Feb. 16, 1991 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported a low temperature of 17 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.

Feb. 16, 1991 – Yellow ribbons were placed on the fence along the railroad tracks in downtown Evergreen, Ala. by the loved ones of military personnel who were serving in the Persian Gulf War.

Feb. 16, 1996 – The Avant House on Sanford Road in Andalusia, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Feb. 16, 1998 – Ethan Eugene Dorsey, 28, of Andalusia, Ala. was scheduled to stand trial in front of Judge Sam Welch on three counts of capital murder in conection with the alleged killings of Richard Cary, 52, Scott Williams, 39, and Timothy Bryan Cane, 13, on Nov. 20 at Cary’s Store in the Brooklyn community. All three victims were found gunned down at the store sometime around 8 p.m., and Calvin Middleton of Andalusia was also charged in the shooting.

Feb. 16, 2013 – Evergreen, Ala. native and NFL running back Ken Clark died of a heart attack at the age of 46 in Minneapolis, Minn. Born Kenneth R. Clark, he attended Bryan High School in Omaha, Nebraska and played collegiate football at the University of Nebraska. While with the Huskers under Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne, Clark became one of the school's all-time greats. He topped the 1,000 rushing yardage mark twice and earned All-Big Eight honor two-times. In 1989, Clark set a single-season rushing yardage record for a junior with 256 in a game against Oklahoma State University. Selected by the Indianapolis Colts during the 8th round of the 1990 NFL Draft, he appeared in 34 regular season games. While attending Nebraska, he was a Human Development major. He was buried in Graceland Park Cemetery in South Omaha, Nebraska.

Feb. 16, 2013 – Bones belonging to a Prichard man who’d been missing since 2009 were discovered beneath the General W.K. Wilson Bridge (Dolly Parton Bridge) near Mobile, Ala.

Feb. 16, 2016 – UFO: Witnesses reported a UFO sighting that occurred around 4:30 p.m. on this Tuesday in Florence, which is in Lauderdale County, in the extreme northwest corner of Alabama. The witness in this case said he was traveling across the Singing River Bridge in Florence around 4:30 p.m. when he spotted a gray, football-shaped object in the sky. The witness said he could see the other side of the river from his position on the bridge and that the object was hovering in the sky just over the tree line. The witness estimated that the object was about the size of a small plane. He also noted that it appeared to swing side-to-side for a few moments before it dipped into the trees for about four seconds. The object then reappeared over the tree line and was visible for a few more seconds before it darted away to the southeast towards Wilson Dam. The witness said he couldn’t see the object once it disappeared around the hills by the dam.

Feb. 16, 2016 – UFO: Witnesses reported a UFO sighting that occurred on this Tuesday around 9:45 p.m., in Eufaula, which is in Barbour County in Southeast Alabama, near the Alabama-Georgia state line. The witness in this case spotted in the sky what he thought was at first a pulsar or two flashing stars, so he grabbed his video camera and filmed the unusual object for an hour. He eventually stopped filming the object and went inside “once the object focused well enough to be observed,” he said. However, when he reviewed the footage he found something unexpected. What he thought was a pulsar or two flashing stars turned out to be a “vision of a materon cube caught on tape,” the witness reported.