Conecuh County's historic Brownville community traces its roots to 1818 settlement by Joel Brown

Brownville historical marker on County Road 22.

Last Thursday morning’s crisp, fall air made me want to get out of the office and do some riding around, so I grabbed my county map and climbed in my truck. With no particular destination in mind, I headed out of town past the high school and traveled through the old “S-Curve” before turning left onto County Road 22. A few miles later, I found myself in “downtown” Brownville, one of the prettiest communities in all of Conecuh County.

My first stop was the Brownville Memorial Cemetery, which is located in the wedge of land where Blessed Way runs into County Road 22. Established in 1879, this sizeable cemetery contains many old graves, including the graves of many of the community’s original settlers. In all, I’d say that there are about 300 graves here along with a distinctive gazebo that’s topped with a unique weathervane.

While walking among the headstones, the oldest grave that I saw belonged to Elizabeth Murphy McGraw. She died at the age of 51 in 1882. Here you will also find the grave of local football legend Wayne Frazier, who played in the first Super Bowl. He passed away in 2012 and is still missed by many.

While there, I was also pleasantly surprised when my buddies Jake Adams and Butch Adams pulled up for a brief visit. They were out riding around, enjoying the cool weather. Butch’s many friends will be happy to hear that he is doing very good and looking forward to Alabama winning another national championship again this year.

After we said our goodbyes, I got back in my truck and eased down to the Brownville Methodist Church, which was established in 1884. Next door to this church is another sizeable cemetery. Just eyeballing it, I’d say there are about a hundred graves there, and the oldest that I saw during my brief survey was that of Alexander Travis Smith, who died in 1905.

A short time later, I continued down County Road 22, where I pulled over near the Brownville Fire Station to check out the historical marker on the west side of the road. Those of you who have seen this marker before will know that it says, “BROWNVILLE, 1818 – An early settler, Joel Brown and wife, Mary, moved their family from South Carolina. Joel is recognized for building the first water gin in this area. Joel’s son, Russell, homesteaded land adjacent to his. Russell’s descendants have continued to live here.” The marker indicates that it was erected in June 2017.

Once back in my truck, it occurred to me that I was near the old Brown-Beasley Cemetery, a burial ground that I’d never personally been to before. My map showed that it was a short distance away on the Flat Rock-Brownville Road. I eventually made my way down this dirt road, passed the mail lady and a big black cat, before pulling over at the cemetery.

Here you will find about 40 graves, including the graves of all three of the Browns mentioned on the community’s historical marker. Joel and Mary are buried together, and the grave of Russell can be found a short distance away. As far as I can tell, the grave of Mary Brown is the oldest in the cemetery. She passed away in 1857 when she was in her early 80s.

Before heading back to Evergreen, I rode down to the intersection of County Road 22 and County Road 26. Here you’ll find the Owassa-Brownville Water System office and water tower. I pulled over for a few minutes to snap a few pictures of the water tower before eventually returning to Evergreen.

On my way back, I thought about all I’d seen and many questions came to mind. Where was Joel Brown’s water gin located and what water source powered this gin were the two foremost questions that crossed my mind. Perhaps someone in the reading audience will know.

In the end, please let me hear from you if you know anything more about the history of the Brownville community. I’m especially interested in any ghost stories, local legends or tall tales from this area. Also, let me know if you know of any old Indian village or mound sites in this part of the county. No doubt there is much more to be told about the history of the old Brownville community.