Conecuh County's old Diadem community lies on ancient Indian path along Burnt Corn Creek

New Hope AME Zion Church

As many of you will remember, last Thursday was a wet and dreary day. Despite the wet weather, the urge to do some exploring hit me after lunch, so I climbed in my truck and struck off down the Loree Road towards Brantley Switch. At Brantley Switch, I turned north on County Road 15, and three miles later I pulled over at the New Hope AME Zion Church.

As I stood there admiring this stately, old brick church, small drops of water began to bead up on my black jacket as a fine mist of rain blew across the church yard, pushed by the warm afternoon winds. According to the church’s cornerstone, the building was erected in 1968. The Rev. S. Moore Jr. was the church’s pastor at that time.

While there, I spent a few minutes looking around the graveyard that’s just north of the church. Just eye-balling it, I’d say this grave yard contains at least 250 graves, maybe more. The oldest grave that I was able to find belonged to the Rev. Robert A. Green, who died in 1879.

This cemetery contains many old graves, many of which predate the founding of the nearby church. It was then that I remembered that old county maps show that this place was once called “Diadem.” Mentions of this old community can be found in many old Conecuh County newspapers, and the old Diadem community was once so heavily populated that it even had its own post office from 1892 to 1911.

No doubt many travelers passed this way in years gone by. The stretch of County Road 15 that runs from Burnt Corn, through Diadem and Brantley Switch, to Belleville is one of the oldest roads in Alabama. In fact, it was built along an old Indian path called the “Furrow Path,” an ancient path whose origins date far back into shrouded prehistory.

Burnt Corn Creek lies to the west of this place and runs parallel to County Road 15 all the way to where the road peters out at I-65. There is no telling how many old Indian village sites and burial mounds lie along this historic creek and former Indian trail. No doubt there is much to be discovered beneath the ground in these areas.

The rain strengthened, so I got back in my truck. As I sat there letting the heater warm up, I remember the time that I came to this community in February 2018 to meet Marcus Lee. On that day, Marcus, a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman, took me into the woods to show me where he and other relatives had had several strange encounters with several Bigfoot-type creatures. But that is a story for another day.

Those of you familiar with this area will know that there is also an historical marker located less than a mile north of the church and graveyard. This historical marker tells of the first school in Conecuh County, which was known as the “Student’s Retreat.” The land where the school was located was owned by John Green, who was also the school’s first teacher.

Eventually, I pointed my truck back towards Evergreen, and as I made my way back to the county seat, I could not help but think about all that I’d seen during my short field trip to the old Diadem community. If anyone in the reading audience knows any more about the history of this area, please let me hear from you. I’m especially interested in hearing about any old Indian sites – or sightings of strange creatures – from this historic corner of Conecuh County.

(Got a comment or question? E-mail Lee Peacock at courantnewsdesk@gmail.com.)