Singleton tells of 'nature's strange and dark side' and 'old Indian burial ground' after trip to Nancy Mountain

George Buster Singleton

(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 “Nature’s strange & dark side” was originally published in the June 13, 2002 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

Wednesday, June 5, was a very nice day. The air was just a bit warm, but I decided to slip away for a while and check on the happenings around Nancy Mountain and the ferry.

I rolled out my motorbike and put on a long-sleeved shirt to keep my arms from too much sunburn and headed northwest.

After a quick stop at the local store for a soft drink and a pack of cookies, I headed for Nancy Mountain. I never grow tired of traveling up that road through Finchburg. It always seems so peaceful up that way.

As I turned on the dirt road that leads to my favorite spot, a large hawk flew over my head and seemed to follow me all the way to the high hill. As I pulled over and shut off my engine, the large hawk settled in a large oak tree there on the hill. I proceeded to eat my cookies and drink my soft drink as the large hawk watched my every move. I would have been glad to share my goodies with him, but he never came down to where I was eating.

After a while, I decided to ride on down the steep hill and see just how high the river was at the ferry. The scenic ride down the twisting hill and the primitive beauty that I witnessed was worth the trip, even if I didn’t see anything else. Little did I know that I was about to be a witness in a few minutes of some strange goings on.

Stopping at the ferry, I watched the waters of the river as they made their way south. Time seemed to stand still as sighing winds and the rushing waters seemed to work together in harmony with one another.

I started my engine again and turned to the south. I decided to ride down the road that parallels the river and maybe see something going down by the old Indian burial ground there on the river bank.

As I neared the end of the road and the place where I would turn around, I noticed that someone had thrown the carcass of a small dead dog there between the road and the large pond there to my left. As I neared the dead animal, a very large splash took place there in the edge of the water. Turning my motorcycle around, I rode up the bank and stopped beside a picnic table there. I wanted to see if I might witness something out of the ordinary there in the water.

Getting up on the table, I sat down and waited. Watching the water’s edge very carefully through the tall weeds and bushes, I noticed a large pair of eyes at water’s level staring at the dead carcass of the dog. The large eyes stayed in that position for about three minutes. Then slowly the snout and the head of a very large alligator emerged from the pond.

Nothing moved for another four minutes. Then slowly more of the alligator’s body came to the surface. Another two or three minutes passed as the large alligator looked over the situation.

As he slowly made his way out of the water of the pond, I realized that I was looking at a gator almost eight feet in length. Inch by inch, he slowly moved farther up through the grass toward the dead dog. Quite some time had passed since the large gator had emerged from the water.

He was now no more than three feet from the carcass. Once again, he stopped and seemed to look the situation over. Then, quick as a bolt of lightning, the large alligator jumped the remaining distance and seized the dead carcass in his mouth. All that remained exposed of the carcass was its head and its tail and rear feet.

The large gator lay very still for a few moments as though he was seeing if the dog was dead. Opening his mouth twice, he positioned the dead carcass in his large mouth. Then he turned and slowly headed for the dark waters of the pond.

As he was about to enter the water, a large splash erupted just in front of him. All I could see was the open jaws of another large alligator who seemed to be trying to take the dead carcass from the one who was just entering the water.

The dark pond water splashed furiously over an area of about 20 feet. I wasn’t able to see much of what was going on, other than every few seconds or so a large head or the long tail of one of the gators would appear out of the water.

It would disappear then with a large splash or slap on the water. Slowly, the turmoil seemed to disappear into the depths of the dark waters of the pond. I never knew which one of the large gators ended up with the evening meal. I do know however I was glad that I was where I was and they weren’t fighting over me.

Starting my motorcycle, I slowly made my way back up the hill. Dismounting my iron horse, I sat down and gave some thought about what I had just witnessed. As I looked across the deep, peaceful valley below me, I realized how fragile man is in his environment.

Looking as some growing green trees and bushes nearby, I realized that Mother Nature controls awesome power. Beauty on one hand and death and horror on the other, but then, I guess that is the way that it was intended to be.

As for now, I’ll remember that some things Mother Nature controls is not always beautiful and pleasant to see.

(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 to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “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. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He also helped organize the Monroe County Museum and Historical Society and was also a past president of that organization. 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.)