Singleton tells of 'tumbling waterfall,' 'forgotten homestead' near Monroe County's Pleasant Hill community

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 “Tumbling waterfall makes endless music” was originally published in the July 17, 1975 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

I think that one of the most peaceful and restful spots a person can find is near a waterfall. One can sit for hours and listen to the endless music that the water makes as it tumbles over and downward to the stream below.

Such a place is in south Monroe County near the Pleasant Hill community. I had the opportunity to visit this place with some friends of mine. We left the main road and turned into a heavily wooded area on a trail that was almost impassable. After considerable effort we reached a spot that was near enough that we could hear the waterfalls in the distance.

Forgotten homestead

We made our way downward toward the tumbling waters, by an old homestead that had long been forgotten. All that remained was a few old rocks that had been part of the fireplace. These were scattered here and there among the cedar trees that had been planted in years past. If you looked real close you could see where the old yard fence once stood.

We moved down the hill to the small stream that shone brightly with its sparkling waters rushing onward toward the falls a few yards below. Here the crystal clear water would float through the air for a brief moment before it splashed into the mirror-like pool beneath the falls.

As I stood in the shade of the dogwood trees and listened to the falling water, I wondered about the many people in the world who have never and will not ever witness such a breath-taking display of nature.

Gentle breeze

I thought of the gentle breeze that was fanned by the falling water as it caressed my face and cooled my brow. And I thought of a time when, as a boys, I would have shed my clothing and felt the cold waters close around my body as I plunged into the deep, clear pool.

As we walked up the hill past the old homestead, I thought of the laughing children who had in times past run down this same hill on a hot summer day with the same thought in mind.

A thunderstorm shortened our stay at this beautiful spot, but as we made our way over the slippery trail toward the main road, I vowed that I would soon return and do the one thing I wanted to most – to cool for a long, long time in the waters below the falls while listening to the music of the falling waters

(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.)