Old newspaper excerpts from The Monroe Journal newspaper of Monroe County, Alabama

Dr. Jack Whetstone

28 YEARS AGO
JAN. 7, 1993

Charlie McCorvey, District 4 Monroe County Commissioner, was sworn in by county Probate Judge Otha Lee Biggs on Dec. 22. McCorvey ran unopposed in the November election and was reelected for his second term. McCorvey was sworn in early because he was leaving town for the holidays.

J.F. Shields High School of Beatrice, ranked eighth in last week’s 2A poll, defeated Wilcox Central High School, 75-73, Wednesday of last week to win the Wilcox Classic basketball tournament in Camden.
Lamont Easley, a junior forward, came up with some big rebounds and four free throws in the closing minutes to help the Panthers overtake the Jaguars and record the victory.
(Other top Shields players in that game included Sherman Curry, David Jones, Kirk Kemp, Marcus Kemp, Richard Mason, LaDerrick Odom and Billy Williams. Larry Woolfolk was Shields’ head coach.)

Monroeville Area Chamber elects six new directors: Six new directors have been elected to the board of the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce and will be sworn in, along with new officers, at 4:15 p.m. Monday, just before the regular meeting.
Elected in a mail ballot of chamber members were: Ronnie Darby with Red & White Food Store; Pete Coats with Macmillan-Bloedel; Jane Hood Martin with The Monroe Journal; Jim Kelly with Hammer Construction; Dawn Hare with Hare & Hare attorneys; and Sherry Banks with Hub Realty. Tommy Lee is incoming president of the chamber, replacing Billy Bond. Chuck Pelham will move up from second to first vice president.

53 YEARS AGO
JAN. 4, 1968

James D. Harpers Have First Baby: The first baby of the New Year in Monroeville was born at Monroe County Hospital Jan. 1 at 7:59 p.m. She is Deborah Letha Harper, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Harper of Evergreen, Rt. 2. Mrs. Harper is the former Margaret Ann Dunn.
Dr. Jack Whetstone delivered the seven-pound, eight-ounce girl, his fifth New Years baby in seven years of practice in Monroeville.

Tigers Take Beatrice Team: The Tigers of Monroeville started the new year off by defeating the Beatrice Eagles, 74-41, Tuesday night.
Van Pickens, a senior, led the team with 16 points. Mike Colquett was second with 15 followed by Edward Pipkin, who had 11.
Beatrice’s leading scorer was Teddie Booker with 13. Jerry McKenzie had 12 for the Eagles. Watson and Scruggs both had six.

In Peterman Jones & Murphy Firm Closes: Jones & Murphy, one of the oldest stores in Monroe County, has closed its doors for business.
The business, begun in 1901 by Mrs. Ethel Turpin’s father, J.R. Eddins, who died in 1940, has been operated by Mrs. Turpin and Mr. and Mrs. Max Murphy. Mrs. Turpin said the business was being closed because of poor health.
Mrs. Turpin, who with her son-in-law, Max Murphy, has headed this business for 27 years, expressed her appreciation for the wonderful friendship and patronage to the company during the past years.

78 YEARS AGO
JAN. 7, 1943

Three Monroeville Men Bag Bucks: Monroeville hunters brought back the evidence of crack marksmanship after a deer hunt on the Slade place, south of Jackson, last Friday.
L.L. Dees, C.H. McCall and Sam Pierson killed three of the five bucks on the hunt and according to Mr. Slade, they were the largest killed on his place in many years.
Mr. Dees has a second notch on his gun, having killed his first buck on a hunt with Mr. Slade last year.

Uriah Boy Kills Big Wild Cat Tuesday: William Dean of Uriah has a real hunting story too. H was squirrel hunting Thursday of last week and instead of squirrels he killed an unusually large wild cat. William is 10 years old and is in the fourth grade of the Uriah school.

Skinner Completes Technical Course: Charles Ray, son of Mr. and Mrs. M.E. Skinner, graduated Dec. 26 from the Air Force Technical Command School as mechanic on Pratt & Whitney engines at the Buick Motor Division of the Flint, Michigan plant. He has been sent to Ogden, Utah for the present.

The Monroe County High School basketball team is scheduled to meet the Frisco City High team on the local court Friday night, Jan. 8, at 7:45.
The local boys will be trying to run their string of victories to four games. To date, they have defeated Frisco City, Excel and Uriah one game each.
Last Friday night, the Monroeville team met Uriah at Uriah and eked out a 16-14 win. Shelton was high-point man for Uriah with five points. Charlie Helton rang up 10 points for Monroeville. Another feature of the game was the clever ball-handling of Yak McInnis.

103 YEARS AGO
JAN. 3, 1918

On account of the severe cold last Sunday, there was no Sunday school at the Methodist church. The weather man says that the month which has just closed was the coldest on record for 40 years, and the temperature last Sunday was sufficient to scare even the most faithful into staying inside.

Death of Mr. Ernest Northrop: Mr. Ernest Northrop died at his home at Eliska on Dec. 20 after an illness of several weeks. He was born Aug. 13, 1879 and had been a resident of Monroe County all his life. On Dec. 28, 1903 he was married to Miss Mary Shomo King of Mt. Pleasant. Mr. Northrop was a true and faithful member of the Methodist church and contributed liberally to its institutions.

The University of Alabama Glee Club was greeted by an audience that taxed its seating capacity when they appeared at the auditorium here Monday evening. All who were fortunate enough to be present express themselves as being highly pleased with the work of the Glee Club. At the conclusion of the program, all who felt so disposed went to the Lake Park Club where dancing was enjoyed.

To Subscribers: As we have previously announced, the subscription price of The Journal was advanced on Jan. 1 from $1 to $1.50 per year. We have increased the price for the reason that the price of all material used has advanced to the point that it is impossible to continue at the old price. There is but one thing for us to do in order to exist and that is to increase our price.

128 YEARS AGO
JAN. 5, 1893

The holidays passed very quietly at Monroeville. Several social gatherings were enjoyed by the young people. We observed less drinking and disturbance than is usual on such occasions, which fact we note with pleasure as an evidence of moral improvement.

The supper given on the evening of Dec. 23 by the ladies of Monroeville for the benefit of the Baptist Church graveyard was a success in every particular. About fifty dollars were realized.

Mr. Youngblood, the contractor for the repairs on the county jail, began work a couple of weeks ago and is making rapid progress. The building is being thoroughly renovated and improved and when the work is completed it will be practically a new jail, having a capacity for the comfort and safekeeping of nearly twice the number of prisoners that it formerly had. Its exterior appearance will be quite a credit to the county.

Dr. J.F. Busey of the Mobile Medical College spent his holiday vacation with relatives and friends at Monroeville.

The finest thing in the vegetable line that we have ever seen is some specimens of turnips grown by several of our esteemed citizens between whom a spirit of friendly rivalry seems to exist on the subject of gardening. A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Russell put on exhibition some very fine ones, and a few days after Collector Robinson presented us with a couple that out-classed the doctor’s, one of them weighing four pounds and measuring 21 inches in circumference, but Capt. W.T. Nettles breaks the record with a mammoth white globe measuring 25 inches in circumference and weighing six pounds.