George Singleton tells of discovering an 'old burial crypt' on the east bank of the Alabama River in 1975

(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 “Early residents sheltered graves” was originally published in the Sept. 25, 1975 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

As one tries to follow man’s footsteps down through the spans of time, one will find many customs that man has practiced in preparing himself for the journey into the Great Hereafter.

He has, on many occasions, spent almost all his life building monuments of stone and marble in which his body would rest when passing from this life into the next. He has explored and sought in every way that he could imagine to preserve his remains for as long a time as possible.

He has chosen the finest steel and copper from which to mold his coffins. He has wrapped himself in solid gold and surrounded his lifeless form with precious stones in hopes of being better prepared for that Great Awakening.

Great songs, lyrics

He has written great songs and lyrics of his life on earth in the hope that he will be remembered for time immortal. He refuses to accept that he too will pass like a blade of grass before the winds of time and be remembered no more.

In our country’s early history, the custom of building a shelter or crypt over the grave of the departed was commonplace.

Such a crypt is to be found on the east bank of the Alabama River near here.

Not much remains of what was the prize handiwork of some forgotten brick mason. The old handmade bricks have been softened by the snows of over a hundred winters. The mortar has long since crumpled and fallen from between the bricks, while a large trees has grown alongside and the roots have worked their way beneath the walls.

Dirt and mortar

Of many of the crypts nothing remains but a pile of dirt and mortar, giving evidence of the time span since they were placed there. In judging the size of the bricks and the conditions of the few that remain intact, I would estimate that they were placed in the present location around the turn of the 19^th century.

Few people know the whereabouts of this old burying ground. None remember its name. The names of the departed have long ceased to be mentioned as the few who might have known have too been laid to rest at a later date and another place.

To see the remains of an old graveyard like this brings with it a feeling of sadness and depression. It reminds us that time waits for no one, and that all must journey through the valley of the shadows.

I think the unknown author of this short epitaph found on a small tombstone deep in the state of Georgia, might have come close in summing up the situation correctly:

Stranger, stop and cast an eye,
Where you are now, so once was I.
Where I am now, so you will be,
Prepare for death and follow me.

(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.)