Monroe County, Alabama community’s name means ‘tadpole’ in Muscogee Indian language

Oak Grove Baptist Church

As I am subject to do on fair weather days, I struck out last Thursday afternoon for a little exploring on Monroe County’s backroads. After a few twists and turns, I eventually found myself at the intersection of Oak Grove Church Road and Snider Avenue, about seven road miles from Monroeville’s downtown square. Thinking about old maps that I’d seen of this area, I knew that I was in “downtown” Tekoa.

Those of you who have been to Tekoa before will know that the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway tracks run right down the spine of the community. Aside from the railroad tracks, the only other significant landmark at Tekoa is the Oak Grove Baptist Church, which was founded in the 1800s. I pulled in for a closer look at this fine, red-brick church last Thursday and realized how much it had changed since I attended a wedding there back in the early 1990s.

Sources say that this church was established in November 1883 with 23 members. Since then, the church has gone through many changes, including the addition of a new auditorium in 1957. The first services were held in the new building in 1958.

If you go there today, on the northeast corner of the church, you’ll find a cornerstone that reads as follows: 1957, Rev. W.O. Howe – 1958, Rev. M.R. Jones, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Organized 1883 – Ubie Simmons, H.C. Manning, B.H. Norris, Trustees.

Later at the library, I got to digging around and learned that the word “Tekoa” is the Muscogee Indian word for “tadpole.” Variations of the word “Tekoa” include “Toccoa” and “Tocoi.” Apparently, “Tekoa” is the Alabama version of the word, while the other two variations were used by Indians in Georgia and Florida.

Tekoa is also a place mentioned in the Bible in 2 Samuel 14:1. This Biblical location was in the hill country of Judah, about five miles south of Bethlehem. Whether or not the early settlers of this part of Monroe County took the name “Tekoa” from the Indians or the Bible is unknown.

The oldest reference to “Tekoa” that I could find in the archives of The Monroe Journal was in the Sept. 12, 1890 edition. That paper carried a Montgomery land office notice in which a “settler” named Moses Henderson was trying to establish a homestead on land that he had live on and farmed for some time. His witnesses included John W. Broughton, Manning Stacey, Joseph E. Hanks and Jasper Manning, all of Tekoa.

In its heyday, Tekoa was a much more bustling place that it is today. At one time, Tekoa had its own school and post office. The post office was established in 1891, and John W. Broughton was the first postmaster. Sources also say that the old school was located where the Oak Grove Baptist Church now stands.

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience with more information about the old Tekoa community. I’m especially interested in any old ghost stories, local legends or Indian lore from this part of the county. If you know of anything along these lines, please let me know.