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

Alabama author Rick Bragg

15 YEARS AGO
MAY 3, 2007

Symposium starts today: Two Pulitzer Prize winners headline this year’s list of writers, authors and scholars scheduled to attend the 10^th annual Alabama Writers Symposium at Alabama Southern Community College in Monroeville.
The event begins today (Thursday) and will continue through Saturday. As in past years, this year’s event will feature some of Alabama’s most celebrated writers and scholars, including Pulitzer Prize winners Rick Bragg, 1996, and Monroeville’s own Cynthia Tucker, 2007, who resides in Atlanta and is employed as a columnist and editorial editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Excel’s Lady Panthers captured first place in the Monroe County Softball Tournament that was completed Wednesday of last week in Excel. Members of the team are Kristen Lassiter, Kelsey Ledkins, Christy Seales, Whitley Ledkins, Courtney Addison, Lauren Anderson, Caitlin Bailey, head coach Charlotte Wiggins, assistant coach Sam Hollingsworth Jr., Jessy Bradley, Susan Smith, Deanna Henderson, Amy Hudson, Morgan Agerton, Hunter-Lynne Silcox, Kayla Jordan, Alycia Baggett, Bridgett Eddins, Claire Jordan and Lindsay Gulsby.

BankTrust donates building: Monroeville BankTrust President John B. Barnett III hands Tommy Chandler the deed to the old Peterman State Bank building in Peterman. BankTrust donated the building to the Peterman Historical Preservation Foundation, Inc. “We appreciate Mr. Barnett and BankTrust for donating the building to the foundation,” Chandler said. “We will use the building for the betterment of the community.”

40 YEARS AGO
MAY 6, 1982

Library fund at $104,500: Over $104,500 has been raised so far for the Monroe County Library’s drive for $250,000 to move into the former LaSalle hotel and restaurant building in downtown Monroeville.
Librarian Anne Pridgen said pledges of $4,000 from Georgia-Pacific Corp. and $3,000 from the Conecuh-Monroe Counties Gas District helped increase the fund about $12,000 from last week’s total.

The Monroe County High School baseball team is bound for the state playoffs after concluding its regular season by downing Frisco City and W.S. Neal and dropping its last game to Selma High School. After Monday night’s finale, the Tigers had a perfect 7-0 3A Area 2 record and a 17-2 overall record. Today (Thursday), they will begin their quest for the state 3A state championship, traveling to Eddie Stanky Field at the University of South Alabama for a 7:45 meeting with UMS of Mobile.
(Players on MCHS’s team that season included Michael Biggs, Frank Brown, Stan Cumbie, Todd Dees, Todd Hamilton, Ray Laffitte, Kelvin Lett, Edgar Lee McCarthy, Joe McCarthy, John McCarthy and Joe Rogers.)

Rope bridge: Leader Al Nettles assists members of a Monroeville Boy Scout troop in setting up poles, made from tall, thin hardwood trees, to erect a rope bridge. The troop made and demonstrated the bridge at Monroeville’s annual Sunday on the Square arts and crafts show which was held April 25 at the Monroe County Coliseum because of threatened rain. Using the poles and ropes, the boys built the rope bridge in front of the coliseum by tying the ropes in knots.

65 YEARS AGO
MAY 2, 1957

Doy McCall Named To Historical Group: Doy McCall, prominent Monroeville historian, was recently elected to the executive committee of the Alabama Historical Association.
Well-known in historical circles in Alabama for a number of years, Mr. McCall has an extensive accumulation of early Alabama-ana in his personal collection.
C.J. Coley, Probate Judge of Tallapoosa County, Dadeville, was elected president of the association during the recent election of officers at Alabama College, Montevallo.

Little League baseball gets off to a seasonal start Monday with games scheduled at Frisco City and Monroeville. Games in the Majors will follow regularly on Monday and Thursday nights at five and six o’clock, in Vanity Fair Park in Monroeville. In Frisco City, games will begin at 5 p.m. on the same dates at the high school athletic field.

Monroeville Shriners Attend Spring Meet In Mobile Saturday: Approximately 15 Shriners from the Monroeville area attended the Spring Shrine ceremony which was held in Mobile Sat., April 27, when 35 candidates were given the Shrine degrees.
Shriners who went from the Monroeville area included W.N. Wiggins, James Burns, W.S. Nash, Raymond Owens, Ed Owens, Fred Sheffield, Lawrence Ginwright, Tommie Wiggins, W.F. Wiggins, W.J. Falkenberry, C.R. Gedhart, Dayton Russell, Johnny Snider and J.T. Moore.
Degree ceremonies were begun at 2 p.m. when candidates from the Monroeville area were Rep. Nick Hare, W.R. Carter Jr. and John McInnis.

90 YEARS AGO
MAY 5, 1932

Woman Dies After Being Struck By Auto: Sara Jackson was fatally injured when struck by an automobile driven by Mr. Stokes of Montgomery, about a mile west of Monroeville Monday morning. Mr. Stokes was driving toward Mexia and pulled to the side of the road to avoid striking a mail car when he saw the woman meeting him. He applied the brakes and skidded his car about 150 feet. When it turned across the road, the rear fender struck the woman. She died late Monday afternoon.

LUCIAN JONES WINS GOLF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP: Lucian Jones defeated J.R. Barnett in the final match for championship of flight one and the club championship on last Thursday afternoon. Charles Locklin won over Clay Pittman for champion of the second flight and H.G. Greer was declared winner of flight three after defeating K.J. Lazenby.

County Wide School Meeting For May 21: There will be a county-wide meeting of interested school citizens held in the courthouse at Monroeville on Sat., May 21, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Dr. A.F. Harmon, State Superintendent of Education, and Supt. J.A. Keller of Andalusia will be present and explain the present critical school situation.
This is the beginning of a series of meetings to be held throughout the state to acquaint the people with the facts concerning the school plight, which is growing more serious all the time.
Unless some early re-adjustments are made in the matter of the state’s financial support for the common schools, our schools will have to cease to operate, or at least go back to about a three months school each year.

115 YEARS AGO
MAY 2, 1907

The regular convocation of Monroe Chapter No. 122, Royal Arch Masons, will be held on Tuesday evening, May 7. A full attendance of companions is requested.

NOTICE: The members of the Geo. Foster Camp are requested to meet at Monroeville on Tuesday, 14^th day of May, to elect delegates to the Nashville reunion to be held at Richmond, Va. and to pay dues for present year. T.J. EMMONS, President.

Hon. John McDuffie was over from his plantation a few days last week.

Mr. B.B. Hobdy of Pine Apple is reading law in the office of Messrs. McCorvey & Hare.

Beginning May 1, the merchants of Monroeville, by mutual agreement, will close their places of business at 6:30 p.m., during the summer months.

Rev. N.B. Keahey of Marion Junction looked in on us for a few moments in passing through the city last week. Bro. Keahey was here in the behalf of the Selma Military School.

Dr. Chas. F. McKinley, who graduated recently from the Mobile Medical College, was in to see us Monday. Dr. McKinley has located at Wainwright, this county, for the practice of his profession.

Dr. J.P. Stallworth returned Monday from Atlanta where he has been attending medical lectures. Dr. Stallworth brings with him his “sheepskin,” having graduated with honors from the Atlanta medical college a few days ago.