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

USS Monterey (CVL-26)

18 YEARS AGO
JULY 15, 2004

Colonial Bank announced Saturday that it will donate the building previously used as one of its branch offices to the Town of Repton.
Town officials are now planning to move Repton’s Town Hall, located on Front Street in Repton, to the newly donated building. The bank’s former office, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and Jones Street in Repton, recently closed.
The announcement about the donation came Saturday during the town’s Heritage Homecoming Festival and School Reunion.
Repton Mayor Terri Carter said she was pleased and excited about the donation to the town.

MA hires coach: Joe Nettles, a native of Pine Hill, has been hired as Monroe Academy’s head football coach, replacing Don Smith, who resigned last week.
Nettles, 56, coached Alma Bryant High School, a Class 6A public school in Irvington, the past two seasons, leading the team to a 7-3 record last year.
Monroe Academy Athletic Director Ronnie Williams said the school is “fortunate” to have hired Nettles. Williams said Monroe Academy’s board of directors approved Nettles’ nomination for the job at Tuesday’s board meeting at the school.

Library donation: Katie Farish, a volunteer with the Monroe County Heritage Museums, presents Bunny Nobles, director of the Monroe County Library, with copies of the “Index to the Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole, Cherokee and Choctaw Rolls” last Thursday at the Monroeville library. These reference books will be placed in the library’s Dr. Woodrow Eddins Genealogy Room.

43 YEARS AGO
JULY 19, 1979

Pine beetles strike county trees: The Southern Pine Beetle has infected the forests of 34 Alabama counties, including Monroe, and, if left unchecked, will destroy millions of dollars of timber, according to C.W. Moody, state forester with the Alabama Forestry Commission.
Monroe County forester Gary Cole, Conecuh County forester Victor Howell and George Simpson, district pilot, did an aerial survey of Monroe County recently.
The northern part of Monroe County has been hit the hardest, Cole said. Below Monroeville, where the pine types change to primarily long leaf, the trees have been affected very little, he said.

Monroeville All-stars triumph in Babe Ruth regional tourney: The Monroeville Babe Ruth 14- and 15-year-old All-stars pounded Bay Minette 16-1 Tuesday night in Monroeville to win the Babe Ruth area tournament. Pearlie Broughton was the winning pitcher in the championship game with relief help from Von Ham.
(Other players on Monroeville’s team included Ken Ackerman, Willie Armstrong, Mac Baker, Todd Hamilton, Bill Hudson, Ray Laffitte and Kelvin Lett. Ronnie Dees was the team’s coach.)

Monroeville Jayceettes to hold disco dance-a-thon Friday: The Monroeville Jayceettes will sponsor a disco dance-a-thon tomorrow (Friday) night at the Vanity Fair Community House to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The dance will begin at 7 p.m. and last until 1 a.m. with WMFC radio providing the music. Admission is $1.50 for individuals and $2 for couples. Participants will be eligible for prizes and gifts donated by area merchants.

68 YEARS AGO
JULY 15, 1954

Principal At Beatrice Resigns To Accept Position In Georgia: Resignation of Robert Couch, principal at Beatrice High School, effective at the end of this month, was announced Wednesday by H.G. Greer of Monroeville, county superintendent of education.
Mr. Couch has resigned to accept a position as assistant football coach, head basketball coach and instructor of high school subjects at the high school at Brunswick, Ga.
He has been principal at Beatrice for the past three years, coming there from the school at Sweet Water, where he was coach.

Babe Ruth All-Stars Bow To Legion Team From Pensacola, 5-0: The Monroeville Babe Ruth League All-Stars were losers in a tilt at Vanity Fair Park last Saturday night to an American Legion nine from Pensacola, Fla., 5-0.
Winning pitchers for the Florida representation were Williams and Cobb, who gave up only one hit to Monroeville sluggers in a total of 20 times at bat. Loser for the locals was John Fowler, who allowed the Pensacolans five hits for 30 times at bat.
Cobb, first baseman, got Monroeville’s sole hit, while Williams, pitcher, led hitting for the Pensacola team with one for one.

Monroeville Scouts Cruising On Carrier: Members of Monroeville’s Boy Scout Troop No. 24 left Wednesday night for Pensacola to visit the Naval Air Station and a cruise today (Thursday) on the aircraft carrier, USS Monterey. According to Scoutmaster Frank Meigs, the troop planned to spend Wednesday night on the base and eat breakfast and lunch on the Monterey on which they will spend all of today cruising in the Gulf of Mexico.

93 YEARS AGO
JULY 18, 1929

CHURCH ANNIVERSARY: A most beautiful sacred hour was spent at the Methodist church at Frisco City on last Wednesday evening when the 15^th anniversary of the present church was celebrated.
The church never looked more beautiful and inviting than on this occasion, with a profusion of ferns and blooming plants about the chapel railing. Back of the altar was a little log church lighted with candles typifying the old church our forefathers worshipped in.
Mrs. Florence Nickles, in a most impressive manner, gave the history of the old Hickory Grove Church, she and her mother having organized a Sunday School in 1874.

Mr. Ralph Rumbley, farmer living near Monroeville, is the first to bring in an open boil of cotton. The open cotton was found Wednesday morning and is of the Cook Welt Resistant variety.

Congressman John McDuffie was in Monroeville Tuesday, receiving the cordial greetings of numerous friends. Mr. and Mrs. McDuffie spent some time at Tate Springs after the adjournment of congress and will remain for a few weeks among relatives and friends in Monroe.

Messrs. Lucian Jones and Charles Cole attended the formal opening of the Goodyear Tire plant at Gadsden last week.

FOR SALE: Two 50-pound cans of good homemade lard at a bargain, Mrs. M. Hatter, Drewry, Ala.

Mr. and Mrs. C.V. Hines are comfortably installed in their handsome new home.

118 YEARS AGO
JULY 21, 1904

Mrs. Q. Salter returned home Thursday after a fortnight’s pleasant sojourn at the Wilcox Mineral Springs, Schuster, Ala.

Dr. Rankin of Montgomery spent Monday and Tuesday here prospecting with a view to locating for the practice of his profession.

Mr. W.R. Blackwell was up from Manistee Wednesday and dropped in to see us briefly. He says the soil is becoming dry and rain would be welcomed in his neighborhood.

Mr. S.F. Cunningham, the popular traveling salesman for a leading Mobile house, was around taking orders of local merchants last week.

Mr. John I. Watson has about completed his handsome new dwelling and the painters are at work beautifying its exterior.

Mr. J.E. Smith has had his dwelling neatly painted, adding greatly to the attractiveness of its appearance.

Capt. Thos. S. Wiggins has been confined to his home several days with a painful abscess of the foot.

Mr. Hotchkiss, representing the printing house of Marshall & Bruce, Nashville, was in the city Tuesday.

OBITUARY: On the 14^th inst., God took for himself the immortal soul of our comrade and friend, Charles Busey. In 1861, responding to the call of duty, he enlisted in Captain Foster’s company in which he served one year, and then was transferred to the artillery in which he rendered gallant service until he was paroled at the close of the war.