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

U.S. Senator Oscar W. Underwood

22 YEARS AGO
JULY 15, 1999

Board of Ed. looks for new alternative school location: As the summer passes by, the Monroe County Board of Education is still looking for a permanent location for its alternative school.
At its regular meeting Thursday of last week, the board learned its $225,000 bid on property at Drewry Road and Vanity Fair Drive has been turned down. Interim Superintendent Dennis Mixon said the owners have apparently decided not to sell the three commercial buildings.
The board will now try to put the school on property it owns next to Monroe County High School. The alternative school is currently in the old Monroeville Outlet Mall.

Monroeville pounded its way to the District 7 Babe Ruth all-star tournament championship for 15-year-olds Thursday with a 9-3 win over Atmore at Veterans Park in Monroeville. Monroeville cruised through the tournament, recording wins over Evergreen (16-6) and Atmore (9-4 and 9-3).
(Top players on Monroeville’s team included Mark Beasley, Russell Bryan, Ben Busby, Trey Dobson, Morgan Hutcherson, Bret Pate, Jeremy Reeves, David Steele and Jeff Wasden.)

The Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding interviews for the 1999-2000 Mockingbird Court Tues., Aug. 17, beginning at 9 a.m. Mockingbird Court members serve as hostesses at official city and county functions and act as goodwill ambassadors for Monroeville and Monroe County.
(Members of the 1998-1999 court included Lisa Corbett, Jessica Sawyer, Belinda Tucker, Jennifer Turk, Danielle McQuieter, Jessica Averett, Mona Scruggs, Kelli Myers, Rachel Rich, Trishia Seales, Karyl Ann Hobbs and Taryn Kilpatrick.)

47 YEARS AGO
JULY 18, 1974

Firemen honor Pickens: Monroeville Volunteer Fire Chief Wilbert Pickens gets a plaque and a fishing reel Monday from fellow firemen honoring him for 35 years of service with the department. Pickens has been chief since about 1968. Making the presentation are Fire Capt. Glenn Gladwell and Assistant Fire Chief Eddie Everette.

South Monroe All-stars: The South Monroe County Little League All-Stars will travel to Butler tonight (Thursday) to meet Jackson in the opening round of the District 6 single-elimination tournament at eight o’clock. (Members of the team were Johnny McDonald, Tommy Watson, Jeff Blanton, Mitch Hammock, Jeff Tatum, Craig Smith, Jeff Brown, Chuck Black, Ted Watson, John Lindsey, Steve Calhoun, Jeff Nicholas, Jeff Kilpatrick and Charles Kofflinos. Grafton Coleman was the team’s manager, and Haywood Croley was coach.)

Officers of Masonic lodge: These men were installed last Thursday as officers of the Masons’ Alabama Lodge No. 3 of Monroeville. They are Tom Lemons, treasurer; Cecil White, senior warden; G.C. Ellis (Bill Sky), worshipful master; Robert Champion, junior warden; Alphis Wiggins, junior deacon; Woodrow Ikner, senior deacon; D.D. Mims II, secretary; Floyd Harper, marshall; Melvin Downs, chaplain; Clinton Ryland, tyler; Wilbert Pickens, senior steward; and Clyde Boulware, junior steward. The aprons worn in this picture have secret significance to Masons.

72 YEARS AGO
JULY 21, 1949

Pete Black of Beatrice recently purchased the Standard Service Station in Monroeville and took over its active operation Tuesday of this week.
Mr. Black is a former student at the University of Alabama. He is unmarried.
He will continue to live in Beatrice and commute between there and Monroeville.

Monroeville broke even in league games played last week, losing to State Farm last Thursday night, 9-6, and coming back to win over Perdido Tuesday night, 7-2.
Monroeville’s win over Perdido kept them in second place by a one-game margin. The locals now have a 13-8 won-loss record as compared with Perdido’s 11-3 record.

Shoe Store Here To Open Shortly: A tentative opening date of Aug. 5 has been set for Monroe County’s first shoe store.
Incorporated and with a number of local businessmen holding stock, the store will be located in the building which formerly housed the Jitney-Jungle grocery store on the west side of the square.
An X-Ray fitting machine will be a feature of the store, according to an announcement from Les Johnson, secretary-treasurer of the group. The “Family Shoe Store” has been chosen as the name for the enterprise, Mr. Johnson stated.

Establishment Of Agent Awaits Commitments: Definite commitments on the amount of shipping from this area will have to be made by local businessmen before a fulltime agent can be established at the West Monroeville railroad station. This information was contained in a letter to Sam Fleenor, local Chamber of Commerce secretary, from H.H. DeBerry of Memphis, superintendent of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, who made a survey of Monroeville July 6 to consider the establishment of an agent here.

97 YEARS AGO
JULY 17, 1924

Mr. G.B. Sellers reports the first open boll of cotton this season, discovered on July 10. Mr. Sellers’ 50 or 60 acres promising a fine yield, there seems to be no good reason why he should not capture the usual prize for the first bale this year.

Rev. Grant Gafford, pastor of the Methodist congregation at Beatrice, was a visitor to Monroeville the first of the week. Mr. Gafford’s congregation have recently erected a comfortable parsonage at Beatrice at a cost of approximately $2,000, and his family are comfortably domiciled therein.

L.J. Bugg, Esq., returned Friday from New York where he had been for two weeks in attendance on the Democratic national convention. Mr. Bugg states that the Alabama delegation gave loyal and active support to Senator Underwood, but the odds were too strongly against him.

Mr. W.T. Davison of Bay Minette was a visitor to Monroeville last week. Mr. Davison removed from this place to Baldwin County more than 50 years ago, but had not revisited the old town for many years, hence there are few people now living in the community whom he remembers.

Mr. O.M. Cook of Burnt Corn, who has followed the Auburn Method with his cotton crop, using the home mixed fertilizer of acid, soda and potash, left his cotton thick and is poisoning. He has one of the best crops in the county.

121 YEARS AGO
JULY 19, 1900

Representatives of a number of the Masonic Lodges of the county met in the hall of Monroeville Lodge last Friday for the purpose of reviving the Conference or Association organized some years ago. The attendance was not as large as expected on account of the weather, notwithstanding, the occasion was not void of pleasure and profit to those present. It was determined to hold quarterly meetings hereafter. After appointing officers and committees, the Conference adjourned to meet with Enon Lodge at Hollinger on Thursday evening before the third Sunday in September, when it is hoped there will be a full attendance.

S.A. McDuffie has been appointed postmaster at Monroeville, vice J.S. Harrengton, resigned. Thus it will be seen that Monroeville is to have a Republican postmaster for the first time in her history. Not even in the days of Reconstruction was such an appointment forced upon this Democratic community.

Mr. William M. Gaillard of the firm of Hearin & Gaillard, cotton factors, of the Gulf City, was here this week circulating among his many friends. Mr. Gaillard is a native of this county, having been reared at Claiborne, but this is the first visit he has made to the old home in 25 years, so closely has his business confined him to the city, and he noted many changes in the familiar scene of his childhood. His friends are glad to know that his house is rapidly building up a prosperous and lucrative business among the merchants and farmers of the district.

Col. B.L. Hibbard went to Thomasville Monday in response to an invitation to deliver an address on the 18^th inst. on the political issues of the day. Mrs. Hibbard bore him company to Mobile where she will visit friends.

Early Monroe County, Alabama settler John Frye homesteaded along the bottomlands of Flat Creek

George Buster Singleton

(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 “In early 1800s, Frye settled near Flat Creek” was originally published in the July 31, 1975 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

John Frye was a young man who came to Monroe County as a settler in the early 1800s. He bought and homesteaded land north of what is now Ridge Road. Here, along the bottom lands of Flat Creek, he built a home.

All the land that was level enough to farm was cultivated into growing cotton and the many other things that were needed for the early settler to survive.

If you look closely, you can see where the fields stretched wide along the edges of the hills that border the flat area that has come to be known as the Frye Swamp.

Oaks and flowers

Little remains of the old homeplace except a couple of tall oaks that once shaded the house. And if you look closely enough, you will see the faint traces of a flower bed and a few jonquils growing at random along where the old walkway led up to the house.

There was a time when all of the fine farming area was in full view of anyone who wished to gaze upon if from in front of the house.

In locating the area where the barn stood, I used a metal detector. Within a few minutes, I began to uncover old horseshoes, harness buckles and the old square nails that were used during this period when John Frye built his home.

Nothing remains of the old public road that once ran by the door. Only the faint traces of tall, worn banks can be seen and this only in places where the wagon tires cut deep into the clay dirt.

Into oblivion

The areas where once there were a house and barns are now crowded with tall, slender pine trees. Almost all traces of what used to be a fine, productive farm have passed into oblivion.

The only reminder of an era that has passed with the years is the huge granite marker in the small graveyard west of where the house stood.

Here, surrounded by a rustic iron fence, are the graves of John Frye and his family. Here he sleeps, in death, as in life, a part of the land he clung to and loved so dearly.

(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.)

Which of Wilcox County, Alabama's antebellum structures is the oldest building in the entire county?

Dunn-Fairley-Bonner-Field House in 1937.

I read an interesting article the other day about the oldest building in each of the 50 states. According to that article, the Joel Eddins House is the oldest building in Alabama. Currently located in Huntsville, this two-story log cabin was built by Eddins in 1810.

Sources say that this cabin was originally built in the Town of Ardmore in Limestone County. However, in 2007, as part of preservation efforts, the cabin was “painstakingly pulled apart” and then reassembled at the “Burritt on the Mountain” living history museum in Huntsville. This museum was established in 1955 and is located on Round Top Mountain, east of downtown Huntsville.

While reading about the Joel Eddins House, I could not help but wonder about the oldest building in Wilcox County. Wilcox County is blessed with many well-preserved, antebellum houses, churches, schools and public buildings. Question is, which is the oldest?

Most sources say that the Dunn-Fairley-Bonner-Field House in Camden is the oldest documented building in Camden. Located near the intersection of Broad Street and Clifton Street, this house was built by early Wilcox County settler Thomas Dunn around 1825. This house is so old that it’s even older than Camden itself. In fact, when it was built Camden was actually still known as Barboursville.

Close on the heels of that structure is Gaines Ridge. This old house, which now houses one of the finest restaurants in Alabama, was built around 1827. This (supposedly haunted!) house is so old that no one is 100-percent sure who exactly built it, but one of its earliest owners was Methodist minister Ebeneezer Hearn.

Out in the county, the oldest building that I know of is the old Dry Fork Plantation House, which is located near Gulletts Bluff. This house was built between 1832 and 1834 by owner James Asbury Tait, and some sources say that most of the work was done by a pair of slaves named Elijah and Hezekiah. Tait, a Georgia native who served as a captain in the War of 1812, as well as his father, U.S. Senator Charles Tait, are both buried at Dry Forks.

In addition to Dry Fork, Gaines Ridge and Thomas Dunn’s old house, there is a long list of other antebellum structures throughout the county. Those include a number of buildings at Furman, Pine Apple, Canton Bend and Pebble Hill. Some of the other older structures in Camden include the Dale Masonic Lodge, the Wilcox Female Institute and the Old Wilcox County Courthouse.

One of the reasons that there aren’t more old buildings in Camden is due to a large fire that occurred downtown in 1869, when most buildings were made entirely from wood. Sources say that during that fire, every store in Camden was burned, and Camden suffered a severe setback in its progress. One of the few buildings to escape the blaze was the old Wilcox Hotel, which was built in 1847.

Street-widening projects in Camden over the years have also resulted in the destruction of old buildings. By way of example, the old J.M. Watson Store was demolished in 1959, so that the city fathers could widen Claiborne Street. At that time, this old store served as a warehouse, and it was one of the oldest buildings in Camden, well over 100 years old.

In the end, let me hear from you if you have any additional information about the origins of any of the buildings mentioned above. Also, if you know of a building older than those mentioned above, please let me know. It’s possible that there’s an older, lesser-known, building in the county that deserves the title of oldest building in Wilcox County.

What were the mysterious 'metal shavings' found in a Conecuh County, Alabama pond in 1952?

Fighter plane deploying chaff as countermeasure.

I was looking through some old editions of The Evergreen Courant the other day and ran across a short, unusual news item that I thought was interesting. The item appeared in Bob Bozeman’s weekly column, “The Week’s Wash,” that ran in the Sept. 4, 1952 edition of The Courant. It read as follows:

“The flying saucers must not operate in our area or at least no one that I’ve heard of has seen any. Walter Overby came in with something a little unusual last week, tho’. He had several pieces of what looked like metal shavings. Said he found thousands of them floating on his fish pond and a few in the water. I still don’t know what they were, but they must have been something dropped from a plane.”

Those of you who remember Bob Bozeman, the father of present-day Courant publisher Robert Bozeman, will remember that he was a highly-respected newspaperman, who was later inducted into the Alabama Press Association’s Hall of Honor. Bob, who passed away in 1991, was also a decorated U.S. Marine, who was wounded in action in the Pacific during World War II. I make mention of all this to show that he was a man who’d been around the block a time or two and was familiar with different types of military equipment.

Despite my best efforts, I could not find out much about Walter Overby, but Robert Bozeman remembers him well. Robert said that Overby lived in the Brooklyn area and was a veteran slightly younger than Bob. Overby was also apparently a Freemason and would sometimes attend meetings of the Alabama Grand Lodge in Montgomery.

Based on what I could find out, I believe Overby’s fish pond to be the pond that he built in 1947, not long after the end of WWII. In the Sept. 11, 1947 edition of The Courant, it was reported that Overby had “cleared the site for his farm fish pond and is now completing the dam.” Apparently, this pond was about three acres in size, but exactly where this pond was located, I do not know.

Based on Bob’s short report, Overby had several pieces of the shavings to display, and they were apparently light enough to float on the surface of the pond. A close reading of the report indicates that some of the shavings were “in the water,” that is, below the surface. It would be interesting to know how big they were and how thin they were.

Bob’s description of the metal shavings reminded me of the chaff that is sometimes ejected by military aircraft as a countermeasure. These thin strips of metal show up on enemy radar as a bunch of different targets. In theory, during all the confusion, the friendly aircraft will have time to escape from the bad guy.

Question is, if the metal at Overby’s pond was chaff from a military aircraft, why was it ejected in the vicinity of a pond in Conecuh County? Was it part of some kind of Cold War training exercise or is there some other explanation? Maybe it was something top secret?

In the end, let me hear from you if you know anything more about this incident. I would be especially interested to know where Overby’s pond was located or if any of these shavings still exist for examination. Perhaps with the right amount of information, we might be able to solve this 68-year-old mystery.

Wilcox County, Alabama News Flashback for July 14, 2021

62 YEARS AGO
JULY 9, 1959

Fall From Truck Kills Boy: Wilcox Sheriff P.C. Jenkins said Rufus George Jr., a teenager, was driving when his 11-year-old brother, John Henry George, fell from the rear of his father’s truck and his head was crushed under the wheels.
Death was almost instantaneous.
Sheriff Jenkins said Rufus Jr. drove the truck away from home to a spring about one-half mile away for water without the consent of his father. As he left home, several of his littler brothers jumped on the truck to go along for the ride, John Henry fell off on the return trip and was killed.

McIntosh Training At Fort Jackson: Pvt. Barney R. McIntosh, son of Mr. and Mrs. Barney E. McIntosh of Route 2, Camden, has been assigned to Co. A, 4^th Battalion, 1^st Training Regiment at Fort Jackson, S.C. for eight weeks of basic combat training.

Lt. Ausley In Mock Assault: Scheduled to participate in Operation Inland Seas as a pilot with Marine Attack Squadron 224 is Marine 1^st Lt. Wilbur H. Ausley, son of Mr. and Mrs. L.H. Ausley of Samson, Ala., and husband of the former Miss Margaret R. Kennedy of Camden.
Before entering the service in August 1954, he attended the University of Alabama.
His squadron is a unit of the second Marine Aircraft Wing based at the Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C.
It will provide air support for ground troops in mock assault landings, starting July 4, on five Great Lake cities, including Chicago, Ill.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pa. and Rochester, N.Y.

75 YEARS AGO
JULY 11, 1946

J.I. DAVIS: Mr. J.I. Davis, 73, a well known Wilcox citizen, died in King’s Memorial Hospital, Wednesday, June 26, at 9 p.m. He had been confined to his bed at his home in Fatama since suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in late March.
He was born near Monroeville but in early boyhood his parents moved to Wilcox. In 1894, he was wed to Miss Ella Majors, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Platt Majors, and came to Fatama to make that his home. Five children blessed this union, four of whom survive him.
Mr. Davis was a loyal member of the Enon Baptist Church and served as a deacon of that church for nearly a quarter of a century. He was known in his community as a firm supporter of those things component to a Christian home, life and community.

Mrs. L.P. Andrews and children, Hays, Bettye Lou and Henri, have returned home after a trip to Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, they spent a few days at Camp Campbell, Ky., with Lt. Parker Andrews and Mrs. Andrews, then at Fort Knox with Pvt. Jim Andrews, while in Kentucky they visited the Mammoth Cave, also the famous race track at Churchill Downs.

CARD OF THANKS: We wish to thank our many friends for their efforts in trying to save our home when it was destroyed by fire. We also wish to express our appreciation for the many gifts and donations given to us. – Mr. and Mrs. Robert McCants and Children.

88 YEARS AGO
JULY 13, 1933

Prof. Wm. M. Bryant of Canton dined with Prof. Emmett Kilpatrick Tuesday.

Mr. B.H. Matthews is attending the Hardware Convention in Atlanta this week. Mr. Matthews is Vice President of this organization.

Dr. J.A. Powers, registered optometrist, of Birmingham will be at Dr. W.W. Moore’s Drug Store Tuesday, July 18. Glasses fitted and free advice.

HOMECOMING DAY to be observed at Reaves Chapel on the third Sunday in July. Rev. F.L. Aldridge, Supt. of the Alabama Methodist Orphanage at Selma, Ala, will preach the Home-Coming sermon at 11 a.m. There will be dinner on the grounds. The Presiding Elder will hold the Third Quarterly Conference after dinner. Everybody cordially invited. – J. Thos. Eckford, Pastor.

Lower Peach Tree News: Mrs. Martha Thompson, Mrs. Margaret Thompson and Miss Lucy Stabler have returned from a visit with relatives and friends in Birmingham. While absent, Miss Thompson attended the fair in Chicago.

Arlington News: Those from here who attended the fox hunters barbecue at Orrville Tuesday were Mrs. S.C. Nettles and son Bill, Dumas Raines and Gilmer Agee.

NOTICE: I have in my possession one large black and tan hound, name on collar M. Lillis, Union City. Owner may get dog by paying expenses. – Geo. Alford, Camden, Ala.

101 YEARS AGO
JULY 8, 1920

Mr. B.H. Matthews returned Tuesday from an extended trip to New York, where he attended a hardware convention, later visiting points of interest in other sections.

Primm Residence Burned: The home of Mr. Jack Primm of Canton Bend was destroyed by fire on Wednesday afternoon. The fire originated from a defective flue. Practically all the household goods were destroyed.

Progress is being made on the building projects of Camden. The residence of Dr. Bonner recently destroyed by fire is rapidly proceeding. The new brick garage building being erected by Mr. Laughlin of Monroeville is being pushed. A new building for a movie picture auditorium is being erected by Mr. T.N. Baggett.

The construction of the Arlington school building, under the supervision of D.W. Godwin, has been completed and presents a good appearance. The cost was in the neighborhood of $10,000 and will accommodate six classes. The building is now ready for inspection and acceptance by the building committee.

CAMDEN 4, SELMA 0: In the cleanest and best game of the season, Camden defeated the fast team from Selma by the score of 4 to 0. The visitors played a good fast game and never once questioned a decision of the umpire. Such teams as this will help baseball to grow and be popular.
Casey for Camden pitched a good game and allowed only three safe hits. Berry featured at second base with a good catch and also hit good in the pinches.

114 YEARS AGO
JULY 11, 1907

SNOW HILL: Mr. Jay McCondicher, one of Furman’s oldest and most highly respected citizens, was circulating among his many Snow Hill friends today. Mr. McCondicher is a descendant of one of the pioneer settlers of East Wilcox.
Dr. Leatherwood of Braggs, Lowndes County, has located at Snow Hill and will occupy the office built by R.O. Simpson & Son several years ago, for Dr. Huestis, Jones. We welcome the doctor to our town.

Prof. Claude Hardy, who has been selected as principal of the Camden public school, was in town a few days ago, and announced the following assistant teachers selected by him for the next session, viz: Miss Lillian Young of Selma, Miss Annie O’Hara of Auburn and Miss Ella May Moor of Selma. One more assistant teacher is yet to be supplied before the before the faculty is complete.

Mr. W.F. Spurlin left Monday for Demopolis, where he will spend several weeks visiting his son and other relatives. Mr. Spurlin is in his 83^rd year, but is about as spry as any man in Camden. He has recently returned from a visit to the northwest, taking in the Jamestown exposition on his return.

The Board of Pension Commissioners for Wilcox County, which consists of Col. W.W. McConico and Dr. J.C. Benson, met in Camden Monday and will remain in session 10 days.

Mr. W.E. Ward, the well known contractor, of Pine Apple was here this week. He has just completed several large buildings at Repton.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for July 13, 2021

Jeremiah Denton

22 YEARS AGO
JULY 8, 1999

The Maxwell-Johnson House, located at 120 South Main St., Evergreen, has recently been added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Local weather reporter Harry Ellis reported .15 inches of rain on July 4, 1999. Total rainfall for the month of June 1999 was 10.13 inches. He reported a high of 93 on July 1, 1999 and a low of 70 on July 4, 1999.

Funeral services held for C.T. Ivey: Charles Thaddeus Ivey, 93, of Evergreen died Sat., July 3, 1999 in an Evergreen hospital. Mr. Ivey was born Sept. 29, 1905 to William Burnett Ivey and Julia Daughdrill Ivey. He was named for his two grandfathers, Charles Ivey of Conecuh County and Thaddeus Daughdrill of Marion.
Mr. Ivey attended the public schools in Evergreen and was a graduate of Howard College, now Samford University. Mr. Ivey was an automobile dealer and tree farmer in Evergreen most of his life. He was very active in civic affairs and was a deacon at the Evergreen Baptist Church.

On Saturday morning, June 19, eight members of Bower Memorial Baptist Church joined in with 63 others in the Bethlehem Association in Monroe County on a week’s mission trip to Monticello, Ky. to help build a new church for the Steubenville Baptist Church.
The eight people who went on the mission trip to Monticello, Ky. from Bower were Warren and Lottie Johnston, Rodger and Laura Carroll, Travis Cobb, Betty Powell and Geraldine and Hughie Denton.

37 YEARS AGO
JULY 12, 1984

Local weather reporter Earl Windham reported 1.11 inches of rain on July 7, 1984. He reported a high of 94 on July 7, 1984 and a low of 66 on July 2, 1984.

Pat Poole romped to an easy victory in Tuesday’s voting for mayor in Evergreen. Poole had wide margins in all five council districts as he piled up 945 votes to easily defeat Mayor Lee Smith and W.B. Epperson.

U.S. Senator Jeremiah Denton of Mobile will hold a town meeting in Evergreen on Monday afternoon at 4:15 o’clock. The meeting will be held in the main courtroom of the County Courthouse.

Brooklyn O.E.S. Chapter elects officers 1984-85: Brooklyn Chapter 470 has elected officers for the 1984-1985 year. They are as follows: Worthy Matron, Marjorie Findley; Worthy Patron, Joe Findley; Associate Matron, Faye Owens; Associate Patron, Lamar Owens; Conductress, Vivian Lassiter; Associate Conductress, Wanda Andrews; Secretary, Eleanor Cary; Treasurer, Eva Walters; Organist, Adele Amos; Chaplain, Elsie Rabren; Marshal, Dudley Lassiter; Adah, Louise McLendon; Ruth, Juanita Ralls; Esther, Lillian Ramsey; Martha, Carolyn Feagin; Electa, Callie Mae Murphy; Warder, Horace Murphy; and Sentinel, Monroe Ramsey.
There will be an installation of these officers at the Brooklyn Lodge on Sat., July 14, at 7:30 p.m. Friends are invited to come.

46 YEARS AGO
JULY 10, 1975

Weather observer Earl Windham reported 1.3 inches of rain in Evergreen on July 3 and .7 inches on July 6. He reported a high of 98 on July 4 and lows of 71 on July 1 and July 6.

The summer reading program of the Conecuh County Public Library will be highlighted by a visit next Wednesday by Mrs. Kathryn Windham, noted Alabama author.
Mrs. Windham will be at the library from 10 to 11 o’clock Wednesday morning to tell some of her favorite ghost stories. She has compiled and written several collections of Alabama ghost stories, which had been handed down from generation to generation.
(Clara Trawick was Evergreen’s librarian at the time.)

Banker-farmer Tal Stuart III killed this big rattlesnake while working in the “Brassell Field” of the Newton Plantation on Tuesday afternoon of last week. The rattler measured 4-1/2 feet and had eight rattles and a button.

A Milton, Fla. woman lost her life in an accident Monday morning at about 11:30 on I-65 some 7-1/2 miles north of Evergreen. Mrs. Norma H. Redmond, 42, of Rt. 5, Milton, was killed and her husband and son were injured in the crash. The Redmonds were traveling north in a pickup pulling a camper trailer behind them when a tire blew out and control of the vehicle was lost. The truck and camper left the highway and overturned in the median. State Trooper John E. Hooper investigated the accident.

69 YEARS AGO
JULY 10, 1952

Repton Doctor’s Safe Cracked Sunday Night Robbers Net Nothing: Two safe crackers went to a lot of trouble for nothing Sunday night when they opened Dr. W.R. Carter’s safe in Repton. After prying open the double-doored safe, the robbers found a strong box inside that they could not open. Dr. Carter told Sheriff John Brock that if there was anything missing he couldn’t tell it.
Two men were seen leaving Dr. Carter’s office Sunday night between nine and 10 o’clock. Two Repton men saw these fellows leaving the office and at the time thought their behavior suspicious.

The Evergreen City Council met Tuesday night at the City Hall with nothing but routine business coming before them.
Two building permits were granted for the construction of residences. George T. Robbins received a permit for the construction of a frame residence in his Pine Woods subdivision. Earl Windham was granted a permit for the construction of a residence on Salter Street, between the Barlow and Shell residences.

Cpl. James G. Freeman, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Freeman, of the Old Town community, sailed June 2, 1952 for overseas duty in Korea with the Engineer’s Division.

O.B. Tuggle, Southern Coach executive, will take office today as President of the Evergreen Rotary Club. He succeeds Malcom Croft who will turn the gavel over to him at the noon meeting of the Rotarians at The Grill today.

94 YEARS AGO
JULY 14, 1927

Former Evergreen Boy Bound For China: San Diego, Calif., July 11 – Some of the interesting events now occurring in China are likely to be witnessed by Lewis A. Barfield of Evergreen, who was one of the latest men to leave this western base for service with the expeditionary force of U.S. Marines at Shanghai.
He was with a detachment of Marines who embarked on the transport Thomas with Shanghai as their destination. Due to the rapid shifting of troops, however, the local Marine may eventually go to Tientsin or some other point in China, where the Marines are guarding American lives and interests.
Three or four thousand U.S. Marines have been ordered to China since last February, and from time to time small detachments are likely to be ordered there, remaining for an indefinite period.
Lewis is 22 years old and was born in Evergreen. He lived at the home of his father, Arthur M. Barfield of Evergreen, before he joined the Marine Corps last April.

Local National Guard Goes To Ft. Oglethorpe: Troop C, 55^th Machine Gun Squadron of the Alabama National Guard, will leave the latter part of the week for Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga., where the annual encampment will take place this year. The boys will be there for a period of 15 days. The local company is under the command of Capt. William D. (Dave) Lewis.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for July 12, 2021

13 YEARS AGO
JULY 10, 2008

Conecuh County native Shirl Johnson is helping to introduce a new era of women’s basketball to hoops fans in northeast Florida.
Johnson, the daughter of Annie C. Johnson of Belleville and the late George W. Johnson, is the owner of the Jacksonville (Fla.) Cougars, a new expansion team in the semi-professional Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League.

Evergreen’s 14- and-15-year-old Babe Ruth all-star team is scheduled to take the field in this year’s district tournament today in Atmore, tournament organizer Murray Johnson of Atmore said.
Members of this year’s 14- and 15-year-old all-star team are Jeremy Ealum, Terrance Lyons, Tevin Buchanan, Warren Lowery, Trevin Fluker, Stephanie Martin, Jared Dees, Tevin Rudolph, Quenton Simpson and Anthony Steen. Coaches are Earnest Boykin, Michael Bradley, Bryan Boykin and Jackie Gorum.

Evergreen’s 11- and 12-year-old Little League all-star team opened tournament play Saturday on the YMCA athletic fields in Brewton.
The members of Evergreen’s 11- and 12-year-old all-star team are Kristen Booker, Taylor Chavers, LaBarron Dees, Drew Hardin, Jacob Hendrix, Patrick Johnson, Kyantrae Lewis, Quinton North, Trent Pettis, Keyshawn Roache, Ryan Skinner, Allen Stuart and Brandon Taylor. John Skinner is the team’s manager, and Paul Hamby is the team’s coach.

22 YEARS AGO
JULY 8, 1999

HHS Physicals: Hillcrest High School physicals will be given Thurs., July 22, 1999 at 8 a.m. at Dr. Mark Roberts office. Any athlete that will be participating in any sport at Hillcrest should be there at this time. Athletes should contact Coach Hudson at the high school for paperwork.

Evergreen Football Sign-Up: The Evergreen Jaguar Tiny Mite and Pee Wee football team will have sign-ups on Sat., July 10, (1999) at Carver Recreation Center from 9 a.m. until 12 noon. Any kids age 8 to 13 years old are eligible. There are no boundaries this year, you can play with any county team.

Castleberry Football Sign-Up: Castleberry football sign-up for ages 7-13 will be held Sat., July 10, (1999) from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., $25 sign-up fee and a copy of the child’s birth certificate are needed. For more information, call Glen Gary.

37 YEARS AGO
JULY 12, 1984

These are the members of the Evergreen Little League All-Stars: Richard Melton, Keith Richardson, Broderick Gross, Bryan Garrett, Ryan Burt, Mickey Jones and Michael Floyd; Kevin Townson, Jamie Deason, Greg Stanton, Jamie Shipp, Scott Jones, Richard Byrd and Kenny Meeks, and Coaches Willie Byrd and Earnest Boykin.

52 YEARS AGO
JULY 10, 1969

Joe Brown successfully defended his championship in the Evergreen Golf Club’s annual club tournament, limited to members, held July 4. Joe had to get by two extra hole matches with Brown Boykin and Henry Kinzer to enter the finals where he defeated Bill Kitchens.
Results by flights listing winner, runner-up and consolation winner follow:
Championship, Joe Brown, Bill Kitchens and Brown Boykin.
First Flight, Joe Nix, Benny Crum, Charles Lambert.
Second Flight, Randy Moorer, Bonnie King, Bob Smiley.
Third Flight, Eddie Thornley, Johnny Thornley, James Ansley.
Fourth Flight, Quinton Buras, Danny Petrey, Buddy Coleman.

67 YEARS AGO
JULY 8, 1954

A city softball league is in the process of organizing according to Recreation Director Bill Parsons. The league will probably have six teams and games will be played at night. The league is sponsored by the City Recreation Department and games will be played in Brooks Stadium.
Coach Parsons states that so far five organizations have agreed to sponsor teams. Alma Martin Post 50 of the American Legion, Evergreen Junior Chamber of Commerce, Evergreen Equipment Co., The Spotlite and Southern Coach Manufacturing Co., Inc. have all agreed to enter teams.

A handicap tournament has been planned by the Evergreen Golf Club it is announced today by newly elected President C.T. Ivey. Mr. Ivey succeeded L.W. Price Jr. as head of the local golfer’s organization. Mr. Price had served as president for several years.
To qualify for the tournament players should turn in their entry fee and post the score they usually shoot by noon, Monday, July 19, to any member of the tournament committee or at The Courant office. Committee members are Herman Bolden, G.L. Wilkinson, Bill Gibbons, J.H. Robison, P.L. Pace and Bob Bozeman. This committee will set handicaps from the scores turned in.