The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Aug. 23, 2021

15 YEARS AGO
AUG. 24, 2006

Sparta Academy piled up 154 yards and allowed just 82 in a preseason scrimmage last Friday at Dixie Academy in Louisville.
Sparta and Dixie joined forces to take on teams from Randolph and Terrell, Ga. While the two Georgia teams outscored Sparta and Dixie, 30-14, Sparta’s defense only gave up 10 of those points and Sparta’s offense scored all 14 points for the Alabama teams.
(Players on Sparta’s team that season included Cody Baggett, Mason Black, Gaston Bozeman, Chase Brown, Taylor Brown, D.J. Buckhault, Callahan Bush, Michael Campbell, Chris Cinereski, Kyle Cinereski, Dylan Davis, Riley Davis, Chris Hall, Nicholas Hardin, Hunter Hutcheson, Dexter Laster, Logan Manus, Erik Morris, Michael Morris, Jonathan Pettis, Casey Pierce, Neil Salter, Zach Smith, Steven Stuart, Perry Thompson, Peyton Thompson, Myles Wiggins and J.R. Williams. Clint Floyd was Sparta’s head coach. Assistant coaches included Michael Sims and Craig Palmer.)

Hillcrest to take on No. 1-ranked Brantley: Hillcrest High’s new head coach Maurice Belser plans to play as many of the 49 players on his roster as possible Friday when the Jaguars play a preseason game in Brantley.
Friday’s kickoff against Class 1A’s No. 1-ranked Brantley Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m. Hillcrest is a Class 4A school.
(Top players on Hillcrest’s team that season included Dexter Chapman, Freddie Jackson, Jarvis Holder, Willie King, Edrikus Little, Justin Nared, Derrick Paige and William Robbins.)

40 YEARS AGO
AUG. 27, 1981

Lyeffion opens Football 1981 Friday night: Conecuh County’s first football game of the 1981 season will be played at Lyeffion High School’s Mabry Covin Field this Friday night when the Yellow Jackets host Hayneville with the kickoff set for 7:30.
Senior quarterback Donald Lee, an outstanding passer, heads up a talented backfield. Three brothers, Roosevelt, Joe and Jimmy Mixon, will man the halfbacks and fullback.
(Other players on Lyeffion’s team that season included Jeff Baggett, Willie Banks, Bobby Blount, Ray Brown, John Paul Deason, Jerry George, Anthony Gill, Lee Hamrac, John Johnson, Ezekiel King, Andra Maxwell, Andrew Maxwell, James Mims, Leodus Mims, Andy Pipkin, Robert Riley, Jeff Stallworth, John Stallworth, Eddie Ray Taylor and Freddie Taylor.)

The Sparta Academy Warriors will open the 1981 football season when they play the Greenville Academy Tornados here Saturday night. Kickoff is set for eight o’clock at Stuart-McGehee Field.
Head Coach Richard Brown and assistant coach Robert Cumbie said that they have been pleased with the hard work and enthusiasm of their players. Coach Brown said that the squad is small in numbers, as usual, and will be much smaller physically than Greenville which is expected to have one of the better private school teams in the state this year.
Coach Brown said he believed that his Warriors “will get after Greenville with everything they have.”
(Sparta’s cheerleaders that season included Mitzie Morrison, Donna Kendrick, Cheri Johnson, Missy Price and Lynn Hyde.)

65 YEARS AGO

AUG. 23, 1956

Barons Clinch Pennant In Senior League Race: The Barons “backed” into the number one position as they clinched the pennant in the Evergreen Senior Baseball League. The Chicks rocked them by a 5-1 count in their last game of the season Tuesday afternoon. The final game for the league will be played between the Bears and the Crackers this afternoon (Thursday).

The pennant winning Barons will play the league All Stars next Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 29, at 3:30 p.m. Probable starting lineups for the All Star tilt will be:

BARONS: Melton, catcher; Ivey, pitcher; Brown, first base; Burt, second base; Claybrook, shortstop; Beckett, third base; Boykin, center field; Jones, left field; and Price, right field.

ALL STARS: Grace, catcher; Tucker, pitcher; Wiggins, first base; Ansley, second base; Ellington, shortstop, Stinson, third base; Hagood, center field; Warren, left field; and Rigsby, right field.

Utility men for the All Stars are Stuart and Ward. Final season standings, except for today’s game, are: Barons, 6-4; Chicks, 5-4; Crackers, 4-5; Bears, 4-6.

Lyeffion High Plays Four Home Games This Year: “The Yellow Jackets of Lyeffion High School will play four home games this year,” Guy Kelly, principal, said in releasing the 1956 football schedule.

Home games will be played at Brooks Stadium on Thursday nights, so that Evergreen fans will be able to attend the games.

The complete schedule is as follows: Sept. 20, Goshen, here; Sept. 28, Beatrice, there; Oct. 4, Repton, here; Oct. 12, Coffeeville, there; Oct. 18, Uriah, there; Oct. 25, Dozier, here; Nov. 1, McKenzie, here; Nov. 9, Chumucla, Fla., there; and Nov. 23 Baker, Fla., there.

90 YEARS AGO

AUG. 27, 1931

Committees Rush Plans For International Terrapin Race: With a little over one week intervening before the staging of the International Terrapin Race here, various committees from the Lions Club are busy completing final details to insure that the event goes off in a satisfactory manner.

The committee on selecting a location has decided upon Gantt Field as the place. A number of local businessmen were anxious to have the race closer to the business section but on account of the space necessary, it was found impossible. The committee is of the opinion that having the race at Gantt Field will not prove a serious disadvantage.

It is already assured that five states and one foreign country will be represented among those entering.

Last year, there were 55 entrants. This year, it is already certain that more than that number will enter. The most conservative estimates place the number at 100, and it is believed by most that even that number will be exceeded.

The race will start promptly at three o’clock Saturday afternoon, Sept. 5.

The race shall be run as follows: A circle 200 feet in diameter shall be laid off at the racing place and shall be marked with chalk or lime. The entrants in the race shall be placed in a round wire cage in the center of the circle and at the time set for the start, the cage shall be lifted and all entrants released at the same time. The first racer to cross completely the outside line of the circle shall be the winner of the first prize; the second crossing, the second prize, etc.

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

Concord Baptist Church at Buena Vista

15 YEARS AGO
AUG. 24, 2006

Captain D’s holds ribbon cutting: Captain D’s Seafood in Monroeville held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its grand opening Saturday morning. Dr. Thomas Butts gave a prayer followed by a greeting from Mayor Anne Farish. The number of people present was the largest she has ever seen at a Captain D’s grand opening, according to Kim Linn, regional marketing director for Captain D’s. Live remote broadcasts were held throughout the day with gifts and prizes given away. Les and Lisa Stallworth appreciate the community’s support and patronage for their new business.

Gator hunters kill 400 pounders: Monroe County natives Chris Hare and Shayla Neuschwander Smith bagged these huge gators this weekend during the first state sanctioned alligator hunt on the Mobile delta. Hare’s gator was 11 feet, eight inches and weighed 440 pounds. Smith’s gator was 11 feet, 11 inches and weighed 400 pounds. They were both caught with a hook on 50-pound fishing line, reeled in close to the boat and shot with a bow-fishing arrow and finally killed with a shotgun. Hare and Smith were among 50 persons selected to participate in the first-ever hunt.

Maples holds book signing: Debby Maples signs a copy of her recently published book, “Alabama Poetry: The Words of Music,” during a book signing last Thursday morning at the Monroe County Library in Monroeville. Pictured are Maples’ husband, James Maples; Bunny Nobles, Library Director; Debby Maples; and Mary Ann Harris, Children’s Librarian and Circulation Manager.

40 YEARS AGO
AUG. 27, 1981

Riley Kelly wins literary award: Riley Kelly of Excel won first place in the annual literary competition of the Alabama Writers Conclave for a non-fiction story on an American Indian entitled “Choctaw Chief Turned Other Cheek to White Intruders.”
Kelly, a former Monroe Journal editor and the author of several books of poetry, was presented the award during the organization’s 58^th annual conference recently at Samford University in Birmingham. The Alabama Writers Conclave is the nation’s oldest statewide organization of writers.

Big catch: Fish like this are about to become a summer’s dream, as local children start back to school this week. Lance Turberville and Shannon Rigby, fishing with rod and reel, landed two nice-sized catfish Aug. 17 at the Vanity Fair Lake. Lance, the 11-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Turberville of Monroeville, landed the four-pounder, and Shannon, the 10-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Rigby of Monroeville, landed the smaller two-and-one-half pounder. Lance said, “It was the biggest I’ve ever caught.” The two boys reported that they have been fishing at the lake almost every day this summer.

Concord Baptist sets anniversary service: Concord Baptist Church will observe its 150^th year of continuous service to the people of Buena Vista and the surrounding areas on Sept. 20.
The church was established as Church of Christ at Concord in 1831.
For the anniversary in September, John Henry Finklea of Monroeville, a native of Buena Vista, will give the address. Stephen Knight of Birmingham will be the organist. He is the son of A.H. and Julia Finklea Knight, natives of Buena Vista and residents of Birmingham.

90 YEARS AGO
AUG. 27, 1931

State Air Tour Will Include Monroeville: Forty Alabama towns, listed as possible stops on the state air tour which will leave Birmingham Sept. 28 with a flight of at least 20 planes, will be visited during the coming week by W.L. Wilkinson, tour director.
Mr. Wilkinson will visit every town and city of any size in the state, starting Monday by automobile. After he has covered the state in this manner and eliminated those towns that do not have or are not willing to develop landing fields, a pathfinding trip will be made by airplane to check flying time between stops.
The towns included in Mr. Wilkinson’s itinerary for preliminary consideration and which he will visit during the coming week are Monroeville, Tuscaloosa, Eutaw, Livingston, Demopolis, Selma, Mobile, Bay Minette, Flomaton, Brewton, Andalusia, Enterprise, Dothan, Ozark, Eufaula, Clayton, Troy, Auburn, Montgomery, Opelika, Lafayette, Roanoke, Sylacauga, Talladega, Anniston, Gadsden, Albertville, Guntersville, Huntsville, Athens, Decatur, Florence, Russellville, Haleyville, Winfield, Fayette, Jasper and Cullman.
The fleet of planes that will comprise the tour will include three especially built stunting planes flown by a trio of nationally known thrill pilots as well as a flight of five military ships.
In addition to a number of aeronautically prominent persons, approximately 30 distinguished citizens of Alabama will fly with the tour as passengers.
Aerobatic, parachute jumps, stunt and formation flying, as well as other air show thrills, will be given in each town visited by the tour fliers.

115 YEARS AGO
AUG. 23, 1906

Miss Jennie Faulk left a few days ago for St. Louis to purchase her fall stock of hats, millinery and ladies goods. Readers of The Journal may expect an attractive announcement on her return.

Messrs. Barnett & Jackson have unloaded three solid carloads of furniture and stoves within the last few days, the first carloads that have been actually shipped into the town. These came over the Monroeville branch of the Manistee & Repton railway.

Prof. L.K. Benson, the new principal of our school, has arrived (in Monroeville) and is at work in its behalf.

PINEVILLE: Mr. Julius Farish’s little boy was playing in the yard at home a few days ago and was badly bitten by an angry dog. His cheek was mangled and his eyelid bitten, but he is recovering. They shot the dog.

PERDUE HILL: Misses Ida May and Fannye Knight Morrissette of Mobile visited Mrs. G.W. Gaillard and Miss Mazie Moore this week.
Quite a nice dance was given last Friday night in honor of the visiting girls. All who attended reported a good time.
Messrs. Henry Tuthill, Dan Eddins and Monroe Agee and Miss Lillian Tuthill, all of Claiborne, attended the dance here Friday night.

FINCHBURG: Mr. Ben Massey left Sunday for Portland where he has accepted a position as clerk for Mr. John Bradford.

140 YEARS AGO
AUG. 22, 1881

Capt. W.T. Nettles, our worthy representative in the legislature, was in town last week.

Messrs. J.M. Slaughter, Robt. Maibin, Blanchard Marshall and William Marshall, all of Perdue Hill, except the latter, who is of Mobile, paid our town a brief visit last week.

C.J. Torrey, Esq., has returned to Claiborne for a brief time.

Col. T.C. McCorvey, Commandant at the state University, returned to his old home at Monroeville last Thursday, and will remain a short while with relatives and friends. Col. McC. is always welcomed to his old home by a host of warm and admiring friends.

Col. T.S. Wiggins, one of Monroeville’s most prominent attorneys at law, has been complaining of ill health during the past week.

Mr. Jno. W. Davison, the genial and talented young editor of The Evergreen Star, was in town last week. “Johnnie” has many friends in old Monroe who wish him every success in his new field of labor.

TO OUR PATRONS AND FRIENDS – We are now receiving by steamer Mary 250 bushels of corn, 25 barrels flour, bacon, sugar, coffee, rice, molasses, together with many other articles in the grocery department. Also, at the same time a general stock of dry goods, all of which we are now offering to our customers and friends at very low prices. – C.L. Clausell & Co., Monroeville.

J.M. LOWERY, Watchmaker & Jeweler, Perdue Hill, Alabama, is prepared to repair watches, clocks and jewelry of every description, promptly and satisfaction in every instance guaranteed.

George Singleton recounts bloody massacre at Fort Mims in 1813

William Weatherford, aka 'Red Eagle'

(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 “Tuesday was 181^st anniversary of Fort Mims Massacre” was originally published in the Sept. 1, 1994 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

All is quiet today, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 1994, around the historical site of old Fort Mims. The birds sing in the tall oaks and pines that stand as silent sentinels around this historic site. The sounds of the morning give little or no evidence to what happened here many years ago. But on this date, 181 years ago, the scene here was different.

On this very spot, the largest Indian massacre on the North American continent took place. Before this dreadful day was over, nearly 550 men, women and children would lose their lives in a battle that would cause the blood of untold hundreds to run cold when the name of Fort Mims was mentioned.

The most horrible atrocities of Indian warfare would be practiced by the fort attackers before this day of horror and death was over. Fort Mims, like several other small forts that had been hurriedly erected along the boundaries of the Creek Indian nation, had its shortcomings.

Samuel Mims, who was part Indian, hastily put together the fort wall for the protection of the white settlers who had occupied lands that were said to belong to the Wind Clan. As the conflict between the settlers and the Indians grew in magnitude, homesteads were abandoned and the settlers moved to the small fort for protection. Very soon the area within the protective walls of the stockade had become overcrowded.

The small unit of volunteers that were to protect the small fort were poorly trained. To add to the problems, their commander, a Major Beasley, did nothing to prepare the fort for defense against the Indian attack that was sure to come.

Slaves belonging to some of the settlers, while working outside the fort walls, reported seeing Indians massing in the deep woods nearby. Believing that the attackers, fearing his military knowledge and experience, would not attack the fort, he had the slaves severely beaten. Small children playing outside the fort walls also reported seeing many Indians in the woods nearby. Major Beasley threatened to have the children punished if “the lying brats didn’t quit spreading false rumors around the fort.”

That day of dreadful horrors would begin about as well as any when one considered the weather, the crowded conditions within the fort, and the tense feeling among those there.

A Capt. Daniel Bailey was doing everything in his power to convince Major Beasley to take some action in getting the fort in some state of readiness. Bailey was convinced that an attack from the Indians gathered in the deep woods near the river was just a matter of time. To further add to his fears, Bailey was deeply concerned about the quietness of the animals in the deep woods as the dawn broke across the bottoms around the small and crowded fort.

Bailey, who was a half-breed Creek, knew his kindred well enough to know that the attack would come at a time when they thought success would be certain. Again, he reported to Major Beasley the seriousness of the situation.

He offered to organize a mounted patrol and scout the outer areas around the fort for the attackers he knew were there, waiting for the right moment. Bailey also informed the now drunken Major Beasley that the main gates to the fort would not close due to large amounts of sand that had washed against them during the recent heavy rains. Bailey was informed by the drunken major that if he did not wish to be court-martialed, he had better let the command decisions be left to him.

Another half-breed, by the name of Cornells, rode through the gates of the fort and reported to the drunken Beasley, who was now involved in a game of cards near the east gate, that he had seen numbers of Indians massing nearby for what he thought to be an attack on the fort. He informed the drunken commander that he thought that the settlers in the fort could handle the situation easily if he would order the gates of the stockade closed and battle positions taken by the defenders of the fort.

The drunken major ordered Cornells arrested. Seeing that his suggestions had fallen on deaf ears, Cornells jumped on his horse and dashed through the gate. Major Beasley, now in a drunken stupor, ordered him shot. But no shots were fired by the nearby guards. They knew Cornells. He was their friend.

Cornells stopped at the gate of the fort for one brief second before racing out into the woods. He took one last look at the small children there playing tag around the wall of the fort. As he rode off, his eyes met those of Daniel Bailey, his dearest friend. He knew that he would never see this good man again in this life. The hour was at hand. Before long, the screams of death would ride the winds of the afternoon.

Those inside the fort had begun their midday meal when the attack began. The attack was savage beyond all imagination as more than 1,000 braves entered the fort through the gate that was stuck open with sand. Major Beasley was one of those closest to the open gate. Pushing a dying guard aside, he tried to block the entrance with his only weapon, his sword. After taking several arrows in the chest, any of which should have killed him, he ran his sword through the first seven attackers and decapitated the eighth before he himself fell. Taking the lives of the eight braves may have set the pace for the terrible blood bath that was to follow.

Killing alone was not enough. Slashing, stabbing, shooting, cutting and bludgeoning – any method would do. Women and children became part of the fighting and dying. The heads of the dead Indians were crushed with axes, hatchets and poles. Even their own tomahawks were used in the terrible slaughter.

The bodies of several pregnant women were split open by the attackers and the heads of the unborn babies were crushed against the nearest posts and corners of buildings. The blood of the unborn was used by the savage attackers to paint their bodies that further added to the horrors and killings. As the number of the white settlers became fewer and fewer in number, rape and vicious bites to the throat became the fate of the last of the women.

The attackers practiced the art of amputation on many of their victims. Many were still alive when the cutting began. Many would be left to bleed to death after perhaps both arms and legs had been separated from their bodies. The prophet Francis continued to urge the Indian attackers on until not a white man was standing outside except perhaps himself, High Head Jim and William Weatherford (Red Eagle). The prophet Francis was more white than Indian. Weatherford and High Head Jim both had more white blood in their veins than that of the Red Man.

The horrors of the massacre would continue until nothing remained of the small fort and the settlers but the smoldering ruins of the burned wall and buildings and the mutilated corpses of those who died there. Strangely enough, the few who survived the horrors of the Fort Mims massacre were led to safety by some of the very warriors that attacked the small fort.

But that’s another story.

(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.)

Early Wilcox County pioneers and settlers had strong ties to Fort Mims

Reenactor fires rifle at Fort Mims.

The annual reenactment of the “Massacre at Fort Mims” is less than a week away. If you love Alabama history and have never been to this event, I highly recommend that you take the time to do so. It’s well worth the drive to see it for yourself.

This year, the event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sat., Aug. 28, and Sun., Aug. 29, in the Tensaw community in northern Baldwin County. The event is scheduled to begin with an opening ceremony on Aug. 28 at 9 a.m., and both days will feature 1800s crafts, living history exhibits and on-site concessions. There will be limited on-site parking, and an off-site shuttle will be available both days from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The highlight of the event will be daily reenactments at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The 11 a.m. reenactments will portray the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek, and the 2 p.m. reenactments will portray the Massacre at Fort Mims. I’ve been to this event many times, and the reenactments are always action-packed with mock combat and lots of shooting.

The old Fort Mims site is about 80 road miles south of Camden. To get there, just head down to Monroeville and then take State Highway 21 south to Uriah. At Uriah, take State Highway 59 down to Tensaw. At Tensaw, turn right onto Baldwin County Road 80. Follow that road west for three miles and then turn right onto Fort Mims Road. This road will take you straight to the old fort site.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Massacre at Fort Mims, this historic event took place on Aug. 30, 1813 at a frontier fort not far from the Tensaw River in present-day Baldwin County. Around 500 settlers and soldiers were captured or killed by a band of around 700 Creek Warriors. It was truly an event that changed Alabama history.

Many Wilcox County residents will be interested to know that one of the county’s “founding fathers,” a 29-year-old Methodist minister named John Jenkins, saw the writing on the wall and left Fort Mims with his family the day before the massacre. They traveled up into present-day Clarke County and then made their way up the Alabama River. They eventually settled a short distance from present-day Camden.

In 1819, Alabama became a state, and in 1820 Jenkins served on a board of commissioners tasked with selecting a county seat. He also became the county’s first tax collector that same year. If he’d remained at Fort Mims just one more day, Jenkins, his family and all of their descendants would have likely been erased from history.

In the end, I highly recommend that history lovers in the reading audience take the time to attend this year’s reenactment, especially if you’ve never been. It is the premiere event of its type in all of Alabama, and you will not be disappointed. I guarantee that you will leave Tensaw with a whole new appreciation for the events that occurred at Fort Mims in August 1813.

Brantley Switch in Conecuh County was once known as Keyser

Old store at Brantley Switch in Conecuh County, Ala.

I got the itch to get out and do some riding around last Thursday afternoon, so I struck out west on the Loree Road. About 11 miles later, I pulled over in front of the store at the crossroads at Brantley Switch. The sun was shining bright when I switched off my truck and stepped out into the humid air.

Those of you familiar with Brantley Switch will know that, aside from a few scattered homes, the store there is the community’s most prominent landmark. Now closed, the sign on the side of the old store reads “Jasper’s Grocery & Package Store.” Items that could be purchased when it was in operation included ice cream, fishing poles, t-shirts, bait, cigars, beer and many other life necessities.

My thoughts had been drawn to this community in recent weeks thanks to an old map that I saw at the library. Most people today know this place as Brantley Switch, but at one point in its past, it had a different name: Keyser. Records reflect that Keyser was a variant for Brantley Switch and could be found on county maps going back as far as 1951.

Looking through old back issues of The Courant, the earliest reference to Brantley Switch that I could find was from 1921. In the April 6, 1921 edition, it was reported that “Mr. and Mrs. Irving Hamilton and baby of Brantleys Switch visited their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J.A.J. Morris last Sunday.” Other old references to this community list the name as “Brantley’s” Switch.

The “Switch” part of the name has always been interesting to me because it reminds me of the old railroad days. I grew up in Frisco City, which was named after the Frisco Railroad, and railcars were commonly “switched” from one train to another on the sidetrack there. Perhaps an old lumber railroad or rail spur once passed through what we now call Brantley Switch.

Another explanation may have to do with old stage coaches. The roads that intersect at Brantley Switch are old roads, and it’s highly possible that stagecoaches once used these roads, especially County Road 15, which runs north and south through Brantley Switch. It’s possible that the stage wagons would stop here and “switch” out for fresh horses on their way to the next stop.

Of course, every time I pass through Brantley Switch, I can’t help but think about all of the times that my old friend Butch Adams and I used to sit at the crossroads on Wednesday afternoons. Butch and I would go there in his truck and wait on Robert Bozeman to meet us there with the papers hot off the press in Monroeville, where we still get our papers printed today. Countless times, Butch and I would sit there, rain or shine, hot or cold, and listen to Paul Finebaum, back when he was still in Birmingham.

I learned a lot from Butch. He was always quick to share his special homespun bits of wisdom, and he knew a good bit about local history and people throughout the county. He’d worked at the newspaper longer than I’d been alive, and he’d been all over the county during his days as a newspaperman and photographer.

I’m sure that many of you in the reading audience also have your own tales to share about Brantley Switch. With that in mind, please let me know if you know anything more about the community’s history or how it got its name. I’m especially interested in any old ghost stories, local legends or Indian lore from this part of the county, so let me hear them.

Wilcox County, Alabama News Flashback for Aug. 18, 2021

66 YEARS AGO
AUG. 18, 1955

First ’55 Bale Brings 56c Pound: Wilcox County’s first bale of cotton of the current season was sold at auction Saturday afternoon, the purchaser being Matthews Hardware Co. of Camden, at 56 cents a pound. The bale was brought in Thurs., Aug. 4, by Martin Dees of Bellview, and ginned by Peoples Gin Co. with a weight of 547 pounds.

Health Officer Urges Second Polio Shots: Dr. E.L. McIntosh, County Health Officer, today urged all children to get their second polio shot before the start of school.
Dr. McIntosh stated that 1,002 second vaccine shots have been given, but there are still 760 more children to reach. Dr. McIntosh says that they are using Eli Lilly vaccine with the same lot number as was used to give the first shot in April.

Gullate Speaker Kiwanis Club: Winston Gullate, the man who beat Sweet out of last place in the governor’s race, will entertain the Camden Kiwanis Club Friday, Aug. 19, at 12 noon at the Bus station. Along with Mr. Gullate will be memory expert J.H. Robertson, Professor of Economics at Auburn, and Neil Lancaster, Area Manager for Southern Institute, sponsor of the Dale Carnegie Course in Human relations and Effective conversation.
Robertson will show how to obtain the largest asset a person can possess, remembering names and faces; and Lancaster will tell a little about human relations, how to increase income, how to stop worrying and start living, and how to make your home life happier. All interested in an hour’s entertainment, education and taking the Dale Carnegie Course are cordially invited.

79 YEARS AGO
AUG. 20, 1942

MISSIONARY EXCHANGED BY JAPANESE: Miss Reba Stewart, well-known in Camden, who has been a missionary to China, is reported to be on the way home. Miss Stewart has recently been in Harbin, Manchuke. According to reports received in this country, she was sent by the Japanese to Darien, Manchuke. From there, she was to have sailed on June 20 for Laurence Marques, Mozambique in Portugese East Africa. The trip from Darien is supposed to have taken 60 days. At Laurence Marques, she will be exchanged, along with other American citizens from the Orient, for Japanese from the United States. Japanese in the United States sailed some time ago for Laurence Marques on the Gripsholm. The Gripsholm will bring the exchanged Americans home.
Little is known about Miss Stewart’s experiences. Some Americans have suffered many indignities while prisoners of the Japanese. They have been herded in concentration camps, starved and abused. Others have fared better. Miss Stewart will no doubt have a thrilling story to tell of her experience when she returns.
Miss Stewart will be remembered as the sister of Mrs. Carlotta Tait, who formerly taught in Camden schools and for some years made her home in Rock West.

Mrs. Lounette Steed has returned from Birmingham where she attended the wedding of her nephew Ensign John Tuckee Jr. of Pearl Harbor and Miss Mary Elizabeth Trilick of Birmingham.

92 YEARS AGO
AUG. 15, 1929

The many friends of Dr. Sam J. Albritton will be interested to know of his marriage on Monday in McMinnville, Tenn. to Miss Martha Little. The Progressive Era extends cordial congratulations and good wishes. The newlyweds arrived in Camden on Wednesday for a visit to Dr. Albritton’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. G.L. Albritton.

We are glad to see Mr. W.F. McWilliams, our genial tax collector, out again after several days illness.

Miss Myrtle Odom, who has been attending Teachers College at Livingston, is visiting relatives here.

While returning from Mobile, Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Cook and lovely daughter, Millie Crum, accompanied by Miss Anna Tait, met with an auto accident at Atmore. No one was seriously injured.

Mr. and Mrs. A.G. Simmons are receiving congratulations upon the arrival of a fine baby boy.

LIONS CLUB: The regular monthly meeting of the Camden Lions Club was held Friday, Aug. 9, with Lion J. Bruce Henderson presiding. The club was fortunate to have at this meeting Mr. Roy Crow of the Alabama State Industrial Board, who made a most interesting talk on the plans of this Board, other members of the Board will visit Camden later.

Miss Cammie Jones left Tuesday for Auburn, where she will visit her sister, Miss Lillian, for about two weeks before commencing her kindergarten work at Girard.

105 YEARS AGO
AUG. 17, 1916

Love Spurned Doctor, 60, Slays Girl, 14, and Then Takes Own Life: Selma, Ala., Aug. 9 – Miss Leta Patrick, pretty 14-year-old Wilcox County girl, was slain by Dr. Charles Davis, aged 60, who immediately committed suicide, according to news received here late yesterday.
The girl gave her life as the price of rejected love. She spurned the doctor’s offer of marriage and he shot her twice, one of the bullets penetrating her thigh as she ran, according to reports received here.
Immediately after the killing, Davis’ body was placed in a rude pine casket by the enraged people of the Lamison section and buried without ceremony within a short distance of the scene, where he took his own life.
Davis is said to have been paying the girl attention ever since she was a wee bit of a tot. He has a family living near Devil in Choctaw County, but had lived in this section intermittently several years.
According to advices received here, he made a definite proposal of marriage to the girl yesterday but was refused. Funeral services were held late yesterday afternoon for the girl, and the body was laid to rest near Lamison.
The shots which killed Miss Patrick were heard by other members of the household and her sister, rushing to the younger girl’s aid, was struck and slightly wounded by one of the bullets.
Miss Patrick was the daughter of W.T. Patrick, a wealthy farmer.

The High School and Camden Grammar School will open on Tues., Sept. 5.

118 YEARS AGO
AUG. 20, 1903

Mr. W.W. Robinson at our Masonic Conference last week represented Howard Lodge No. 69 of Mobile, Ala., of which he is a member, we have known Bill for years on the Alabama River as carpenter on the Burke and Nettie Quill and was glad to meet him out on land, and he certainly enjoyed himself. Bill is a big-hearted, good-natured Englishman, who tells many marvelous yarns about his own country, and he never fails to say something good about the South generally, and Alabama in particular. We hope to see him again in Camden some day.

Mr. Angus McDowell left last week for Salt Lake City, Utah to identify Mr. Fox, who killed Mr. T.L. Stewart in this county a few weeks since.

Miss Carrie Lee Steele, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Steele of Mobile, came up on the Nettie Quill to spend some days with the Misses Maughan in Rock West. It goes without saying that she will have a good time as she has gone to the right place for it. There are no better nor more hospitable people on earth than the Maughan family.

Levi Allen desires to say to the public that he is a practical brick worker and can turn out work with neatness and dispatch and solicits patronage of this and adjoining counties.

Chief Ray, formerly of Shawnee, but now of Mobile, paid this office a visit and renewed his subscription. The old man looked hale and hearty as of yore, long may he live and prosper.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Aug. 17, 2021

Alabama Gov. Benjamin Meek Miller

15 YEARS AGO
AUG. 17, 2006

Local weather reporter Harry Ellis reported .55 inches of rain on Aug. 8, 2006 and .08 inches on Aug. 13. He reported high temperatures of 96 degrees on Aug. 7, Aug. 8, Aug. 9 and Aug. 12. He reported lows of 70 on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10.

Cleve “Bogee” Carter will celebrate his 101st birthday Sat., Aug. 19, 2006.

Bobby Balogun, President of W&B Trading appeared before the Conecuh County Commission to voice his displeasure with the progress in acquiring the land and other incentives promised him by the county and City of Evergreen to bring his biodiesel plant to Conecuh County. Balogun began by saying his company is happy to be in Conecuh County and feels like the county has welcomed him here.
He told the county there are several issues they are not happy with on the project. He stated that since the contract for the project was signed on June 8, too much time has passed without activity on items like the temporary industrial access road to the site.
He said the county and city have not paid the invoices from the company that is designing the rail spur that is vital for his plant. Balogun also stated that his company has not received permission to enter onto the property to begin site work.
County Attorney Richard Nix explained that they have permission from the land owners to enter the property verbally and have been diligently working to get the paperwork signed for the commitment.

33 YEARS AGO
AUG. 18, 1988

Evergreen weather reporter Harry Ellis reported 1.02 inches of rain on Aug. 9 and .07 inches of rain on Aug. 15. He reported a high of 93 on Aug. 11 and lows of 70 on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14.

The Board of Commissioners of the Evergreen Housing Authority held a ground-breaking ceremony last Thursday for its newest additions at Crestview Manor Apartments located on Rabb Drive off Knoxville Road. The newest additions will consist of 35 three-bedroom units which will be furnished with stoves and refrigerators. This will bring the total units in Crestview Manor to 60, consisting of 51 three-bedroom units and nine four-bedroom units.

The Evergreen City Council considered two proposals and then decided to enter into a contract with Taylor Construction of Atmore, the low bidder, for the construction of a new hangar at Middleton Field Municipal Airport. The action highlighted the council’s meeting Tuesday night at City Hall.

The Conecuh County School System would like to remind parents that students will start school this year on Mon., Aug. 29.

The Fall Term of Circuit Court for Conecuh County will begin Monday morning at nine o’clock with Judge Robert E.L. Key presiding. Judge Key, the 35th Circuit’s first and only judge, will be presiding over his final regular term of court in this county. He will retire in January.

55 YEARS AGO
AUG. 18, 1966

State’s first bale of cotton is ginned here: The first bale of cotton of the 1966 crop in the state of Alabama was ginned here last week at the Evergreen Gin Co. J.T. Ward, well-known farmer and agricultural leader, brought Alabama’s first bale to the gin on Aug. 9. This is the first time it is known that Conecuh County produced the first bale.
Ward’s first bale weighed a net of 502 pounds and graded Middling 1-1/6 inch staple. It was auctioned off Friday afternoon at the Evergreen Gin, bringing a premium price of 79 cents per pound, a total of $396.35. Weil Brothers of Montgomery bought the cotton.

Train derails, kills one, two are injured: One man, thought to be a hobo, was killed when an L&N freight train derailed early Monday morning near Owassa. Later, two L&N workmen who were helping clear the debris were injured, neither critically.
Over 30 cars of a long freight train were derailed and overturned about 7:30 Monday morning in a curve in the L&N tracks near Owassa. Damage was estimated to run very high.
A man identified as George E. Weems, 49, of Piedmont was found dead in the wreckage. He was thought to have been a hobo riding on the freight train. It was reported that two other men were hitching a ride on the train, but no trace of them was found in the wreckage.
Tuesday morning two men in the crew clearing the tracks were injured when a cable broke and struck them. One of the men suffered a fractured arm while the other, Paul Deason, was hit in the head and has a fractured skull.

65 YEARS AGO
AUG. 16, 1956

Conecuh’s First Bales Auctioned Saturday: Conecuh’s first two bales of cotton were auctioned off Saturday afternoon in Evergreen for the fancy price of 43 cents per pound. The two bales were purchased by Kendall & Kendall of Evergreen.
A fair crowd was on hand to watch the bidding. Judge Lloyd Hart was the auctioneer.
The first two bales were ginned this year on Aug. 4 at Evergreen Gin. Arriving almost simultaneously in the race for first bale honors were Grady Ralls of Evergreen Route D and J.T. Ward of Evergreen Route C.

Castleberry’s municipal election will be held on Sept. 17, according to an announcement today by Mayor Jack Holland.
Incumbents are: mayor, Jack Holland; councilmen, Joe H. Carr, B.H. Mahoney, Henry Kirksey, R.T. Bagget, and C.N. Jackson.
So far, only one man has qualified for office. Hassett Green has qualified for mayor. He owns a grocery store in Castleberry, and is a retired electrician.
Qualifying began on Aug. 8 and will be open until Aug. 28.

Shown above is Miss Willie Anna Hanks, daughter of Mrs. Opal Hanks of Annex, who was chosen Conecuh County Maid of Cotton at the annual Farm Bureau meeting here last week. At left is Miss Nell Freeman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Freeman of Old Town, who was chosen alternate.

90 YEARS AGO
AUG. 13, 1931

HERE’S A PRIZE STORY, ‘BELIEVE IT OR NOT’: Mr. J.H. Dickerson, well known farmer living about five miles north of Evergreen, informs a representative of The Courant that a phenomenal incident occurred at his home last Wednesday afternoon. While seated on his back porch, watching a heavy downpour of rain, he suddenly was attracted to a small object about the size of a man’s fist which had fallen, apparently out of the clouds with the heavy rains. Closer observation disclosed that it was a terrapin. Mr. Dickerson says that the fall stunned the creature to such extent that it did not seem to have much life and later was able to make his or her departure down through the field nearby.
Mr. Dickerson says that he saw the terrapin when it hit the ground and he is positive that it fell out of the clouds just as did the rain. In his mind there is no doubt about it. It is his opinion that the little animal was picked up somewhere by a storm and brought that far before being dropped.

Gov. B.M. Miller late Thursday, Aug. 6, appointed Leonard W. Price of this city Probate Judge of Conecuh County to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge S.P. Dunn.

Cap Edson and son, Hubert, are lodged in the county jail charged with the murder of Jim Merritt, brother-in-law of Edson, the killing having occurred in the vicinity of Grange Bridge on Pigeon Creek shortly after 12 o’clock Tuesday.
According to reports, the difficulty arose over the shooting of some cows, Edson having accused Merritt of doing the shooting. The trouble had been brewing for about a week it seems. Merritt and another brother-in-law, Andrew Terry, were returning from Red Level when the trouble ended in the fatal killing. Merritt were cut twice, once in the breast, the gash severing a rib and entering the heart, the other on the arm. He died almost instantly it is said.