The Monroe Journal's News Flashback for Oct. 14, 2024

SIX YEARS AGO
OCT. 11, 2018

Local family plays The Price is Right: Margaret and husband Joe Watson of Monroeville celebrated her birthday by visiting her son and attending the popular TV game show The Price is Right on Aug. 6 in Los Angeles, Calif.
While visiting her son, Kenneth Rankins Jr., who grew up in Monroeville, Margaret said they decided to attend a taping of The Price is Right at CBS Studios.
She said they spent the day touring the property and enjoyed the “full experience of television and the game show.”

Panthers win 42-2: Excel’s Panthers improved to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Class 3A, Region 1 standings last Thursday when they defeated St. Michael Catholic High School 42-2 in Fairhope.
Drew Bradley and Josh Gandy had a big night for the Panthers, rushing 20 times for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, Tristian McBride and Jayden Jenkins had eight solo tackles each.
(Other top Excel players in that game included Cole Chandler, Nate Davis, Devin Hixon, Justin Manuel, Keon McMillian, Zeb Nettles, Race Salter and Deon’te Tunstall.)

Kiwanis officers and board installed: At its weekly meeting Oct. 2, Kiwanis Club of Monroeville installed officers for the 2018-19 membership year and new members of the board for 2018-20. The are Deborah Jinright, board; Jeanie Smith, immediate past president; Alisha Linam, vice president; Margaret Murphy, board; Sam Schjott, President; Ricky Powell, Division 12 Lt. Governor; Pete Black, president-elect; Paul England, board; Kelsie Becton, board; Phillip Allen, secretary; Toni McKelvey, treasurer; and Morgan Hutcherson, board.

31 YEARS AGO
OCT. 14, 1993

Board of Education approves lease to Perdue Hill group: A $1-per-year lease on about six acres of land at Perdue Hill where a school once was located was approved by the Monroe County Board of Education at its regular meeting Friday.
Earlman Davis, preside of the Perdue Hill Industrial Academy Alumni Association, requested the lease, saying the group wants to spearhead the construction of a youth recreation facility on the site. He also said the proposed center would be a monument to the late P.J. Carmichael, a long-time Monroe County educator who was principal of Perdue Hill Industrial Academy, where Davis attended.

Blacksher ‘Dogs get the best of Panthers: Emotions ran high at John Sawyer Memorial Field Saturday evening at Uriah when J.U. Blacksher High School squared off against Excel High School in a football game that saw the Bulldogs post a 12-7 win.
It has been said that sooner or later every dog has its day, and for J.U. Blacksher High School’s Bulldogs, it came Saturday in the form of a homecoming victory – a win that ended a streak of seven straight losses to the Panthers.
(Top Blacksher players in that game included Benny Alanis, Jimmy Beavers, Jackie Ray Brown, Mikal Cooper, Tedro English, Josh Johnson, Morgan Middleton, Wontwyn Montgomery and Eric Wallace. Top Excel players included Lee Browning, David Lowery, Matt Melton, Clifton Nettles, Dennis Parker, Steven Pharr, Durrand Watson and Jason Watson. Skip Bell was Blacksher’s head coach, and Bo Bishop was Excel’s head coach.)

56 YEARS AGO
OCT. 10, 1968

New Monroeville Mayor and Council: The new city administration for Monroeville was officially inducted Mon., Oct. 7, and met for their first business session Tuesday night. They are M.M. Kennedy Jr., Place 5; Windell C. Owens, mayor; A.L. Clenner, Place 4; B.C. Hornady, Place 1; Robbins Williams, Place 3; and J.R. Johnson, Place. 2.

Frisco Defeats Uriah, 13-7, in Close Game: The Frisco City High School Whippets edged past the J.U. Blacksher High School, 13-7, in a football game in Uriah last Friday night.
Uriah controlled the ball most of the last half, but couldn’t quite bring home the bacon. The Whippets have won five straight games and were rated number one on the Alabama High School Athletic Association list last week for single-A high schools.
(Top FCHS players in that game included James Bailey, David Bixler, Eddie Cotten, Bill Grant, Rob Kelly, Mike Lancaster, Larry Norris, Ronald Ray, Eddie Sawyer, Steve Sinquefield, Kenneth Till and Jimmy Tucker. Top Blacksher players included Robbie Colbert, Dale Gulsby, Joe Harrison, Danny McGee, Howard Metts, Joe Frank Mims and Carl Williams.)

New Store Manager: John Egolf, who will manage the new T.G.&.Y. store in Monroeville, arrived here Sept. 16 and is making preparations for a grand opening of the store Oct. 17. Located in the Monroe Shopping Center, approximately 20 people will assist in getting ready for the opening. Mr. Egolf was formerly employed with another chain in Florida.

81 YEARS AGO
OCT. 14, 1943

Goodway Man Has Well Drilling Record: Mr. C.H. Booker of Goodway holds a pretty good record for making water available around farm homes in Monroe and adjoining counties. He started drilling wells in 1925 and to date he has completed 675 wells in four counties.

Pfc. Aubrey L. Norris, who was wounded July 12 and died July 16 while serving his country in the Southwest Pacific Area, was awarded the Purple Heart medal for gallantry and devotion. The medal is being sent to his mother, Mrs. Mary E. Norris, according to a letter recently received from Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson.

A group of representative business men were guests of the five banks of the county at a dinner at the LaSalle Hotel last Thursday evening.
Mr. J. Finley McRae, president of the Merchants National Bank of Mobile, was the speaker for the occasion and discussed some of the economic problems which confront the people of the county.
Mr. Tom Taul, Mrs. George Hass and Mr. D’Olive of Mobile accompanied Mr. McRae to Monroeville.

The Fall term of the Circuit Court convened Monday. On account of the light docket and difficulty in locating witnesses, civil cases were continued and after selecting grand jurors, other jurors and witnesses were discharged. The grand jury is in session this week and is composed of: K.J. Lazenby, foreman, Melton Lynam, Heck Rumbley, J. Barto Lloyd, Earl L. Harper, Eddie E. English, A. Frank Session, J. Lomax Lewis, Henry T. Fountain, Mitchell J. Byrd, Herbert H. Hendrix, J. Benette Robinson, George E. Scott, Steve W. Strock, Levi A. Green, Lonnie J. Wiggins, Oscar McNeil Sr., I.D. Byrd.

108 YEARS AGO
OCT. 12, 1893

Little Henry, son of Mr. H.E. Hudson, had the misfortune to be thrown from a wagon Monday evening and one of the wheels passed over him breaking his left leg above the knee. Dr. Russell was called and set the broken limb. The little fellow bore the pain with great fortitude and is resting as easily as could be expected under the circumstances.

JONES MILL: The Bear Creek Mill Co. has completed the ditch to Little Bear Creek.

Died – Mr. Watson McWilliams, one of the oldest and most highly esteemed citizens of the county, died at his home near Axle, Tuesday, 10^th inst., aged 86 years.

SINGING CONVENTION: Ed. Journal: We wish to remind singers that the next Session of Shiloh Singing convention will convene at Grimes Schoolhouse on the third Sunday and Saturday before in this month. All cordially invited to attend. B.E. Jones, Secretary.

Captain and Mrs. W.S. Wiggins returned to Sulphur Springs last week to spend several days. The Captain thinks the mineral waters are proving beneficial to his health. On his previous visit, he gained several pounds in weight.

Mr. B.F. Wiggins left last week for Arkansas on the most important mission of his life. He is expected to return in a few weeks accompanied by his blushing bride.

What ever became of Wilcox County poet, Sara Elizabeth King?

General Edwin Davis King

What ever became of Wilcox County poet, Sara Elizabeth King?

This was a question I pondered as I read about her poetic exploits in the Oct. 8, 1936 edition of The Wilcox Progressive Era. In a front-page story that week, published under the headline, “Recognition For Poetry Of Sara King,” the newspaper reported that she was the author of several poems that had been “complimented” by the Alabama Poetry Society. Another of her poems had been selected for inclusion in an anthology called “1936 Contemporary Women Poets of America.”

The newspaper printed two of her poems. The first was titled “Ubiguity” and read as follows:

God walks in forests where pine needles grew,
And in the tumult and motor cars meet.
He breathes thru a still world that’s wrapt in snow;
Then brings spring with its white blossoming sloe.
In the midst of the waving tall grass sweet,
In laughing curves of the ripe golden wheat,
The heart alone attuned to God can know.
Perhaps in starlit lonely mountain ways,
Or in the friendly city near a mart
In a cathedral’s light of candle rays;
Or where fantastic shadowy waves start
To break on grim shores, can the same soul praise Jehovah.
He walks in the human heart.

The other poem of King’s printed by The Progressive Era was called “Spiritual Old Age” and read as follows:

I saw you once
In the face of
An old preacher.
He needed to
Say no word.
He was a sermon.
Thru him you speak
Of turning death
Into morning.

The newspaper article also noted that King graduated from Judson College in 1911 and in October 1936 was living at 347 Magnolia Ave. in Auburn. She was a relative of one of the Judson College’s founders, General Edwin D. King.

She was also the daughter of Paul and Clementine DeLoach King and was the granddaughter of William Douglas and Rebecca Singleton King. She was also the great-granddaughter of James Asbury and Elizabeth Caroline Goode Tait and the great-great-granddaughter of Judge Charles Tait, who was the first federal judge of Alabama.

After reading the article, a number of questions came to mind. Chiefly, I could not help but wonder if the newspaper misprinted the title of the first poem, “Ubiguity.” I looked through several dictionaries (and even Googled it), but apparently there is no such word. However if the change the “g” to a “q,” you have the word, “Ubiquity,” which is defined as “the fact of appearing everywhere or of being very common.”

Despite my best efforts, I was unable to find out what became of Sara King. She was not married in October 1936, but if she went on to get married, she would have taken her husband’s last name. Without knowing her married name, it is extremely difficult to search death records and cemetery archives for information about her final resting place.

In the end, I think it’s likely that Sara King still has relatives living in Wilcox County today. If so, let me hear from you, so that we can more fully document the life of this Wilcox County poet.

Was Harper Lee’s ‘lady poisoner’ the wife of Jack the Ripper?

Florence Maybrick

Did Monroeville author Harper Lee make a veiled reference to the wife of a Jack the Ripper suspect in her 2015 novel, “Go Set a Watchman.”

In Chapter 5 of the novel, 26-year-old Jean Louise Finch and her childhood friend Henry “Hank” Clinton are driving to Finch’s Landing. She says that Finch’s Landing consisted of 366 steps going down a high bluff and ending in a wide jetty jutting out into the Alabama River. A dirt road leads to the landing and at the end of the road is a two-story white house with upstairs and downstairs porches around all four sides of the house.

This old family home was “in an excellent state of repair,” having been bought by a Mobile businessman, who turned it into a hunting club. Jean Louise goes on to say that the house had been bought by Atticus Finch’s grandfather from the uncle of a “renowned lady poisoner who operated on both sides of the Atlantic, but who came from a fine old Alabama family.”

This sentence struck a chord with me and caused me to wonder if this was a reference to Florence Maybrick, an Alabama native who was convicted in England of poisoning her husband, James Maybrick in 1889. Florence was born in Mobile in 1862, the daughter of former Mobile mayor, William George Chandler. While traveling to England by ship, 17-year-old Florence met James Maybrick, a 40-year-old cotton merchant from Liverpool.

Maybrick died on May 11, 1889 and family members accused Florence of poisoning him to death with arsenic. At trial, Florence was accused of extracting arsenic from flypaper that she bought from a local chemist. Florence was found guilty, and the case was widely publicized by the newspapers of the time. She went on to spend 14 years in prison before returning to the United States, where she died in 1941.

Many in the reading audience will remember that the notorious Jack the Ripper killed five women in London in 1888. This killer was never brought to justice, and many sleuths have tried to understand why the killings inexplicably stopped in 1888. Over the years, many have been suspected of being Jack the Ripper, including James Maybrick.

Maybrick became a suspect when his purported diary surfaced in 1992, claiming that he was the famous killer. This diary eventually became the basis for the 1993 book, “The Diary of Jack the Ripper” by Shirley Harrison. Over the years, many experts have examined the diary with some saying they can’t rule out that it’s the real thing with others saying it’s a fake.

Another item that purportedly connects Maybrick to the Ripper crimes is an old pocket watch that came to public light in 1993. Inside the cover was scratched “J. Maybrick” and “I am Jack.” Like the diary, many experts have examined this watch over the years, and it’s authenticity is hotly debated.

In the end, it would be interesting to know if Florence Maybrick’s uncle or any other relatives once owned land in Monroe County, which is the basis for fictional Maycomb County. If anyone in the reading audience has more information about this subject, please let me know because it would be interesting to make this connection to the “renowned lady poisoner” of the 1880s.

The Monroe Journal's News Flashback for Sept. 30, 2024

22 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 26, 2002

Going up? – Donnie Evans of Creel Construction Co. and George Thomas Jones of Monroeville prepare to take the first ride in the new elevator at the Old Monroe County Courthouse last Thursday. The elevator was installed as part of the final phase of a project to restore the courthouse that also serves as the home for the Monroe County Heritage Museums.

No. 1 was still No. 1 and still unbeaten Friday after top-ranked Monroe Academy posted a 21-0 victory over Clarke Prep School at MA.
MA’s defense, which has not yielded a touchdown since opening the season with a 41-14 win over Sparta Academy Aug. 30 at MA, pitched a third straight shutout Friday.
Senior linebacker Joah Norris collected 17 tackles to key the Vols’ defensive effort. Senior linebacker Tyler Dawson followed with 13. Dawson also led the Vols’ offense with 102 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 15 carries from his fullback position.
(Other top MA players in that game included Anthony Brantley, Bryson Crutchfield, Taylor Dobson, Colby Mixon, Hunter Moye, Sage Smith and Bonner Williams.)

Jordan P. Elbrecht has graduated from the Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) National Advanced Leadership Camp at Fort Lewis, Tacoma, Wash.
He is the son of George K. and Greta C. Elbrecht of Monroeville. Elbrecht graduated in 1998 from Monroe County High School.

47 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 29, 1977

Monroeville man attends law academy: Charles Edward Andrews of Monroeville, who is employed with the state Board of Corrections, is attending the Law Enforcement Academy at the University of Alabama. Law enforcement officers attend courses for six weeks through this program at the university. A 1971 Alabama law requires all new officers to attend a recognized law enforcement school within nine months of employment.

Whippets edge Lyeffion: The Frisco City High School Whippets ran their season record to 4-1 Friday night in Frisco City by defeating Lyeffion 13-12.
Kenneth Dudley was the game’s leading rusher with 78 yards on 12 carries. The Whippet defense was led by Kenneth Dudley, who had 16 individual tackles and seven assists.
(Other top FCHS players in that game included Tim Bailey, Jerry Browning, Julius Lambert and Ben Wiggins.)

85-year-old twins: Mrs. Emma Shiver and Thompson Chunn, twin brother and sister, celebrated their 85^th birthdays Sept. 8. Residents of Rocky Hill, the two are active at Rocky Hill Baptist Church, where Mr. Chunn has been the song director for 30 years. Each twin had seven children, including a set of twins each. Their brother, Monroe Chunn, celebrated his 89^th birthday Sept. 18. They also have two sisters, Lizzie Dunn, 83, and Viola Smith, 80.

West Point Cadet George B. Singleton, son of Mr. and Mrs. George B. Singleton Sr. of Monroeville, recently completed the Ranger course at the U.S. Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga. Cadet Singleton is a student at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York.

72 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 25, 1952

Walter C. Nicholas, Excel merchant, was chosen to the town’s top office in the municipal election held there Tuesday. Mr. Nicholas was elected mayor with a total of 44 votes over his single opponent, C.W. Austin, who received 24 votes. Mr. Nicholas replaced B.B. Feaster as Excel’s mayor.

Uriah Squad Downs Flomaton 24-0: The J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs unleashed power for their first win of the season by defeating the Flomaton Greenies, 24-0, in Flomaton Friday night.
The three Smith brothers on the Uriah team were largely accountable for the Uriah victory. Left half O’Neil Smith racked up three TD’s while substitute back Vernon Smith was responsible for another. Nelson Smith was also instrumental in assisting the win.
(Other top Blacksher players in that game included Raymond Chunn, Aubrey Grant, Frank Hadley, Al Gene Hines, J.B. House, Jack Madison, Lavon Smith, William Weatherford and Mason Wood.)

Monroe Schools Presented With Car For Instruction In Driver Training: Monroe County schools have received this year the use of a 1952 model Ford automobile for driver training instruction through the cooperation of the Chambers-Lazenby Motor Co. of Monroeville and the American Automobile Association.
The automobile was formally presented to H.G. Greer, county superintendent of education, and Hubert Finlayson, assistant coach at Monroe County High School and county driver training instructor, on Thurs., Sept. 11, by B.L. Chambers, co-owner of the local motor company.
The course in driver training is being offered to tenth grade students at four Monroe County schools this year.

97 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 29, 1927

M. Katz store will be closed on Thurs., Oct. 6, in observance of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. The store will be reopened on Friday, Oct. 7.

MARINE KILLED IN ACTION KNOWN IN THIS COUNTY: Lenton Clyde Russell, 22, of the U.S. Marine Corps, who was killed in a skirmish between Marines and native troops in Nicaragua Sept. 21, was widely known in Monroe County, having been a student at the Monroeville high school before he enlisted in the Marine Corps.
The son of A.S. Russell of Tinela, Ala., young Russell moved to Monroe County in 1917, where he was educated in the public school.
Report from his commanding officer revealed that the youth met death gallantly, having received his mortal wound while on active duty, guarding property in Nicaragua, where a detachment of Marines has been stationed since the recent uprising in that country.

The work of grading the Monroeville-Franklin highway is practically completed, attention now being given to dressing up and placing culverts within the corporate limits of Monroeville. Surfacing with gravel has reached a point within a few miles of town and is progressing at the rate of about one mile per week. It is expected that the work will be entirely finished and ready for acceptance by the Highway Department by or before Dec. 1.

122 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 25, 1902

A new Masonic Lodge, Blacksher No. 593, was instituted at Maros, this county, a few days since by N.A. McNiel, Worshipful Master of Enon Lodge, under the authority of a dispensation granted by Grand Master R.R. Cunningham. The following officers were duly installed: D.C. Mims, Worshipful Master; L.B. Farish, Senior Warden; J.F. Lambert, Junior Warden; W.H. Pearce, Treasurer; W.T. Dees, Secretary; J.A. Brown, Senior Deacon; H.R. White, Junior Deacon; and C.S. Dees, Tyler.

Sheriff Fountain is spending a few days with his family at Tunnel Springs this week.

Reports from various portions of the county are to the effect that the dry weather of past few weeks has seriously affected all such crops as sugar cane, potatoes, peas, etc. and while the cotton crop will turn out better than was promised at one time, the top crop will not produce as much as was indicated a few weeks ago.

The new school house at Drewry is about finished and will be filled with pupils at an early date.

Miss Susie Wiggins left Tuesday for Marion, where she will enter the Judson Female College.

Mineola: Our church is now in a fair way of being completed by the next appointment, which will be on the fourth Sabbath in October, when we hope for the building to be dedicated.

Awin: Rev. H.N. Huckabee filled his regular appointment – the second Sunday – at Mt. Pleasant. He preached an interesting sermon.

'Old Purefoy House' described in 'Haunted Places: The National Directory'

I was flipping through a book the other day called “Haunted Places: The National Directory” by Dennis William Hauck. Published in 2002, this 486-page book describes hundreds of supposedly “haunted” places in America, including 41 such “supernatural locations” in Alabama. Of these, only one is located within the borders of Wilcox County – the “Old Purefoy House” at Furman.

According to Hauck, “a buried well in the back yard here is said to be haunted by the spirit of a black man who died digging it. In the early 1800s, Dr. John H. Purefoy was having a new well dug when the wooden rigging collapsed and buried a worker under tons of sandy soil. Although rescuers could hear the man screaming for help, they were unable to save him, and his body was never recovered. Today, grass will not grow over the sunken depression where the well collapsed, and people see the form of a man sitting hunched over the top of the well. His sobbing cries for help still fill the night air.”

A longer version of this old ghost story can be found within the pages of Kathryn Tucker Windham’s classic 1969 book, “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey.” Also, while I’ve never personally investigated the site of this ghostly tale, I have included Furman’s Purifoy-Lipscomb House in my annual list of “Spookiest Places in Wilcox County.” These annual lists were first published in The Progressive Era in late October 2016.

With that said, next week’s edition of the newspaper will mark the first in the month of October and, if nothing changes, I plan to release my annual list of “Spookiest Places in Wilcox County” in the Halloween edition of the newspaper on Oct. 31. This year, I’d like to include a few spooky locations that haven’t made the previous lists, and I’m encouraging readers to send me their nominations.

For those of you who missed previous lists of “Spookiest Places,” here are some of the places that received mention: the Camden Cemetery, the Castro Tree in Camden, Coy Cemetery, the Coy Railroad Crossing, Dale Masonic Lodge in Camden, Gaines Ridge in Camden, Gee’s Bend Ferry Landing near Camden, the “House of the Dancing Skulls” near Rosebud, the intersection of County Roads 59 and 24 near Pine Apple, the Liddell-Burford House in Camden, Moore Academy in Pine Apple, the “Millie Hole” on Pine Barren Creek, Prairie Bluff Cemetery, Reaves Chapel Cemetery, Snow Hill Institute, the “Unfilled Hole” in Camden and the Wilcox Female Institute in Camden.

This year, I’m looking for new “spooky” places to add to the list, so if you know of any such places within the confines of Wilcox County that aren’t mentioned above, please let me hear from you. Not only will I add them to my list, but I will also make it a point to visit the location myself, if possible, investigate the claims of “supernatural” activity there and write about it for the newspaper in the months to come. Feel free to supply me with as much detail as possible as it will make telling others about it that much easier.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Sept. 24, 2024

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley

12 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 27, 2012

Evergreen weather observer Betty Ellis reported 1.22 inches of rain on Sept. 17 and 0.09 inches on Sept. 18. She reported a high of 86 degrees on Sept. 22 and lows of 55 degrees on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20.

Six local high school seniors will compete for top honors during Conecuh County’s Distinguished Young Women Scholarship Program later this week in Evergreen.
This year’s program will be held Saturday, starting at 3 p.m. at Hillcrest High School in Evergreen.
Competitors this year will include Alexandria Evans, Grace Matlock, Jassmine Riley, Sequoya Stallworth, Amanda Thompson and Victoria Walden.

District Attorney Tommy Chapman announced on Tuesday afternoon that, effective Oct. 1, Gov. Robert Bentley has appointed him Supernumerary District Attorney.
Bentley also appointed Chapman’s Chief Assistant Steve Wadlington as District Attorney to serve out the remainder of Chapman’s term in office, which ends in January 2017.
Chapman was first appointed as District Attorney for the 35^th Judicial Circuit on May 3, 1990 by Gov. Guy Hunt. Chapman was re-elected in 1992, 1998, 2004 and 2010. As a Supernumerary District Attorney, Chapman can be called on to represent the State of Alabama at any time by the Governor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or the Attorney General.

37 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 24, 1987

$4,330,000 is low bid on central high: A Mobile firm was the apparent low bidder on the proposed new countywide central high school with a base bid of $4,330,000, according to Conecuh County Superintendent of Education Steve Coker. The seven bids opened recently ranged up to a high of $5,078,000.
The base bid is on a contract that calls for a 92,000-square foot building, designed for 900 students, to be completed in 16 months. Coker said he expects to have all county students, ninth through twelfth grades, to begin attending classes there in the 1989-1990 school year.

Johnston will retire Oct. 1; Castleberry named: Tax Collector J. Marvin Johnston formerly announced this week that he would retire Oct. 1 after 20 years of service in that office.
Gov. Guy Hunt’s office notified The Courant on Tuesday that the governor has appointed Mrs. Carolyn Pate Castleberry to fill Johnston’s unexpired term of office, which ends Sept. 30, 1991. She will take the oath of office at 11 o’clock Friday morning in the old courtroom of the County Courthouse.
Johnston, a lifetime resident of Owassa, was first elected Tax Collector in 1966, succeeding the late Henry Wiggins. A popular official, he was re-elected without opposition in 1972, 1978 and 1984.
He graduated from Evergreen High School and Auburn University with a degree in accounting. After meritorious service in the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in Europe in World War II, he was associated with Ivey Chevrolet Co. in Evergreen for 20 years as accountant and business manager.

62 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 27, 1962

Castleberry Bank Opening Is Today: It will be open house at the Castleberry branch of the Union Bank of Repton this afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m. The new bank opened Monday.
The bank is inviting the public to come inspect its facility and the completely remodeled building. It is located in the former bank and post office building and is air conditioned.
Jerry Kelly of Brewton is manager and is being assisted right now by Carl Ryals, cashier of the main bank.

Wet-dry vote is set in county Nov. 6: Conecuh County voters will determine on Nov. 6, whether or not the legal sale of alcoholic beverages shall be allowed in the county.
Judge of Probate Lloyd G. Hart said today that over 600 county electors have petitioned for a “wet-dry” referendum and he has set the date for the election as Nov. 6.
This means that county voters will vote on three ballots when they go to the polls. Nov. 6 is general election and already there is the regular ballot for offices at stake as well as a vote on five constitutional amendments.

James D. “Jim” Martin, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, will be in Conecuh County and Evergreen today. He is scheduled to make a public address at 1:15 this afternoon.
John Nielsen, County GOP chairman, said that Martin will speak from an improvised bandstand in “No Man’s Land.”

82 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 24, 1942

A steel lookout tower has recently been completed near Belleville in this county, and a telephone line is being constructed to connect this tower with other towers in this forest fire protection unit.
This tower is No. 11 in the system of towers constructed by the Division of Forestry cooperating with local land owners. A towerman will be located in this tower at an early date for the purpose of detecting and reporting forest fires to the suppression crews. From this tower fires can be detected for a distance of from 12 to 20 miles, and before fires have reached any considerable size immediate action by the suppression crews brings such fires under control before they can do a great deal of damage.

IN SOLOMON ISLANDS: Sgt. Alton T. McIntyre, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. J.M. McIntyre, Herbert, Ala., enlisted in the Marines Aug. 18, 1940. He spent several months in Cuba, Virginia and North Carolina. Last May he sailed from Norfolk, Va. for overseas and his family didn’t know until the last few days where he was. They received a letter a few days ago saying he was on the Solomon Islands, was safe and fine and could tell plenty if he were allowed to.

Knud Nielsen, chairman of Conecuh County Salvage Committee, announced this week that arrangements had been worked out with the city to collect scrap metals at regular intervals when the garbage truck makes its rounds. Housewives and others are requested to collect and place all scrap metals near the can, box or other receptacle used for garbage and the city force will pick such scrap metals up and turn over to the committee. Proceeds from the sale of such metals will be used for the Crippled Children’s Fund.

87 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 23, 1937

Lloyd G. Hart Opens Law Offices This Week: Lloyd G. Hart, who completed the law course at the University of Alabama this spring, has opened offices in the Jones-Deming building on court square.
Mr. Hart is a native of this county, the son of Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Hart of the Centreville community. He received his early education in the rural schools near his home and graduated from the local high school in 1928. Since that time, he has been at the University of Alabama, having spent seven and one half years at that institution.

Truman Hyde Takes Over “Mack’s Café” – The eating establishment known as “Mack’s Café” has been taken over by Truman Hyde and will be opened to the public for business next Saturday. Mr. Hyde states that he will operate the café under the same name and at the same location. His wife will assist him.

Strange Ailment Afflicts Child of Mr. and Mrs. Pierce: Stricken with an unusual and strange ailment last June was one year ago, Little Hermione Pierce, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E.F. Pierce, still hangs on to life. When first stricken, her parents took her to a number of specialists and were told that her ailment was sleeping sickness or softening of the brain. She has not spoken since the first of August 1936 and has been confined to bed constantly since becoming ill. She has virtually no use of her limbs or muscles, but during the summer months has gained some weight. She takes her food very well, her mother says.
Before this illness came upon her, Hermione was a bright child and learned well in school. Physicians almost from the first have held little if any hope for her recovery.

129 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 19, 1895

The Evergreen Courant made its appearance last week with the announcement of its regular publication after Oct. 1. 

The Monroe Journal's News Flashback for Sept. 23, 2024

Congressman Jack Edwards

17 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 27, 2007

Firefighters honored: The Monroe County Fire Association held their annual banquet last Thursday night at the Frisco City United Methodist Church. President Eddie James presented the awards to Excel Chief Tim Casey, Chief of the Year; Monroeville firefighter Jerry Knight, Firefighter of the Year; Rathan Owens, EMT of the Year; J.J. Burgess, Rookie of the Year; and Sue Starr, Female Firefighter of the Year.

Excel rolls over Tigers 44-0: Excel rolled over Red Level Friday night with a 44-0 romp to move to 3-1 on the year and 2-1 in the region.
Marcus Anderson was 9-for-12 for 161 yards on the night and ran five times for 12 yards. Defensively Johnny Flores had six stops and six assists, and Brett Harris had three tackles and five assists.
(Other top Excel players in that game included Kiara Betts, Nick Booker, Britt Bowen, Steven Brown, Korey Hall, Greg Hollinger, Nathan Hooks, Shelby Jordan, Josh Mack, Drew Pierce and Michael Watson. Andy Lambert was Excel’s head coach.)

Crowds of well-wishers, local dignitaries, customers and friends shared in celebrating the 100^th birthday of People Exchange Bank of Monroe County. Amid an atmosphere of jubilation, they feasted on lunch prepared by Cherry Street BBQ, and were entertained by Crossroads Band.
Headed by S.D. Andress, Peoples Exchange Bank opened its doors for business in Beatrice on Sept. 18, 1907 and on that opening day, it recorded deposits of $77 and a 10-percent profit. The bank’s total capital was $15,077, and on the second week of business, the bank’s first loan was for $183.

42 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 30, 1982

Replacement of Claiborne-Murphy Bridge is one of five projects given priority in an $11.2-billion transportation appropriations bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Congressman Jack Edwards said the bill, passed by the House last week, designates the bridge on U.S. Highway 84 over the Alabama River as a priority project.
The cost of a new bridge was once estimated to be $21 million, but that figure has been readjusted to $14 million.

FC Whippets defeat Blacksher 20-10: A patient Frisco City High School football team took advantage of three errors by J.U. Blacksher Friday night in Uriah to take a 20-10 win.
Blacksher fumbled a punt and a pitchout and failed to cover a Whippet pass receiver to set up the Whippets’ three touchdown.
(Top Frisco City players in that game included Foster Agee, Kenneth Agee, Walter Banks, Al Bowen, Kenny Cross, Frank Files, Russell Gulley, Rusty Hultz, Chris King, Sterling Lee and Jesse Stanley. Top Blacksher players included Terry Dailey, Alan Gunn, Craig Gregson, Richard Morris, David Peavy, Clifton Shoemo, Nick Tatum, Curtis Williams and Jimmy Woods. Vance McCrory was Frisco City’s head coach, and Keith Cardwell was Blacksher’s head coach.)

An open house for Frisco City First Baptist Church’s new recreation center will be held Saturday starting at 6:30 p.m. The dedication service for the new facility will be held on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. with Jim Bethea, consultant to the state Brotherhood Department of the Alabama Baptist Association, speaking.

67 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 26, 1957

Personnel Needed By Monroe Mills: To support an expanded program, Monroe Mills in Monroeville is in need of 50 or more women sewing machine operators.
Lee R. Duvall, personnel manager, said operations at the local mill have almost doubled in size during the last three years.
The new operators are needed between now and the end of the year, Mr. Duvall stated, and they need not have had any previous sewing experience.

Flu Cases Cancel Uriah Football Game: The Uriah-Walnut Hill, Fla. football game, originally scheduled for tonight (Thursday) in Walnut Hill, has been definitely postponed because of illness. Coach Jack Akins said the Uriah squad would be unable to play since nine of his players are out of school with the flu. He stated the future date for the game has not yet been decided.

Kiwanians To Hear Forest Ranger Speak: John Adams of Vredenburgh, forest ranger, will be guest speaker at the Friday luncheon meeting of the Monroeville Kiwanis Club at the Hi-Ho Restaurant.
Mr. Adams is scheduled to present a program on the progress of forest fire prevention in Monroe County and discuss the outstanding accomplishments of the “Keep Monroe County Green” program.
C.H. Harper, county Soil Conservation agent, is in charge of the program.

Miss Barbara Binion, 19, of Monroeville, Monroe County’s attractive “Maid of Cotton,” will be among representatives from over the state competing for the state “Maid of Cotton” title in Birmingham next week.

92 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 29, 1932

The M. Katz Dry Goods Store will be closed all day Sat., Oct. 1, on account of Jewish holiday. The store will be open for business on the following Monday morning.

Monroeville Team Defeats Uriah 12-0: The Monroe County High School opened its football season Friday afternoon by defeating Uriah High on the local athletic field by a score of 12 to 0. The first score came early in the game as a result of a high pass from the Uriah center which went over the head of the man attempting to punt and rolled behind the goal line where Monroeville recovered for a touchdown. Monroeville scored again in the last half on line plays. Both teams showed lack of teamwork due to the short period of training before the first game, but each team showed good material and promised plenty of opposition for their opponents before the season closes.

COTTON GINNINGS SHOW BIG DECREASE: According to the report of the census directors, there were 4,769 bales of cotton ginned in Monroe County from the crop of 1932, prior to Sept. 16, 1932, as compared with 5,914 bales to the same date last year.

Misses Mary Urquhart and Elon Kendall and Messrs. W.H. Simmons and Merrill Barrineau went to Pensacola to see the Ringling Circus Tuesday night.

Miss Etta Murphy of Peterman has accepted a position as elementary supervisor in Clarke County. – Clarke County Democrat.

117 YEARS AGO
SEPT. 26, 1907

Elsewhere in this issue appears the announcement of the Peoples Exchange Bank of Beatrice, which institution opened its doors for business on the 18^th inst., with a strong board of local directors and a corps of officers composed of some of the best and most substantial businessmen in that section of the county. The bank is capitalized at $25,000 and is situated in one of the richest and most prosperous agricultural sections of North Monroe. There is no good reason why the new bank should not meet every requirement of the commercial and business community. The Journal wishes the new enterprise a prosperous and useful career.

In two hotly contested games of amateur baseball, the Scotland-Franklin boys defeated the strong Nellie team (in Franklin) today. The feature of the game was the magnificent work of Capell Smith, Scotland-Franklin’s star player, who had the heavy Nellie batters at his mercy. Also the catching and batting of Simmons Kearley, who led the team in hitting the ball. Reeves, the mighty Nellie pitcher, was hit regular and hard especially at the important time.

Miss Ida McNiel returned to her home at Axle last Sunday after spending some time with Monroeville friends, the guest of Misses Jennie and Callie Faulk.

The Fall term of the Monroe Circuit Court will convene in Monroeville on Mon., Oct. 7. The dockets are, we learn, about the average size.

E.R. Green, the photographer, of Peterman, will be in Monroeville during court prepared to do all kinds of photographic work, especially postcard photos, which are now so popular. He invites all desiring work of this character to call on him.