Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Fri., Sept. 30, 2016

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.70 inches

Fall to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 45.40 inches

Notes: Today in the 274th day of 2016 and the ninth day of Fall. There are 92 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 298: Visited the grave of Hinchey W. Warren

Hinchey Warren grave pictured far left.

One of the most interesting and remarkable men from Conecuh County’s early history was Hinchey W. Warren, who was born in Burke County, Ga. in 1787.

He moved to Conecuh County in 1818 and settled about one mile east of Sparta, where he died years later. Warren, a War of 1812 veteran, is said to be the great-grandfather of U.S. President Warren G. Harding and is also rumored to have hidden a chest of gold in Shipp’s Pond during the Civil War.

Several years ago, I read that Warren was buried in the Warren Family Cemetery, and I presumed that this cemetery was on private property and off limits to the public. However, a few weeks ago while at the library in Evergreen, local historian Sherry Johnston informed me that the Warren Family Cemetery was actually next door to New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. In fact, Warren’s grave is just a few steps off of County Road 87, which is also known as the Jay Villa Road.

I'd placed a visit to this grave on my "bucket list" several years ago, and last Thursday afternoon, I took a few minutes to ride down to this church, which is a little over seven miles from downtown Evergreen, to spend a few minutes looking around this old cemetery. Records show that between 12 to 15 graves are in this graveyard, but most of them now are marked by old stones and faint depressions in the ground.

The cemetery does contain a few marked graves, including the grave of Hinchey W. Warren, but all of these are in bad condition. If you go there yourself, you’ll see three slabs to the right of the remnants of an old wrought-iron fence, and these graves are the final resting places of Warren, his wife and son.

When I got there last Thursday, Warren’s grave was almost entirely covered with dead leaves and sticks, but when I cleared it off, I discovered something interesting. According to the broken slab over his grave, he “departed this life February 28^th, 1855 in the 68^th year of his age.” This pretty much blew the Civil War gold story out of the water since Warren would have been dead six years by the time the war started in 1861.

All of the graves in the Warren Family Cemetery are in bad shape and are hard to read, especially the grave of Hinchey Warren. I read somewhere that it’s been said that grave robbers damaged his grave while looking for buried “treasure” and other supposedly hidden valuables. Whether or not that’s true, I do not know.

Hinchey Warren did have a son named Hinchey Warren Jr., and I considered that he may have been the Hinchey Warren who sank a chest of gold in Shipp’s Pond to keep it from falling into Yankee hands during the Civil War. With that in mind, I looked into records that revealed that Hinchey Warren Jr. actually died in the 1850s, that is, well before the start of the Civil War.

I’m not sure where Hinchey Warren Jr. is buried but Hinchey Warren’s only other son, John Quincy Adams Warren, is buried beside his father. John Q.A. Warren, died at the age of 30 on April 4, 1856, a little over a year after his father passed away.

Apparently, John Quincy Adams Warren was a unique character himself, but that is a story for another day. With that said, I’ll wrap this thing up again for another week, but, in the meantime, if you get the desire to do some rambling on your on, you might want to check out the Warren Family Cemetery for yourself. It’s definitely one of the more unique cemeteries that I’ve been to in Conecuh County.

Today in History for Sept. 29, 2016

Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton

Sept. 29, 1547 – Miguel de Cervantes was born near Madrid. He is best remembered for his 1605 novel, “Don Quixote.”

Sept. 29, 1780 - British spy John André was court-martialed, found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. André, a 31-year-old accomplice of Benedict Arnold, had been captured by Patriots John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wart six days earlier on Sept. 23, after they found incriminating papers stashed in his boot, and it was the discovery of these papers that revealed the traitorous actions of Benedict Arnold to the U.S. authorities. André was executed by hanging in Tappan, New York, on Oct. 2, 1780.

Sept. 29, 1789 – The United States Department of War first established a regular army with a strength of several hundred men.

Sept. 29, 1789 – The 1st United States Congress adjourned.

Sept. 29, 1803 – American captain and explorer Mercator Cooper was born in Sag Harbor, N.Y. Cooper is credited with the first formal American visit to Tokyo, Japan and the first formal landing on the mainland East Antarctica.

Sept. 29, 1810 – Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell was born in London. She is best remembered for her novels “Cranford” (1853), “North and South” (1855) and “Mary Barton” (1948).

Sept. 29, 1861 - Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton had been elected lieutenant-governor of Indiana in 1860. After his running mate was appointed to the Senate, Morton became Governor. A staunch supporter of the Union, he had gone from having a neutral state (Kentucky) between his state and the Confederacy to having the Secessionists on his southern border. He wrote to Lincoln on this day demanding that attention be paid to this situation. Lincoln sent back sympathy but little else. Morton suspended the Indiana state legislature and used the money saved to outfit and arm Indian regiments for the Union cause. When rifles were not forthcoming Morton started a factory to make his own. Indiana furnished 150,000 troops with little use of the draft.

Sept. 29, 1861 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Albany and Hopkinsville, Ky.

Sept. 29, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Berlin, Md.

Sept. 29, 1861 – During the Civil War, an affair took place at Travisville, Tenn.

Sept. 29, 1861 – During the Civil War, an affair took place at Vanderburgh's House, Munson’s Hill, near Bailey’s Crossroads, Va.

Sept. 29, 1862 - Union General Jefferson C. Davis mortally wounded his commanding officer, General William Nelson, in Louisville, Kentucky. Davis had been upset by a reprimand handed down by Nelson. After quarreling in a hotel lobby, Nelson slapped Davis. Davis then chased him upstairs and shot him. Davis was never court-martialed. It was thought that the influence of Indiana Governor Oliver Morton, who was with Davis at the time of the shooting, was instrumental in preventing a trial. Davis went on to serve with distinction at the Battles of Stones River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga.

Sept. 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought on the Elizabethtown Road and rear New Haven, Kentucky.

Sept. 29, 1862 – During the Civil war, a Federal cavalry expedition began from Centerville to Warrenton and Buckland Mills, Virginia.

Sept. 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Stirling's Plantation, near Morganza, La. and at Friendship Church and Leesburg, Tennessee.

Sept. 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, a 28-day Federal expedition began from Pilot Knob to Oregon County, Missouri and to Pochontas, Arkansas.

Sept. 29, 1864 - Union General Ulysses S. Grant tried to break the stalemate around Richmond and Petersburg (25 miles south of Richmond) by attacking two points along the defenses of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The assault against Richmond, called the Battle of New Market Heights (Chaffin’s Farm/Fort Harrison), and the assault against Petersburg, known as the Battle of Poplar Springs Church (or Peeble’s Farm), were both failures. However, they did succeed in keeping pressure on Lee and prevented him from sending reinforcements to the beleaguered Rebel General Jubal Early, who was fighting against General Philip Sheridan in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

Sept. 29, 1864 – J.W. Daniels of the Conecuh Guards was wounded at Fort Harrison in Richmond, Va. He returned to Conecuh County, Ala. after the war. 

Sept. 29, 1864 - Confederate General John Bell Hood began tearing up the Western and Atlantic Railroad.

Sept. 29, 1864 – Confederate Gen. Nathan B. Forrest moved northward from the Sulphur Branch Trestle Fort in Limestone County, Ala., which he captured four days earlier, to destroy other bridges after sending prisoners southward to the Tennessee River.

Sept. 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at White Oak Creek, Arkansas; at Moore’s Bluff, Mississippi; at Cuba, Leasburg (Harrison), Missouri; along the Scuppernong River, North Carolina; and at Centreville, Jonesborough, Lynchburg and along the Watauga River in Tennessee.

Sept. 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, a six-day Federal expedition began from Vicksburg to Rodney and Fayette, Mississippi, with a skirmish at Port Gibson, Mississippi.

Sept. 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, sustained operations began against Indians in the Nebraska and Colorado Territories.

Sept. 29, 1864 – The Battle of Peeble's Farm began in Virginia and continued until Oct. 2. The battle, also known as the Battle of Poplar Springs Church, Wyatt’s Farm, Chappell’s House, Pegram’s Farm, Vaughan Road and Harmon Road, was fought in Dinwiddie County, Va. and was part of the Siege of Richmond and Petersburg campaign.

Sept. 29, 1888 – Dr. Samuel S. Gaillard was born in Perdue Hill, Ala. A third generation doctor, he was the first intern at Mobile Infirmary when it opened in 1910. He was a specialist in radiology and roentgenology and served in World War I and World War II. He attended West Point Military Academy, Louisville (Ky.) Medical School and graduated from the University of Alabama Medical School in 1910.

Sept. 29, 1889 – A lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars was organized in Monroeville, Ala. by Lodge Deputy L.N. Lambert of Perdue Hill. The lodge began with 13 members and with F.A. Seymour as Chief Templar.

Sept. 29, 1895 – Joseph Banks “J.B.” Rhine, widely considered to be the "father of modern parapsychology," was born in Waterloo, Pa.

Sept. 29, 1890 – Outlaw train robber Rube Burrow arrived at the home of John Barnes near Castleberry, four weeks after his eighth and final train robbery near Flomaton. After breakfast, Burrow departed, headed for Repton.

Sept. 29, 1901 – Noble Prize-winning Italian physicist Enrico Fermi was born in Rome.

Sept. 29, 1907 – The cornerstone was laid at Washington National Cathedral in the U.S. capital.

Sept. 29, 1907 – Singing cowboy Gene Autry was born Orvon Grover Autry near Tioga, Texas.

Sept. 29, 1910 - Alabama author Rebecca Harding Davis died in Mount Kisco, N.Y.

Sept. 29, 1913 - Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the engine that bears his name, disappeared from the steamship Dresden while traveling from Antwerp, Belgium to Harwick, England. On October 10, a Belgian sailor aboard a North Sea steamer spotted a body floating in the water; upon further investigation, it turned out that the body was Diesel’s. There was, and remains, a great deal of mystery surrounding his death: It was officially judged a suicide, but many people believed (and still believe) that Diesel was murdered.

Sept. 29, 1915 – “The Eagle’s Mate,” featuring Mary Pickford, was scheduled to be shown at the Arcade Theater in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 29, 1915 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the “opening of the Conecuh County High School was quite encouraging, the attendance on opening day being 52 percent better than on the corresponding day last year, and new students are coming in every week.”

Sept. 29, 1915 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Prof. C.M. Dannelly had been appointed to the position of chief clerk in the office of state superintendent of education.

Sept. 29, 1915 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Capt. E. Downing of Castleberry, Ala. had told the paper that he was “greatly pleased” by the performance of the Conecuh Guards during their recent encampment in Montgomery. The company won both of the prizes offered during the encampment.

Sept. 29, 1923 – Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bum Phillips was born in Orange, Texas. During his NFL career, he coached the Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints.

Sept. 29, 1924 - Alabama author W. L. Heath was born in Lake Village, Ark.

Sept. 29, 1930 – Colin Dexter, the author of the Inspector Morse mysteries, was born in Lincolnshire, England.

Sept. 29, 1935 – Bagdad’s baseball team beat Evergreen, 4-0, in Bagdad (Fla.?). Hyde pitched for Evergreen, and Lewis played catcher. Soward pitched for Bagdad, and Franklin caught. Bagdad got six hits off Hyde while Evergreen only got three hits off Soward.

Sept. 29, 1942 – Conecuh County officials released several hundred pounds of iron fixtures that were parts of the old gallows at the Conecuh County Jail in Evergreen, Ala. to the local salvage committee for use in the manufacture of war materials. The old gallows hadn’t been used since the county’s last legal execution on Jan. 22, 1926.

Sept. 29, 1950 – Evergreen High School beat Andalusia High School, 13-12, in Andalusia, Ala. on this Friday night. This win was Evergreen’s second of the year and extended the team’s unbeaten streak to 12 straight. Standout players on Evergreen’s team that year included Ward Alexander, Pace Bozeman, John Henry Brantley, Sam Cope, Gwyn Daniels, Donahue Edson, Shirley Frazier, Ed Hooks, Capt. Jeff Moorer, Gillis Morgan, Max Pope, Douglas Potts, C.A. (Jackie) Robinson, William Stewart, Bobby (Pistol Pete) and Franklin Williamson. Wendell Hart was Evergreen’s head coach, and John Lockwood was assistant coach.

Sept. 29, 1951 – The first live sporting event seen coast-to-coast in the United States, a college football game between Duke and the University of Pittsburgh, was televised on NBC.

Sept. 29, 1951 - The first network football game was televised by CBS-TV in color. The game was between the University of California and the University of Pennsylvania.

Sept. 29, 1954 - Willie Mays, centerfielder for the New York Giants, made his amazing over-the-shoulder catch of a fly ball hit by Cleveland Indians first baseman Vic Wertz to rob Wertz of extra bases in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. The catch has gone down as one of the greatest in the history of baseball.

Sept. 29, 1955 – American explorer and author Ann Bancroft was born ini Mendota Heights, Minn. Bancroft was the first woman to successfully finish a number of arduous expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic.

Sept. 29, 1955 - The movie “The Night of the Hunter,” screenplay by Alabama author James Agee, was released.

Sept. 29, 1957 - The New York Giants played their last game at the Polo Grounds before moving to San Francisco, Calif.

Sept. 29, 1963 – Decatur, Ala. native Marv Breeding appeared in his final Major League Baseball game, taking the field one last time for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Sept. 29, 1963 – Birmingham, Ala. native Alex Grammas made his final Major League appearance, taking the field one last time for the Chicago Cubs.

Sept. 29, 1964 – William A. House Jr. passed away at the age of 82 at his home at Uriah, Ala. He was a member of the Uriah Masonic Lodge.

Sept. 29, 1965 - Hanoi published the text of a letter it had written to the Red Cross claiming that since there was no formal state of war, U.S. pilots shot down over the North would not receive the rights of prisoners of war (POWs) and would be treated as war criminals.

Sept. 29, 1969 - Secretary of the Army Stanley Resor announced that the U.S. Army, conceding that it was helpless to enlist the cooperation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), was dropping the murder charges (of August 6) against eight Special Forces accused of killing a Vietnamese national.

Sept. 29, 1972 – Greenville beat Evergreen, 22-12, at Brooks Memorial Stadium in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 29, 1974 – The Rev. Roderick McDonald was scheduled to preach his first sermon as the new minister at the Evergreen (Ala.) Presbyterian Church at 11 a.m. on this Sunday morning.

Sept. 29, 1975 – National Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder and manager Casey Stengel passed away at the age of 85 in Glendale, Calif. During his career, he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers/Superbas/Robins, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Giants and the Boston Braves, and he managed the Dodgers, the Braves, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966.

Sept. 29, 1980 – A Conecuh County, Ala. jury found Jerry D. Mixon, who was charged with murder, guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. Mixon was defended by attorney Joe B. Nix Jr., and Circuit Judge Robert E.L. Key presided over the trial. Mixon was to be sentenced on Oct. 28.

Sept. 29, 1982 - In Chicago, Ill., seven people died after taking capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol that had been laced with cyanide. 264,000 bottles were recalled.

Sept. 29, 1986 - The television program “Miscalculation,” teleplay by Alabama author Robert McDowell, was broadcast as part of the “Amazing Stories” series.

Sept. 29, 1987 – Conecuh County, Ala. Rabies Inspector Jim Bricken, DVM, anounced that a raccoon found on Sept. 27, 1987 in the Old Town community was positive for rabies.

Sept. 29, 1988 - Stacy Allison of Portland, Oregon, became the first American woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, which at 29,035 feet above sea level is the highest point on earth. Allison, a member of the Northwest American Everest Expedition, climbed the Himalayan peak using the southeast ridge route.

Sept. 29, 1990 – Construction of the Washington National Cathedral was completed.

Sept. 29, 1995 – Sparta Academy beat Lakeside Academy, 40-20, on this Friday night in Eufaula. Lyle Bell led Sparta’s offense with 158 yards on 18 carries plus three touchdowns, and Rod McIntyre ran the ball 13 times for 107 yards. Other outstanding Sparta players in that game included Steven Bradley, Lee Goodwin, Mike McIntyre, Chris Mitchell, Steven Salter, Charlie Ward and Brent Worrell.

Sept. 29, 1995 – Wetumpka beat Hillcrest-Evergreen, 36-8, in Evergreen. Kelvin Rudolph was named the Defensive Player of the Week for Hillcrest Jaguars and Roger Rudolph was named the Offensive Player of the Week. Kelvin had 10 solo tackles and five assists with three behind the line or scrimmage. He also caused a fumble. Roger had a total of 11 knockdowns and 50 yards rushing. Roger also scored a two-point conversion and graded 1.7 on his blocking.

Sept. 29, 1995 – Monroe Samuel, 87, drowned when he fell through the covering over an old septic tank at his daughter’s vacant house in Conecuh County’s Pleasant Hill community. Samuel went to check on the vacant house around 2:30 p.m. and was reported missing around 5 p.m. when he failed to return. Samuel’s three grandsons found him around 8:40 p.m.

Sept. 29, 1996 – “A Loss of Innocence,” a television version of Alabama author Virginia Sorensen's book “On This Star,” was broadcast.

Sept. 29, 2005 – The Dixon Home Place near Andalusia was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Sept. 29, 2008 – Following the bankruptcies of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 777.68 points, the largest single-day point loss in its history.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Thurs., Sept. 29, 2016

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.70 inches

Fall to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 45.40 inches

Notes: Today in the 273rd day of 2016 and the eighth day of Fall. There are 93 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

Steve Stacey maintains lead in local College Football Pick 'Em contest

The fourth weekend of our local ESPN College Football Pick ‘Em Contest came to an end on Saturday night, and Steve Stacey held on to sole possession of first place for the fourth straight week. Steve, who lives in Monroeville, is doing so well in the contest that ESPN notified him on Sunday that he is currently ranked No. 10 nationally out of the thousands of contestants taking part in the contest. In all the years that we’ve done this contest in the newspaper, this is the best that any of our local competitors has done in the contest.

Drew Skipper and Travis Presley remained in second and third place, respectively, for the second week in a row. Robert Bozeman also held on to the No. 4 spot in the standings for the second straight week.

I jumped from seventh place to fifth place, and Rod Sims is in sixth place. Mark Peacock dropped from fifth place into seventh place, and Sharon Peacock went from ninth place into eighth place.

Three players – Eric Byrd, Nick Watson and Ricky Taylor – were in a three-way tie for ninth place. Eric Talbot comes next in the No. 12 spot.

If you’re taking part in this contest and didn’t make the Top 10 this week, don’t worry. We’ve got 10 more weeks to go, and we’ve got a long way to go before it’s all over with. The Top 10 will change a lot over the next 2-1/2 months, so keep plugging.

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According to this week’s SEC football schedule, there are five head-to-head match-ups between SEC teams on Saturday. Florida will play Vanderbilt at 11 a.m. in Nashville (SEC Network), Tennessee will play Georgia in Athens at 2:30 p.m. (CBS), Texas A&M will play South Carolina at 3 p.m. in Columbia (SECN), Kentucky will play Alabama at 6 p.m. in Tuscaloosa (ESPN) and Missouri will play LSU at 6:30 p.m. in Baton Rouge (SECN).

In addition to those games, there are three other games featuring SEC teams. Alcorn State will play Arkansas at 11 a.m. in Little Rock (SECN), Louisiana-Monroe will play Auburn at 2:30 p.m. in Auburn (SECN) and Memphis will play Ole Miss at 6 p.m. in Oxford.

Here are my predictions as to how those games will turn out. I like Ole Miss over Memphis, Auburn over Louisiana-Monroe, Alabama over Kentucky, Tennessee over Georgia, Florida over Vandy, Texas A&M over South Carolina, LSU over Missouri and Arkansas over Alcorn State.

Last week: 7-2. So far this season: 36-8.

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This time next week, the forgettable 2016 season will be over for the Atlanta Braves. As of Monday morning, the Braves were still dead last in the National League East standings, despite the fact that they actually have a winning record (33-29) against division opponents. Their overall record, as of Monday, was 63-92, which was second worst in the Major Leagues behind the 56-100 Minnesota Twins.

The Braves are scheduled to wrap up a three-game series against the Phillies tonight (Thursday) and will close out the season with a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. The last game of that series is scheduled to be played Sunday at 2 p.m. and will be noteworthy because it’ll be the last Braves game to be played at Turner Field in Atlanta. Starting next season, the Braves will play their home games at SunTrust Park.

Today in History for Sept. 28, 2016

Kate Douglas Wiggin

Sept. 28, 1066 – William the Conqueror of Normandy arrived on British soil. He defeated the British in the Battle of Hastings, and on Christmas Day, he was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.

Sept. 28, 1542 - San Diego, Calif. was discovered by Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

Sept. 28, 1779 – During the American Revolution, Samuel Huntington was elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.

Sept. 28, 1781 – During the Revolutionary War, American forces under General George Washington, backed by a French fleet, began the siege of Yorktown, Va. British General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered on October 17, effectively ending the War for Independence. Peace negotiations began in 1782, and on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally recognizing the United States as a free and independent nation after eight years of war

Sept. 28, 1787 – The newly completed United States Constitution was voted on by the U.S. Congress to be sent to the state legislatures for approval.

Sept. 28, 1789 - In the U.S., the first Federal Congress passed a resolution that asked President George Washington to recommend to the nation a day of thanksgiving. Several days later Washington issued a proclamation that named Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789 as a "Day of Publick Thanksgivin." The fixed-date for Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday of November, was established on Dec. 26, 1941.

Sept. 28, 1824 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Philadelphia and gave a speech at the State House (Independence Hall) under Philadelphian architect William Strickland's Triumphal Arches.

Sept. 28, 1856 – Kate Douglas Wiggin was born in Philadelphia. She is best known for her 1903 novel, “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.”

Sept. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Bailey’s Crossroad, Va.

Sept. 28, 1863 - Union Generals Alexander M. McCook and Thomas Crittenden lost their commands and were ordered to Indianapolis, Indiana to face court of inquiry charges following the Federal defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga. In February 1864, a military court cleared McCook and Crittenden, but their careers as field commanders were over. By quickly removing McCook and Crittenden, Rosecrans had been trying to save his own job, but within weeks after firing the generals, Rosecrans was himself replaced by Thomas.

Sept. 28, 1864 - Confederate forces under General Sterling Price forced Union defenders away from Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob, Missouri.

Sept. 28, 1868 - Confederate General Thomas Carmichael Hindman Jr. passed away at the age of 40 in Helena, Ark. after being shot multiple times by one or more unknown assailants.

Sept. 28, 1870 - Confederate General Robert E. Lee suffered a stroke. He died on October 12, 1870.

Sept. 28, 1871 – Brazilian Parliament passed the Law of the Free Womb, granting freedom to all new children born to slaves, the first major step in the eradication of slavery in Brazil.

Sept. 28, 1886 – John W. Leslie was commissioned as Monroe County, Alabama’s Circuit Court Clerk.

Sept. 28, 1892 - The first nighttime football game in the U.S. took place under electric lights. The game was between the Mansfield State Normal School and the Wyoming Seminary.

Sept. 28, 1894 – Monroe County, Ala. tax collector W.J. Robinson died, and his son F.E. Robinson was appointed to fill his unexpired term.

Sept. 28, 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported that the new ginnery built by H.E. Hudson began operations a few days prior. “The gasoline engine which furnishes the motive power is quite a novelty and attracts many visitors,” the paper said. “The samples of cotton turned out are pronounced by experts to be superb.”

Sept. 28, 1908 - Alabama author J. Max McMurray was born.

Sept. 28, 1912 – Alabama native W.C. Handy published “Memphis Blues,” and it was the first written blues arrangement that Handy published. He sold the rights to a sheet music publisher for $50, to pay his debt to the printer. The publisher added lyrics, and it became one of the most popular songs of 1912; dance hall bandleaders bought the sheet music in record numbers.

Sept. 28, 1914 – The second series of “The Adventures of Kathlyn” was shown at the Arcade Theatre in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1915 – Monroe County High School’s girls baseball team played their first game of the season on this Tuesday afternoon and beat the “town girls” 8-7.

Sept. 28, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that Henry Jones held the position of professor of mathematics and history and was also director of athletics at Monroe County High School.

Sept. 28, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroe County Engineer C.E. Barker said that about 100 men were employed on the public roads in various sections of the county, under the arrangements recently made for extending relief to those rendered destitute by reason of storm and flood disaster. Crews of considerable size had been organized and put to work at and in the vicinity of Perdue Hill and Franklin, while smaller squads were working in other communities. Each person so employed was to be paid a reasonable daily wage in cash.

Sept. 28, 1918 - The course of history was nearly averted when British soldier Henry Tandey allegedly spared the life of an injured Adolf Hitler, while fighting during World War I. Tandey would tell his compatriots that he aimed at the future German dictator, but did not pull the trigger because he could not shoot a wounded man. While the veracity of the encounter remains debated to this day, Hitler, himself, claimed the tale was true during a meeting with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in 1938.

Sept. 28, 1919 - The New York Giants beat Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 in a day game that lasted 51 minutes. The time set a National League record.

Sept. 28, 1920 - Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were indicted in what was called the "Black Sox" scandal. They were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Sept. 28, 1926 – Country comedian Jerry Clower was born in Liberty, Miss.

Sept. 28, 1928 – Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming peered into a petri dish at his basement laboratory in London and noticed a blue-green mold growing. The mold, he observed, was killing the staph bacteria he’d been cultivating in that petri dish. He called the mold “Penicillin,” which is now considered the world’s first “miracle drug,” and it sparked the modern era of antibiotic development.

Sept. 28, 1928 - Author Judith Paterson was born in Montgomery, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1929 - A movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “The Lady Fare” was released.

Sept. 28, 1939 – The Monroe Journal reported that W.M. Mullins of Wetumpka, Ala. had replaced Frank Sheffiled as manager of the Alabama Water Service Co. in Monroeville. Sheffiled had been manager for about a year prior to resigning.

Sept. 28, 1939 – Prominent Monroeville, Ala. merchant A.H. Johnson passed away at his home around 9 p.m. after a heart attack. Born and raised at Franklin, he worked on steamboats on the Alabama River, ran a mercantile business at Franklin and ran a dry goods store in Monroeville.

Sept. 28, 1940 - Alabama author James P. White was born.

Sept. 28, 1941 - The Boston Red Sox's Ted Williams played a double-header against the Philadelphia Athletics on the last day of the regular season and got six hits in eight trips to the plate, to boost his batting average to .406 and became the first player since Bill Terry in 1930 to hit .400.

Sept. 28, 1942 - Author Sena Jeter Naslund was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Pvt. Luther McDonald of Castleberry, Ala., who was stationed at Chatham Field, Ga. as a B-24 bomber mechanic and gunner, was a member of the Chatham Field football team. This team was composed of former college and high school players from all over the United States, and had several all-Americans on this year’s squad. The team’s coach and “backfield ace” was Lt. William “Tarzan” White, a former All-American at the University of Alabama. McDonald, who played on the 1937, 1938 and 1939 teams at Conecuh County High School in Castleberry, was the team’s starting right tackle.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that during the past week relatives of Curtis Ashley Carter had received from the U.S. Maritime Service the Mariner’s Medal, who had been posthumously awarded to the late C.A. Carter. Carter was reported missing April 8, 1942. He was in the Maritime Service and, at the time he was reported missing, was on duty on an oil tanker. All other members of the crew have been accounted for as prisoners of war of the Japanese government.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that a telegram from the Adjutant General’s office, dated Sept. 15, to Mrs. Bryant Covan informed her that her husband, Staff Sgt. Bryant Covan, who had previously been reported as missing in action, was a prisoner of war of the German Government at Stalag Luft 4, Germany. S-Sgt. Covan was reported missing over Austria June 26. He was an aerial gunner on a B-24.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Mr. and Mrs. E.H. Cowart had been informed by a telegram from the War Department that their son Pfc. Elly H. Cowart Jr., who was reported wounded sometime before, had recovered and had returned to active duty. Mr. and Mrs. Cowart also received that week the Purple Heart which was awarded their son, who was with combat engineers in France. They received letters from him regularly since he was wounded but none of these gave any details concerning the nature of his injuries. He was wounded July 25 and returned to active duty Aug. 22.

Sept. 28, 1954 - Alabama author James H. Street died in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Sept. 28, 1955 - The World Series was televised in color for the first time. The game was between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Sept. 28, 1960 - At Boston’s Fenway Park, Red Sox star Ted Williams hit a home run in the last at-bat of his 21-year career. He finished his career with a total of 521 home runs.

Sept. 28, 1967 – Repton High School fullback Gary Boatwright scored five touchdowns and ran for 256 yards in a 49-0 win over Century, Fla.

Sept. 28, 1980 – Aubrey Brown Boykin, 71, of Evergreen, Ala. died on this Sunday evening in a local hospital after a long illness. He was a prominent local businessman and civic leader. He and his wife, Luella, operated Conecuh County’s leading jewelry store for over 30 years. Boykin also served as an artillery officer in the 31st (Dixie) Division of the U.S. Army in combat areas of the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He was also a Mason and a Shriner.

Sept. 28, 1987 - The first episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a two-hour pilot called “Encounter at Farpoint,” aired to 27 million viewers.

Sept. 28, 1989 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Evergreen (Ala.) City Council had voted unanimously to promote Darrell Davis to Wastewater Superintendent. Davis had been employed by the city for a number of years prior to his promotion and held the required Class I Certification in Wastewater Treatment and the Class II Certification in Water Treatment. Freddie Stallworth was the city personnel director at the time; Curtis Hamilton was city administrator and Lee F. Smith was mayor.

Sept. 28, 1995 - Randy Myers of the Chicago Cubs was charged by a 27-year-old man while standing in the outfield. Myers saw him coming, dropped his glove and knocked the man down with his forearm.

  

Sept. 28, 1998 – Despite bad weather caused by Hurricane George, pharmacists Ronnie Philen and Lynn Lowery Powell opened their new business, Village Pharmacy on this Monday. A ribbon-cutting for the new business was held on Oct. 26, 1998.

Sept. 28, 2001 - Courtney Love filed a claim against Geffen Records and two musicians from her late husband's band, Nirvana. The suit was aimed at invalidating a 1997 agreement over the group's body of work. Love claimed that she signed the deal while she was distressed.

Sept. 28, 2004 – The Stanford House at Pine Apple in Wilcox County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Sept. 28, 2004 - Nate Olive and Sarah Jones arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border to complete the first known continuous hike of the 1,800-mile trail down the U.S. Pacific Coast. They started the trek on June 8.

Sept. 28, 2012 – The “Solomon Kane” movie, directed by Michael J. Bassett and starring James Purefoy, was released in the U.S.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Wed., Sept. 28, 2016

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.70 inches

Fall to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 45.40 inches

Notes: Today in the 272nd day of 2016 and the seventh day of Fall. There are 94 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Sept. 27, 2016

Dr. Eugene Allen Smith

76 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 26, 1940

Luman Hall, local man, died Friday night as a result of gunshot wounds which officers said were inflicted by W.B. Owens of Monroeville. The shooting took place in the street between Millsap Stables and Nielsen Packing plant.

He died enroute to the hospital at Repton where he was being carried for treatment.

Evergreen’s National Guard unit, Battery “C” of the 117^th Field Artillery, was among those affected by the second call issued by the President on Sept. 19. State military headquarters estimated that between 2,000 and 2,500 National Guardsmen, all a part of the 31^st Division, would be affected by the mobilization scheduled for Nov. 25.

The local unit will entrain on or soon after the mobilization date for one year’s active duty in Camp Blanding, Fla., located 30 miles north of Jacksonville.

Prominent Owassa Citizen Dies Of Heart Attack: Loderick Alonzo Griffin, 72, died suddenly at his home at Owassa at 2:50 o’clock Tuesday morning of heart attack. Mr. Griffin served as passenger conductor on the L&N Railroad for a period of 35 years, having retired about 15 years ago.

The top of the Brewton county jail was serious damaged by fire Tuesday night, necessitating the removal of its prisoners.

Fourteen of the prisoners from the damaged jail were transferred to the Conecuh County Jail. The fire was said to have started by faulty wiring.

91 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 30, 1925

Coming! - Birth of a Nation – ARCADE THEATRE – Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 26-27-28.

R.J. Newton left Sunday afternoon for Birmingham where he will finish his course in pharmacy. He will return about the first of February, after standing the examination of the State Board of Pharmacy, and will resume his connection with the Conecuh Drug Co. His many friends will miss him during his absence.

Mrs. Carol King, popular probate clerk, is on the sick list this week.

EVERGREEN BAKERY CHANGES HANDS: Mr. R.C. McCracken of Camden has recently purchased the Evergreen Bakery, and has moved his residence to our city.

Mr. C.N. Brown, from whom he made the purchase, will remain with him for some time.

Miss Guice Stevens left Monday to attend school at the Peabody.

Mr. J.E. Witherington of the Sunny Side Farm has returned from a visit to her son at Dothan.

FLAT ROCK: Mr. Kermit Weaver motored through Flat Rock Sunday morning on a mule.

SOCIETY HILL: The school is progressing nicely with Mr. Poole and Mr. Richards as teachers.

106 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 28, 1910

An important meeting of Camp Wm. Lee, U.C.V., will be held at the courthouse next Saturday.

Gen. Geo. W. Gordon, commander of the United Confederate Veterans, recently issued an order announcing the appointment of Judge Austill of Mobile to be brigadier general of the second brigade, Alabama Division, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Gen. P.D. Bowles.

In a difficulty between C.A. Watford, section foreman of the railroad, and John Powell, an employee at the saw mill, on Saturday night last, the later sustained a dangerous and painful wound in the abdomen. Watford was promptly arrested. Powell is still under the care of a physician, but is doing as well as could be expected.

The dedication of the Methodist church by Bishop Candler on last Sunday was a notable occasion. A large congregation was present, many persons coming from adjoining counties.

The story of I. Long & Sons will be closed on Oct. 4, in observance of Jewish New Year, it being the first day of the year according to the Hebrew calendar.

G.W. Salter Sr. of Monroe County is visiting the family of his son, the editor of this paper.

R.R. Martin has removed to Castleberry with his family and has engaged in the drug business.

121 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 26, 1895

THE CONECUH RECORD

MURDER AND ROBBERY: The discovery of the skeleton of the mail driver, Silas Hobley, near Belleville last Monday, brings to light one of the most atrocious murders and daring robberies that has ever been known in the history of Conecuh County. Immediately after it was discovered that this mail driver had been murdered, Postmaster Wiggins wired the department, and last week received the following telegram:

“CHATTANOOGA, Sept. 18, 1895, Postmaster, Evergreen, Ala.:

“Reward of $500 will be paid for arrest and conviction in United States Court of person robbing the mails. Get local authorities to take hold of the matter at once. Write department. WHITESIDE, Inspector.”

Suspicions indicates parties who are said to have committed the Castleberry burglaries, and our citizens are very indignant over the foul crime.”

“On the afternoon of the 18^th of September 1863, about dusk, I encamped on the plain on Chickamauga,” said Mr. James M. Sims, the hardware man, “footsore and weary, I slept on my arms in the open air, and rose the next morning to find the ground covered with frost, and my limbs dumb with cold.” Mr. Sims was very anxious to attend the exercise recently held on that historic plain, but business prevented.

Messrs. Oscar Riley and Lewis Crook will leave on Monday for Marion, where they will enter the Marion Military Institute for the coming session.

136 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 25, 1880

CONECUH-ESCAMBIA STAR

Dr. E.A. Smith, State Geologist, was in Evergreen this week. He has been making a tour through Alabama and Florida in the interests of agriculture.

We are informed that Col. J.F. Tate proposes to establish a night school for young men in Evergreen, commencing about 1^st of October. The young men of our town ought to attend, for we are satisfied that Col. Tate will instruct them thoroughly in every course of study.

Evergreen and vicinity has three steam cotton gins in operation. Each is run daily to its full capacity.

The town was crowded with wagons yesterday (Friday), laden with cotton. Consequently, our merchants were all busy.

Several small fisticuffs have taken place during the past week between some of our inhabitants. No names called.

EVERGREEN ACADEMY – The exercises of this school will be resumed on Mon., Sept. 6. A full corps of teachers in all departments. J.F. Tate, principal; Mrs. S.U. Sampey, Mrs. J.F. Tate, and Miss Alice Mertins, assistants. Rates of tuition: $2, $2.50 and $3 per month. Board can be obtained at $10 per month. For further information, address the principal, J.F. Tate, Evergreen.

United States Deputy Marshall Ed. S. Marshal brought in 13 men, arrested in Conecuh County for cutting timber on government funds. Eleven of them were committed for trial. – Mobile Gazette, Sept. 20^th.

Today in History for Sept. 27, 2016

Thomas Nast

Sept. 27, 1777 – Lancaster, Pennsylvania was the capital of the United States, for one day.

Sept. 27, 1779 - The Continental Congress appointed John Adams to travel to France as minister plenipotentiary in charge of negotiating treaties of peace and commerce with Great Britain during the Revolutionary War.

Sept. 27, 1779 - The former president of the Continental Congress, John Jay, was appointed minister to Spain and tasked with winning Spanish support for the American Revolution and Spain’s recognition of America’s independence. For more than two years, Jay negotiated for Spanish support of the American cause but was only successful in getting occasional loans and a supply of war materials. His inability to gain recognition of American independence was the result of Spain’s fear that the revolution might spread to Spanish-controlled colonies in the Americas.

Sept. 27, 1822 – Jean-François Champollion announced that he has deciphered the Rosetta stone.

Sept. 27, 1830 - The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was a signed between the Choctaw Indian tribe and the United States Government. This was the first removal treaty carried into effect under the Indian Removal Act. Under the treaty, the Choctaw Nation ceded to the United States all their land east of the Mississippi River, about 11 million acres, including parts of west Alabama in exchange for about 15 million acres in the Indian territory, present-day Oklahoma. Not all Choctaws moved west, however, and descendants living in Alabama are recognized by the state as the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians, who have their tribal office at McIntosh.

Sept. 27, 1840 – Thomas Nast, often called the “Father of the American Cartoon,” was born in Landau, Germany. Nast moved to New York when he was six, and he later spoke out firmly on behalf of the Union at the dawn of the Civil War, drawing cartoons for Harper's that showed the horrors of slavery. Lincoln called him his "best recruitment sergeant," and Grant credited his re-election victory in 1868 to "the sword of Sherman and the pencil of Nast."

Sept. 27, 1854 – James A. Hightower was commissioned as Monroe County, Alabama’s Sheriff.

Sept. 27, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Norfolk, Mo.

Sept. 27, 1864 - A guerilla band led by William “Bloody Bill” Anderson sacked the town of Centralia, Missouri, killing 22 unarmed Union soldiers before slaughtering more than 100 pursuing Yankee troops led by Major A.V.E. Johnston. A month later, Anderson was killed attempting a similar attack near Albany, Missouri.

Sept. 27, 1888 – The Central News Agency of London received the famous “Dear Boss” letter, which was a message allegedly written by the notorious serial killer, “Jack the Ripper.” It was the first time the "Jack the Ripper" name had been used to refer to the killer.

Sept. 27, 1905 – Monroe County Sheriff Fountain left Monroeville, Ala. on this Wednesday for St. Louis where he went “to purchase choice horses for the local market.”

Sept. 27, 1905 – German physics journal “Annals of Physics” published Albert Einstein’s “Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?,” which produced arguably the most famous equation in all of physics, E=mc2. The paper was one of four Einstein published that year — papers that subsequently have been nicknamed the Annus Mirabilis papers — four remarkable papers that added up to a miraculous year for both Einstein and physics and changed our views on space, time, and the fundamental nature of matter.

Sept. 27, 1906 - Following several days of heavy rains, a powerful hurricane wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast, killing dozens in the Mobile, Ala. area and causing millions of dollars in property damage. The editor of The Mobile Register called the hurricane "the greatest storm in the history of the city and by far the most damaging."

Sept. 27, 1911 - Author Harriet Hassell was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Sept. 27, 1915 – Blake Webb, age seven, died at the Orphans Home in Evergreen, Ala. His remains were shipped to Flomaton for burial.

Sept. 27, 1915 – George Moore was killed instantly and his brother, William Moore, was severely injured in an automobile accident on the Manistee & Repton Railroad early on this Monday morning. They were traveling along the tracks for an inspection, and the accident occurred “on the grade about two miles from town (Monroeville, Ala.).”

Sept. 27, 1919 – The first ever high school football game in the history of Monroe County, Ala. was played when Monroe County High School’s team faced the “Town Boys” in Monroeville.

Sept. 27, 1923 - Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees hit his first of 493 career home runs.

Sept. 27, 1926 – American Legion Post No. 61 was formed in Monroeville, Ala.

Sept. 27, 1930 - Hack Wilson of the Chicago Cubs hit two home runs to give him 56 for the year.

Sept. 27, 1931 – “The Big Gamble,” a movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “The Iron Chalice,” was released.

Sept. 27, 1935 – The first ever night football game in Monroe County, Ala. history was played on this day at J.U. Blacksher High School at Uriah, the first school in the county to have a lighted field. Blacksher played Repton, but the final score is unknown. The game likely ended in a 0-0 tie.

Sept. 27, 1935 – In their first game of the season, Evergreen High School beat Frisco City, 13-2, in Frisco City, Ala.

Sept. 27, 1940 - William Henry Hasty, believed to have been Monroe County, Alabama’s last surviving Confederate veteran, passed away. Born on Sept. 9, 1846, he served as 5th Sgt. with Co. F of the 36th Alabama Regiment and would go on to become a Methodist minister. He is buried in Excel Cemetery.

Sept. 27, 1941 – Alabama baseball great Virgil Trucks made his Major League Baseball debut with the Detroit Tigers.

Sept. 27, 1949 – National Baseball Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt was born in Dayton, Ohio. He played his entire career, 1972-1989, for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

Sept. 27, 1950 - Alabama native Joe Louis, a former heavyweight boxing champion who had announced his retirement in March 1949, returned to fight for the heavyweight title, but lost to then-champion Ezzard Charles in a 15-round decision.

Sept. 27, 1951 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Army Cpl. Johnny R. Stowers of Evergreen, Ala. had joined the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division on the front lines in Korea.

Sept. 27, 1953 - The St. Louis Browns baseball team played their final game before moving to Baltimore to become the Orioles.

Sept. 27, 1963 – Frisco City (Ala.) High School quarterback Joe Kelly was named the Birmingham Post-Herald’s “Back of the Week” for his performance in a 21-12 win over Jackson High School.

Sept. 27, 1964 – The Houston Colt .45s played their final game at Colts Stadium. They lost 1-0 to Los Angeles in 12 innings.

Sept. 27, 1964 - The Warren Commission issued a report on the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in November of 1963. The report concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone.

Sept. 27, 1973 - Nolan Ryan of the California Angels struck out 16 batters for the Minnesota Twins. The feat established a modern day single season mark of 383 strikeouts in a season.

Sept. 27, 1989 - Two men went over the 176-foot-high Niagara Falls in a barrel. Jeffrey Petkovich and Peter Debernardi were the first to ever survive the Horshoe Falls.

Sept. 27, 1990 - The deposed emir of Kuwait addressed the U.N. General Assembly and denounced the "rape, destruction and terror" that Iraq had inflicted upon his country.

Sept. 27, 1994 - Alabama author Paul Ramsey died in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Sept. 27-28, 1995 – The Conecuh County Sheriff’s Department conducted a two-day marijuana hunt and eradication operation in Conecuh County, Ala. During the operation, the department used two fixed-wing aircraft and one helicopter to search for marijuana plants. In all, the operation netted and destroyed 93 plants with a street value of $196,000.

Sept. 27, 1996 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants became the second Major League Baseball player to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same year.

Sept. 27, 1998 - Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals set a Major League Baseball record when he hit his 70th home run of the season. Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs ended the season with 66 home runs. Both players surpassed Roger Maris' record of 61.

Sept. 27, 1998 - Greg Vaughn of the San Diego Padres hit his 50th home run of the season. It marked the first time that four players finished the regular season with 50 or more home runs.

Sept. 27, 1999 – In the last game was played at Tiger Stadium, the Detroit Tigers defeated the Kansas City Royals, 8-2.

Sept. 27, 2000 - Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles signed a 12-year contract that involved a $20.5 million signing bonus. The deal made McNabb the highest paid NFL player in history.

Sept. 27, 2002 – Sparta Academy beat Escambia Academy, 35-25, at Stuart-McGehee Field in Evergreen, Ala. Brandon Burleson led Sparta with 103 yards and a touchdown.

Sept. 27, 2003 - Javier Lopez of the Atlanta Braves became the first catcher to hit 42 home runs in a season.

Sept. 27, 2004 – The Conecuh County (Ala.) Commission met on this Monday morning and discussed the damage to the county caused by Hurrican Ivan. The commission voted unanimously to approve a request from County Engineer Winston Foshee, who asked for permission to accept emergency bids for debris removal from county roads to avoid having to advertise for the bids and to speed up the clean-up process.

Sept. 27, 2009 - The Detroit Lions defeated the Washington Redskins to end a 19-game losing streak dating back to December, 2007.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Tues., Sept. 27, 2016

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.70 inches

Fall to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 45.40 inches

Notes: Today in the 271st day of 2016 and the sixth day of Fall. There are 95 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Sept. 26, 2016

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

31 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 26, 1985

The Sparta Academy Warriors hurled a 19-0 shutout at Chambers Academy here Friday night.

Danny Reed scored once and passed for another touchdown to pace Sparta. He returned the second half kickoff 86 yards for a score and threw a 10-yard pass to Tim Wilson for another score. Chad Grace plunged over from the one for the other touchdown and Jeff Walker kicked the extra point.

(Other top Sparta players in that game included Lee Adams, Scott Adams, Jeff Carrier, Chris Cook, Tommy Conway, Thad Ellis, Chad Grace, Mike Osban, Lynn Ralls, Jim Reed, Mark Rigsby, Scott Salter, Jeff Walker, Brad Watts, Lee Wild and Tim Wilson.)

The Evergreen Aggies lost their first game of the season last week to the Monroeville Tigers by the score of 27-7.

The Aggies got their only score of the game with 2:43 left (in the fourth quarter) when James Harvey threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Daryl Dryer. The extra point was good by Marion Oliver, making the final score 27-7 in favor of Monroeville.

In spite of being denied the privilege of a prep rally, the Castleberry Blue Devils never let their spirit fall below the line of McKenzie. This devilish bundle of dynamite pulled together to blow McKenzie’s pride away, by defeating them, 14-12.

The top defensive player, with a total of 14 solo tackles and two assists, was Dempsey Kennedy.

The top rusher for the night was Cedric Philyaw with a total of 104 yards.

(Other top Conecuh County High School players in that game included Willie Jenkins, Bruce Madden, Wade Laster and Steve Smith.

46 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 24, 1970

Aggies maul Tigers 22-6 for second win: The Evergreen Aggie infantry shot down the Monroe County High Tiger air corps 22-6 in Monroeville Friday night. The win was the second of the season for the unbeaten Aggies and their third consecutive triumph over the Tigers.

(Top players for Evergreen in that game included Sammy Brown, Ronald Jones, Andrew McMillian, Frank McMillian, Whalen Oliver, Larry Peacock, Eddie Reeves, John Robinson, Tim Skipper, Reggie Smith, Robert Ward and Richard Wilson. Wendell Hart was Evergreen’s head coach.)

Coach J.H. Brown’s Lyeffion High School Yellow Jackets will be after their second win of the season when they meet the Frisco City Whippets at 7:30 Frida night on the Lyeffion field.

The Jackets downed McKenzie last week to bring their record to 1-2 after losing to Excel and Repton.

Coach Victor Ray Norris’ Repton High School Bulldogs will be after their second win of the season when they entertain the Lowndes County High School Red Devils of Ft. Deposit at 7:30 Friday night.

The Bulldogs are 1-1 with a 12-0 win over Lyeffion in the opening game and a close 20-12 loss to powerful Excel last week.

Coach Wendell Hart’s Evergreen High School Aggies are on top of the standings in the 3A Division of the South Alabama Conference.

(Other teams in the conference included Elba, Geneva, Pike County, Andalusia, Opp, Troy and Greenville.)

61 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 29, 1955

Andalusia Bulldogs Not All Bark; Unleash Powerful Running Attack To Beat Aggies 28-6: The Evergreen Aggies played their hearts out, but proved to be no match for the mighty Andalusia Bulldogs who brought a powerful line and a stable of fleet backs to perform before a near capacity crowd at Brooks Stadium Friday night.

Evergreen drew first blood Friday night at Brooks Stadium on a blocked kick and 40-yard run by Tommy Watts, (Ronnie) Edson pushing over the TD from two yards out.

(Other standout Evergreen players in that game included Walter Carrier, Cook, Wayne Frazier, Neal Hyde, Pee Wee Hyde, Johnson, Eddie Kelley, Buck Lewis, Mason, Moorer and White. Wendell Hart was Evergreen’s head coach.)

The McKenzie line spelled the difference Thursday night between Repton and McKenzie as McKenzie won, 29-6, at Repton. Blackwell’s passing and Crutchfield’s running were very good for Repton, while the backfield combination of McKenzie was exceptional.

The Yellow Jackets from Lyeffion pounded five times on the touchdown door Friday night and were admitted only once, losing 13-6 to a Goshen team that made two touchdowns on punt returns.

Doug Jones, Yellow Jacket right halfback, gained over 180 yards rushing against Goshen, and completed 12 of 14 passes. Gabe “Tiger” Booker carried well from the quarterback slot, and Raines proved to be a great help with his running and blocking for other Lyeffion backs.

In preparation for tonight’s hassle with Beatrice, Coach William Andrews has worked on timing, running, passing and kicking. Beatrice will bring a good team over, but the recent additions of J.E. Williams and other players just returning from National Guard duty will help bolster the reserve strength of the Yellow Jackets.

Brewton Cyclones Take CCTS Eagle 13-6 Saturday: In a hard fought game, the Evergreen “Eagles” were defeated 13-6 by the Brewton “Cyclones.”

The Eagles would not accept a white-wash so they scored in the last of the fourth quarter on a pass from January to Wartley for the six points.

On Sat., Oct. 1, the Eagles will face a tough opponent from Auburn, Ala. this will be a battle because it will be the meeting of two schools whose principals are brothers-in-law. Come early in order to be sure of a comfortable seat for this one, remember time: Oct. 1, at 8 p.m.; place: Brooks Stadium.

McKenzie Preparing For Ft. Deposit Friday: Coach Reid Hughes, new mentor at McKenzie High School, said today his team is in good shape for the contest Friday night with Ft. Deposit on the home field at McKenzie. Assistant coach at McKenzie this year is Theo Carpenter.

(Players on McKenzie’s team that year included George Carpenter, O’Neal Davis, Dickie Dour, Jimmy Dour, Melvin Hallford, Nelson Hooks, Jimmy Howell, Lamar Odom, Greg Pierce, Marvin Spikes and Tommy Wright.)

76 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 26, 1940

President Okays Stadium Project: A telegram received by The Courant Tuesday and signed by Senator Lister Hill announced that President Roosevelt had approved the amount of $12,358 to be used on the construction of a stadium and playground on the campus of the Evergreen High School.

The text of the telegram reads as follows:

“Delighted to advise Project 50134 sponsored by the City of Evergreen to construct playground and stadium on High School campus has received Presidential approval in the amount of $12,258.”

Plans and specifications for this project, along with several other community projects, were submitted to the President recently by city and county officials, and the news of the stadium approval will be welcomed here. Plans for the stadium and playground include concrete bleachers, a sodded playing field and a cinder path for track.

The city will share in the expense of construction but their part will mostly be in the form of rolling stock. The labor will be furnished by the WPA.

The definite date on which the construction will start has not yet been set.

91 YEARS AGO

SEPT. 30, 1925

Mr. J.P. King and Andrew Jay spent two days fishing on Conecuh River this week.

A party of 20 young people of Evergreen enjoyed a camping at Conecuh Cabins last weekend.

Today in History for Sept. 26, 2016

T.S. Elliott

Sept. 26, 1580 – Sir Francis Drake finished his circumnavigation of the Earth.

Sept. 26, 1776 - The Continental Congress elected Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane and Arthur Lee as agents to be sent to secure a formal treaty between France and the United States. Franklin, Deane and Lee were given formal instructions by the members of the Continental Congress as to what concessions they would be authorized to make in negotiating the treaty. First and foremost, they were instructed to tell the king of France, that if a treaty were signed, the United States would never form an allegiance with Great Britain and, if war between France and Great Britain were ever declared, the United States would defend France.

Sept. 26, 1777 – During the American Revolution, British troops captured and occupied Philadelphia. They held the city until June 18, 1778.

Sept. 26, 1789 – Thomas Jefferson was appointed the first United States Secretary of State, John Jay was appointed the first Chief Justice of the United States, Samuel Osgood was appointed the first United States Postmaster General, and Edmund Randolph was appointed the first United States Attorney General.

Sept. 26, 1792 – Irish-New Zealand explorer and politician William Hobson was born in Waterford, Ireland. He became the first Governor of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Sept. 26, 1820 – American hunter and explorer Daniel Boone died at the age of 85 at Nathan Boone's house, Femme Osage Creek, Missouri. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now Kentucky, which was then part of Virginia but on the other side of the mountains from the settled areas. His frontier exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States.

Sept. 26, 1834 – Indian Springs Baptist Church’s petitionary letter was presented to the Baptist Association meeting in Monroe County, Ala.

Sept. 26, 1861 – The Perry Walker Rangers, a Confederate cavalry unit, departed Monroeville, Ala. under the command of T.H. Malden of Monroeville.

Sept. 26, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Fort Thorn, New Mexico.

Sept. 26, 1861 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Hunter's Farm, near Belmont, Missouri.

Sept. 26, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Hunt's Mill, near Larkinsville in Jackson County, Ala.

Sept. 26, 1864 - Confederate General Sterling Price invaded Missouri and attacked the Union garrison near Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob. Price’s troops captured the fort within two days and scattered the Union defenders, but also suffered heavy losses. Some 1,000 of Price’s troops were killed or wounded, and the Confederates gained little in the way of strategic value or political impact.

Sept. 26, 1864 - A guerilla band of 200 gathered under William "Bloody Bill" Anderson near the town of Centralia, Missouri. The next morning Anderson led 30 guerillas into the town and looted the community and terrorized residents.

Sept. 26, 1867 – Lewis Lavon Peacock married Safronia Caroline Martin at Burnt Corn, Ala.

Sept. 26, 1872 – The first Shriners Temple (called Mecca) was established in New York City.

Sept. 26, 1877 - According to the West Alabamian, which was Carrollton, Alabama's only newspaper at the time of the events, Nathaniel Pierce was being held for murder when, on this date, an armed mob forced their way into the jail where Pierce was being held, took him outside the city, and killed him. (13 Alabama Ghosts)

Sept. 26, 1888 – Nobel Prize-winning poet Thomas Stearns “T.S.” Eliot was born in St. Louis, Mo., where he spent the first 18 years of his life.

Sept. 26, 1895 – The Monroe Journal reported on the brutal murder of Conecuh County, Ala. mail carrier Silas Hobley, whose decayed corpse was found on Sept. 16 near Belleville.

Sept. 26, 1905 – Holdings of the Bear Creek Mill Co. in Monroe County, Ala. were sold to V.J. Herlong and the United Lumber Co.

Sept. 26, 1906 - Author Ellen Tarry was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Sept. 26-27, 1906 – Fort McRee on Perdido Key across Pensacola Pass from Fort Pickens was struck by a hurricane that destroyed most of the newer structures erected at Fort McRee since 1898.

Sept. 26, 1908 - Ed Eulbach of the Chicago Cubs became the first Major League Baseball player to pitch both games of a doubleheader and win both with shutouts.

Sept. 26, 1914 – The George W. Foster Camp No. 407, United Confederate Veterans, met in Monroeville, Ala. to elect delegates for the upcoming state reunion in Mobile.

Sept. 26, 1919 - The St. Louis Browns defeated the New York Yankees 6-2 in a game that lasted 55 minutes. The game was the second game of a doubleheader.

Sept. 26, 1930 – H.P. Lovecraft completed “The Whisperer in Darkness,” which was originally published in the August 1931 issue of Weird Tales.

Sept. 26, 1934 - The RMS Queen Mary was launched. After the ocean liner was permanently docked in Long Beach, Calif., reports of ghosts and paranormal activity emerged. The most haunted section of the ship is said to be the engine room where a young sailor was crushed to death.

  

Sept. 26, 1945 - Lt. Col. Peter Dewey, a U.S. Army officer with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in Vietnam, was shot and killed in Saigon. Dewey was the head of a seven-man team sent to Vietnam to search for missing American pilots and to gather information on the situation in the country after the surrender of the Japanese. He would prove to be the first of nearly 59,000 Americans killed in Vietnam

Sept. 26, 1957 – Future Major League first baseman and Leroy native Kelvin Orlando Moore was born. He would go on to play three seasons for the Oakland A’s.

Sept. 26, 1957 – Lyeffion High School was scheduled to open their 1957 football season against Beatrice High School at Lyeffion, but that game was not played because the flu “laid low about half of the Eagle squad.”

Sept. 26, 1958 – Alabama baseball great Virgil Trucks, then a pitcher for the New York Yankees, appeared in his final Major League Baseball game.

Sept. 26, 1962 - Maury Wills of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first player to steal 100 bases in a season. He ended the season with 104.

Sept. 26, 1969 – Air Force A1C Michael David Gunnels of Andalusia, Ala. was killed in action in Vietnam.

Sept. 26, 1969 – “Abbey Road,” the last recorded album by The Beatles, was released.

Sept. 26, 1971 – Marine Sgt. Charles Wayne Turberville, 21, of Finchburg, Ala. was killed while on duty at the American Embassy in Phnom Penhm, Cambodia during a Khmer Rouge terrorist attack. Born on July 17, 1950, he graduated from Monroe County High School, joined the Marines and became a member of the prestigious Marine Security Guard Battalion. He was buried at Bryant Cemetery at Finchburg.

Sept. 26, 1971 - Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer won his 20th game of the year, becoming the fourth Orioles pitcher to win 20 games in the 1971 season. This made the 1971 Orioles pitching staff the first since that of the 1920 Chicago White Sox to field four 20-game winners. The other 20-game winners were Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson.

Sept. 26, 1972 – Conecuh County, Ala. Superitendent of Education Harvey G. Pate resigned and was replaed by Wayne Pope, who was appointed to fill Pate’s unexpired term by the Conecuh County Board of Education.

Sept. 26, 1974 – The Evergreen Courant reported that two large snakes were killed in former Evergreen (Ala.) Mayor Coy Harper’s yard in the same day. Policeman Robert Taylor killed a 4-1/2 foot long rattlesnake (with 14 rattles) during the afternoon. Later that day, Orbie Mosley killed another rattlesnake that was five-feet long (with 10 rattles and a button) in the same yard.

Sept. 26, 1974 – Monroe Academy beat Sparta Academy, 20-6, in Monroeville. Richard Brown was Sparta’s head coach.

Sept. 26, 1980 – The undefeated Lyeffion High School Yellow Jackets, under head coach Roger Pritchard, kept their record perfect by beating Excel, 26-6, in Lyeffion, Ala. This was Lyeffion’s first win over Excel in 18 years, and Ricky Gill was the leading rusher for Lyeffion with 71 yards. Donald Lee completed four of 11 pass attempts for 88 yards and two scores. Roosevelt Mixon played an inspired game as he had nine solo tackles and 11 assists. Other standout Lyeffion players in that game included Jeff Baggett, Bobby Blount, Mack Dailey, Floyd McNeil, Leoudis Mims, Jess Mixon, Howard Johnson, Tim Searcy, Ardell Taylor and Freddie Taylor. Tim Bowen was Excel’s quarterback.

Sept. 26, 1981 - Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros became the first player to pitch five no-hitters with a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sept. 26, 1986 – Sparta Academy, under head coach Mike Bledsoe, beat South Montgomery County Academy, 30-12, at Stuart-McGehee Field in Evergreen.

Sept. 26, 1987 – Conecuh County native Thomas Watson Spence, 79, of Montgomery passed away in a Montgomery, Ala. hospital. He was a former Macon County Superintendent of Education and former sales representative for Scott-Forman Book Co.

Sept. 26, 1991 – Fonde Melton, 43, took the oath of office for his second term as Monroe County, Ala. tax assessor. Probate Judge Otha Lee Biggs administered the oath. Melton’s official six-year term in office began on Oct. 1, 1991 when state and county offices opened their new fiscal year.

Sept. 26, 1997 – Andalusia beat Hillcrest, 12-6, in Andalusia. Dennis Anderson was Hillcrest’s head coach.

Sept. 26, 1998 - Mark McGwire hit home runs 67 and 68 for the season.

Sept. 26, 1998 - Dennis Eckersly of the Boston Red Sox appeared in his 1,071st game.

Sept. 26, 2002 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported 1.18 inches of rain in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 26, 2003 – Hillcrest High School, under head coach Arlton Hudson, beat Geneva High School, 14-8, at Brooks Memorial Stadium in Evergreen.

Sept. 26, 2006 - Facebook was openened to everyone at least 13 years or older with a valid email address.

Sept. 26, 2012 - The National Football League and the NFL Referees Association reached an agreement to end an ongoing referee lockout. On June 4, 2012, the NFL had announced it would be hiring replacement officials after a failed attempts to resolve a labor dispute.