Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Tues., Oct. 31, 2017

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  7.30 inches.

Fall to Date Rainfall: 7.50 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 80.10 inches.

Notes: Today is the 304th day of 2017 and the 40th day of Fall. There are 61 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.

Three new locations added to list of 'Spookiest Places in Monroe County'

Old Dr. Watkins House at Burnt Corn, Ala.

Halloween is today, and in the spirit of that ghostly holiday, I present to you today my eighth annual list of the “Spookiest Places in Monroe County.”

As with previous editions of this list, I compiled it after discussing the subject with a number of the county’s lifelong residents and individuals well versed in the county’s long history. Without further ado, here’s the list:

- Alabama River: Rumored to be the home of “Two-Toed Tom,” a giant killer alligator that was mentioned in Harper Lee’s most recent novel, “Go Set a Watchman.” Supposedly, this monster gator’s name comes from the fact that this massive alligator lost all but two of his toes in a steel trap. Also, somewhere along the river between the Claiborne Lock & Dam and the sandbar at Bailey’s Creek, witnesses have reported seeing a giant snake dubbed the “Mocca-Conda,” which is said to be a water moccasin the size of an anaconda.

- Bailey’s Well: According to George Singleton’s classic, “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” this well is located by an ironwood tree in a field at Franklin and is also known as the “Well That Won’t Stay Filled.” Curbed by old, handmade bricks, no one knows who originally dug the well, which has supposedly been abandoned since the early 1800s. Numerous attempts were made to fill it with rocks, track, junk and timber logs, but all of those items disappeared without a trace, leading some people to believe that the well connects with an underground river or that its bottom is filled with quicksand.

- The Bradley House: Located just off Upper County Road 17 at Franklin, this old dog trot-style house, which was constructed sometime in the 1800s, and is said to have been the site of multiple deaths, including at least one suicide. Former residents, claim that ghostly visitors come into their rooms in the middle of the night and unexplained knocks and bumps can be heard throughout the night. Eerily, many of the home’s previous occupants are buried in a family cemetery located just a stone’s throw from the home’s back door.

- Bradley Ridge: George Singleton, Monroe County’s pre-eminent paranormal investigator, had numerous experiences in this once “thriving community,” which was located off the Ridge Road north of Monroeville. The area is supposedly haunted by the ghost of an old man carrying a large sack who is always seen walking east near an old abandoned cemetery. Singleton also witnessed a phantom rooster and dog in the area, smelled cooking food, saw “several glowing balls” and heard disembodied voices, including the voices of “several small children, laughing and calling as though they were playing a game.”

- Butterfork Creek Bridge: Located on State Highway 59, a mile or so west of downtown Uriah, this bridge serves as a way for travelers to go between Uriah and the Palmers Crossroads community in south Monroe County. More than a few motorists over the years have repeatedly reported seeing a woman in dressed in white on the bridge. Most report seeing this ghostly woman on the east end of the bridge.

- Claiborne Bluff: Said to be where Leopold Lanier of Burnt Corn and the Indian maid Winona, the daughter of Indian shaman Prophet Francis, leapt to their deaths after being confronted by 12 Indian warriors who were ordered to kill Lanier. This was said to have happened during the heyday of Fort Claiborne, a two-acre military fortification constructed on the bluff during the Creek Indians War. This high bluff is also believed to have been the site of the ancient Indian village of Piachi, which was visited by Spanish explorers DeSoto and DeLuna.

- Claiborne Masonic Lodge: Located now at Perdue Hill on U.S. Highway 84, this building, pictured above, is the oldest existing manmade structure in Monroe County. Built in 1819 at Claiborne, this building was used as a courtroom, town hall, church, school and one of the earliest Masonic lodges in the state. Visited by Revolutionary War hero, Marquis De Lafayette, in 1825, this building was moved a few miles east to Perdue Hill in 1884. Lafayette was the last surviving general of the Revolutionary War at the time of his visit. This building was also used for Ku Klux Klan meetings at one time during its history.

- The C.L. Hybart House: Located on Hybart Drive in Monroeville, this restored 1920s house is one of Monroe County’s most distinctive buildings. Built in the manner of a Mediterranean Spanish villa, including stucco, tile and columns made with stones from Limestone Creek. Now owned by the Monroe County Heritage Museums and operated under the name of the “Hybart House Museum and Cultural Center,” this reputedly haunted residence was built by the late Charlie Hybart, a colorful local attorney who became known for holding lavish parties that were attended by VIPs and politicians from all over the state.

- Davis Ferry: Singleton described the night he spent at the base of a cliff near the ferry at the site of an old Indian camp on the east side of the Alabama River. Singleton awoke in the middle of the night to see what he called the “Night Walkers,” a number of ghosts that walked in a single-file line by his campsite. Each carried a bundle on his back and moved down the hill in a single-file line towards the river.

- The Devil’s Bowl: Located about three miles off of State Highway 21 in the vicinity of the Megargel and Goodway communities, this geological oddity is a pool that’s about 30 feet in diameter. Also called “The Devil’s Soup Bowl,” no surface stream feeds this freshwater pool of deep, dark water, which is said to be one of “Monroe County’s strangest sights.” Locals claim that this pool is bottomless. Possible explanations for its existence vary from an ancient meteor impact to the idea that it’s the shaft left behind by dead volcano.

- Dr. Watkins House: Located on the west side of County Road 5, about 1-1/2 miles north of Burnt Corn, this house was built in 1812 and was once the residence of Dr. John Watkins, the only doctor between the Alabama and Chattahoochee rivers. Watkins is said to have treated the wounded from the Fort Mims Massacre at the house in 1813, and some sources say Andrew Jackson spent the night there when he passed through the area on his way to the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
The ghost of Watkins has reportedly been seen standing in the doorway to one of the home’s first floor bedrooms and the top of the front porch is painted with traditional “haint paint” to keep spirits from entering the home. Perhaps the most bizarre thing to occur in the house in recent memory took place in the wake of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 when loggers fled the house after hearing a woman scream. Others who’ve stayed at the house have complained of the uneasy feelings they get from artwork inside the house, including an original painting of a woman carving a Jack o’ Lantern.

- Franklin: “Ghost lights” have been reported in this community north of Monroeville for years, and on May 6, 1971 Singleton saw a “mysterious ball of fire” that was “in and around the area across Flat Creek on the right of Highway 41.” Singleton saw “almost at tree-top level” a “glowing ball of reddish blue flame, floating southward at a lazy pace.” It was about 12 inches in diameter and looked like a “clear, plastic balloon with some type of light inside.” Similar “ghost lights” have also been reported in the Finchburg community.

- Gin House Bottom: Located north of Monroeville, near the intersection of the Ridge Road and State Highway 41 (formerly called the Camden Highway), there were once a number of stores and family residences in this area, which took its name from a local cotton gin.
Also in this area, a tale sprung to life about a headless horseman that was seen by a number of county residences.
“On moonlit nights, when one could see, the headless rider could be seen riding the road along Gin Bottom Road,” George Singleton wrote in one of his Monroe Journal columns. “This was a common sight to the men who had to travel the road late at night after a hard day at the cotton gin. I have been told that on several occasions, the horse and rider would pass so close to a traveler that he could try to reach out and touch the headless rider.”

- Kelly Mill Mercantile Store: Located in the Dottelle community, this store was constructed in the 1920s and has been fully restored as a museum. Witnesses since the store’s restoration have reported a wide variety of unusual tales about the building, including the unexplained opening and closing of windows. Others have reported seeing the faces of people looking out of the store’s windows late at night when the store is obviously closed and locked up.

- King Plantation House: Featured on two episodes of the Travel Channel’s “The Dead Files,” this 9,000-square feet Greek Revival Style house was originally located at Packer’s Bend in the northwest corner of Monroe County. Built by the nephew of U.S. Vice President William Rufus King in the late 1850s and early 1860s, it was moved to Uriah by former state legislator Eugene Garrett in 1965.
Creepy tales abound about this house, where supposedly a number of the King family passed away within its walls from yellow fever that was brought home by a family member who served in the Civil War. In “The Dead Files” the house’s owner said she feared her life was in danger from being attacked by the evil spirit of a man who once lived in the house.
Located on State Highway 59, about half a mile from the intersection of Hwy. 59 and State Highway 21, it’s said that this house has the broadest façade of any plantation house in Alabama.

- Klepac’s Old Store: Located near the intersection of the “old Franklin road” and the Ridge Road, and also known as the “Oak & Ash” for a giant oak and an ash tree that grew side by side and was one of the better known landmarks in the area. The trees are gone now, but were so close together that a horse could barely be rode between them. In the early 1900s, a man was hung from the oak tree.

- Limestone Creek Indian Mounds: Hidden by thick underbrush, these Indian mounds are around three feet high and six feet long and are said to be surrounded by bunches of bear grass. Some say that the Indians believed in planting bear grass at the feet of their dead warriors, so that the warrior’s spirit could roam at will and return whenever it chose, as long as the bear grass grew beside the final resting place of the fallen warrior. So if the legend it true, the spirits continue to wander along the bottoms of Limestone Creek, hunting the phantom deer and bear in the world of the great beyond.

- Locke Hill: A high hill located east of the Red Hills Cemetery, where hunters and other witnesses claimed to have seen the ghost of a tall lady with snow-white hair, walking along a narrow pathway to an old abandoned well. Others say they have seen the ghost of a tall, slender lady dressed in a long sack dress kneeling beside the tomb of an unknown Confederate soldier in the thick woods near the ruins of the abandoned log cabin.

- Louisville and Nashville Railroad Train Tunnel at Tunnel Springs: This abandoned train tunnel is now home to hundreds of thumb-sized bats. Completed in 1899, this 840-foot-long tunnel was built by four crews of 15 men each working day and night using simple equipment. One crew is said to have worked from the north side while the other worked from the south. The story also goes that a number of workers died during the construction of this eerie tunnel.

- McConnico Cemetery: Large cemetery, located off Monroe County Road 1 at Perdue Hill, containing some of the count’s oldest graves. According to “Haunted Places: The National Directory” by Dennis William Hauck, this cemetery is the setting for the county’s best known ghost story.
“The phantoms of 12 Union horsemen have been seen riding near this old graveyard,” Hauck wrote. “Captain and Mrs. Charles Locklin witnessed the ghostly parade in autumn of 1865. The Locklins were in their carriage early one morning when two columns of six soldiers on gray horses passed by on each side of them.
“Each member of the eerie troop wore white gloves, with his hands crossed on the pommel of his saddle, and every one wore a white bandage wrapped tightly around his head. The two respected citizens were certain they had been victims of Confederate solider Lafayette Sigler, who ambushed Northern patrols, killed them and cut off their ears. Sigler’s collection of Yankee ears was said to have been quite impressive.”
This first encounter with the ghost soldiers is also said to have occurred on Mount Pleasant Road and sporadic sightings were reported over the hundred years.

- Midway Cave: Large limestone cave located near the Midway community in northeast Monroe County, located near the Midway Fire Tower, about 200 yards off the road. Singleton says that the cave is 50 feet across and 20 feet deep with a roof blackened by the smoke of a thousand cook fires.

- Monroe County Public Library: Located on Pineville Road, this building houses over 60,000 volumes and is located in the former LaSalle Hotel. The library has been in this location since 1984, but the building is located on one of the oldest parcels of land recognized for continuous usage in Monroe County. In the past, the property has been used as a stable, various homes, a Methodist parsonage and as the LaSalle Hotel. Its famous guests included actor, Gregory Peck, who visited Monroeville during the 1960s.
More than a few library patrons have claim to have had unusual experiences on the library’s second floor.
“Once you leave the bright, sunny ground floor and climb the stairs to the second floor, where many of the former rooms were located, you just get a creepy feeling all over. Like most hotels, this building probably saw its fair share of visitors from all over, and I think that a few of them just decided to stay.”

- Mt. Pisgah Cemetery: Located off Wildfork Road (Monroe County Road 18) between Frisco City and the Wildfork community, this cemetery serves as the final resting place of hundreds of former community residents. Variations of the story exist, but more than a few people have reported parking at this cemetery late at night and when conditions are just right a mysterious red ball of light will emerge from the tree line on the east side of the cemetery. The ball of light is most often described as “basketball-sized” and reportedly travels from the trees towards the parked vehicle.

- Monroe Journal: Located on Hines Street in downtown Monroeville, many longtime employees report having heard a wide variety of unusual noises in the older part of the building. Employees there have chalked these noises up to the ghost of a man who died in the back part of the building decades ago. Who is to say if this is true or not, but one thing is for sure: Few employees will dare to visit the back part of the building alone and after dark.

- Mount Pleasant: Site of Monroe County’s only Civil War “skirmish” and said to be the site of a mass grave of 40 to 50 Confederate soldiers. The area is now supposedly haunted by the ghost of Mary Watkins, who roams the countryside with a lantern and shovel searching for the body of her husband, Cpl. Ezekiel Watkins. She’s also said to wear an old Rebel overcoat over her shoulders.

- Nancy Mountain at Haine’s Island: Located off Monroe County Road 17 at Franklin, this locale is the site of one of the county’s most enduring ghost stories, the story of “Crazy Nancy.”
Variations of this story exist, but the most common version says that the ghost of a woman, “Crazy Nancy” or “Aunt Nancy,” can be seen walking up and down the hill to Davis Ferry in hopes of meeting her son and husband who were claimed by the Civil War, never to return. Witnesses say that this female phantom is seen walking with a lantern (or long walking stick) in one hand and with a bucket of water in the other.
According to George B. Singleton’s book, “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” you’ll know this spirit by her long, gingham dress, her old bonnet and the long, white hair that hangs out the back of her bonnet and all the way down to her waist.

- Narrow Gap: This community, located just northeast of Uriah, is said to be the site of tales about huge balls of light that travel along roadways and up the trunks of large trees. This mysterious light is said to favor a large oak tree that’s about 150 yards from the Qualls Cemetery on George Williams Road. Longtime residents of this community also claim to have seen the ghost of a woman in a long dress and wearing a bonnet. This ghostly woman is said to always be seen walking toward the cemetery, and some have theorized that she is the long dead wife of Andrew Jackson Qualls.

- Nettles Auditorium at Alabama Southern Community College: Located in Monroeville, this building seats almost 900 people and is often the preferred venue for large community events. Former students and workers at the college claim to have heard unusual sounds at odd times as well as the unexplained malfunction of lights and other electrical devices. Others claim to have heard an unseen “entity” walking down the aisles, making his (or her) presence known by the scraping of their feet along the carpet. Witnesses have also reported hearing the loud pop of a seat back being slapped by unseen hands as well as the unexplained unlocking of door locks that should have been secured.

- Old Claiborne Cemetery: Located off of U.S. Highway 84 at Claiborne, Singleton remarked that almost everyone buried there was under the age of 50 at the time of their death. Cemetery includes many yellow fever and small pox victims, including Emily N. Bagby, the wife of Alabama governor Arthur P. Bagby. She was 21 years old when she died of yellow fever during a visit to Claiborne in May 1825.

- Old Frisco City High School Building: Located on School Street in Frisco City, this building was constructed in the early 1920s and served the community for decades before closing in 2009. Some passersby claim to see lights on inside the building late at night when no one is there. Others claim to have heard strange noises coming from the tunnel that runs beneath the school’s main building.

- Old Lois Wiggins Home Place: This old home place, located north of Monroeville, just off State Highway 41 and near Limestone Creek, burned down a number of years ago, but for years members of the Wiggins family and others reported hearing the sound of a small baby crying in the woods near the house. Family members and others searched off and on for the source of the sound for years, but never found anything. The child sounded like it was in pain and the cries grew louder the darker it got at night.

- Old Monroe County Courthouse: Nicknamed “America’s Most Famous Courthouse,” this building was constructed in 1903 and is now one of the most often photographed buildings in the state. From 1903 to the construction of a new courthouse in 1963, this building housed most county offices and was the center of the county’s court system. It’s most famous for being the model of the courtroom seen in the trial scenes in the movie version of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Now the home of the Monroe County Heritage Museums, frequent quests say that the upstairs part of the building can get very creepy on quiet nights. “Things blow in the breeze but there is no breeze,” one man said. “You hear sounds that don’t belong, and I have smelled pipe tobacco smoke when no one was smoking or even there to be smoking.”

- Old Scotland: Site of one of Monroe County’s oldest churches and cemeteries, witnesses claim to hear the ghostly sound of bagpipes and fiddle music to comes from no apparent source.

- Pine Orchard: Located in northeast Monroe County, this community is the home of the “Mystery Stones.” These 12 circular stones found near Lone Star Church. Singleton theorizes that the site was a “huge, prehistoric Indian village” and that the stones may have been part of some ancient calendar. This community is also the site of multiple sightings of a Bigfoot-like creature and witnesses, including a local minister, have reported seeing the creature on more than one occasion. Unusual noises, rock-throwing and other activity in the community have been attributed to the creature.

- Red Hills community: Witnesses over the years have reported seeing a strange, disembodied “face that glowed like a huge jack-o-lantern.” Other witnesses described it as a “huge, red ball” that moves up and down before disappearing into a ravine. Singleton claimed to have personally seen this unusual phenomenon personally in October 1990. This community is also the location of a rock overhang said to have sheltered Confederate deserters during the War Between the States. Visitors to this overhang report unusual feelings, including the feeling that they’re being watched.

- Rikard’s Mill: Located about five miles north of Beatrice, this fully restored 19th century grist mill is currently owned and operated by the Monroe County Heritage Museums. Constructed over Flat Creek, multiple witnesses have reported seeing “shadow figures” pass in front of the mill’s windows when the mill was completely empty and no one else was in the area. Other witnesses have reported the unexplained sighting of a woman floating down the creek in a pink coffin.

- The Robbins Hotel Site: Used for years as a hunting club, this historic former hotel located in downtown Beatrice, adjacent to town hall, burned down in October 2012. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this hotel was located just off the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and was operated for many years by Miss Minnie Robbins. The hotel’s patrons were largely made up of railroad travelers, and the hotel featured 14 rooms, each with a fireplace.

- Robinson Creek Bridge: Located four miles northwest of Old Scotland Church on John Shannon Road, old-timers say that this bridge is haunted by the ghost of a wounded and sick Confederate soldier that died while camping out beneath the bridge during the War Between the States. Most often reported during the early morning hours or in the late evening, the soldier is reported to always be seen walking west, never east, on the narrow road near the bridge. He is always seen wearing a torn and dirty Confederate uniform, witnesses say.

- Wolf Pits of Pine Orchard: Constructed during the mid-1800s, these timber wolf traps were typically six feet deep, four feet wide and eight feet long with smooth sides. All that remains nowadays, if you know where to look, are a few rotten timbers and half-filled holes.

Before I close this think out, I want to make perfectly clear that more than a few of the places mentioned above are located on private property, so if you get the idea to visit any of these places (especially at night), you’d better get permission first or run the risk of trespassing. Also, if you plan to visit any of these places, especially cemeteries, respect your surroundings. In the end, contact me if you know a good local ghost story or have information about a spooky location in Monroe County.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Oct. 30, 2017

1903 Auburn University football team.

114 YEARS AGO

OCT. 28, 1903

W.A. McCreary was in Montgomery Friday to see the University football team defeat the Auburn team.

70 YEARS AGO

OCT. 28, 1948

UMS Ends Evergreen Win Streak With Crushing 37 To 7 Defeat: A 12-cylinder University Military School grid machine crushed the Evergreen High Aggies by a 37 to 7 score in Mobile’s Ladd Memorial Stadium Thursday night. This brought to a halt a five-game winning streak that Evergreen had started Sept. 17. The Cadets ground out more than twice the number of points the Aggies had had scored on them in 14 previous games.

The Cadets took the opening kickoff and went 68 yards on 16 running plays and a penalty for their first score, then came right back and marched 59 yards in seven plays for another to make it 12-0 before the Aggies could muster a first down.

The Aggies got back in the ball game early in the second quarter when John Greel Ralls, triple-threat Aggie halfback, joined forces with left end Dickey Bozeman to score Evergreen’s touchdown. Ralls threw a long pass down the middle to Bozeman for 36 yards to move the ball to the UMS 24. Ralls made one yard in two running attempts and passed incomplete. On the fourth down, Ralls tossed to Bozeman in the flat and he raced over without a man touching him. Lee added the seventh point from placement, and from then on it was all UMS.

Mobile has one of the finest football plants in the South in Ladd Stadium. It is big and beautiful. While it was many a mile from filled Thursday night a good high school crowd was present. Several hundred Evergreen fans boosted the count to nearly 5,000.

Aggies Will Play Tigers in Monroeville Tonight: The Aggies of Evergreen High School will seek to bounce back with a win over the Tigers of Monroe County High School tonight after losing to UMS last week. The game will be played in Monroeville and is a feature of the Hog Festival being held there today.

Coach Wendell Hart’s crew will be slight favorites in tonight’s contest. The Aggies have won five and lost one in six starts this year. They will be spurred on by memories of the 6-0 licking they took at the hand of Monroeville. This loss spoiled the Evergreen team’s record as it was the only one incurred last year.

For the second straight week, Coach Hart must match wits with a Hanks. Coach LaVaughn Hanks of Monroeville is a brother of Coach Erastus Hanks at UMS. Monroeville has found the going rough this season losing three contests in six starts. According to the dopesters this will be their fourth loss, but in this game past performances can be forgotten. The Tigers always battle the Aggies off their feet.

The Dixie Fox Hunters Association held their second annual Bench Show and Field Trials at Burnt Corn, Ala. Oct. 19-22. One hundred and fifty-five hounds were entered in the event.

Sportsmen from all over South Alabama and Northwestern Florida began to gather at the camping grounds early Tuesday preparing their dogs for the Bench Show and Field Trials.

54 YEARS AGO

OCT. 24, 1963

Patricia Hart Is One of Alabama’s 12 Crimson Girls: Seeking beauty, personality, charm and poise, the University of Alabama named Evergreen’s Patricia Anne Hart one of its 12 Crimson Girls this year.

As a Crimson Girl, Patricia will escort Crimson Tide football players and important guests at pep rallies and games, including a bowl should Bama get a bid, and help foster school spirit.

Patricia Anne was a popular student at Evergreen High School where she graduated this year. She is the daughter of Judge of Probate and Mrs. Lloyd G. Hart.

The powerful Pine Hill Bulldogs downed the battling Lyeffion Yellow Jackets, 19-0, at Lyeffion Oct. 11.

Lyeffion Coach Shirley Frazier thought all of his boys played well against this strong foe.

Frazier said the Lyeffion offense was led by Don Garrett, who topped the ground gainers, and Ronnie Golson and Harold Wilson.

Junior quarterback Joe Frank Terrell amassed 185 yards of total offense Oct. 11 in Greenville as he led the hometown Tigers to a 19-12 homecoming victory over the Evergreen Aggies.

Scott Cook’s passing was practically the entire Aggie offense as he hit on seven of 14 for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the Aggie ground game with 31 yards in 10 carries.

(Other outstanding Evergreen players in that game included Paul Deason and Bob Ivey.)

39 YEARS AGO

OCT. 26, 1978

Frances Brown was elected Miss Homecoming and reigned over festivities at Evergreen High School that climaxed Friday night.

Sparta Academy’s 1978 Homecoming Queen is Rosemary Ralls, escorted by Tommy Hutcheson who was playing outstanding football for the Warriors before suffering a broken leg that benched him for the rest of the season. Rosemary reigned over homecoming festivities Friday.

The Sparta Academy Warriors celebrated homecoming with a sweet 42-14 win over Thomasville Academy here Friday night at Stuart-McGehee Field.

Coach Rob Kelly’s club is now even for the season with four wins and four losses. Coach Kelly and Assistant Bo Owens named Mike Raines the Lineman of the Week for his outstanding play and leadership on both offense and defense.

(Other Sparta players in that game included Scott Baggett, Tony Baggett, Bill Cope, Greg Crabtree, John Hall, Jeff Hammonds, Jeff Johnson, Bobby Mason, Ronny McKenzie, Mike Mixon, Cook Morrison, Bobby Padgett, Terry Peacock and Tony Raines.)

The Evergreen Aggies upped their record to 5-3 this past Friday night by downing Southern Normal, 28-8.

(Outstanding Evergreen players in that game included Michael Adams, David Crosby, Ernie Edeker, David Floyd, Calvin Middleton, Sanford Moye, Wendell Parker, Mark Phillips, Keith Rabb, Philander Rogers and James Steen.)

24 YEARS AGO

OCT. 28, 1993

Miss Jennifer Wiggins, a senior at Sparta Academy, was crowned Miss Homecoming during half time ceremonies recently. Jennifer is flanked by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Wiggins. Homecoming ceremonies were held Oct. 15 during the Sparta Academy-Cathedral Academy game.

Miss Lisa Hall, daughter of Phyllis Sessions and Terry Hall, was crowned the 1993 Homecoming Queen of Hillcrest High School last Friday night during pregame ceremonies. She was escorted by Brandon Garrett. Miss Shanetta Richardson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Richardson, was crowned Miss Football. She was escorted by Sederick Fluker.

The Hillcrest High School Jaguars pounded out 319 yards on the ground as they defeated the Jaguars of Wilcox Central 20-6 last Friday night for a homecoming victory.

(Standout players for Hillcrest in that game included Ryan Meeks, Don Ray Mixon, Anthony Richardson, Derrick Rudolph, Roger Rudolph and Donald Williams. Dennis Anderson was Hillcrest’s head coach.)

Sparta Academy drops close one: It was a tall order for the Warriors of Sparta Academy to battle the Jackson Academy Eagles. The visiting team came into the contest undefeated and untied and almost fell victim to an upset at the hands of the home Warriors. A late rally by the Eagles secured a 16-12 victory and put a damper on the playoff picture for Sparta Academy.

(Standout Sparta players in that game included Lyle Bell, Casey Grant, Joey Smith and Britt Ward. Mike Bledsoe was Sparta’s head coach.)

Today in History for Oct. 30, 2017

Murdock McCorvey Fountain

Oct. 30, 1485 – King Henry VII of England was crowned.

Oct. 30, 1735 - John Adams, the second President of the United States, was born in Braintree, Mass. His son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth President of the U.S.

Oct. 30, 1751 - Irish playwright and Whig politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan was born in Dublin.

Oct. 30, 1775 - The Continental Congress appointed seven members to serve on an administrative naval committee tasked with the acquisition, outfitting and manning of a naval fleet to be used in defense against the British. Almost two weeks earlier, on October 13, 1775, Congress had authorized the construction and arming of vessels for the country’s first navy. Members of the first naval committee included some of the most influential members of the Continental Congress and several “founding fathers,” including John Adams, Joseph Hewes, John Langdon, Richard Henry Lee, Silas Deane and Stephen Hopkins, the committee’s chairman.

Oct. 30, 1811 – Jane Austen’s novel “Sense and Sensibility” was first published.

Oct. 30, 1831 – In Southampton County, Va., escaped slave Nat Turner was captured and arrested for leading the bloodiest slave rebellion in United States history.

Oct. 30, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Morgantown, Ky.

Oct. 30, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Greenbriar, W.Va.

Oct. 30, 1862 - Union General Ormsby MacKnight Mitchell, commander of the Department of the South, died from yellow fever at Beaufort, S.C. In 1862, Mitchell directed raids into northern Alabama and captured Huntsville, Ala. in April 1862.

Oct. 30, 1862 – Union Major General William S. Rosecrans assumed command of the Department of the Cumberland, superseding Union Major General Don Carlos Buell.

Oct. 30, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought in the area surrounding Salyersville, Ky.; in the vicinity of Opelousas, La.; near New Berne, N.C.; at Leiper’s Ferry (on the Holston River) and to push Confederates away from Brown’s Ferry, Tennessee; and near Catlett’s Station, Va. A second day of skirmishing also occurred at Fourteen Mile Creek in the Indian Territory.

Oct. 30, 1863 - The federal steamer Chattanooga delivered supplies to famished Federal defenders at Chattanooga, Tenn.

Oct. 30, 1864 - Union forces recaptured Plymouth, N.C.

Oct. 30, 1864 – During the Civil War, a second day of skirmishing occurred in the vicinity of Muscle Shoals (or Raccoon Ford), near Florence, Ala.

Oct. 30, 1864 – During the Civil War, Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest captured the gun boat, Undine (No. 55) and transports near Fort Heiman, Ky. A skirmish was also fought at Bainbridge, Tenn.

Oct. 30, 1869 – Monroe County Probate Judge Murdock McCorvey Fountain was born at Tunnel Springs, Ala. He graduated from Perdue Hill High School in 1889 and was appointed Monroe County Sheriff in 1902 when Sheriff John S. Howington was killed while in office. He was elected Monroe County Probate Judge in 1916.

Oct. 30, 1885 – Poet and critic Ezra Pound was born in Hailey, Idaho.

Oct. 30, 1898 – National Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman Bill Terry was born in Atlanta, Ga. He played his entire career for the New York Giants and managed the Giants from 1932 to 1941. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1954.

Oct. 30, 1912 - Alabama author Willis Brewer died in Montgomery, Ala.

Oct. 30, 1914 – Julian Andrews shot and killed Wright Eddins near Bone Hill church in northeastern Monroe County, Ala. Andrews was arrested, brought to Monroeville and placed in jail.

Oct. 30, 1915 – Pioneering broadcast journalist Fred W. Friendly was born Ferdinand Friendly Wachenheimer in New York City.

Oct. 30, 1916 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Leon Day was born in Alexandria, Va. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

Oct. 30, 1917 – Major League Baseball shortstop and catcher Bobby Bragan was born in Birmingham, Ala. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers, and he also managed the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves.

Oct. 30, 1918 – The Ottoman Empire signed an armistice with the Allies, ending the First World War in the Middle East.

Oct. 30, 1919 - The professional baseball association ruled that spitballs and shineballs were illegal.

Oct. 30, 1930 – The Evergreen Courant published a special “Conecuh County Agricultural, Industrial and Historical Edition.” The front page of the 50-page edition was printed in green ink, it was the largest newspaper ever published in Conecuh County, Ala.

Oct. 30, 1935 – American writer Robert Caro was born in New York City.

Oct. 30, 1936 – The first ever night football game in the history of Frisco City High School was played on this day. Frisco City faced Monroe County High School and lost, 13-12. It was FC’s only documented loss of the entire season.

Oct. 30, 1936 – In a game played at 2:30 p.m. during the Conecuh County Fair, Evergreen High School beat Repton High School, 47-0, at Gantt Field in Evergreen, Ala.

Oct. 30, 1936 – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and biographer Robert Caro was born in New York City.

Oct. 30, 1938 - Martians invaded New Jersey! Well, at least that's what many radio listeners thought, when they tuned into Orson Welles' broadcast of “War of the Worlds” on CBS radio. As part of the realistic radio play, an announcer interrupted a dance orchestra to describe a crash in a farmer's field, and then later he warned of tentacled creatures inside giant attack machines. The public went into a panic--it's estimated that as many as one million people believed a real invasion was underway.

Oct. 30, 1941 – One thousand five hundred Jews from Pidhaytsi (in western Ukraine) were sent by Nazis to Bełżec extermination camp.

Oct. 30, 1942 – Lt. Tony Fasson, Able Seaman Colin Grazier and canteen assistant Tommy Brown from the HMS Petard boarded U-559, retrieving material which would lead to the decryption of the German Enigma code.

Oct. 30, 1944 – Anne and Margot Frank were deported from Auschwitz to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they die from disease the following year, shortly before the end of World War II.

Oct. 30, 1945 – Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signed a contract for the Brooklyn Dodgers to break the baseball color barrier.

Oct. 30, 1948 - Alabama author Dennis Covington was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Oct. 30, 1952 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Evergreen City Council had approved a zoning plan and ordinance as presented to them by the City Planning Commission.

Oct. 30, 1952 – The Evergreen Courant reported that all the remaining right-of-way deeds for the paving of the portion of U.S. Highway 84 through Herbert and Cohassett to Andalusia by the Conecuh County (Ala.) Board of Directors had been signed. Up to that point, county officials had been working to have that portion of the highway paved for a number of years.

Oct. 30, 1952 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the State of Alabama, as part of a federal aid project, had completed the construction of the new bridge over Murder Creek between Evergreen and Fairview in Conecuh County, Ala. As of this date, the approaches to the bridge were being completed and was expected to be finished at an early date.

Oct. 30, 1953 – Excel High School’s football team beat Red Level, 12-0. Standout Excel players in that game included Charles Byrd, James Fleming and Gerald Stacey.

Oct. 30, 1954 – In an incident attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, a U.S. Navy Super Constellation disappeared with 42 passengers and crew while flying in fair weather from Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. to the Azores.

Oct. 30, 1964 – The Monroe County Board of Education appointed Monroe County High School head coach James Allen as principal of MCHS and promoted assistant coach Ronald M. Dees to head coach. The changes were made due to the resignation of MCHS principal B.E. Lee, who had been named as the president of the forthcoming junior college in Monroeville. The changes were to take effect on Feb. 1, 1965.

Oct. 30, 1965 – During the Vietnam War, near Da Nang, United States Marines repelled an intense attack by Viet Cong forces, killing 56 guerrillas.

Oct. 30, 1970 - Jim Morrison was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $500 for exposing himself in Miami, Fla.

Oct. 30, 1970 – In Vietnam, the worst monsoon to hit the area in six years caused severe floods, killed 293, left 200,000 homeless and virtually halted the Vietnam War.

Oct. 30, 1974 – Excel High School began a streak of 20 straight games without a loss (including ties) that ended on Nov. 6, 1975.

Oct. 30, 1974 – As a member of the California Angels, Major League Baseball player Nolan Ryan threw the fastest recorded pitch, at 100.9 MPH.

Oct. 30, 1976 – NBA power forward and center Maurice Taylor was born in Detroit, Mich. He went on to play for the University of Michigan, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Houston Rockets, the New York Knicks and the Sacramento Kings.

Oct. 30, 1979 - In a run-off, Richard Arrington was elected as the first black mayor of Birmingham, Alabama’s largest city. Arrington served in that post for nearly 20 years, until his resignation in July 1999.

Oct. 30, 1988 - Kurt Cobain smashed his very first guitar.

Oct. 30, 1988 - The New York Jets beat the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time.

Oct. 30, 1988 - Over 2,000 people attended an open house on this Sunday afternoon at the new Hillcrest High School in Evergreen, Ala. The school cost over $5 million to construct and was set to open in the fall of 1989. The open house was hosted by the Conecuh County Board of Education and Superintendent Steve Coker.

Oct. 30, 2001 - In New York City, U.S. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Oct. 30, 2001 - The U.S. Postal Service temporarily suspended the sale of envelopes pre-printed with postage due to developments in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Oct. 30, 2003 – Late on this Thursday night, vandals trenched an anarchy symbol on the east end of the football field at Sparta Academy, and the vandalism was reported to the Evergreen Police Department the following day, which was Halloween. Estimated damages totaled $1,127, and the vandals turned themselves in the following day. Many at fist thought that the symbol was a satanic symbol.

Oct. 30, 2005 – National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher and manager Al Lopez passed away at the age of 97 in Tampa, Fla. During his career, he played for the Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers, the Boston Bees, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Indians, and he managed the Indians and the Chicago White Sox. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

Oct. 30, 2006 - A television version of Alabama author Anne Rivers Siddons's book “The House Next Door” was broadcast.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Mon., Oct. 30, 2017

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  7.30 inches.

Fall to Date Rainfall: 7.50 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 80.10 inches.

Notes: Today is the 303rd day of 2017 and the 39th day of Fall. There are 62 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.

Old newspaper excerpts from The Monroe Journal newspaper in Monroeville, Alabama

Dr. Peter A. Brannon

29 YEARS AGO

OCT. 27, 1988

Frisco City threw a party for its 100^th birthday Saturday, and old and young alike turned out to help mark the occasion.

Mayor Billy McCrory presented a proclamation issued for the town’s centennial to celebration committee chairwoman Dot Sims, and then many of the town’s senior citizens were introduced and presented with red roses.

Hundreds of current and former town residents and other Monroe countians took the opportunity to turn the pages of Frisco City’s past by visiting the old landmarks and looking at displays set up in a downtown storefront.

Shields is 2A, Area 2 champion: Keith Montgomery intercepted a pass with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter to end Flomaton High School’s last drive, preserving a 21-14 victory over the Hurricanes Friday in a jampacked Panther stadium at Beatrice.

The victory propelled the Panthers to 6-3 on the season and gave the team its first 2A Area 2 championship since 1983. Shields finished 3-0 in the area.

(Other outstanding Shields players in that game included Calvin Lett, Sebastian Lett, Jeff Montgomery, Marlin Roberts, Jimmy Rogers, Tyrone Spencer, Bryan Stallworth, Harold Stallworth and Cleo Tolliver. John Wiley was head coach at Shields.)

The Goodway Community Volunteer Fire Department held open house at its new fire station Saturday. Community members were able to see the department’s equipment, trucks and participate in a turkey shoot. The building has been in use for about a month.

44 YEARS AGO

OCT. 25, 1973

Gov. George Wallace will come to Monroeville today (Thursday) to dedicate the new central cutting plant of Vanity Fair Mills Inc. and participate in a Chamber of Commerce banquet honoring M.O. (Whitey) Lee, chairman and president of VF Corporation.

Dedication ceremonies will take place at 4 p.m. at the site of the new cutting plant on Highway 21 south, and an open house at the plant will follow. The banquet in honor of Lee will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the community house, and Chamber of Commerce President Israel Katz said more than 350 persons are expected for the affair.

Both Probate Judge Otha Lee Biggs and Monroeville Mayor W.H. Hines are to participate in the dedication program, along with C.A. Burg, president of Vanity Fair, and Lee, who will introduce Gov. Wallace.

The new cutting plant, encompassing some 122,000 square feet, already is in operation and eventually will employ about 600 persons, company officials said.

The Monroe Academy Volunteers continued to win on the road as they traveled to Macon Academy in Tuskegee Friday night and won convincingly, 49-12.

Keith Pugh rambled for three touchdowns during the game and David Lazenby accounted for two to lead the Vols to their sixth victory of the season, having lost two.

(Other standout Monroe players in that game included Traylor Champion, Mark Dawson, Harvey Ikner, Roger Jaye and Ronnie Porterfield.)

Mrs. Patricia McCullers, American history and music teacher at J.U. Blacksher High School, is serving on the Alabama Textbook Committee. She recently spent three days in Montgomery with the committee.

59 YEARS AGO

OCT. 23, 1958

Dr. Peter A. Brannon, Director, Alabama Department Archives and History, will be featured speaker at the Friday luncheon meeting of the Monroeville Kiwanis Club at the Hi-Ho Restaurant.

Dr. Brannon will be in Monroeville in connection with a pilgrimage to Claiborne Saturday by members of the Alabama Historical Association.

The Saturday pilgrimage is open only to members of the Association and their guests. The program includes speeches by Dr. Brannon and Miss Winnie McGlamery, Paleontological Consultant, Alabama Geological Survey. Miss McGlamery will speak on the fossil formations near Claiborne.

The Excel High School Panther eleven achieved a four-won, two-lost record for the season Friday night by dealing a 47-13 shellacking to a host Beatrice High School Eagle team.

In commenting on his team’s action, Panther Coach W.C. Majors listed a number of players outstanding on offensive blocking. They are right guard Bud Linam, left tackle Levon Ledkins, center Jerry Johnson, right guard Doug Murphy and left guard Larry Hancock.

(Other outstanding Excel players in that game include fullback Leroy Jordan, Sonny Burkett, Shelton Casey, Jerry Johnson, Paul King, Harry Sawyer and Winston Sessions. Outstanding Beatrice players in that game included Charles Owens.)

Miss Betty Margaret Enzor, senior at Monroe County High School, reigned over homecoming last Friday at the local school. Elected by popular vote by the student body, Miss Enzor is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Enzor, Frisco City, Rt. 1.

74 YEARS AGO

OCT. 28, 1943

Ivy Dickson of Monroeville, a junior in home economics and dietetics at Kansas State College in Manhattan, is one of 50 students chosen as members of the College marching band. Miss Dickson is in the drum section of the organization. The band made its first public appearance Saturday at the William Jewell-Kansas State football game.

Cpl. John T. Murphy, who has just returned from Panama Canal Zone, is at home on a 15-day furlough, and is the guest of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.L. Murphy of Peterman.

Lt. Israel Katz left Wednesday for Nebraska, where he will be stationed.

Friends of Capt. Ray Dauphin will be delighted to learn that his injuries, which were reported last week from the European theater of war, were not serious. His father, Mr. J.M. Dauphin, received a letter from him a few days ago, stating that his injury was of a minor nature and that he was back at his regular post of duty.

Relatives and friends were glad to receive a late report that Bonner Bivin, seaman first class, youngest son of Mrs. S.J. Bivin Sr. of Monroeville, is back from North Africa, and is in excellent condition without any wounds as was first reported through a mistake in identity. He is now in Miami training for a new assignment.

FRISCO CITY NEWS: Second Class Petty Officer J.J. Shiver Jr. is home on a furlough with relatives and friends.

89 YEARS AGO

OCT. 18, 1928

Capt. J.L. Marshall and Mr. L.R. Riley of Monroeville, Dr. and Mrs. J.W. Rutherford and Mrs. Minnie Crook of Franklin were among the Monroe County people who attended the State Reunion of Confederate Veterans in Montgomery last week.

John Leslie Johnson of Monroeville has chosen tennis, and Royal Skinner, also of Monroeville, has chosen football. They are students at the Anniston Military Institute and are progressing nicely in all branches of the game. Mr. Johnson is the son of Dr. and Mrs. J.M. Johnson of Monroeville, and Mr. Skinner is the son of Mr. and Mrs. M.E. Skinner of Monroeville.

Many friends of Mayor W.J. Fountain are glad to see him on the streets again after several week’s sickness.

MISS KELLY WILL SPEAK AT JONES MILL AND URIAH: Miss Maude McClure Kelly of Birmingham, Ala. will address the people of Monroe County at Jones Mill Friday 7:30 p.m. and Uriah Saturday 7:30 p.m. Miss Kelly is one of the few distinguished women lawyers in the state of Alabama and is a very eloquent and entertaining speaker.

The Lois Bowden Conference, Order of the Eastern Star, will be held Wed., Oct. 31. Mr. Claude Hamilton Jr. will be here at that time to deliver an address.

Everybody come to the Ice Cream Supper at the Ollie School house Friday night, Oct. 26. Proceeds will be for the benefit of the school.

Mr. Andrew Locklin Cameron of Atlanta was a visitor to Monroeville last week.

Singleton writes that Old Scotland Church was 'Built on the route of DeSoto'

Old Scotland Presbyterian Church in Monroe County, Ala.

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “An event 460 years ago changed our history” was originally published in the Oct. 12, 2000 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

Sat., Oct. 7, was a quiet day along the banks of the mighty Alabama River at Claiborne.

Standing there overlooking the historic river, I knew this was not the case Oct. 12, 1540. This was the day 460 years ago this Thursday, the Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto and his army  gathered on the west bank of the mighty river, getting ready to make the crossing that would be instrumental in changing our history.

The day was Tuesday, and the scouts of DeSoto’s army had chosen this location because of the low banks alongside the large stream and due to the dry season of the year, the river was at its lowest level.

Two days before, DeSoto and his army had made camp on the east bank, where the large creek, now known as Silver Creek, joins the Alabama River.

The weary army, after slowly making its way down from the area now known as Cahaba, stopped here. Bad food and probably contaminated water had taken its toll on the members of DeSoto’s followers.

The army’s scouts had reported to their commander that a very large native village had been located just across the mighty stream; the village was known as Piache. The large village of Piache sat on the very spot where the huge paper mill, Alabama River Pulp, is now located.

Since the army of DeSoto had landed in this strange and unfamiliar land, things had not gone as well as DeSoto had wished. Coming here from Spain, DeSoto had great expectations of finding great riches in the huge villages along the rivers of this land.

During his expeditions in South America, he had been told of the legendary “Seven Cities of Gold” that lay to the North. Returning to his native land, he organized another expedition and sailed with his army to the new world, leaving word that when he returned, he would be wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

The river crossing was not an easy one for the army of DeSoto. Timbers had to be cut, and large rafts were made that would bring the heavy armor of his army across the swift river. Along with the army was a large herd of swine or hogs that had to be brought across by raft.

Quite a large herd of cattle had to be brought across also. Due to the fact that the swine couldn’t swim the wide stream, they had to be caught and tied and placed one by one on the rafts. Also, most of the soldiers were suffering from the severe troublesome dysentery that plagued the army.

The day of Oct. 12 was a long one for DeSoto as he waited on the east slope of the river, watching his tired and weary army slowly make the dangerous crossing. Several of his war horses, along with many pieces of body armor, were lost during the crossing.

Many of the swine and cattle to be used to feed his army were lost, also. The river god had demanded his toll.

The river crossing was finally completed Oct. 13. Slowly the weary, ragtag army made its way up the east bank of the mighty river and camped on the outskirts of the large village of Piache.

The villagers knew that the army was coming due to the fact that their scouts had been closely keeping track of the approaching army and their herds.

The villagers were totally amazed at seeing the Spanish soldiers riding their war horses toward the village. These were the first horses the Indians had ever seen. And seeing a man in full body armor riding the strange animal was very strange indeed.

Through the slave labor of captured Indians that DeSoto had with his army, the village medicine men learned of the dysentery that plagued the army.

Going deep in the woods along the river bank, the medicine men gathered a certain type weed and returned to the village. Here, they burned the special weed and mixed the ashes in the food of the suffering army. Less than a couple of days, the severe dysentery of DeSoto’s followers had vanished.

Record has it that DeSoto’s army left Piache on Oct. 15 and headed in a northeastward direction into what the Spanish referred to as “the mountainous area.”

Their route would take them along the high ridges of what is now the area of Red Hills and Old Scotland. At one time during the early years of the community of Old Scotland, described on the stone blocks of the old church were the words: “Built on the route of DeSoto.”

The slow-moving army would make its way along the high ridges up into the area of what is now the community of Pine Orchard.

There, in the huge flat area where Flat Creek begins to form was located the large village of Maubila. Here, the famed “Battle of Maubila” took place. DeSoto would lose a large number of his trained warriors and many of his war horses. DeSoto, himself, would receive a head wound so severe it would affect his ability to reason for the rest of his life. But that’s another story.

Many who read this article probably will disagree with me about the location of Maubila. Our history of Alabama tends to locate Maubila near the town of Grove Hill in Clarke County. I do not wish to be different, nor am I trying to be smart, but over the years I have done much research on the route of DeSoto, where he and his army crossed the mighty river where Claiborne is now located.

I have walked this ancient path inch by inch many times. I have proven to myself, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if the proper research was done, one would find that the large Indian village of what was once Maubila was once nestled in the area of what is now Pine Orchard in Monroe County.

So today, Sat., Oct. 7, I stand on the high embankment overlooking the location where 460 years ago the Spanish explorer DeSoto stood. I am reminded that much of our early history is fast fading.

Before long, events I have tried to bring to the attention of citizens will have passed into oblivion. The places will know them no more.

“This is the place, stand still my steed,

And let me review the scene.

And summon from the shadowy past,

The forms that once has been.”

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born during a late-night thunderstorm on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from 1964 to 1987. For years, Singleton’s column “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. Some of his earlier columns appeared under the heading of “Monroe County History: Did You Know?” He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)

Today in History for Oct. 29, 2017

Oct. 29, 1390 – The first trial for witchcraft in Paris was held, leading to the death of three people.

Oct. 29, 1618 – English adventurer, writer, and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I of England. He was around 65 years old.

Oct. 29, 1682 – French historian, explorer and author Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix was born in Saint-Quentin, Picardy, Kingdom of France.

Oct. 29, 1692 – In connection with the Salem witchcraft trials, Massachusetts Bay Governor William Phips prohibited further arrests, released many accused witches and dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

Oct. 29, 1740 – Biographer James Boswell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is best known for his 1791 book, “The Life of Samuel Johnson.”

Oct. 29, 1777 - John Hancock resigned his position as president of the Continental Congress, due to a prolonged illness.

Oct. 29, 1778 - Future New Jersey Governor Joseph Bloomfield resigned his military post. He had accepted the elected position of clerk for the New Jersey Assembly. The city of Bloomfield, New Jersey, was incorporated in his name in 1812.

Oct. 29, 1792 – Mount Hood in Oregon was named after Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood by Lt. William E. Broughton who sighted the mountain near the mouth of the Willamette River.

Oct. 29, 1837 – Folk artist and quilt maker Harriet Powers was born into slavery outside Athens, Ga.

Oct. 29, 1844 – Ingraham Spense of the Conecuh Guards was born at Bermuda, Ala. He first entered Confederate service on April 9, 1863 in Evergreen with Co. E, 4th Ala. Infantry, and served with that unit until paroled at the close of the war in 1865. He was a Second Sergeant at the close of the war.

Oct. 29, 1861 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought in the vicinity of Woodbury and Morgantown, Ky.

Oct. 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Williamsport, Md.; at Indian Mound, Mo.; at Sabine Pass, Texas; near Upperville and on the Blackwater River in Virginia; and at Petersbug, W.Va.

Oct. 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Cherokee Station, Alabama

Oct. 29, 1863 - In Hamilton County, Tenn., the Battle of Wauhatchie (Brown's Ferry) came to an end after forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant opened a supply line in Chattanooga after driving away a Confederate attack led by General James Longstreet. Although the Confederates still held the high ground above Chattanooga, the new supply line allowed the Union to hold the city and prepare for a major new offensive the next month. The Union suffered 78 killed, 327 wounded, and 15 missing, while the Confederates suffered 34 killed, 305 wounded, and 69 missing.

Oct. 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Ozark, Ark.; at Fourteen Mile Creek in the Indian Territory; at Saylorsville, Ky.; near Opelousas, La.; near Warsaw, Mo.; at Ford’s Mill, near New Berne, N.C.; at Leiper’s Ferry, on the Holston River, in Tennessee; near Catlett’s Station, Va.; and at Beverly, W.Va.

Oct. 29, 1864 – Confederate heroine Emma Sansom of Gadsden married Christopher B. Johnson and moved to Texas in late 1876 or early 1877.

Oct. 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Muscle Shoals (or Raccoon Ford) near Florence, Ala.

Oct. 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Fort Heiman, Ky.; at Upshaw's Farm and near Warrenton in Missouri; at Bainbridge, Tenn.; and at Johnson's Farm and Uppervile in Virginia.

Oct. 29, 1877 – Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest died.

Oct. 29, 1885 - Union General George B. McClellan died from a heart attack at the age of 85 in Orange, New Jersey.

Oct. 29, 1895 – Monroe County (Ala.) Deputy Sheriff Ben McMillan returned from Jefferson Parish, La. with Sam Rogers, who broke out of the Monroe County Jail four years prior and had been at large until captured by Jefferson Parish officers. McMillan returned him to the Monroe County Jail, where he was set to be tried on a murder indictment.

Oct. 29, 1901 – Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of U.S. President William McKinley, was executed by electrocution at the age of 28 at Auburn State Prison in Auburn, N.Y.

Oct. 29, 1905 – British novelist Henry Green was born Henry Yorke in Tewkesbury, England.

Oct. 29, 1911 - American newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer passed away at the age of 64 in Charleston, S.C.

Oct. 29, 1914 – The Conecuh Record reported that a “shooting affray occurred at Castleberry, Ala. a few days ago” between John Parker and John Ellis. Ellis was shot and seriously wounded by Parker, who was arrested and placed in the Conecuh County Jail.

Oct. 29, 1914 – The Conecuh Record reported that Minnie L. Hart had been appointed postmaster at Range, Ala.

Oct. 29, 1915 - Jane Addams, a leading American social activist, wrote to United States President Woodrow Wilson, warning him of the potential dangers of readying the country to enter the First World War.

Oct. 29, 1921 – In one of the biggest upsets in college football history, Harvard lost to Centre College, ending a 25-game winning streak.

Oct. 29, 1922 - The second movie version of Alabama author Mary Johnston's book “To Have and To Hold” was released.

Oct. 29, 1929 – The New York Stock Exchange crashed in what would be called the Crash of '29 or "Black Tuesday," ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression.

Oct. 29, 1940 - The first peacetime military draft began in the United States.

Oct. 29, 1942 – In the United Kingdom, leading clergymen and political figures held a public meeting to register outrage over Nazi Germany's persecution of Jews.

Oct. 29, 1947 - A forest fire in Concord, N.H. was soaked with rain produced by seeding cumulus clouds with dry ice-- the first such attempt in the U.S.

Oct. 29, 1948 - Actress and Birmingham native Kate Jackson was born. Jackson played Sabrina Duncan, the leader of the group of women detectives, in the television series Charlie's Angels, which ran from 1976 to 1981. Her first television series was the gothic-horror soap opera Dark Shadows, on which she played the ghost of a Victorian governess.

Oct. 29, 1953 – Beatrice High School, under head coach James Pace, beat Repton High School, 7-0, on this homecoming Thursday night in Repton, Ala. E.H. Penny was Repton’s principal that year, and Albert Arnold was Repton’s head football coach.

Oct. 29, 1958 – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and editor of The New Yorker magazine David Remnick was born in Hackensack, N.J.

Oct. 29, 1960 – An airplane carrying the Cal Poly football team crashed on takeoff in Toledo, Ohio.

Oct. 29, 1965 – Evergreen High School lost its seventh straight game, a 19-6 loss to Red Level in Red Level, Ala. Evergreen’s only touchdown came on a pass from Bubba Faulkner to Jack White.

Oct. 29, 1965 – On homecoming night in Coffeeville, Ala., Lyeffion High School beat Coffeeville High School, 39-0. Lyeffion quarterback Homer Chaver scored on four touchdown runs. Other outstanding Lyeffion players in that game included Laymon Booker, Ronnie Booker, Harold Brown, Don Jones, Bo O’Gwyn, Don Salter, Jerry New and Stanley Wilson.

Oct. 29, 1965 – On homecoming night in Repton, Ala., Repton High School beat Dozier High School, 21-0. Players scoring for Repton included Terry Andrews, Ralph Baggett and Nickey Thompson. Players scoring on PAT plays included Larry Baggett, Frank Watson and Barry Blackwell.

Oct. 29, 1966 – In an incident often attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, “Southern Cities,” a 67-foot tugboat left Freeport, Texas with a 210-foot barge in tow. The tugboat and its crew disappeared, but the barge, complete with its cargo and intact towline would be found by searchers.

Oct. 29, 1967 - A power outage to do necessary work was scheduled for this Sunday morning in Evergreen, Ala., beginning at the City Café and extending to the Highway 31 South area. The current was to be turned off at 7 a.m. and was scheduled to be turned back on at approximately 9:30 a.m. J.W. Weaver was the City of Evergreen’s Electrical Superintendent.

Oct. 29, 1969 – During the Vietnam War, Judge Julius Hoffman ordered “Chicago Eight” defendant Bobby Seale gagged and chained to his chair during his trial.

Oct. 29, 1971 - The total number of U.S. troops remaining in Vietnam dropped to 196,700 – the lowest level since January 1966.

Oct. 29, 1973 - O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills set two National Football League records. He carried the ball 39 times and he ran 157 yards putting him over 1,000 yards at the seventh game of the season.

Oct. 29, 1979 - Willie Mays severed all ties with Major League Baseball when he accepted a public relations job with an Atlantic City casino.

Oct. 29, 1981 – Mike Qualls was named sports editor of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.

Oct. 29, 1983 - An early morning fire, thought to have been caused by an electrical short-circuit, gutted the main building of The Garden Center at Ollie, Ala. on this Saturday and caused heavy damage to a greenhouse, according to Monroeville Fire Chief Wilbert Pickens.

Oct. 29, 1989 – Lee Roy Jordan of Excel, Ala. was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor.

Oct. 29, 1989 - Ozzie Newsome ended his National Football League streak of 150 consecutive game receptions.

Oct. 29, 1990 - The United Nations Security Council voted to hold Saddam Hussein's regime liable for human rights abuses and war damages during its occupation of Kuwait.

Oct. 29, 1991 – The asteroid “Gaspra” was photographed for the first time by the space probe Galileo.

  

Oct. 29, 1993 – Episode No. 7 of “The X-Files” – entitled “Ghost in the Machine” – aired for the first time.

Oct. 29, 1993 - The movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” story adapted by Alabama author Robert McDowell, was released.

Oct. 29, 1995 - Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers became the National Football League's career leader in receiving yards with 14,040 yards.

Oct. 29, 1995 – “Degree of Guilt,” a television version of Alabama author Richard North Patterson's books “Degree of Guilt” and “Eyes of a Child,” was broadcast.

Oct. 29, 2001 – Prairie Mission (also known as the Prairie Mission School and Prairie Institute) in Prairie in Wilcox County, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Oct. 29, 2001 – The Opp Commercial Historic District in Covington County, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Oct. 29, 2004 – The Arabic-language news network Al Jazeera broadcasted an excerpt from a 2004 Osama bin Laden video in which the terrorist leader first admits direct responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks and referenced the 2004 U.S. presidential election.

Oct. 29, 2014 – The San Francisco Giants won the 2014 World Series.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Sun., Oct. 29, 2017

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.20 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 4.00 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  7.30 inches.

Fall to Date Rainfall: 7.50 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 80.10 inches.

Notes: Today is the 302nd day of 2017 and the 38th day of Fall. There are 63 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.

Today in History for Oct. 28, 2017

William Rufus King of Selma,Ala.

Oct. 28, 1492 – Christopher Columbus discovered Cuba on his first voyage to the New World.

Oct. 28, 1636 – A vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony established the first college in what would become the United States, today known as Harvard University.

Oct. 28, 1718 – Croatian explorer Ignacije Szentmartony was born in Kotoriba (Međimurje).

Oct. 28, 1758 - Alabama poet Jean-Simon Chaudron was born in Vignery, France.

Oct. 28, 1775 – During the American Revolutionary War, new commander in chief of the British army, Major General Sir William Howe, issued a proclamation to the residents of Boston that forbid them from leaving the city and ordered citizens to organize into military companies in order to “contribute all in his power for the preservation of order and good government within the town of Boston.”

Oct. 28, 1776 – During the American Revolutionary War, at the Battle of White Plains, British Army forces arrived at White Plains, New York, attacked and captured Chatterton Hill from the Americans.

Oct. 28, 1794 – In Lovecraftian fiction, Alexis Ladeau, the author of “Reminiscences of Friedrich Wilheim von Junzt,” was born in Vienna. He first appeared in 1931’s “The Black Stone” by Robert E. Howard.

Oct. 28, 1818 – Belleville Baptist Church in Belleville, Ala. was organized by the Rev. Alexander Travis and the Rev. David Wood.

Oct. 28, 1819 - The Alabama legislature elected William Rufus King of Selma and John W. Walker of Huntsville as Alabama's first United States senators. King served several terms in the Senate and in 1852 was elected U.S. Vice President. Walker, who had been president of the Alabama constitutional convention of 1819, served in the Senate until 1822, when he resigned. The terms of both senators officially began Dec. 14, 1819, the day that Alabama became the 22nd state.

Oct. 28, 1819 – Abel Farrar was commissioned as Monroe County, Alabama’s Circuit Court Clerk ,and Sheriff Yancey was commissioned as Monroe County’s Sheriff.

Oct. 28, 1824 – In an incident attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, the USS Wild Cat disappeared while en route from Cuba to Thompson’s Island with a crew of 14.

Oct. 28, 1841 – The steamboat “Jewess” struck a snag and sank in the area of Prairie Bluff (Prairie Blue), a river landing on a high bluff on the north bank of the Alabama River in the section of the river known as Canton Bend, near the present day Miller’s Ferry Bridge in Wilcox County, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1846 - Alabama poet Jean-Simon Chaudron died in Mobile, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Laurel Bridge, Laurel County, Ky.

Oct. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Budd’s Ferry, Md.

Oct. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a Federal expedition to Fulton, Mo. was carried out.

Oct. 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at McGuire’s, Ark. and near Waverly, Tenn.

Oct. 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, an action was fought at Oxford Bend, White River, near Fayetteville, in Arkansas, forcing a Confederate retreat, by Union Brig. General Samuel R. Curtis, the Army of the Frontier.

Oct. 28, 1863 - Union troops retained control of Brown's Ferry in Hamilton County, Tenn. after counter attacks. Confederate General Longstreet withdrew his troops before dawn.

Oct. 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, Federal cavalry occupied Arkadelphia, Ark.

Oct. 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Clarksville and Leiper’s Ferry in Tennessee.

Oct. 28, 1863 - The “Cracker Line” was the name for the supply line cut through to the Union army bottled up in Chattanooga, Tenn. It had barely been established, and in fact was still under threat by Confederate forces on Raccoon Mountain overlooking vital Brown’s Ferry. The threat was obvious to both sides, and on this night in the war, General James Longstreet’s men came to try to knock it out. Brig. Gen. John W. Geary’s troops in the Lookout Valley and Wauhatchie were the defenders in this action, and despite intense action and being outnumbered, the Federal lines held. It was one of the rare nighttime actions of the war. Most combat was over by 4 a.m. The Cracker Line was not threatened again.

Oct. 28, 1864 - The Battle of Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road (also known as the Second Battle of Fair Oaks) ended with Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant withdrawing from Fair Oaks, Virginia after failing to breach the Confederate defenses around Richmond, Va. The assault was actually a diversion to draw attention from a larger Union offensive around Petersburg, Va. Some 1,100 Union men were killed, wounded, or captured during the attack, while the Confederates lost some 450 troops.

Oct. 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Goshen, Ala. as Lt. General John B. Hood, CSA, moved his Army of Tennessee westward. A skirmish also occurred at Ladiga, Ala. as Hood moved westward and contrary to previous army theory, Major General William T. Sherman, USA, moved eastward back towards Atlanta, Ga.

Occt. 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Newtonia, Mo.; with Indians near Midway Station, in the Nebraska Territory; at Morristown, Tenn., with Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest and another at Russellville, Tenn.; and near Newtown, Snicker’s Gap and Upperville in Virginia.

Oct. 28, 1886 - The Statue of Liberty was officially unveiled and dedicated in New York Harbor by U.S. President Grover Cleveland.

Oct. 28, 1888 – William Joseph Mason, who served as mayor of Beatrice, Ala. for 12 years, was born at Midway.

Oct. 28, 1903 – Novelist Evelyn Waugh was born in London, England.

Oct. 28, 1908 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the trial of K. Wyrosdick, who was charged with the murder of Claud Vickery, resulted in Wyrosdick’s acquittal. The cases against Jno. Wyrosdick and Frank Whitlock were nol prossed.

Oct. 28, 1914 – The first frost of the season was observed in Monroeville, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1914 – B.W. Slaughter shot and killed Watt Cobb, who was a sheriff’s deputy and constable, at Slaughter’s gin near Lower Peachtree. Cobb went to the gin to arrest a black man who worked for Slaughter, but Slaughter agreed to be responsible for his appearance in court, which Cobb agreed to. As Slaughter began to walk away, Cobb called him back and said he wanted to settle a dispute they’d had for several months. During the ensuring argument, Cobb drew his pistol, and Slaughter shot him twice, “causing his death within a short time.” The black man who worked for Slaughter was the only witness to the incident. Slaughter traveled to Monroeville the following day and voluntarily surrendered to Sheriff Stallworth. Slaughter was discharged after a preliminary hearing before Judge McCorvey.

Oct. 28, 1914 – Dr. Jonas Salk, who developed the polio vaccine in the mid-1950s, was born in New York City.

Oct. 28, 1918 – During World War I, Czechoslovakia declared independence from Austria-Hungary, marking the beginning of an independent Czechoslovak state, after 300 years.

Oct. 28, 1918 - Sailors in the German High Seas Fleet steadfastly refused to obey an order from the German Admiralty to go to sea to launch one final attack on the mighty British navy, echoing the frustrated, despondent mood of many on the side of the Central Powers during the last days of World War I.

Oct. 28, 1918 – During World War I, Army Cpl. Archie D. McCrory, 29, of Repton, Ala. “died from disease.” Born on Nov. 29, 1888, he was buried in the Friendship Baptist Church Cemetery at Pine Apple in Wilcox County, Ala. (Some sources list his rank as “Private,” and his date of death as Oct. 29, 1918).

Oct. 28, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Claude Chapman of Grove Hill, Ala. “died from disease.”

Oct. 28, 1919 – The U.S. Congress passed the Volstead Act (also known as the National Prohibition Act) over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, paving the way for Prohibition to begin the following January. Prohibition was repealed in 1933 with the passing of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Oct. 28, 1921 – The Citizens Military Committee of Conecuh County held a meeting at the Conecuh County Courthouse in Evergreen, Ala. at 11 a.m. for the purpose of organizing a Machine Gun Company in Conecuh County.

Oct. 28, 1922 – The first ever cross-country broadcast of a college football game took place when the University of Chicago took on Princeton University at Stagg Field in Chicago.

Oct. 28, 1923 – Wilbur “Fats” Henry of the Canton Bulldogs set a pro football record for longest punt with a 94-yarder.

Oct. 28, 1926 – Major League Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn was born in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Oct. 28, 1927 - Mrs. J.W. Rutherford was scheduled to give a Halloween supper on this Friday evening at the Masonic hall at Franklin with the proceeds to go to the Episcopal church at Monroeville, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1929 - The first child was born in an aircraft, a girl over Miami, Florida.

Oct. 28, 1938 – A humorous contest – a diaper pinning contest – was scheduled to be held at the Pix Theatre in Evergreen, Ala. on this Friday night with a number of local men planned as the contestants.

Oct. 28, 1938 – On their way to the first perfect season in school history, Monroe County High School, under coach T.C. Huckabee, beat previously unbeaten Frisco City High School, 6-0, on this Friday night in Monroeville. “The game was witnessed by the largest crowd ever to attend a game in Monroeville and was packed with thrills from start to finish, many plays being of the sensational variety.” Monroe’s only touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter when Monroeville end Feagin intercepted a FC pass and returned it for a TD.

Oct. 28, 1938 – Best-selling detective novelist Anne Perry was born Juliet Hulme in London.

Oct. 28, 1939 – The final coat of paving was applied to the one-mile stretch of road west of the downtown square in Monroeville, Ala. Also on that day, contractors poured slag and put the final coat of paving on the east side of the square and on the highway east of the square to the Shell service station.

Oct. 28, 1943 – The W.T. Smith Lumber Co. in Evergreen was presented the Army-Navy ‘E’ award in a ceremony at the plant at 4 p.m. on this Thursday for high achievement in the production of war materials. Lt. Comdr. Edwin Phillips, U.S. Naval Reserve, commanding officer of the Naval Training School at Alabama Polytechnic Institute in Auburn was the official Naval representative at the ceremony and presented the award flag to Floyd McGowin, president of the lumber company.

Oct. 28, 1950 – Prominent Conecuh County, Ala. merchant William T. Wiggins passed away in a Greenville hospital at the age of 75. A native of Butler County, Wiggins had lived in the Mt. Union community of Conecuh County for many years. Born on Jan. 24, 1875, he was buried in the Welcome Methodist Cemetery in Conecuh County.

Oct. 28, 1952 - Annie Potts, who played receptionist Janine Melnitz in “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters II,” was born in Nashville, Tenn.

Oct. 28, 1953 – Famed marksman Ken Beegle was scheduled to give an exhibition of his shooting abilities and trick shots at Brooks Stadium in Evergreen, Ala. at 1:30 p.m. The exhibition was sponsored by local dealers, who sold Remington guns and ammunition.

Oct. 28, 1954 – The Monroe Journal reported that two distinguished visitors – R.E. Lambert Jr. of Darlington, Ala. and Bart R. Stafford of Brooklyn, N.Y. – were welcomed to a recent meeting of Alabama Masonic Lodge No. 3 in Monroeville. Stafford was the great-great-grandson of a notable historical figure in Monroe County, Arthur Pendleton Bagby, who was governor of Alabama from 1837 to 1841, and a former resident of Claiborne. Gov. Bagby was also a member of Lodge No. 3. Ben Jones was the lodge’s Worshipful Master in 1954.

Oct. 28, 1955 - Alabama author Frances Gaither died in Cocoa, Fla.

Oct. 28-31, 1957 - The Dixie Fox Hunters Association was scheduled to hold its annual Bench Show and Field Trials at Burnt Corn.

Oct. 28, 1960 – In their last home game of the season, Evergreen High School beat Red Level High School, 14-0, at Brooks Stadium in Evergreen, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1961 - Construction began on Municipal (Shea) Stadium for the New York Mets.

Oct. 28, 1962 – The Cuban Missile Crisis ended as Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba.

Oct. 28, 1963 - The 100th episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" aired.

Oct. 28, 1964 – During the Vietnam War, U.S. T-28 airplanes flown by Thai pilots bombed and strafed North Vietnamese villages in the Mugia Pass area.

Oct. 28, 1965 – Construction on the St. Louis Arch was completed.

Oct. 28, 1965 - Viet Cong commandos damaged and destroyed a number of allied aircraft in two separate raids on U.S. air bases, including Chu Lai, on the coast of the South China Sea in Quang Tin Province, I Corps.

Oct. 28, 1967 - Minnie Lee “Miss Minnie” Robbins of Beatrice, Ala., who operated Robbins Hotel as “an elegant haven for commercial men,” passed away at the age of 99. Born on Aug. 30, 1868, she was buried in the Pineville Baptist Cemetery in Monroe County, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1969 - G.L. Kuhlman resigned as Monroe County’s civil defense coordinator when he submitted his letter of resignation to the Monroe County Commission. Kuhlman was hired as the county’s first civil defense coordinator about 3-1/2 years prior to his resignation, which became effective Nov. 1. He resigned to return home to Beardstown, Ill.

Oct. 28, 1972 – NFL running back Terrell Davis was born in San Diego, Calif. He would go on to star at the University of Georgia and for the Denver Broncos.

Oct. 28, 1976 - John D. Erlichman, a former aide to U.S. President Richard Nixon, entered a federal prison camp in Safford, Az. to begin serving his sentence for Watergate-related convictions.

Oct. 28, 1977 – The River Falls Post Office in River Falls in Covington County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Oct. 28-29, 1980 – Weather reporter Earl Windham reported 3.88 inches of rain during this two-day period, including 3.02 inches on Oct. 28 and .86 inches on Oct. 29.

Oct. 28, 1983 – Monroe Academy, under head coach Rob Kelly, clinched another berth in the Alabama Private School Athletic Association 3A state playoffs on this Friday with a 49-27 win over Macon Academy in Monroeville, Ala. Monroe’s ground game rolled up 355 yards rushing as senior halfback Tim Carter rambled for 130 yards on just five rushes and junior halfback Donald Foster piled up 129 yards on 16 carries. Other standout MA players in that game included Jody Brannon, Keith Dees, Hudson Hines, Brent King, Steve Lambert, Keith Langham, Michael McCrory, Steven Simmons, Don Smith, Todd Stacey, Richard Tippy, Gene Wiggins and Troy Wilson.

Oct. 28, 1988 – Sparta Academy, under head coach Mike Bledsoe, wrapped up the first ever 10-0 undefeated season in school history with a 7-0 win over Greenville Academy in Greenville. Jamie Deason scored Sparta’s only touchdown that night on a one-yard run and finished the game with 63 yards on 16 carries. Other outstanding Sparta players in that game included Craig Blackburn, Kenny Bledsoe, Jeff Carrier, Jimmy Hart and Lee Wild. Sparta also won the APSA East Region Class A championship that season by posting a perfect 7-0 record in region play during the regular season.

Oct. 28, 1990 - Iraq announced that it was halting gasoline rationing.

Oct. 28, 1990 – Austrian SS officer Erich Göst died at the age of 65 in Sankt Jakob, Austria.

Oct. 28, 1992 - Scientists used sonar to map Scotland's Loch Ness. Though they reportedly discovered a mysterious object, they declined to speculate whether it might be Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.

  

Oct. 28, 1994 – Charles Henderson High School beat Hillcrest High School, 26-6, in Troy State University’s stadium in Troy, Ala. Carey Pugh scored Hillcrest’s only touchdown on a 45-yard pass from Don Ray Mixon. Dennis Anderson was Hillcrest’s head coach, and other standout players in that game included Blake Anderson, Paul Brock, Kharlis Crosby, Ryan Meeks, Derrick Rudolph, Roger Rudolph, Sylvester Rudolph, Chad Smith and Ansel Thomas.

Oct. 28, 1994 - U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Kuwait and implied that all the troops there would be home by Christmas.

Oct. 28, 1994 - The NFL Management Council and the NFL Players Association announced an agreement for the formulation and implementation of the most comprehensive drug and alcohol policy in sports.

Oct. 28, 1995 – The Alabama Historical Commission presented Lucy Warren of Evergreen, Ala. with a Distinguished Service Award during the commission’s annual historical preservation conference at the state capitol in Montgomery.

Oct. 28, 1996 - Members of the New York Yankees and their manager appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.

  

Oct. 28, 2010 – The Conecuh County Board of Education said farewell to three out-going board members – Jean Harter, Mary Moncrease and David Thomas during the last official school board meeting of their terms in office. In all, they represented 42 years of combined service on the board.