Singleton tells of 'Gallberry Express' that ran from Manistee to Repton

Present-day Kelly Mill Mercantile Co. Museum at Dottelle, 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 “The Gallberry Special” was originally published in the May 6, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

There was once a time when Monroe County had its own railroad. Running between Repton and Manistee, the M&R Railroad operated as a shuttle between these two communities, with stops at Frisco City, Dottelle, Monroeville and many other points along the way.

Connecting with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad at Manistee Junction this railroad played a big part in the development of Monroe County in the early 1900s. Receiving its nickname from the gallberry bushes that grew along the right of way, the M&R started as a logging railroad, moving timber from various points in this area.

Highways not being then what they are today, the railroads were the basic means of transporting freight and passengers. Thus the M&R began to haul freight. Attached to each train was a passenger coach for local citizens desiring to travel elsewhere.

Many tales have been told about this railroad and the people who operated it. The community of Dottelle was named after the station agent’s daughter. The station was located near what is now Kelley’s store and gin in Dottelle.

Other stories tell of the schedules which the trains were supposed to operate under. It is said that it was not uncommon for the engineer or train crew to stop the train and gather a mess of turnips or get a drink of water from a neighbor living near the tracks. One of the owners was asked by an official of the L&N just how long was the M&R Railroad. The answer was “it isn’t too long, but it’s just as wide as any railroad in the country.”

All that remains of the Gallberry Special is the faint trace of the old road-bed and a few crossties here and there. A few timbers of an old trestle can be found near Dottelle where the railroad crossed a small stream. Gone are the sounds of the whistle of the steam engine and the black smoke which billowed from the smokestack as the old iron horse puffed its way across the pages of history, leaving behind many stories and legends with which Monroe County is so richly blessed.

My thanks to John Barnett and Miss Ernestine Kelly who helped make this story possible.

(This column was also accompanied by a photo and the caption beneath that photo read as follows: All that remains of the railroad that once operated between Repton and Manistee is a faint trace of the old roadbed that stretches through the woods pictured here, and a few timbers of an old trestle lying in the stream.)

(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 columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He 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.)