Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Mon., April 30, 2018

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  4.70 inches.

Spring to Date Rainfall: 6.75 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 17.10 inches.

Notes: Today is the 120th day of 2018 and the 42nd day of Spring. There are 246 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 April 29, 2018

April 29, 1429 – Joan of Arc led French forces into the English-held city of Orleans.

April 29, 1770 – James Cook arrived at and named Botany Bay, Australia.

April 29, 1776 - General George Washington ordered Brigadier General Nathanael Greene to take command of Long Island and set up defensive positions against a possible British attack on New York City.

April 29, 1776 – English explorer and author Edward Wortley Montagu passed away in Padua, Italy at the age of 62.

April 29, 1781 – During the Revolutionary War, British and French ships clashed in the Battle of Fort Royal, off the coast of Martinique.

April 29–30, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette visited St. Louis, Missouri.

April 29, 1852 - The first edition of Peter Roget's Thesaurus was published.

April 29, 1859 – Property in Monroeville, Ala. for a new jail was purchased from John B. Welch and his wife, Rosanne, for $50.

April 29, 1861 – During the Civil War, Maryland's House of Delegates voted not to secede from the Union.

April 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, New Orleans fell to Union forces under Admiral David Farragut. Union troops officially took possession of the city after the surrender of Fort Jackson and Fort. St. Phillip, completing the occupation that had begun four days earlier on April 25. The capture of this vital southern city was a huge blow to the Confederacy.

April 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, Federal forces began their advance from Pittsburg Landing, Tenn. toward Corinth, Miss.

April 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought in the vicinity of Batchelder’s Creek, N.C.; at White Point, S.C.; and at Cumberland Gap, near Bethel Station, Purdy and Monterey Tenn.

April 29, 1863 - Union Colonel Abel Streight's command was attacked by troops under the command of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. On this day, the Union had set a trap and held the Confederates under fire and wounded Captain William Forrest (Nathan Bedford's brother).

April 29, 1863 – Poet C.P. Cavafy was born in Alexandria, Egypt.

April 29, 1863 - American newspaper magnate and newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst was born in San Francisco, Calif.

April 29, 1863 - Two days of Federal operations in Opelousas, Chicotville and Bayou Boeuf in Louisiana began.

April 29, 1863 – A Federal demonstration took place against Haynes and Drumgould’s Bluff, Miss. to distract Confederates as a portion of Grant’s force relocated itself further south on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi River. The bombardment of the Grand Gulf, Miss. began. A three-day Federal reconnaissance from La Grange, Tenn. into northern Mississippi began. Four days of Federal operations in the Murfreesborough, Tenn. area began.

April 29, 1863 – Union General George Stoneman began his cavalry raid against Lee's and the Confederate's lines of communication (lasted until May 7).

April 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Kellysville, Brandy Station and Stevensburg in Virginia; at Brookhaven, Miss., with Grierson’s raiders; at Castor River, Mo.; on the Chapel Hill Pike in Tennessee; at Crook’s Run and Germanna Ford, and White Oak Run, all near Fredericksburg, in Virginia; and at Fairmont, West Virginia.

April 29, 1864 – Theta Xi fraternity was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the only fraternity to be founded during the Civil War.

April 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought along the Ouachita River and another near Saline Bottom in Arkansas; at Grand Ecore, La.; in the Sni Hills of Missouri; and in Berry County, Tenn.

April 29, 1864 – A Federal operation between Ringgold toward Tunnel Hill, in Georgia, began. A two-day Federal operation between Newport Barracks and Swansborough in North Carolina began.

April 29, 1864 - Admiral Porter’s fleet seemed doomed. Trapped on the Red River, they heard on this day that their nemesis, Confederate General Richard Taylor, was proposing to take one of their own disabled boats and refloat it to use it as a fireboat to cause havoc and destruction to the Union fleet. Lt. Col. Joseph Bailey came up with a deranged plan. Among their troops were many Midwestern and Maine men with lumberjack experience. Bailey proposed to have them build a dam across the rapids. This would raise the water level under the ships enough than when the dam was blown, they would all get downstream. For lack of alternative, Porter and Banks, head of the land forces, agreed to let him try it.

April 29, 1865 – Confederate General Richard Taylor negotiated a ceasefire with Union General Edward Canby at Magee Farm in Kushla, near Mobile. These were the preliminary arrangements for the surrender of the last Confederate States Army east of the Mississippi River. Taylor's forces, comprising 47,000 Confederate troops serving in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, were the last remaining Confederate force east of the Mississippi River.

April 29, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Eddyville, Ky.

April 28, 1885 – John Folk, who was about 80 years old, died of “dropsy” at his home about eight miles south of Monroeville, Ala.

April 29, 1895 – Annie “Anna” Newberry, 79, passed away at the home of A.C. Lambert at Manistee, Ala. She was buried in the Polar Bridge Cemetery at Manistee.

April 29, 1896 - Mrs. C.L. Johnson returned home to the River Ridge community on the steamer Nettie Quill on this Wednesday night after a visit to friends and relatives in Mobile, Ala.

April 29, 1896 - At the residence of Jeff Sessions in Wilcox County, R.C. Abernathy of Tinela married Miss Alabama Perkins of Marion, Ala., Rev. N.B. Keahey, officiating, assisted by Rev. G.W. Jones.

April 29, 1899 – Bandleader, pianist and composer Edward Kennedy, better known as Duke Ellington, was born in Washington, D.C.

April 29, 1903 – The Evergreen Courant reported that H.E. Shaver had picked up in Evergreen, Ala. wire and insulators to be used in the construction of a telephone line from Mt. Union and Herbert to Evergreen, Ala., which was due to be complete that week. Shaver noted that the line would likely be extended to Brooklyn, a distance of about 11 miles.

April 29, 1903 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Charles J. Crawford and William H. Crawford had passed the bar exam.

April 29-30, 1905 – The Rev. E.C. Clayton filled his regular appointment at Pleasant Hill church on this Saturday and Sunday at Manistee, Ala.

April 29, 1906 – The Rev. A.J. Lambert was scheduled to preach at Zion church (at Axle in Monroe County, Ala.) on this fifth Sunday at 11 a.m.

April 29, 1906 - Capt. A.H. Johnson of Franklin passed through Monroeville on this Sunday on his return from the reunion of Confederate Veterans at New Orleans.

April 29, 1906 - A large crowd attended Sunday school at Mt. Pleasant on this Sunday.

April 29, 1909 – The Conecuh Record reported that “one automobile may now be seen on the streets of Evergreen, Ala., being owned by the Hon. Jas. F. Jones. No doubt many more will be seen here before many weeks.” On May 5, Jones and Henry Hawthorne would travel to Monroeville in Jones’ new automobile.

April 29, 1909 – Before a large crowd, Evergreen beat Andalusia in baseball, 4-3, in 10 innings.

April 29, 1912 – Carnelias Alexander Thames, 82, of Brooklyn, Ala. passed away at his family home in Brooklyn. He was buried in the Brooklyn Baptist Church Cemetery on the following day with full Masonic honors. He was born on Nov. 20, 1830.

April 29, 1913 – Swedish engineer Gideon Sundback, who was living in Hoboken, New Jersey, patented the modern zipper under the name “Hookless No. 2.”

April 29, 1915 – C. Bennett, who lived on the Greenville Road beyond the convict camp, had his home and its contents destroyed by fire on this Thursday night.

April 29, 1916 – During World War I, the UK's 6th Indian Division surrendered to Ottoman Forces at the Siege of Kut in one of the largest surrenders of British forces up to that point.

April 29, 1917 - Ulmer Spinks was shot and killed by his father-in-law, Mr. George Milsted, at Camp No. 3, in the vicinity of Vredenburgh, on this Sunday afternoon.

April 29, 1918 – Pro Football Hall of Fame coach George Allen was born in Nelson County, Va. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

April 29, 1928 - A movie version of Alabama author Jack Bethea's book “Honor Bound” was released.

April 29, 1931 – Editor Robert Gottlieb was born in New York City.

April 29, 1933 – Singer and songwriter Willie Nelson was born in the small farming community of Abbott, Texas.

April 29, 1934 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1934.

April 29, 1941 - The Boston Bees agreed to change their name to the Braves.

April 29, 1944 - Elbert Nettles shot Clifton Avery at a “honky tonk” in the southern part of Monroeville on this Saturday night. The shooting was said to have taken place following an argument. Avery was in the hospital as of May 4, 1944 and according to reports, had a fair chance to recover, according to The Monroe Journal.

April 29, 1945 – During World War II, Adolf Hitler married his longtime partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designated Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor. Both Hitler and Braun committed suicide the following day.

April 29, 1945 – German SS officer Matthias Kleinheisterkamp committed suicide at the age of 51 at Halbe, Province of Brandenburg, Free State of Prussia, Nazi Germany.

April 29, 1945 – American soldiers liberated 30,000 prisoners from a concentration camp in Dachau, Germany.

April 29, 1946 – “The Portable Faulkner” by William Faulkner was published by Viking.

April 29, 1947 – Former Evergreen, Ala. mayor and state senator Lamar Kelly, 50, of Evergreen was named chairman of the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Kelly, who helped write the legislation that created the ABC board, succeeded Bryce C. Davis of Cullman, who resigned on April 17. Kelly was a state senator from the 17th Senatorial District (Butler, Conecuh and Covington Counties) from 1935 through 1939. Prior to that, he served as mayor of Evergreen for nine years beginning in 1926.

April 29, 1948 – Charles “Bubba” Harris, a native of Sulligent, Ala., made his Major League debut as a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics.

April 29, 1948 – The Evergreen Courant reported that pitcher James Carpenter and R.E. Ivey, both of Evergreen, Ala., played leading parts in a recent, 8-2 Sunflower Trojan baseball victory over East Mississippi. Carpenter struck out 12, and Ivey hit a crucial double. Grissett and Tolbert also hit doubles in the game.

April 29, 1948 – The Evergreen Courant reported that during a recent meeting, the newly organized Evergreen (Ala.) Chapter of the Order of Demolay elected its first slate of officers. Those officers included George Hendrix, Master Councilor; John Ellis, Senior Councilor; Joe Andrews, Junior Councilorr; Curtis Walker, Scribe; Wayne Cook, Treasurer; T.Y. Henderson, Senior Deacon; Dudley Bartlett, Junior Deacon; Bert Gaston, Sentinel; Jeff Moorer, Senior Steward; P.J. Godwin, Junior Steward; R.J. Sanford, Junior Marshal; Willie Cobb, Junior Almoner, Junior Ward and Chaplain; Shelton Craig, Standard Bearer; Gwynn Daniels, Orator; Wayne Congleton, First Preceptor; Sidney Williamson, Second Preceptor; Billie Langham, Third Preceptor; Georgie Brown, Fourth Preceptor.

April 29, 1950 - Funeral services for Staff Sgt. Charles James McDonald, who was killed when his plane was shot down over Austria on Feb. 13, 1945, were to be held from the home of his mother, Mrs. T.R. McDonald of Monroeville, on this Saturday morning at 10 o’clock. Sgt. McDonald, a graduate of Monroe County High School, enlisted in the Air Corps on Jan. 21, 1943. A gunner on a fighter plane, he was killed when the plane in which he was riding was shot down.

April 29, 1952 - Controversial speaker and author David Icke was born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England.

April 29, 1953 - The first experimental 3D-TV broadcast took place in the US with a showing of an episode of “Space Patrol.”

April 29, 1954 – Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was born in Brooklyn, N.Y.

April 29, 1957 - The Boston Red Sox traded Mobile, Alabama’s Milt Bolling along with Russ Kemmerer and Faye Throneberry to the Washington Senators for Bob Chakales and Dean Stone. Milt was immediately put to work with the Senators, starting at shortstop occasionally in May and June before becoming their everyday starter from July through the end of the season.

April 29, 1957 – Conecuh County, Alabama’s annual Fat Calf Show was scheduled to be held with 26 4H Club and FFA members participating.

April 29, 1960 - Hueytown, in Jefferson County, Ala., was officially incorporated. White settlers first came to the area around 1816. The local economy remained largely agricultural until the nearby city of Birmingham began to expand as the iron and steel industry burgeoned. Referred to initially as Huey and by around 1914 as Hueytown, the area remained one of the largest unincorporated communities in Alabama for many years.

April 29, 1963 – A meeting of the Evergreen Junior Baseball League was scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Conecuh County Courthouse in Evergreen, Ala. The league’s officers included Earl Windham, President; Ed Smith, Vice President; Leslie Huggins, Secretary-Treasurer; Ray Owens, Player Manager; Joe Sasser, Chief Scorer; and Henry Allman, Chief Umpire.

April 29, 1966 – Frisco City High School’s baseball team improved to 4-4 on the season with a 10-1 win over Beatrice on this Friday. Jim Kelly was the winning pitcher for FCHS, giving up just two hits. Fred Till was the losing pitcher for Beatrice.

April 29, 1966 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the Antioch Baptist Church in Camden, Ala. to a crowd of about 1,500 listeners, who’d braved rain and hot weather to hear him speak.

April 29, 1967 - Alabama author Mary Elizabeth Vroman died in Brooklyn, N.Y.

April 29, 1968 – The controversial musical, “Hair”, a product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, opened at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, with its songs becoming anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement.

April 29, 1970 – During the Vietnam War, United States and South Vietnamese forces, including some 50,000 South Vietnamese soldiers and 30,000 U.S. troops, invaded Cambodia to hunt Viet Cong.

April 29, 1971 - U.S. casualty figures for April 18 to April 24 were released. The 45 killed during that time brought total U.S. losses for the Vietnam War to 45,019 since 1961. These figures made Southeast Asia fourth in total losses sustained by the U.S. during a war, topped only by the number of losses incurred during the Civil War, World War I and World War II.

April 29, 1974 – During the Watergate scandal, United States President Richard Nixon announced the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the scandal.

April 29, 1974 – Dr. Cecil Eugene Price, 51, died from “as the result of massive heart failure” at his office. He practiced medicine in Conecuh County, Ala. for over a quarter of a century and at one time was the only physician in practice in the county. He was buried in the Magnolia Cemetery in Evergreen.

April 29, 1974 – Birmingham, Ala. native Lee May became the 17th player in Major League Baseball history to hit two home runs in one inning.

April 29, 1975 – During the Vietnam War’s Operation Frequent Wind, the U.S. began to evacuate U.S. citizens from Saigon before an expected North Vietnamese takeover. It was the largest helicopter evacuation on record, and U.S. involvement in the war came to an end.

April 29, 1975 – During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army completed its capture of all parts of South Vietnamese-held Trường Sa Islands.

April 29, 1976 – Sparta Academy’s baseball team used its only two hits to good advantage in downing Fort Dale, 4-1, on this Thursday. Ronnie Pugh was the winning pitcher while the Peacock brothers, Jerry and Terry, got Sparta’s hits.

April 29, 1976 - Dianne Williams lacked only a few feet of getting her car clear of the railroad tracks before a train hit the rear of it on this Thursday in Evergreen. She was crossing from East Front to West Front at the bridge crossing when the traffic light changed red. A pickup truck was stopped in front her. She blew her horn and finally drove into the truck, but still lacked those few inches. Fortunately, she was not injured.

April 29, 1979 - The final episode of "Battlestar Galactica" was aired on ABC.

April 29, 1981 - Steve Carlton, of the Philadelphia Phillies, became the first left-handed pitcher in the major leagues to get 3,000 career strikeouts.

April 29, 1985 - Billy Martin was brought back, for the fourth time, to the position of manager for the New York Yankees.

April 29, 1986 – A fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles Public Library damaged or destroyed 400,000 books and other items.

April 29, 1986 - Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox set a Major League Baseball record by striking out 20 Seattle Mariner batters.

April 29, 1988 - The Baltimore Orioles set a new Major League Baseball record by losing their first 21 games of the season.

April 29, 1994 – Episode No. 22 of “The X-Files” – entitled “Born Again” – aired for the first time.

April 29, 2002 - Darryl Strawberry was sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating his probation on a 1999 conviction on drug and solicitation of prostitution charges.

April 29, 2004 – Dick Cheney and George W. Bush testified before the 9/11 Commission in a closed, unrecorded hearing in the Oval Office.

April 29, 2014 – Former Beatrice, Ala. mayor Alan Bishop, a native of Haleyville, passed away at his home at the age of 57. Born on June 22, 1956, he was buried in the Pineville Baptist Cemetery.

April 29, 2015 – A baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox set the all-time low attendance mark for Major League Baseball. Zero fans were in attendance for the game, as the stadium was officially closed to the public due to the 2015 Baltimore protests.

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

19 YEARS AGO

APRIL 22, 1999

The 35^th Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force officially began operation April 1.

Sheriff Tom Tate said the purpose of the Task Force is to combine the investigative resources of the participating law enforcement agencies to create a single unit to fight drugs and drug-related crime.

Funding for the new unit came from a $237,000 federal grant administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

A new season starts Saturday for Monroe County when the Tigers begin play in the Alabama High School Athletic Association 5A state baseball playoffs.

MCHS’s first round opponent is Area 3 runner-up Andalusia. The game is set to start at 2 p.m.

MCHS enters the playoffs with a 20-10 record and a third straight Area 2 championship under head coach Reid Utsey.

(Players on MCHS’s team that year included Jonathan Black, Ben Busby, Trent Eager, Justin Hawarah, P.J. Holley, Curt Hutcherson, Eric Johnson, Jason Moye and Jamie Porterfield.)

The Monroeville City Council agreed to the painting of a mural on the three-foot high wall on the west side of the lake at Whitey Lee Park.

April Poole, who is coordinating the project, said the mural is in memory of Jill Kirkland.

The 280-foot long wall will be painted yellow with butterflies, according to Poole.

In other business on Tuesday night, the council agreed to spend $104 for the repair of the mural at the corner of South Alabama Avenue and East Claiborne Street.

33 YEARS AGO

APRIL 25, 1985

$10-million outlet center to be built: A $10-million manufacturers’ outlet retail complex for Monroeville was announced yesterday, with groundbreaking expected within six weeks.

Plans for Monroeville Outlet Center were announced jointly by Monroe County Probate Judge Otha Lee Biggs, Monroeville Mayor Pro Tempore Bill Owens and Gary Lyle, a partner in the project developer, Manufacturers Retail Outlets, Inc. of Huntsville. The announcement was made Wednesday morning at the office of Plaza Realty, a Monroeville real-estate firm that has done the local legwork for the project.

Monroeville Outlet Center will be built on 20 acres across Drewry Road from the VF Outlet Store.

Monroe Academy’s baseball team has won four of its last five games with help from excellent pitching by Steve Lambert to post an 11-4 overall mark as of Tuesday.

Lambert, a senior right-handed hurler, captured decisions over South Choctaw, Jackson and Sparta academies recently to bring his pitching record to 6-1 on the season.

Junior Patrick Brown picked up the Volunteers’ other win last week with a decision over Glenwood Academy. (Other players on MA’s team that year included Rob Carter, Donald Foster, Ricky Horton, Michael McCrory, Sean Sawyer, Shane Sawyer, Stephen Simmons and Robert Thames. MA’s head coach was Jeff Myers.)

Sherri Marie Vice, daughter of Judy Vice of Monroeville and W.D. Vice of Enterprise, was named Monroe County’s Junior Miss Saturday night in the annual pageant at Patrick Henry Junior College.

47 YEARS AGO

APRIL 22, 1971

Bulletin: Bill Grant, 18-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Grant of Frisco City and star athlete at Monroe Academy, died Wednesday afternoon while participating in at track meet at Selma. Attendants at Vaughn Memorial Hospital said he was dead on arrival at the hospital and that death was apparently due to a heart attack.

No other details were available and funeral arrangements were incomplete late Wednesday afternoon.

Two errors produced three winning runs as Silas defeated the J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs, 4-1, at Silas last Friday.

In the sixth, with one out, Ike Hadley tripled for the first Bulldog hit. Then, with two outs, Jerry Ferrell singled, and Hadley scored.

(Other Blacksher players in that game include Larry McKinley and Howard Hilburn.)

Turberville store burns: Turberville’s Store near Franklin was destroyed by fire Sun., April 18, at approximately 12 noon.

Monroeville Fire Chief Wilbert Pickens said the building was already a total loss when they arrived at the scene.

Chief Pickens said he thought the fire started in the loft of the building, but the cause was undetermined.

Ready for festival Friday night: Excel High School’s first chorus, under the direction of Ben Rackard, will be among the musical groups participating in the Second Annual Monroe County Choral and Band Festival tomorrow, Friday, at 8 p.m. at Patrick Henry Junior College. Also participating will be the Excel High School band, which is directed by John R. Carder.

63 YEARS AGO

APRIL 28, 1955

The City of Monroeville began the task Monday of putting up new street markers at all intersections within the corporate limits of the town.

Chief of Police Alex Stevens is supervising the job which will require about two weeks.

The marking of the streets is one of the steps necessary before Monroeville can obtain city mail delivery.

The Monroe County entry in the Dixie Amateur League, unleashing a powerful 14-hit attack at the State Farm Sunday afternoon, tallied four runs in the eighth inning to break a tie and defeat the State Farm squad, 11-7.

(Leftfielder Les) Prouty tripled after one man was out and scored what proved to be the winning run on (Forrest) Watkins’ grounder to second base.

(Other players on the Monroe team included Al Clenner, Ben Cooper, Reg Cooper, Paul Fowler, Frank Hadley and Curt Wideman.)

Approximately 80 percent of Monroe County first and second graders took the Salk Polio vaccinations Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday it was stated by members of the County Health Department.

County health nurses Mrs. Virginia Owens and Mrs. Louise Kimbrell administered the vaccine, which is furnished by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, free of charge. There are 540 white and 1,043 colored first and second graders in Monroe County.

The site of tonight’s game between the Monroe County nine and the Jay, Fla. entry in the Dixie Amateur League has been changed from Jay to Monroeville and will get underway at Vanity Fair Park at eight o’clock.

78 YEARS AGO

APRIL 25, 1940

Mr. Gordon Barnes, 25 years old, a teacher in the Frisco City schools, drowned Saturday, on a fishing trip on the Alabama River, near Dixie Landing.

The boat in which Barnes and his three companions were riding, overturned. Barnes, attempting to swim ashore, after holding onto the overturned boat for an hour, drowned, while his companions clung to the boat until they were rescued.

The body of Mr. Barnes has not yet been located.

The seventh anniversary of the Monroe Theatre will be celebrated Sun., April 28, by a birthday party in the theatre lobby. The public is cordially invited by Mr. Bill Hendrix, manager.

Showing on the screen Sunday, as the Seventh Anniversary Picture, will be “Little Old New York,” featuring Alice Faye, Fred MacMurray, Richard Greene and Brenda Joyce.

“Gone With the Wind,” presented at the Monroe Theatre the past Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, attracted the largest crowds yet seen in the history of this theatre. Mr. W.A. Hendrix, manager of the theatre, stated that approximately 1,900 people attended the show during its four-day run. The attendance at “Jesse James” some time ago had been the largest up to Friday, but the attendance at “Gone With the Wind” doubled that of “Jesse James.”

Mr. Arthur Smith of Mexia died at Carter’s Hospital in Repton Monday night, April 15, as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident Thursday night, April 11. Following the amputation of his right arm Saturday night, Mr. Smith grew steadily worse until his death Monday night.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Sun., April 29, 2018

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.55 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  4.70 inches.

Spring to Date Rainfall: 6.75 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 17.10 inches.

Notes: Today is the 119th day of 2018 and the 41st day of Spring. There are 247 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 April 28, 2018

Harper Lee of Monroeville, Ala.

April 28, 1686 - The first volume of Isaac Newton's "Principia Mathamatic" was published.

April 28, 1758 - James Monroe, the fifth U.S. President, was born at Monroe Hall, Virginia, British America.

April 28, 1776 - Col. Lachlan McIntosh wrote a letter to inform General George Washington that he was pleased with his recruitment efforts in the colony at Savannah, Ga.

April 28, 1788 – Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.

April 28, 1789 – During what’s now referred to as the “Mutiny on the Bounty,” Lieutenant William Bligh and 18 sailors were set adrift and the rebel crew returned to Tahiti briefly and then set sail for Pitcairn Island.

April 28, 1810 - Union General Daniel Ullmann, who is best known for being an advocate for black troops, was born in Wilmington, Delaware.

April 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Bolivar, Ala. and another was fought at Paint Rock Bridge, Ala.

April 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, Forts Jackson and Saint Philip in Louisiana, after the surrender of New Orleans, rendered their further resistance useless. A Federal operation began on the Marias-des-Cygnes and the Elk Fork Rivers in Missouri. A two-day Federal reconnaissance toward Purdy, Tenn. began.

April 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Warsaw, Mo.; at Cumberland Mountain, Tenn. and near Monterey, Tenn.

April 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Town Creek, Ala.

April 28, 1863 – Union Col. Florence N. Cornyn and members of the 10th Missouri Cavalry destroyed the LaGrange College & Military Academy in Franklin County, Ala. and also burned hundreds of homes and businesses, including the Lafayette Academy.

April 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Sand Mountain, Ga.; at Monticello, Ky.; and at Union Church, Miss. as part of the Grierson raid.

April 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Princeton, Ark.; with Indians along the Eel River in California; in Johnson County, Mo. and at Upperville, Va. A nine-day Federal operation between Springfield, Mo. and Fayetteville, Ark. began. A week-long bombardment of Fort Sumter, S.C. commenced.

April 28, 1864 – 59^TH ALABAMA: On the morning, the 59^th Alabama marched through Richmond, where the crowds cheered and yelled. They camped on Mechanicsville Road, four miles from the city of Richmond, which was close to the Chickahominy Swamp.

April 28, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought with Indians near Fort Cummings, New Mexico Territory.

April 28, 1878 – Actor and director Lionel Barrymore was born in Philadelphia.

April 28, 1881 – Billy the Kid escaped from the Lincoln County jail in Mesilla, New Mexico.

April 28, 1882 – Joseph Tarpley Peacock (Lewis Lavon Peacock’s father) signed a mortgage, under which he borrowed $60 from his wife Nancy’s nephew, Richard P. Liles, against “my entire crop of cotton, corn, sugar cane, fodder and peas grown by me the present year on my plantation or elsewhere under my direction in Covington County.” Repayment was due Oct. 1

April 28-29, 1886 - A 78-year-old Jefferson Davis was in Montgomery, Ala. to participate in elaborate ceremonies for laying the cornerstone of the Confederate Monument on Capitol Hill. It was the only cornerstone laid by Davis. Fundraising and design problems slowed the construction of the monument. A dedication ceremony for the completed monument was held on Dec. 7, 1898.

April 28, 1886 - Rain “fell in torrent” on this Wednesday, according to The Monroe Journal.

April 28, 1886 – Erich Salomon, one of the founders of photojournalism, was born in Berlin, Germany.

April 28, 1896 - Sam Moore, who was representing the firm of Michtral & Lyon of Mobile, was in Pineville, Ala. on this Tuesday.

April 28, 1897 - The Chickasaw and Choctaw, two of the Five Civilized Tribes, became the first to agree to abolish tribal government and communal ownership of land. The other tribes soon followed, finally throwing open all of Indian Territory to white settlement.

April 28, 1900 – German SS officer Heinrich Müller was born in Munich, Bavaria, German Empire.

April 28, 1911 – Confederate veteran Lemuel Austin Hendrix passed away at his home in Mexia, Ala. at the age of 72. Hendrix was born on April 29, 1839 and enlisted as a private in August 1861 with Co. E of the 23rd Alabama Infantry, aka, the “Monroe Rebels.” He was taken prisoner during the Port Gibson/Grand Gulf Campaign on May 10, 1863. He was forwarded to Alton, Ill. and then to Camp Douglas, Ill. and was released in June 1865. According to “History of Hendrix Family” by J.E. Hendrix, L.A. Hendrix was in position beside his brother, William James Hendrix, when W.J. Hendrix was struck by a cannon shot and instantly killed. L.A. Hendrix is buried at Mexia Baptist Cemetery.

April 28, 1915 - The movie “The Poet of the Peak,” screenplay written by Alabama author Marie Stanley under her maiden name Marie Layet, was released.

April 28, 1915 - The International Congress of Women convened at The Hague, Netherlands, with more than 1,200 delegates from 12 countries—including Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Poland, Belgium and the United States—all dedicated to the cause of peace and a resolution of the great international conflict that was World War I.

April 28, 1917 – Playwright Robert Anderson was born in New York City.

April 28, 1917 – Rev. W.H. Huggins, who lived in the vicinity of Owassa, passed away on this Saturday night.

April 28, 1918 – “The Memorial” was scheduled to be at McWilliams on this Sunday at 2 p.m., conducted by the Rev. Earnest of Mount Willing, Ala.

April 28, 1926 - Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Ala. Her famous novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird, was published on July 11, 1960, and sold more than 2-1/2 million copies in the first year. On May 1, 1961, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Letters. In 2015, she published her second novel, “Go Set a Watchman.”

April 28, 1928 – Geologist and astronomer Eugene Shoemaker was born in Los Angeles, Calif.

April 28, 1930 – The Independence Producers hosted the first night game in the history of Organized Baseball in Independence, Kansas.

April 28, 1932 – A vaccine for yellow fever was announced for use on humans.

April 28, 1934 – Novelist Lois Duncan was born in Philadelphia, Pa.

April 28, 1936 – Iraqi journalist and politician, Tariq Aziz, who also served as Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, was born in Tel Keppe, Iraq.

April 28, 1937 – Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was born in Al-Awja, Saladin Province, Iraq.

April 28, 1940 - The seventh anniversary of the Monroe Theatre was scheduled to be celebrated on this Sunday with a birthday party in the theatre lobby. The public was cordially invited by Bill Hendrix, manager. Showing on the screen that day, as the Seventh Anniversary Picture, was to be “Little Old New York,” featuring Alice Faye, Fred MacMurray, Richard Greene and Brenda Joyce.

April 28, 1946 - The Evergreen Baseball Club traveled to Milton, Fla. on this Sunday and won its second game of the season, 7-0. Hart pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, and McDonald held them to no hits for the next two innings. Johnson and Page each had two hits, and Bolton drove out a 300-foot homer in the first inning. The outstanding fielder was Barfield, first baseman.

April 28, 1947 – Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl and his five-person crew set sail from Callao, Peru, on the 40-square-foot balsa wood raft “Kon-Tiki” to prove that Peruvian natives could have settled Polynesia. After a 4,300-mile, 101-day trip, they would reach Raroia in the Tuamotu Archipelago, near Tahiti on Aug. 7, 1947.

April 28, 1950 – Poet Carolyn Forche was born in Detroit.

April 28, 1955 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Castleberry Swimming Pool would open soon. The water was expected to be turned on, and the Castleberry swimming pool was to open soon to the public, according to A.T. Weaver, Castleberry town clerk. The pool was of concrete construction, with a concrete bottom at the deep end, and was paved at the shallow end with smooth round pebbles. It was about 40 feet wide, and about 110 feet long.

April 28, 1955 – Monroe County was scheduled to play Jay, Fla. in Dixie Amateur Baseball League action at Vanity Fair Park in Monroeville, beginning at 8 p.m.

April 28, 1961 - The NFL chose Canton, Ohio as the site for the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

April 28, 1961 - Three teenage boys were arrested in Brewton on this Friday by Conecuh County Sheriff James Brock and FBI Agent Jules Hubbard after the three had wrecked a stolen car in Castleberry on Wed., April 26. The three 15-year-old boys confessed stealing the car. They were arrested in the home of one boy’s grandmother. Brock said the car, a 1955 Chevrolet station wagon, was stolen Tues., April 25. The boys drove to Castleberry that night to see a relative and while driving around in the vicinity they wrecked it. Brock said an all-out search was staged for the boys before the April 28 arrest. They were jailed in Evergreen, awaiting a federal agent from Mobile to pick them up.

April 28, 1962 – Early on this Saturday morning, Conecuh County Exchange employees Eugene B. McIntyre, 52, and Earl Steen, 24, both of Evergreen were killed instantly in a three-vehicle accident near the Murder Creek Bridge on U.S. Highway 31 in Evergreen. Also injured in the crash were Geneva Steen, 59, and George Thompson, 63, who were hurt when they jumped off the bridge to avoid the collision. Five women from Mobile also suffered “bruises and injuries” when the 1957 Cadillac they were in collided with other vehicles involved. Preston Smith, 51, the driver of a big trailer truck that collided with the two-ton truck occupied by the two fatally wounded men, was not injured.

April 28, 1963 – The reorganized Conecuh County (Ala.) Amateur Baseball League opened its season on this Sunday afternoon with three games – Damascus at Paul, McKenzie at Red Level and Flat Rock vs. Mixonville in Evergreen. Bernard Powell was president of the league.

April 28, 1964 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went on to play his entire career for the Cincinnati Reds. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

April 28, 1965 - Alabama author George Wylie Henderson died in New York, N.Y.

April 28, 1966 - A flying club was organized in Uriah on this Thursday night. The men named the organization “The Flying Six.” Les Hayles, president of the club, stated that the purpose of the club was for them to have mutual ownership in a plane and to learn to operate a plane on an economical basis. C.E. Snow Jr., financial chairman and secretary, said the club planned to expand its membership at a later date. Charter members of the club were Randolph Lambert, Alvin Smith, Mr. Snow, Lloyd (Whitey) Chunn and Mr. Hayles.

April 28, 1969 - The 24^th annual Conecuh County Fat Calf Show lived up to the reputation of previous shows as “best county show in Alabama” in Evergreen on this Monday. It was a fine show and a fine sale of show calves after and both events were attended by overflow crowds at Conecuh Stockyard. Young Donnie Goneke of Belleville and a member of the Repton 4-H Club showed a Hereford which took the Grand Champion blue ribbon. J.H. Witherington bought the calf paying 53 cents per pound. The calf weighed 1,040 pounds. Arnold Hall of Owassa and a member of the Evergreen FFA had the Reserve Champion in his Charolais Crossbreed. W.C. Bowers bid 44 cents per pound to buy the calf for Flxible Southern Co.

April 28, 1970 - The Evergreen City Council approved the use of the ‘911’ emergency telephone number in the City of Evergreen, Ala.

April 28, 1970 – During the Vietnam War, U.S. President Richard Nixon gave his formal authorization to commit U.S. combat troops, in cooperation with South Vietnamese units, against communist troop sanctuaries in Cambodia.

April 28, 1971 – Wilcox County native Hank Aaron hit his 600th career home run.

April 28, 1972 – Sparta Academy held its first ever athletic banquet at the Holiday Inn in Evergreen, Ala. Tommy Yearout, co-captain of the 1971 Auburn Tigers, was the guest speaker.

April 28, 1972 - The North Vietnamese offensive continued as Fire Base Bastogne, 20 miles west of Hue, fell to the communists. Fire Base Birmingham, four miles to the east, was also under heavy attack. As fighting intensified all across the northern province of South Vietnam, much of Hue’s civilian population tried to escape south to Da Nang. Farther south in the Central Highlands, 20,000 North Vietnamese troops converged on Kontum, encircling it and cutting it off. Only 65 miles north of Saigon, An Loc lay under siege and continued to take a pummeling from North Vietnamese artillery, rockets, and ground attacks. To the American command in Saigon, it appeared that South Vietnam was on the verge of total defeat by the North Vietnamese, but the South Vietnamese were able to hold out.

April 28, 1975 – General Cao Văn Viên, chief of the South Vietnamese military, departed for the US as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on victory.

April 28, 1976 – Sparta Academy’s softball team remained undefeated as they staged a tremendous late rally on this Wednesday to edge Fort Dale Academy, 15-14. Donna Salter was the winning pitcher as the girls ran their record to 3-0. Leanne Tanner led the hitters with two safeties.

April 28, 1977 – Conecuh County High School’s basketball team was honored with a banquet. Award winners included Leon Kennedy, Outstanding Player; Lawrence Finn, Most Valuable Player; Clinton Peters, Rebound Award; and Willie Jones, Defense Award. Preston Fluker was the varsity team’s head coach, and James Sanders was the B team’s head coach.

April 28, 1980 – Woodlands (also known as the Frederick Blount Plantation) in Gosport, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

April 28, 1981 – Evergreen, Ala. native and former NFL player Benjamin Rudolph was drafted in the third round (60th pick overall) by the New York Jets.

April 28, 1985 - Billy Martin was named the manager of the New York Yankees for the fourth time.

April 28, 1988 - The Baltimore Orioles lost for the 21st consecutive time. It was the longest streak to start a season in Major League Baseball.

April 28, 1994 - The 100th episode of "The Simpsons" aired on FOX.

April 28, 1994 – Hillcrest High School’s boys track team finished sixth and Hillcrest’s girls also finished in sixth place at the 5A sectional track meet held on this day in Troy. Boys team results were as follows: Smith’s Station, first place, 186 points; Eufaula, second place, 85 points; Charles Henderson, third place, 75 points; Greenville, fourth place, 73 points; Andalusia, fifth place, 53 points; Hillcrest, sixth place, nine points; and Wetumpka, seventh place, seven points. Girls team results were as follows: Smith’s Station, first place, 171 points; Eufaula, second place, 46 points; Greenville, third place, 43 points; Charles Henderson, fourth place, 38 points; Wetumpka, fifth place, four points; and Hillcrest, sixth place, one point. Individual results were as follows: 400-meter dash, Lasharon Johnson, sixth place; discus, Blake Anderson, sixth place; shot put, Steven Snell, fourth place; 3200-meter relay, Chad Smith, Charles Thomas, Jonathan McEwen and Equardo Thomas, fourth place. State qualifiers – Steve Snell, shot put; Chad Smith, 3200-m relay; Charles Thomas, 3200-m relay; Jonathan McEwen, 3200-m relay; and Equardo Thomas, 3200-m relay.

April 28, 1995 – Episode No. 46 of “The X-Files” – entitled “F. Emasculata” – aired for the first time.

April 28, 2001 - Alabama author James Still died in Hazard, Ky.

April 28, 2001 - Millionaire Dennis Tito became the world's first space tourist. 

April 28, 2007 – Evergreen, Ala. Mayor Larry Fluker threw out the first pitch to open the Babe Ruth baseball season at Evergreen Municipal Park.

April 28, 2009 – “Loving Natalee: A Mother’s Testament of Hope and Faith” by Beth Holloway was published in paperback under the alternate title “Loving Natalee: The True Story of the Aruba Kidnapping and Its Aftermath.” The paperback edition includes additional material that wasn’t in the original hardback edition, which was published on Oct. 2, 2007.

April 28, 2011 – The Father Ryan Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy rededicated the fountain erected in Greenville, Ala. in 1914 to mark the spot where a modified version of “Dixie” written by Miss Ina Marie Porter was first sung in 1861. Legend has it that Porter wrote the words on one day and it was sung the next day.

April 28, 2011 - A Dutch instructor pilot was killed when his Apache helicopter collided with a steel cable over the Alabama River at Packer’s Bend that guided the ferry there. The accident happened around noon on this Thursday. Capt. Richard van de Perre was piloting the helicopter when it apparently collided head-on with a steel cable stretched across the river at an estimated 50-60 foot height that helps guide the Davis Ferry, operated by the Monroe County Commission, as it crosses the river. The cable shattered the cockpit windshield and apparently killed van de Perre instantly.

April 28, 2011 - Prior to the first performance of the “To Kill a Mockingbird” play in Monroeville, Ala. on this Thursday, Georgia-Pacific officials announced the company would donate $150,000 to construct an amphitheater on the grounds of the Old Monroe County Courthouse.

  

April 28, 2014 - Eight members of the “Three River Adventurers” arrived at Swamp House Landing near Pensacola, Fla., ending a historic 139-mile canoe trip from Travis Bridge to Pensacola. The group included Dalton Campbell of Owassa, Frank Murphy of Herbert, Sam Peacock of Repton, John Potts of Flat Rock, Ed Salter of Repton, Joel Williams of Evergreen, Marc Williams of Evergreen and Evergreen native Larry Yeargan of Coosada.

George Singleton tells of old 'Wolf Wallow' community in the 'Franklin hills' of Monroe County, Alabama

The timber wolf has vanished from 'Wolf Wallow'

(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 “Wolf Wallow was just what the name implies” was originally published in the August 5, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

There is such a place in Monroe County, believe it or not, that bears the name “Wolf Wallow.” The location is in the Franklin hills, east of Highway 41. At one time, there were quite a number of families living in the vicinity. These families gradually moved out, nearer to the schools and jobs which were to be found in the larger communities of Monroe and Wilcox counties. Nothing remains at “Wolf Wallow” now but a few old homesteads, an old well here and there, or a drinking spring.

For one reason or another, this particular area held some attraction to the timber wolves of yesteryear. The legends about the area tell of the wolves that were seen quite often or evidence that a number of these animals came and wallowed and sunned themselves in the sandy soil of this hollow. Thus the name “Wolf Wallow” was given to this small valley. Through the years, the name has endured the changing times, and still remains today.

The timber wolf has long since vanished from “Wolf Wallow.” Gone are the days when the country folks had to keep a sharp eye on their young calves, their pigs and chicken houses for fear that a roving pack of wolves would stop by and play havoc with the family’s meat supply. Gone, too, are the days when one could test his skill at hunting and trapping this cunning animal, tracking him down in the game of the hunter and the hunted.

Change has forced the timber wolf from this part of the country, but old lobo is very adaptable. Changes in climate and terrain do not bother him. If he moves to a colder climate, he just grows a thicker coat of fur. Should he move to the wastelands of the west, he changes color and blends into the landscape, continuing to live off the land and roam at will.

Through the ages, man and wolf have been compared with each other. Their survival habits follow the same patterns. So does the way they care for their young. The wolf is one of the few animals that form the family.

In the distant future, the lonesome howl of the timber wolf may be heard again in the Franklin hills, causing a tingle to run up the spines of local folks. If that happens, all will know that “Wolf Wallow” has been reclaimed.

(This story also included a photograph that carried the following caption: Wolf Wallow, located in the Franklin hills east of Highway 41.)

(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 as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. 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.)

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Sat., April 28, 2018

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.55 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  4.70 inches.

Spring to Date Rainfall: 6.75 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 17.10 inches.

Notes: Today is the 118th day of 2018 and the 40th day of Spring. There are 248 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 April 27, 2018

Rev. Charles Andrew Rush

April 27, 1521 – During the Battle of Mactan, explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives in the Philippines led by chief Lapu-Lapu. He was 40 (or 41) years old.

April 27, 1667 – Blind and impoverished poet John Milton sold the copyright for his masterpiece, “Paradise Lost,” for 10 pounds.

April 27, 1759 – Writer, philosopher and women’s rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft was born in London.

April 27, 1773 - The British Parliament passed the Tea Act, which eventually led to the so-called Boston Tea Party on Dec. 16, 1773.

April 27, 1777 – During the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Ridgefield, a British invasion force engaged and defeated Continental Army regulars and militia irregulars at Ridgefield, Conn.

April 27, 1813 – American general and explorer Zebulon Pike, age 34, was killed in action during the Battle of York at York, Ontario, Upper Canada.

April 27, 1813 – During the War of 1812, American troops captured York, the capital of Upper Canada, in the Battle of York.

April 27, 1822 - Ulysses S. Grant, who served as the 18th U.S. President and as the Lt. General in command of all Union armies during the U.S. Civil War, was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio.

April 27, 1825 – The Henderson, a 123-ton steamboat, sank in the Alabama River, about one mile from Claiborne, Ala. after colliding with another boat, the Balize. The Henderson went down with a load of ‘barrels of fine whiskey, brandy and wines.’

April 27, 1835 – William Crosby became postmaster at Burnt Corn, Ala. (Some sources say April 17, 1835)

April 27, 1840 - Climber, explorer and illustrator Edward Whymper was born in London, England.

April 27, 1840 – Union General Samuel Thomas was born at South Point, Lawrence County, Ohio. After the war, he became a railroad financier, and Thomasville, Ala. was named in his honor. He also donated $500 toward the construction of Thomasville’s first school.

April 27, 1861 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus between Washington and Philadelphia to give the military the necessary power to silence dissenters and rebels.

April 27, 1861 - West Virginia seceded from Virginia after Virginia seceded from the Union during the American Civil War.

April 27, 1861 – During the Civil War, Lincoln extended the blockade to include Virginia and North Carolina, and Virginia offered Richmond to be the Confederate capital.

April 27, 1862 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Bridgeport, Ala.

April 27, 1862 – Co. D of the 5th Alabama Infantry was reorganized as Co. C with Capt. Thomas Mercer Riley as commander, in Rhodes Division, Army of Northern Virginia.

April 27, 1862 – During the Civil War, Fort Livingston, Fort Pike and Fort Wood surrendered to Federal forces, near New Orleans, La. Skirmishes were fought in the vicinity of Haughton’s Mill, N.C.; near Pea Ridge, Tenn.; and close to McGaheysville, Va.

April 27, 1863 – During the Civil War, the Union Army of the Potomac began marching on Chancellorsville from Falmouth, Va.

April 27, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Town Creek, Ala.

April 27, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought in the vicinity of Barboursville and another near Woodburn, Ky.; near Jackson and another near the White Water Bridge, Mo.; at Wise’s Crossroad, N.C.; at Murray’s Inlet, S.C.; on Carter Creek Pike in Tennessee; and at Independence and Morgantown, West Virginia. A Federal operation between Yorktown and Hickory Flats, Va. began. A five-day Federal operation between New Berne and Kinston, N.C. began.

April 27, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Decatur, Ala.

April 27, 1864 – During the Civil War, Northern armies officially broke winter camp in preparation for the Spring campaigns.

April 27, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Ringgold Gap, Ga.; in Breathitt County, Ky., along Troublesome Creek; in the vicinity of Dayton, Mo.; at Masonborough Inlet, N.C.; and at Twelve Mile Ordinary, Va.

April 27, 1864 – 59^TH ALABAMA: The 59^th Alabama left Abingdon, Va. in boxcars bound for Richmond.

April 27, 1865 – The steamboat Sultana, carrying 2,400 passengers, exploded and sank in the Mississippi River near Memphis, killing 1,800, most of whom are Union survivors of the Andersonville and Cahaba Prisons. The Sultana accident is still the largest maritime disaster in U.S. history.

April 27, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Mount Vernon, Mo.

April 27, 1886 - A.M. Leslie went to Montgomery on this Tuesday to witness the laying of the cornerstone of the Confederate Soldiers Monument, according to The Monroe Journal.

April 27, 1886 - Mrs. T.S. Sowell, who had been visiting relatives and friends in Monroeville, Ala., returned to her home at Wallace in Escambia County on this Tuesday.

April 27, 1886 - Capt. John DeLoach and Capt. W.S. Wiggins went to Mobile, Ala. on this Tuesday, according to The Monroe Journal.

April 27, 1892 – Jesse Hildreth, one of the men who helped capture outlaw train robber Rube Burrow in 1890, was shot and killed by Jack Singleton when one of Singleton’s “women” sought refuge at the Hildreth cabin when Singleton’s cabin was flooded.

April 27, 1896 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman and manager Rogers Hornsby was born in Winters, Texas. He went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Giants, the Boston Braves, the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Browns. He also managed the Cardinals, the Giants, the Braves, the Cubs, the Browns and the Reds. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1942.

April 27, 1896 - Jas. K. Kyser, the “genial postmaster and merchant of Burnt Corn,” was in Monroeville on this Monday. Jno. A. Savage, secretary and general manager of the Monroe Mill Co., was also in Monroeville on this Monday on business. H.A. Lockwood of Manistee, the “genial bookkeeper for the Bear Creek Mill Co.,” also visited The Monroe Journal’s office on this Monday. Dr. J.W. Shomo of Mt. Pleasant also visited Monroeville on this Monday. G.W. Kyser, “one of Repton’s enterprising merchants,” was in Monroeville on this Monday, attending court.

April 27, 1897 - Grant's Tomb was dedicated in New York City.

April 27, 1898 – Children’s author Ludwig Bemelmans was born in Meran, Tyrol, Austria.

April 27, 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported that Castleberry, Ala. was “one of the busiest places in this section” due to the opening of the strawberry harvest season. The population of the town was usually around 250, but at that time, it was nearer to 3,000 with 2,000 berry pickers being there as well as commission men, spectators and prospectors. In and around Castleberry, around 600 acres were planted in strawberries with “new farms are being opened up all the time.”

April 27-28, 1912 – A special excursion train ran from Montgomery, Ala. to New Orleans on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, so that fans could go watch the “baseball game between Montgomery and New Orleans teams.” The train left Montgomery at 7 p.m. on April 27 and stops along the route included McGehees, Tyson, Letohatchie, Calhoun, Fort Deposit, Greenville, Chapman, Garland, Owassa, Evergreen, Castleberry, Kirkland, Brewton, Pollard, Flomaton and arrived in New Orleans at 6:39 a.m. on April 28. Fairs ranged between $5 and $3.50. The train was to leave New Orleans at 9:30 p.m. on April 28.

April 27, 1915 – Shortly after noon, the residence of Postmaster S.M. Roberts in Monroeville, Ala. caught fire, but was extinguished before much damage was done.

April 27, 1916 – National Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Enos Slaughter was born in Roxboro, N.C. He went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Yankees, the Kansas City Athletics and the Milwaukee Braves. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

April 27, 1916 - The churches and Sunday schools of the Pine Barren Association were scheduled to hold their second annual basket picnic on R.E. Lambert’s farm on this Thursday.

April 27, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mrs. J.C. Finch had returned to her home at Finchburg after spending a few days with her daughter, Mrs. A.C. Lee.

April 27, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mrs. Hebblewhite and children of Chicago were in Monroeville to attend the Locklin-Moore wedding.

April 27, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that the Rev. C.A. Rush, D.D., President of the Southern University at Greensboro, was “an honored visitor to Monroeville this week in the interest of that splendid institution, which is flourishing under his administration.”

April 27, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that “quite a large number” of Confederate veterans were in Evergreen, Ala. on April 26 “to be present at the Memorial Exercises. The banks, post office and all business houses were closed during the services and the graves of all deceased veterans were appropriately decorated with beautiful flowers. Hon. G.W.L. Smith of Brewton was the orator of the day, and his tribute of love and remembrance to the dead patriots was eloquent and impressive.”

April 27, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that “the Act creating the Board of Revenue for Conecuh County has been declared unconstitutional by the supreme court, making it necessary that the candidates heretofore running for the board of revenue now announce for members of the Court of County Commissioners, which all those properly qualified have done.”

April 27, 1916 - David “Dave” Price, 66, was found dead in his home at Castleberry on this Thursday around 3 p.m. by Mr. J.G. Rainer. Price had been missing several days and the last time he was seen on Friday afternoon, April 21. He had been living alone and being missed, Rainer went to his home to investigate, found the windows barred and after making his way into the house found that Price had been dead several days and his body already partly decayed so that it was necessary to have the house fumigated before entering.” Born on Feb. 4, 1850, he is buried in the Price Cemetery in Castleberry.

April 27, 1916 - Three British officers, including the famous Captain Thomas Edward “T.E.” Lawrence (known as Lawrence of Arabia), attempted to engineer the escape of thousands of British troops under siege at the city of Kut-al-Amara in Mesopotamia through a secret negotiation with the Turkish command.

April 27, 1927 – Construction of rest rooms and an office began at the Lone Star Service Station in Evergreen, Ala.

April 27, 1927 – Activist and civil rights leader Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was born in Heiberger, in Perry County, Ala.

April 27, 1938 - A colored baseball was used for the first time in any baseball game. The ball was yellow and was used between Columbia and Fordham Universities in New York City.

April 27, 1941 – NFL linebacker and center Lee Roy Jordan was born in Excel, Ala. He would go on to play for Alabama and the Dallas Cowboys.

April 27, 1945 – Playwright August Wilson was born in Pittsburgh, Penn.

April 27, 1947 - "Babe Ruth Day" was celebrated at Yankee Stadium.

April 27, 1950 – The Monroe Journal reported, under the headline “This Issue Of Journal Is Of Record Size,” that this day’s edition of The Journal, at 28 pages, was of record size for a regular issue. Previous issues had run as high as 24 pages. Because of the record size, many news stories, ordinarily printed on the front page, were to be found scattered throughout the paper.

April 27, 1950 - Final plans for a new school building at Uriah to replace the one which burned March 2 were to be selected at a special meeting in the office of county Superintendent of Education H.G. Greer on this Thursday afternoon. A three-man Uriah citizens committee was to meet with architects who were drawing up plans for the new building. Members of the committee included Rep. W.W. Garrett, R.E. Rabon Sr. and Millie L. Pearce.

April 27, 1950 – The Evergreen Courant reported that C.W. Presley of McKenzie, Ala., Route 1, was interested in securing a copy of a song which was written years before about “Railroad Bill,” the “desperado of Escambia County.” Presley had one stanza of the song which runs something like this: “Railroad Bill” cut a mighty dash, shot McMillan, by a lightning flash. Mis’ McMillan, she whooped and she bawled, she said, “That’s my husband for I heard him fall.”

April 27, 1951 – Army Sgt. Wilmer T. Wyatt, 24, of Opp, Ala. was killed in action in South Korea. Wyatt served with the 77th Field Artillery Battalion, First Cavalry Division. Born on Feb. 11, 1927, he is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Coffee County.

April 27, 1955 – The Evergreen (Ala.) Pilot Club was established with Mrs. J.R. Taylor as the club’s first president.

April 27, 1968 – Paul Kardow, who pitched for the Cleveland Indians and managed the Evergreen (Ala.) Greenies in the 1930s, passed away at the age of 52 in San Antonio, Texas.

April 27, 1968 - Vice President Hubert Humphrey announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

April 27, 1970 - The 25^th Annual Conecuh County 4-H and FFA Calf Show was scheduled to be staged at the show arena at Conecuh Stockyards on this Monday. Fed calves were to be shown by 55 young men and women starting at 8 a.m. The show was sponsored by the Conecuh County Fat Calf Show Committee, an agency of the United Fund, and the State Dept. of Agriculture & Industries in cooperation with the Auburn University Extension Service and State Dept. of Vocational Agriculture.

April 27, 1972 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Ellis Wayne Golson of Lyeffion, Ala. had been notified by Major General Verne L. Bower, U.S. Army Adjutant General, that he had received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He was to report to the school on July 3.

April 27, 1972 - North Vietnamese troops shattered defenses north of Quang Tri and moved to within 2.5 miles of the city.

April 27, 1976 – English actress Sally Hawkins was born in Dulwich, London, England.

April 27, 1977 – The Conecuh County High School track and field team beat Repton High School, 48-41, to win the Repton Invitational Track Meet in Repton.

April 27, 1983 – Houston Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan passed Walter Johnson for career strikeouts with 3,509. Johnson held the game’s career strikeout record for 62 years – almost twice as long as Babe Ruth was the home run king. Ryan finally knocked him off the perch with his 3,509th strikeout on April 27, 1983. By the time he was done, Ryan would own 5,714.

April 27, 1985 - Evergreen Little League’s 1985 Baseball Jamboree was scheduled to begin with opening ceremonies on this Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Evergreen Municipal Park. An introduction of teams, players and special guests was to be followed by exhibition games by the Little League, Minor League and T-Ball teams. The official season was scheduled to begin on Mon., April 29, at 6 p.m. with games every Monday, Thursday and Friday.

April 27, 1986 - "Good evening HBO from Captain Midnight," began the bizarre text message which hijacked the HBO airwaves, for almost five minutes on this date. The message went on to protest HBO's pricing change for satellite subscribers. "Captain Midnight" turned out to be John R. MacDougall, who ended up getting caught by the FCC, charged a $10,000 fine and put on one year of probation.

April 27, 1991 – In the opening games of the 1991 Babe Ruth Baseball season in Evergreen, Ala., Wolff Motors beat Evergreen Auto Parts, 7-4, and Presley-Fluker beat McKenzie Merchants, 8-3. Bryant Robinson and Britt Ward keyed the offensive attack for Wolff Motors with two hits each. Ward also was given credit for the victory on the mound after relieving Robinson in the third inning with one out. Greg Shehan led Evergreen Auto Parts at the plate with three hits, including a solo homerun. Rhett Wilson went the distance on the mound for Presley-Fluker, while Jason McMillian, Michael Bradley and Marlo McDaniel led the Presley-Fluker team in hitting. Shannon Shofford, Deric Womack and Willie Womack, who had a two-run homer in the sixth inning, led the McKenzie attack.

April 27, 1994 – The groundbreaking ceremony was held at the future site of the Conecuh County Department of Human Resources building.

April 27, 2000 – This day’s edition of The Evergreen Courant newspaper included a picture of Evergreen Mayor Lomax Cassady holding a squirrel that caused a major power outage in Evergreen. The small critter found itself in a world of trouble when it entered the substation in the industrial park and subsequently blew all three fuses.

April 27, 2000 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Fairview Baptist Church had recently welcomed as their new pastor Bro. Darrell Black, his wife Debra, daughter Carey and son Nick. Bro. Black and his family were from Cantonment, Fla. and they accepted the call to pastor Fairview Baptist Church in February of 2000.

April 27, 2000 – The Monroe Journal reported that The Mockingbird Players gave their first performances of the year during the previous week for more than 1,000 students, who were studying “To Kill a Mockingbird” in school. Sitting in the courtroom of the Old Monroe County Courthouse Museum, the audiences witnessed the 1935 trial of Tom Robinson, set in the small southern town of Maycomb. The museums, whose offices were housed in the then newly renovated Old Courthouse Museum, had presented the Young Audience Performances every year as part of an ongoing educational outreach program for schools in Monroe County and surrounding areas. Members of the cast that year included Everette Price as Atticus Finch, Dennis Owens as Judge Taylor and Leslie Coats as Mayella Ewell.

April 27, 2000 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroe County High School senior Justin Hawarah became the first area baseball player to sign a scholarship with the University of South Alabama in Mobile during the previous week. Hawarah, at 5-11, 180-pounds, had played shortstop for the Tigers since his freshman season. During the 2000 season, he hit .519, slapped five home runs and drove in 31 runs. In the previous two seasons, he had 13 home runs.

April 27, 2000 – The Monroe Journal reported that the Town of Beatrice had recently placed new welcome signs in two locations. The architectural precast signs were provided by Gate Precast Co. in Monroeville. John Lee, an equipment operator for Gate, helped position the sign located at the north edge of town. The Beatrice Garden Club planned to landscape the area around the signs with seasonal bedding plants.

April 27, 2007 – In connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway of Mountain Brook, Ala., a new search involving some 20 investigators was launched at the Van der Sloot family residence in Aruba. Dutch authorities searched the yard and surrounding area, using shovels and thin metal rods to penetrate the dirt.

  

April 27, 2011 – The April 25–28 tornado outbreak devastated parts of the Southeastern United States, especially the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee. Two hundred five tornadoes touched down on April 27 alone, killing more than 300 and injuring hundreds more.