'Largest crowd of people that ever gathered at Owassa' assembled to see monument unveiling

The Burney E. Pickens monument at Owassa, Alabama.

Today – May 10 – marks the 109^th anniversary of one of the most unusual events in Conecuh County history for it was on May 10, 1909 that an estimated crowd of 1,000 people, the “largest crowd of people that ever gathered at Owassa,” witnessed the unveiling of a special monument in the Olive Branch Baptist Church Cemetery.

This story actually begins months before, on Feb. 4, 1909, when 27-year-old Burney E. Pickens of Owassa was fatally injured in a railroad accident in Brewton. Newspaper accounts at the time said that Pickens was working as the “pilot of a switch engine and losing his balance, fell, the engine severing both of his legs.”

His remains were brought to Owassa on Feb. 5 and his funeral was conducted by the local Woodmen of the World lodge, of which he was a devoted member. A special escort of Woodmen accompanied the remains from Brewton, and his funeral was conducted by a pair of Woodmen officials and the Rev. E.A. Smith of Brewton, who was apparently the acting chaplain for the local Woodmen camp.

There were about 70 Woodmen in the funeral procession and “the service was one of the most impressive ever witnessed here.” Active pallbearers included W.R. Brown, L.G. Johnson, J.Z. Brooks, L.R. Peacock, E.M. Angle, J.D. Grant, Leon Riley, Ed Ellis, A.E. Long, Manuel Walker and W.E. Baughman.

Fast-forward three months and in the May 5, 1909 edition of The Evergreen Courant readers saw, under the headline “W.O.W. Monument to be Unveiled,” that the “unveiling ceremonies of the monument to B.E. Pickens by the Woodmen of the World Lodge at Owassa will occur on next Sunday. Quiet a number of Woodmen from Evergreen will attend.”

Many in the reading audience will know that Woodmen of the World is a fraternal society that’s largely known today as one of the nation’s top insurance companies. When the society was founded in 1890, one of its major tenants was that none of its members would be buried in an unmarked grave.

These distinctive Woodmen headstones were often shaped like tree stumps or felled trees, and no doubt many of you have seen these old headstones in cemeteries throughout the county. Pickens’ headstone must have been the first of its type in the area because when it was unveiled it was a major event that was attended by an estimated crowd of 1,000 onlookers.

In the May 12, 1909 edition of The Courant, under the headline “Unveiling of Monument at Owassa,” it was reported that “there was a great gathering of people at Owassa on Sunday last to witness the impressive ceremony of the unveiling of the monument at the grave of Burney E. Pickens by the Woodmen of the World. The crowd was conservatively estimated at one thousand. Many persons besides their friendship for the deceased were drawn there by reason of the fact that they had never before witnessed a service of the kind.”

The exercises began at 11 a.m. with the formation of a procession at the residence of J.M. Butler. Nearly 200 Woodmen, representing eight to 10 different Woodmen camps, were in the procession, “being the largest perhaps ever seen in this county.” At the grave, the ceremony was conducted by representatives of the Montgomery camp, of which Pickens was a member, assisted by Owassa camp members H.A. Cook, H.H. Field, C.L. McLendon and M.H. Srews.

Cook “conducted the ritualistic service most impressively and the beautiful shaft was uncovered and duly dedicated to the memory of the deceased sovereign. Little Miss Elizabeth Cook, the pretty 10-year-old daughter of Sov. Cook, recited touchingly the grand old poem, ‘Why Should the Spirit of Mortal be Proud?’ This she did with an ease and grace that would have done credit to one of mature years. Her voice was clear and distinct and her enunciation and gestures perfect. Her pretty long curly hair hanging gracefully over her shoulders made her truly a picture for the bard as she delivered this pretty recitation without the slightest embarrassment. Had it been on a different occasion, the little miss would no doubt have been showered with bouquets and kisses.”

Following this, Judge M.H. Screws delivered a speech, “which was forceful and impressive, and concluded in the most eloquent language. He spoke feelingly of the virtues of the departed, of the origin and history of Woodcraft, and touched upon the significance of the occasion. His was a splendid address.”

Afterward, the procession of Woodmen reformed and marched to the Woodman hall, where it dispersed.

“In a short while thereafter, dinner was announced and such a feast of good things is rarely seen at any gathering. It was a magnificent dinner and the great crowds did ample justice to it without any hesitation. In the afternoon, singing led by Prof. Horn and daughter and impromptu talks by Woodmen concluded the exercises.”

I rode out to the Olive Branch Baptist Church Cemetery last Thursday afternoon to see the monument that attracted this enormous crowd in 1909. I found it easily, just a short walk from the church, and as I stood there, I tried to imagine the scene that unfolded there 109 years ago when it was unveiled. More than a century later, it still stands there, a solid reminder of what transpired there in May 1909.

While there, I scouted around and found at least five other Woodmen headstones of varying styles. The oldest of the five that I found belonged to Joseph Loyd Pickens, who passed away at the age of 54 on Aug. 22, 1926.  I read later that Woodmen stopped its headstone program in the 1920s because it was so expensive, so when you see a headstone like this nowadays, it’s a safe bet that the headstone is around a century old.