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

Monroe County Airport in Monroeville, Ala.

28 YEARS AGO

JULY 26, 1990

Construction of a new firemen’s training facility in Monroeville is now underway near the Monroe County Agricultural Center. When completed, it will serve as a training ground for Monroeville firemen, with other firefighters in the county invited to train there also.

Firemen in Monroe County currently train in an old, unsafe building, according to Monroeville Fire Chief Eddie Everette.

Mobile’s teams dominated the Advanced Babe Ruth south-state, all-star baseball tournament held at Patrick Henry State Junior College in Monroeville last week.

Mobile City defeated Monroe County’s all-stars, 5-0, Thursday and, 6-1, Saturday to win the tournament for 16-year-old players.

Mobile City downed Mobile County, 6-4, Sunday evening to win the double-elimination tournament for 17-and-18-year olds at Patrick Henry.

The 11-inning championship game had to be completed under the lights at Monroe County High School’s baseball field in Monroeville.

(Standout players on Monroe County’s 16-year-old team included Nick Ackerman, Mike Bishop, Richard Chatman, Steve Goodman, Trey Harris and Mitchell Turberville. Standout players on Monroe County’s 17-and-18-year-old team included Scott Biggs, Nathan Black, Carlos Booker, Donnie Faulk, Dallas Gamble, Byron Kemp, Mark Klumpp, James Lee and Willie Peoples.)

53 YEARS AGO

JULY 29, 1965

Workers began putting down base material on the new Monroe County Airport Wednesday. If weather permits, county officials said the airport should be paved and ready for use in about three months. Work started on the airport last year.

Due to a brilliant pitching and hitting performance by one player, the Atmore Little League All Star team downed the Monroeville Little League All Stars, 7-1, last Thursday night at Atmore in the area tournament.

Monroeville managed only one hit during the game, that begin made by Charles Rawls, which came after a walk to Bill Grant in the fourth inning.

(Other outstanding Monroeville players in that game included Riley Dawson and Ronnie Taylor.)

A search for a Monroeville man missing since Sunday night was called off Wednesday afternoon after about two days of intensive searching.

Sheriff Charlie Sizemore said Wednesday afternoon all possible leads had been exhausted by about 40 volunteers, members of the Monroe County Rescue Squad and the sheriff’s department.

Sheriff Sizemore identified the missing man as Tom Clausell, about 72.

The sheriff said the man apparently walked off from his house in the Clausell area of Monroeville Sunday night but wasn’t reported missing to him until Monday afternoon.

78 YEARS AGO

JULY 25, 1940

Mr. Charles Finklea will leave Sunday for Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, where he will buy fall and winter goods in the markets there for the Finklea & Finklea Store. He will be absent about one week.

The Boy Scouts of Frisco City left Tuesday afternoon for Ward’s Creek, which is about five miles northwest of Frisco City. Early next morning, part of the boys explored a large cave, approximately 100 yards from where we were camping. We were accompanied by our Assistant Scout Master, Mr. Bennet Dean.

Fast Ball Game Scheduled Sunday: Monroeville baseball fans will have an opportunity to see one of the best ball games of the season when Monroeville and Thomasville teams cross bats on the local diamond, Sun., July 28.

Batteries will be composed of Digman and Stevens for Monroeville, and Slick Andress, Auburn star, and Hill, of the University, for Thomasville.

The game will be called promptly at three-thirty on the diamond at the new High School. Out of the six games played so far this season, Monroeville has won all but one.

The Monroe Feed Co. of Peterman announces the installation of the latest type feed mill to better serve its long list of customers.

The Monroe Feed Co. is doing a real service for the farmers. Instead of the farmer having to haul his feed to the mill, the mill goes to the farmer and right on his own premises grinds corn, hay, beans, peas, peanuts or any other crop into feed and prepares it for feeding to stock without waste.

103 YEARS AGO

JULY 29, 1915

The Fancy Grocery has removed to larger and more suitable quarters in the brick store next door to L.A. Hixon Co. on Westside where the proprietors have a larger and better stock more elegantly displayed than ever before.

The new well at the local pumping plant has been completed and the water was turned in the mains Tuesday afternoon. Although a little off color at first, the water appears to be of good quality and abundant in quantity. After 10 days of near famine the convenience of the water system can be more justly appreciated. The wells of the community were being rapidly exhausted.

The first open bolls of cotton of the new crop were sent to The Journal on the 24th inst. by Mr. J.E. Hendrix of Mexia.

The executive committee of the Monroe County Fair Association met in Monroeville last Thursday to fix the date and arrange the details for the holding of the County Fair this fall.

Oct. 19, 20 and 21 was fixed as the time for holding the Fair and a very liberal list of premiums agreed upon to supplement those offered by the Gulf Coast Fair Association.

Two bridges heretofore mentioned in this paper collapsed under heavy loads while a third fell in of its own weight within the past week. The last named bridge was known as the McCorvey Bridge which spanned Limestone Creek.