Monday, January 14, 2019

Today in History for Jan. 14, 2019


Jan. 14, 1772 – During the British occupation of Alabama, explorer Bernard Romans visited St. Stephens in present-day Washington County and recorded – “Stout sloops and schooners may come up to this rapid; therefore I judge some considerable settlement will take place.”

Jan. 14, 1819 – A “train of emigrants,” consisting of 52 horses and 12 wagons from South Carolina, stopped for the night on the present site of Greenville, Ala. to “rest themselves from the fatigue of the day.” The next day, after further investigation, they decided to settle the location which was wilderness at the time. The group included James Dunklin, Joseph Dunklin, John Dunklin, Dr. Hilary Herbert, Webster Gilbert, John Bolling, William Graydon, John Graydon, William Payne, Thomas Coleman and Dr. George Herbert.

Jan. 14, 1864 – During the Civil War, the Confederate commerce raider, CSS Alabama, captured and burned the Emma Jane off the coast of Malabar, Indian, now having destroyed over 60 such Federal vessels.

Jan. 14, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Shoal Creek in Shelby County, Ala. Skirmishes were also fought in Bollinger County, Mo. and at Dandridge and Middleton in Tennessee.

Jan. 14, 1891 – James K. Kyser became postmaster at Burnt Corn, Ala.

Jan. 14, 1907 - Jefferson D. Helton and T.E. Dennis Jr. of Tunnel Springs had a preliminary hearing before Judge Slaughter on this Monday, charged with the murder of Dixie Bradley on or about Jan. 4. “The defendants established to the satisfaction of His Honor, that having in their possession a warrant for the arrest of Bradley, and in the discharge of their duty as officer they were forced to shoot him in self-defense, Bradley, it is alleged, having offered violent resistance by opening fire on the officers,” The Monroe Journal reported. “Messrs. Helton and Dennis were discharged.”

Jan. 14, 1907 - L.W. Locklin of Perdue Hill and his son, A.J., passed through Monroeville on this Monday en route to Montgomery to attend the inauguration of Governor B.B. Comer. The Monroe Journal also reported that J.M. Burns, Esq., also attended the inauguration.

Jan. 14, 1908 – While unloading a shotgun, the 10-year-old son of Bob Mosley accidentally shot and killed his sister, age 12, at their home on this date, according to the Jan. 16 edition of The Conecuh Record. “The full charge of the gun struck the girl between the shoulders, completely severing the spinal column. Death was almost instantaneous.”

Jan. 14, 1909 - Company K was scheduled to meet at the Evergreen armory on this Monday at 7:30 p.m. for its regular monthly muster. P.M. Bruner was Captain.
  
Jan. 14, 1912 – The “bird man,” R.G. Fowler of San Francisco reached Evergreen on this Sunday afternoon and attracted a large crowd. He circled Evergreen at least 1,000 feet above the ground, and the crowd below could hear his aircraft’s little motor. He circled the city several times and landed about two miles east of Evergreen and north of the L&N Railroad tracks. He remained until Tuesday, waiting for favorable weather, and took off for other points around 3 p.m. Fowler’s landing in Evergreen is believed to have been the first plane landing ever in Conecuh County.

Jan. 14, 1922 - W.F. Higdon and “Mr. Loveless” of Atmore visited Monroeville on business on this Saturday. “Both these gentlemen were formerly connected with The Atmore Record, and contemplate the establishment of a job printing plant in Escambia’s agricultural metropolis,” The Monroe Journal reported.

Jan. 14, 1923 – On this Sunday, three prisoners escaped from the Escambia County Jail in Brewton, Ala. around noon. Two of the three escapees were in jail on murder charges.
  
Jan. 14, 1931 - The L.M. Sawyer home caught fire on this Wednesday morning about 11 o’clock. Only a small patch on the roof was burned before the fire was extinguished, according to The Monroe Journal.

Jan. 14, 1938 – Jay (Fla.) High School beat Evergreen High School’s boys basketball team, 11-6.

Jan. 14, 1938 – Lyeffion High School’s boys basketball team beat Conecuh County High School, 20-18, in Castleberry, Ala. Brooklyn’s girls basketball team beat CCHS, 20-15, that same night in Castleberry.

Jan. 14, 1952 – Bruce Dale Jones was born. On March 9, 1972, at the age of 20, he was killed at Tan Son Nhut Airbase in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam, where he was serving as a sergeant in the Air Force’s 377th Security Police Squadron.

Jan. 14, 1953 – Army 1LT Charles Smith, 28, of Covington County, Ala. was killed in action in Korea. A veteran of World War II, he was born on Sept. 11, 1924. He was buried in the Hardin Street Cemetery in Opp, Ala.
  
Jan. 14-15, 1960 – The Conecuh County Basketball Tournament, featuring varsity and B-teams, was scheduled to be held at Lyeffion High School. In the varsity division on the opening night, Conecuh County High School was scheduled to play Repton High School at 7 p.m., and Evergreen High School was scheduled to play Lyeffion at 8:15 p.m. The next night, the B-team title game was set for 7 p.m., and the varsity title game was set for 8:15 p.m.

Jan. 14, 1963 - George Wallace began serving his first term as Alabama governor, and during his inauguration he promised his followers, "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!" His first term would end on Jan. 16, 1967, but he would later serve three other terms as Alabama’s governor.

Jan. 14, 1971 – Army Spc. Donald Wayne Smith, 21, of Brewton, Ala. was killed in action at Pleiku, South Vietnam. Some sources say he was an “accidental ground casualty,” and his body was recovered. He was born in Brewton on Aug. 17, 1949, and his name is listed on panel 05W, line 044 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He was buried in the Baptist Hill Cemetery in Brewton. Smith served as a Power-Generation Equipment Repairman with the 506th Light Maintenance Co., 62nd Maintenance Battalion, 45th Ground Support Group, Army Support Command Qui NOHN, 1st Logistical Command, USARV. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross Unit Citation.

Jan. 14, 1972 – The President’s Mansion at the University of Alabama was added to the National Register of Historic Places due to its architectural and historical significance.

Jan. 14, 1980 – Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team improved to 12-1 on the season by beating Escambia County High School, 61-50. Top Evergreen players in those games included Johnny Allen, Russell Bozeman, Joe Mitchell, Sanford Moye, Perona Rankins, Philander Rodgers and Arturo Scott.

Jan. 14, 1980 - The Conecuh County Cattlemen and CowBelles were scheduled to hold their annual banquet on this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. The State Association was to be represented by President Milton “Buzz” Wendland of Autaugaville. The featured speaker was to be Robert Vaughn of Ozark. Vaughn was a highly sought humorous speaker who was guaranteed to give audiences lots of laughs along with some important matters upon which to think.

Jan. 14, 1986 - Weather observer Earl Windham reported a low of 24 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 14-15, 2006 - Evergreen weather observer Harry Ellis reported low temperatures of 30 on both of these days.

Jan. 14, 2010 - Sparta Academy’s varsity boys basketball team picked up their eighth win of the season on this Thursday night with a 51-21 win over South Choctaw Academy in Evergreen.

Jan. 14, 2010 - The Conecuh County Board of Education returned to a long-standing tradition on this Thursday when it held its first meeting in recent memory at one of the county’s local schools. For a number of years, the board had held its regular meetings at the Conecuh County Resource Center in Evergreen, but on this Thursday, the board met in the cafeteria at Lyeffion Junior High School and planned to rotate the location of their meetings among the county’s local schools. Board Chairman David Cook explained to the sizeable group of parents, faculty and students at the meeting that over the years the board somehow “got away from” the practice of meeting at local schools.

No comments:

Post a Comment