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

Alabama Gov. Bibb Graves

22 YEARS AGO

JUNE 26, 1997

Frisco appoints new postmaster: Frisco City’s new postmaster, Betty Coker, said the job is a wish come true for her.

About 11 years ago, Ms. Coker began her postal career with the hope of one day being in charge of a small post office. After 8-1/2 years delivering mail in Mobile and a little more than three years as a supervisor in Atmore, she got her wish.

May 8, Ms. Coker began her duties as postmaster in Frisco City. She arrived to find not only the small post office she’d envisioned, but a veteran staff to help her feel at home and learn her way around her new workplace.

Excel Blue collected first place in the South Monroe Babe Ruth Baseball League for players ages 13-15 this season, finishing the year with an 8-2 record. (Members of the team were Alan Foley, Kyle Thomas, Adam Conway, Josh Deese, Lee Thomasen, Michael Baggett, Keith McKinley, Josh Fails, Russell Fountain, Wesley Qualls, Nathan Mixon, Justin Deese and Cal Lambert. Levon McKinley served as coach and Michael Mixon was manager.)

Receives scholarship: Brent Ray of Frisco City was awarded the Michele Norris Scholarship in amount of $200 from the Frisco City Mid-Century Club during Monroe Academy’s graduation ceremonies May 23. Ray is the son of Ronnie and Ann Ray. Michele Norris was a lifetime resident of Frisco City. She was the daughter of Burrell and Lavada Norris and a 1984 graduate of Monroe Academy. While attending Auburn University to major in math education, she was killed in an auto accident May 17, 1987.

47 YEARS AGO

JUNE 29, 1972

Rains, winds lash county: Rain and windstorms lashed out over Monroe County last Sunday afternoon between 2:30 and 4:30, blowing down trees and power lines and wreaking havoc on buildings in isolated spots in the county.

Most of the damage appeared to be in the northeastern portion of the county but scattered damage was reported elsewhere. The Monroe County Rescue Squad answered two calls during the afternoon – one to remove three trees from across Highway 21 on Falkenberry Hill above Tunnel Springs and another to remove a tree from across Highway 136 between U.S. 84 and Excel.

Babe Ruth Tigers: The Tigers of the Monroeville Babe Ruth League won three games last week to tie up the Pirates for the league’s lead. (Members of the Tigers included Leon Black, Allen Finlayson, Sam Bowden, Terry Hardin, David Nall, Wayne Watkins, Tony Simmons, Ed Floyd, Eddie Marshall, Rhondal Brown, Dan Mohn, Mark Dawson, Sonny Wasden, Rhett Barnes, David Lazenby, Steve Anthony, Hiram Hyde and Fella Owens. Joe Hyde was the team’s coach.)

Eliott Hendrix was re-elected Worshipful Master of Frisco City Masonic Lodge No. 702 Monday night when the annual election of officers was held.

Others elected were: Harold Barnes, senior warden; Clayton Barnes, junior warden; W.P. Albritton, treasurer; Jeffie Jones, secretary; Morton Carpenter, senior deacon; John Youngblood, junior deacon; and Bill Cobb, tyler.

72 YEARS AGO

JUNE 26, 1947

ANNOUNCEMENT: With this issue of the paper the present ownership bows out of the newspaper field.

This paper has been sold to Mr. J.H. Faulkner and Mr. Bill Stewart of Bay Minette, Ala., who will take over after this issue is mailed out. These purchasers are experienced in the newspaper field, are men of recognized ability and integrity and will bring to this paper something of the enthusiasm of youth.

Alabama Lodge No. 3 Elects New Officers: At a regular meeting of Alabama Lodge No. 3, the following officers were elected for the ensuing year: A.M. Thompson, worshipful master; F.M. Harper, senior warden; W.D. Pickens, junior warden; W.N. Wiggins, treasurer; W.S. Nash, secretary; J.L. Crutchfield, senior deacon; W.F. Wiggins, junior deacon; N.I. Fore, tyler.

Friday of this week, Monroe Mills will have their annual picnic at the State Park, according to an invitation received a few days ago. We have had several experiences at numerous silk mill picnics, and if the weather is any way near favorable, we will be found somewhere near the center of the crowd at the State Park on Friday. We are happy to see that Roger Morton is in Monroeville to be with us again at this picnic.

MASONIC CONFERENCE: The annual meeting of the Monroe County Masonic Conference will be held with Tunnel Springs Lodge No. 578 on Thurs., July 10. All Masons in the county are invited to attend.

District Lecturer R.F. Dickson, S.H. Hendrix of Mobile, and other prominent Masons will be present.

97 YEARS AGO

JUNE 29, 1922

Hon. Bibb Graves of Montgomery will be the orator of the day on the occasion of the barbecue and Fourth of July celebration at Jones Mill next Tuesday.

MASONIC OFFICERS: Beatrice Lodge No. 691, A.F.&A.M., held its annual election of officers for the ensuing Masonic year on June 14. The following officers were elected: J.M. Holloway, worshipful master; J.R. Carter Jr., senior warden; L.J. Robbins, junior warden; H.B. Mims, treasurer; D.A. Steele, secretary; W.A. Marshall, senior deacon; W.M. McPherson, junior deacon; W.H. Chase, tyler; Rev. A.T. Sims, chaplain; H.H. Newton, senior steward; J.J. McMillan, junior steward; Lee Fountain, marshal.

Mr. I.B. Rutledge spent Sunday and Monday among Monroeville friends. Mr. Rutledge is engaged in making a survey of a road from Bay Minette to Little River connecting with the state highway now under construction in this county.

Mr. Johnson of Atlanta, connected with the Buick company, is here assisting the Morrissette Motor Car Co. in putting on a special sale of used cars.

L.J. Bugg, Esq., made a business trip to Cincinnati last week looking after the interests of the Monroe County Growers Exchange.

The 16^th annual session of the Monroe County Masonic Conference will be held with Blacksher Lodge No. 593, Uriah, Ala., on July 12-13. Bro. J.W. Thurmond of Castleberry will be the lecturer. A public Masonic address will be delivered by Rev. A.E. Shafer at 11 a.m. Thursday, the 12^th.

149 YEARS AGO

JUNE 25, 1870

REMOVAL – The post office at Monroeville has been removed to the drug store of Dr. J. Russell & Co.

BRIDGE BROKEN – Leatherwood’s bridge, on the Big Escambia Creek, was broken by a timber raft last week.

COTTON BLOOMS – We have seen cotton blooms from the field of Mr. J.W. Perrin, near this place, on the 20^th inst. The Monroe Eagle reports blooms at Claiborne, on the 15^th. This is some days later than last year, when the first blooms appeared on the 11^th of June.

MONROE INSTITUTE – Male and Female – M. McCorvey, Principal – The second term of this school will commence Monday, the 6^th of September next.

Hoping from his long experience in teaching, to give entire satisfaction, and to merit the confidence and patronage of the community at large, the Principal is determined that this school shall be of the highest grade, and second to none in this country.

Board can be had in the neighborhood at $12.50 per month, exclusive of washing.

Watches, Clocks, Jewelry! If you wish your watches and clocks to keep correct time have them repaired by A. Picken, Practical Watchmaker and Jeweler (Successor to the late Col. Steele) – All work guaranteed for 12 months and the finest materials only used. – Claiborne, Ala.

G.G. STALLWORTH, D.D.S., PINEVILLE, ALA. - Having attended lectures at the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, I offer my Professional Services to the people of Monroeville and surrounding country.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Sun., June 30, 2019

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.40 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.80 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.15 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.80 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 25.45 inches.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily in Monroe County, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.405783N Lon -87.479861W. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-6, Station Name: Frisco City 5.0 WSW.

George Singleton remembers the men who fought and died during April 1865 skirmish at Mount Pleasant

Robert E. Lee met with Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.

(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 “April seems to be a time for remembering” was originally published in the April 23, 1992 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

It seems to me that the month of April is the month for remembering. As I wrote last week about the 130-year anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh, another instance came to mind of that bitter conflict that happened much closer to home.

Monroe County was not exposed to a great deal of fighting during this dreadful time of our history. There was, however, a small skirmish, as our military historians would restate it, just a few short miles from the hub city.

Not a great deal is known about this small skirmish, but I’m sure that those who fell in battle that day, April 10, 1865, would like to be remembered just as would those who fell at Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, Shiloh and many more places across our beloved land. Those members of the 15^th Confederate Regiment (Mounted), even though they might have been less trained and prepared for battle, fought and died for what they believed in.

For all practical purposes, the Civil War, or the War Between the States, or any of the other 37 or so names that it was referred to, was over. Just the day before, Gen. Robert E. Lee had met with the Union commander, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, to discuss an official surrender. The Battle for Fort Blakely, near Mobile, had also taken place on April 9, 1865. It, too, had fallen into Union hands.

But word had not gotten to the 15^th Confederate Regiment about the surrender, or if it had, they were too stubborn to believe it. Col. Henry Maubry had received word that a Union brigade was on its way north from Spanish Fort on a forage mission. This mission was to take from the local farmers horse feed and food stuff and other supplies that the Union brigade needed during their occupation and stay at Old Fort Claiborne.

As they approached the area of the Mount Pleasant community, the old men and boys that mostly made up the 15^th Confederate Regiment prepared for ambush and to stop and destroy the pillaging Union forces.

As the Union forces made their way northward, they brought with them a battery of rifled cannons, some of the latest weaponry to enter the war. These cannons were highly accurate and fast loading.

The men of the 15^th Confederates were not aware of what they were about to face. As they had planned their attack to take place as the Union forces started crossing a nearby creek, swollen by heavy rains the day before, they were unaware that the battery of rifled cannon had been trained on the large open field where they now lay in hiding.

The outcome of the ambush was a complete tragedy. The battery of Union cannons cut the poorly trained and equipped Rebels to pieces. Those few who were not killed or seriously wounded ran for their lives. Many died that day in that deep muddy field, praying for help that never arrived.

The fallen Confederates were placed in a mass burial trench a few days later, the families of those fallen dug into the mass burial and carried most of their loved ones home to be placed in family burial plots or local cemeteries. But, that’s another story.

As the evening shadows crept across the huge open field where the tragic ambush took place on April 10, 1865, I stood atop a high embankment and looked across the vast spaces below me. I tried to imagine what it had been like this date 127 years ago in the field below me. I could imagine the complete surprise of the attacking Rebels when the Union forces opened fire with the rifled cannons.

As the exploding shells fell among the surprised and confused members of the 15^th Regiment, I could almost feel the despair and hopelessness of the would-be attackers. I knew that the Confederates realized it would be useless to try and press an attack into the face of certain death.

As always, I knew that the thought of home and loved ones raced through the minds of those who had not fallen in the deadly barrage that had covered the field. And that they would do everything possible to be again with those they loved.

As I stood there on the high embankment overlooking the area below me, I felt that I might just be the only one who had remembered this tragic event in our county history. I wanted no praise or recognition for coming here, but I felt that somewhere, someplace, those who had fallen here might know that they are remembered for what they believed and the price they paid.

The evening shadows had almost covered the huge bottom below me. Only the traffic on the highway near where I stood gave any evidence that time had changed; it seemed just as it mast have been 127 years ago. The quietness that lay over the large field today was probably the same quietness that crept across the field as the cannons of death fired their last barrage.

I thought of many things that could have been done this day for those who had given their lives in the large bottom below me. I looked around, half expecting to see a wreath of flowers that someone had tossed out the window of a speeding automobile. Or perhaps someone had placed a marker to remind those who cared what had taken place here.

But there were none, only the gentle winds from the westward side of the field rippled the tall grass and newly planted pines in a faint tribute to those who fell here.

(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 to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, 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. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. 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., June 29, 2019

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.30 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.40 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  2.75 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.40 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 25.05 inches.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily in Monroe County, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.405783N Lon -87.479861W. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-6, Station Name: Frisco City 5.0 WSW.

Eli McMorn & The Strange Case of the Missing Professor - Chapter 9

Prof. Albert Gruner's antler-handle walking stick.

You ever heard the word tharn? That’s how the old-timers described an animal frozen by fear. If you’ve ever seen a deer frozen in the middle of the road at night as a set of headlights bears down on it, you’ve seen an animal go tharn.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I went tharn that night when the wooded clearing plunged into total blackness, and the baby in the stranger’s cloth sack began to cry. The humid forest of Claiborne’s Sinks was so dark that I couldn’t see my handcuffed wrists in front of my face. The stranger’s laugh and the growling of the hellishly large hound by his side snapped me out of it.

My mind raced as I stood there by the giant ash tree. I was unarmed, handcuffed and exhausted from the day’s long slog through the hot, snake-infested woods. I had to take action, but what could I do?

The stranger’s old, rusty lantern snapped on and cast its harsh blue-white light on Sgt. Bill Friemann. The police officer flinched in its eldritch light and then he became wide-eyed as he stared into its ghostly beam. The dark stranger chuckled, his black stovepipe hat bobbing atop his oversized head, as the lantern light changed to a sick yellow that reminded me of the inside of a rotten Jack-o’-lantern.

Friemann’s face contorted into an awful mask of grim agony, and he threw back his head at an unnatural angle. The lantern pulled the officer’s paralyzed body slowly toward the stranger like a powerful magnet. Beads of sweat poured down my face as the baby cried louder.

What followed is hard to describe. The policeman’s flesh just melted away, drawn into the face of the lantern. His skin, muscles and blood flowed off his bones like melting red candle wax. Even his bones liquified and flowed from where he stood into the lantern. I still dream about it some nights.

In all, it took less than 30 seconds for the officer’s body to dissolve, and it ended with a loud noise like a slamming door. The oversized hound at the stranger’s side loosed an unnerving howl, and its eyes flashed a terrible green in the lantern light. The smell of brimstone filled the air.

The light grew blue-white again as the officer’s clothes dropped to the ground like a bundle of limp rags. My Berretta tumbled down amongst his belongings, and I wondered where the keys to the handcuffs were in that pile of empty clothes and police gear.

By the light of the lantern, I watched as the stranger stroked the head of his hound. “Quiet, Ol’ Shuck,” he said, his voice like wheels on dry gravel. He sucked loudly at his teeth, tilted his head back and sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring.

Suddenly and without warning, the night-breeze shifted and carried my scent toward the stranger and his terrible hound. In an instant, their eyes snapped in my direction, and a half-grin spread across the stranger’s dirty face, exposing an abnormally large, white canine tooth.

It was then that the stranger opened his mouth to speak, but I didn’t hear what he said. A shiny, black beetle crawled over my left hand, which was resting against the ash tree’s rough trunk. I glanced down at it, saw the beetle and then saw the missing professor’s antler-handled cane propped against the ash tree.

I grasped the old walking stick as best I could in my cuffed hands and advanced toward the stranger. Fight or flight is a powerful force in the heart of a man on his own in the benighted woods.

(All rights reserved. This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.)

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Fri., June 28, 2019

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.10 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.10 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  2.45 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.10 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 24.75 inches.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily in Monroe County, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.405783N Lon -87.479861W. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-6, Station Name: Frisco City 5.0 WSW.

Two members of the Conecuh Guards were killed at Malvern Hill in 1862

Monday marks the 157^th anniversary of one of the deadliest days of the Civil War for the Conecuh Guards, the Confederate military company from Conecuh County.

It was on July 1, 1862 that 55,000 Confederate soldiers under the command of General Robert E. Lee collided with 54,000 Union soldiers under the command of generals George B. McClellan and Fitz John Porter at the Battle of Malvern Hill in Henrico County, Va. From a tactical standpoint, this battle resulted in a Union victory and was costly for Co. E of the 4^th Alabama Infantry Regiment. Also known as the “Conecuh Guards,” this unit was organized at Sparta on April 1, 1861.

At the Battle of Malvern Hill, estimated casualties on both sides amounted to around 8,650 and at least four members of the Conecuh Guards were among those killed and wounded.

According to B.F. Riley’s 1881 book, “The History of Conecuh County, Alabama,” two members of the Conecuh Guards were killed at the Battle of Malvern Hill – John Arthur Hodo and Emanuel Johnston. Two other members of the Conecuh Guards were wounded there – Capt. William Lee and 19-year-old Gilchrist R. Boulware.

So far, I haven’t been able to dig up any information about how Hodo and Johnston were killed but, interestingly, you can visit Hodo’s grave today in Virginia. Although the 30-year-old Hodo was killed on July 1, his remains weren’t finally buried until Aug. 18, 1862 when he was laid to rest in the Soldiers Section of the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va.

Johnston was also buried in the Soldiers Section of the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, but they have him incorrectly listed as Emanuel Johnson (without the “t). According to cemetery records, his remains were finally buried on July 27, 1862, that is, over three weeks after his death at the Battle of Malvern Hill.

As things turned out, Capt. William Lee, who’d been wounded five days before at the First Battle of Cold Harbor, would not survive the war. Almost a year to the day after the Battle of Malvern Hill, Lee was mortally wounded on the second day of the epic Battle of Gettysburg while fighting in McLaw’s Brigade in Hood’s Division. He died the following day. He was later laid to rest in Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham.

Capt. Lee was apparently so well respected and highly regard that years later, when Confederate veterans in Conecuh County formed a United Confederate Veterans Camp, they named it Camp Capt. William Lee in his honor.

Boulware survived the war and is arguably one of the most colorful men to have ever lived in Conecuh County. Born near Brooklyn on Aug. 15, 1842, Boulware entered Confederate service as a private when the Conecuh Guards were organized in April 1861. On Dec. 13, 1862, five months after the Battle of Malvern Hill, Boulware was serving as the Color Sergeant for the Fourth Alabama Infantry Regiment when he was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Va.

Jump ahead to Sept. 19, 1863, and Boulware, who was still the Regiment’s Color Sergeant, was severely wounded in the side and in the arm at the Battle of Chickamauga in northwest Georgia. Even though Boulware’s left arm had to be amputated at Chickamauga, his service didn’t end there for on Jan. 11, 1864 (less than four months later), Boulware began working for the Confederate Secret Service Department, serving in this clandestine organization until the end of the war in 1865.

After the war, Boulware returned home to Conecuh County and became a productive citizen. He also became very active in veterans affairs. He served as the commander of Camp Capt. William Lee of the United Confederate Veterans for a number of years, including 1908, 1912, 1913, 1915, 1916. 

Wounded at least three times during the Civil War, Boulware outlived most of his comrades, having passed away at the age of 80 on Sept. 21, 1922. He is buried in the cemetery at Brooklyn Baptist Church.

Armstrong will be missed at Hillcrest, will be an asset to Excel High School

Hillcrest's Clinton Smith, left, and Brandon Armstrong, right.

I don’t know about the rest of you sports fans, but I’m about ready for football season to get started.

By my count, as of today (June 27), we’ve got 57 more days before Hillcrest High School and Sparta Academy kick off their regular season schedules on Aug. 23.

Both of our local teams will open their seasons at home, which will be nice for the friendly, neighborhood sports reporter, who will try his best to get photos at both games. Hillcrest will play Greenville High School at Brooks Memorial Stadium, and Sparta will play Cornerstone Christian at Stuart-McGehee Field. Both games will get underway at 7 p.m.

I look for Hillcrest to be really, really good this year, and so does head coach Clinton Smith, who has made it no secret that he’s expecting big things out of his 2019 team. I can’t say that I blame him either when you take into account that he’s got four players, who have already committed to play major college football in 2020. He’s also got half a dozen more that could sign scholarships further down the road.

I’m also looking forward to watching Sparta this season as they enter their first year under new head coach Arlton Hudson. “New” probably isn’t a great way to describe Hudson because even though he’s new to Sparta, he’s one of the most veteran head coaches in Alabama. If past success is any indicator of future success, then I look for Hudson to do well at Sparta.

That’s not to throw shade on former Sparta head coach Justin Chandler, who I have much respect for. Chandler always worked well with the newspaper, and he promoted his kids behind the scenes a lot more than people realize. I was happy to see that he’s now accepted an assistant coaching position at his alma mater, Monroe Academy, where he was a top player in his high school days.

I was bummed out this week to hear that coach Brandon Armstrong was leaving Hillcrest for a teaching and coaching position at Excel High School. Armstrong began teaching and coaching in Conecuh County in 2006, and he was one of the unsung heroes of Hillcrest athletics.

The first time that I ever met Armstrong, he was the head baseball coach at Hillcrest, and he also served for years as an assistant football coach at Hillcrest. During his 13 years at Hillcrest, he served under some great coaches, including Maurice Belser, Larry Boykin and Clinton Smith. No doubt Armstrong learned a lot during that time, and he will be a huge asset to Excel.

With that said, we’ve got a little over eight weeks left to go before high school football gets going in Conecuh County. For Alabama and Auburn fans, we’ve got 65 days to wait before the kickoff. Alabama will open against Duke in Atlanta on Aug. 31, and Auburn will play Oregon that same day in Dallas. Auburn seems to have the tougher opponent on that day, but time will tell.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Thurs., June 27, 2019

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  2.35 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 24.65 inches.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily in Monroe County, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.405783N Lon -87.479861W. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-6, Station Name: Frisco City 5.0 WSW.

Highest point in all of Wilcox County, Alabama is located at Fatama

Old firetower at Fatama, Alabama

Last Friday marked the official start of summer and despite the hot weather, I got the itch to get out and ride around. Eventually, I found myself on State Highway 265, in the old community of Fatama. Fatama was once a bustling settlement, but little remains today from its 19^th century heyday.

According to “Place Names in Alabama” by Virginia O. Foscue, no one is sure when or how the community got its name. “Although its origin is unknown, the designation may be a variant of Fatima, the name of a village with a religious shrine in Portugal,” Foscue wrote.

Fatama was once large enough to support its own post office. In fact, it actually had post offices at two different times in its history. One was open from 1855 through 1866 and another was in operation from 1870 to 1914.

Old, historical maps indicate that “downtown” Fatama was located just south of where County Road 51 runs into State Highway 265. If you go a little south of that intersection today, the most prominent landmark you’ll see is an old firetower that sits on the west side of Highway 265.

On Friday, I pulled off the side of the road and examined the tower through binoculars. As best that I could tell, although the tower still stands, the steps have been removed to keep people from climbing to the top. While standing there under the hot sun, I was reminded that this is the highest point in Wilcox County, with an official elevation of 547 feet above sea level.

Back in my truck, I continued south on 265 and stopped a short distance down the road at the Enon Baptist Church Cemetery, which is about four miles north of the Monroe County line. I explored the cemetery for a good half hour, and the oldest marked grave that I could find belonged to Confederate soldier Frank Anton Lambrecht, who died in 1862. According to his grave marker, Lambrecht was born in 1844 and was a private in Co. C of the 5^th Alabama Infantry Regiment.

Eventually, I left the cemetery behind with an eye toward taking a closer look at the church across the highway. I stopped there at the edge of the road to let a pair of log trucks go by before crossing the highway under the blazing sun. The façade of this old church is remarkable for its double doors and the four white columns supporting the porch over the front steps.

I scouted around for a few minutes looking for a cornerstone that might indicate when the church was built, but despite my best efforts I didn’t find one. While looking for a cornerstone, I did see a large green lizard, who seemed perturbed that I’d disturbed his otherwise peaceful afternoon. Around this same time, my ears were met with a strange noise that I at first mistook for a running air-conditioner.

Instead, my eyes were drawn to the sight of hundreds of bees swarming near the top of the church’s southernmost porch column. No doubt these bees have established a hive inside the column, and this time of year the hive is probably full of honey. Those of you who pay attention to the almanac will remember that the first full moon of the summer was called the Mead Moon by old-timers, a nickname that harkens back to when honey was fermented to make mead.

Prayer garden at Enon Baptist Church.

Next, I crossed the church yard and visited the small prayer garden on the south side of the church grounds. Featuring a large Celtic cross and a black metal bench, I could tell that someone has taken great care to make this is peaceful spot to sit, pray and reflect on the Good Lord’s blessings. A small sign off to the side said that the prayer garden was established in memory of Ida and Will Mason.

On the way back to my truck, I noted that the sign in front of the church read “Father: Give Me Wisdom & Love For Others.” While standing there, waiting for another log truck to rumble by, I thought about all the folks who have filed into and out of this church in Fatama over the years. I imagined all the homecomings, all the young brides and grooms who were married there and all the funerals that have taken place. No doubt many of these people were proud to call Fatama home and after a long look around on Friday, I’d say they had good reason.

In the end, I’d be interested to hear from anyone with more information about the Fatama community, especially when it comes to the history of the old firetower and Enon Baptist Church. Also, if anyone has any more information about how the community got its name or how Pvt. Lambrecht died, let me here from you. Also, if anyone knows any spooky tales or local legends from the Fatama community, contact me so that I can pass those along to readers as well.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Wed., June 26, 2019

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  2.35 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 24.65 inches.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily in Monroe County, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.405783N Lon -87.479861W. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-6, Station Name: Frisco City 5.0 WSW.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for June 26, 2019

23 YEARS AGO

JUNE 27, 1996

Evergreen weather observer Harry Ellis reported 0.04 inches of rain on June 17, 0.70 inches on June 18 and 0.04 inches on June 21. He also reported a high temperature of 91 degrees on June 22 and lows of 69 on June 17, June 18 and June 19.

A small fire at the Caboose Café earlier this week caused very little damage thanks to the excellent response by the Evergreen Volunteer Fire Department. The fire was contained in a matter of minutes and caused only minimal damage.

Work is progressing nicely on the replacement of the bridge over Cane Creek on Highway 83. It will still be several months before the bridge is completed but with good weather the project is moving along faster than expected.

Funeral services Friday for Sgt. Don Morris: Evergreen and surrounding communities were deeply saddened Tuesday at the death of retired State Trooper Sgt. Donald Edward Morris. Morris, 58, had lived in Evergreen since he was transferred here in 1977. He was active in many community projects and was highly respected and thought of throughout the community.

Morris served in the United States Marine Corps from 1956 to 1958 and the U.S. Army military police from 1959 to 1962.

Sgt. Morris was working on a part-time basis with the City of Evergreen Police Department at the time of his death.

48 YEARS AGO

JUNE 24, 1971

Sparta Academy signs contract for building: Sparta Academy let the contract for a building on Thursday to Andalusia Development Co., low bidder. Amount of the contract is $119,500 for the building. Site preparation and architect’s fees will be in addition to this bringing total cost to about $132,000.

Sparta will be built on Pierce Street on property obtained from the Newton Estate. Property donated to the private school by Mrs. C.C. Miller, Mrs. Gene Cotter and Miss Ann Miller was traded for the 15-acre site.

First Lt. John Wayne Crutchfield, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Fred Crutchfield of Lenox, is assigned to the U.S. Army Institute for Military Assistance here at the JFK Center. He is attending the Military Assistance Advisor School in preparation for duty in the Republic of Vietnam. Lt. Crutchfield is a 1960 graduate of Repton High School.

Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel T. Taylor, son of Mrs. Eula R. Taylor of Rt. 1, Castleberry, is undergoing training at Camp Fuji, Japan with the 12^th Marine Regiment, Third Marine Division, from Okinawa.

High winds last Thursday caused the hanger housing this airplane to collapse and the heavy beam fell smack in the middle of the plane. The airplane is owned by the Evergreen Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol. Insurance adjusters declared it a total loss and will pay the squadron $7,700 with which to replace the airplane.

73 YEARS AGO

JUNE 27, 1946

Former Negro Slave Dies At Ripe Old Age Of 99: Christana Stokes, age 99 years, six months and 18 days, died at her home near Owassa June 17. She was born as a slave in 1847 and was owned by the Ray Family.

Elmer E. Erb Dies Of Accident Injuries: Friends and relatives of Mrs. Elmer E. Erb (formerly Bertha Dewberry of Conecuh County) will regret to learn of the death of her husband, Elmer E. Erb which occurred June 7, when he accidentally fell from a cherry tree and was killed instantly. It is presumed that he had climbed the tree for cherries and lost his footing when he fell. However, he was alone at the time and was found by passing motorist.

March Planted Cotton Has Fine Crop Bolls: James Jordon and Will Lowe of McKenzie, Rt. 2, were exhibiting some fine specimens of grown cotton bolls here last Saturday. Mr. Jordan stated that they had 14 acres of this cotton which was planted in March and that it had already had a very fine crop of virtually mature bolls. He expects a yield of about a bale to the acre or over, he said.

Friends of E.A. White will be glad to know he is convalescing from a leg injury he suffered last week when a counter in his store became dislodged and fell on him, causing severe injury to both legs.

PIX THEATRE – EVERGREEN, ALA. – Wednesday and Thursday – July 3-4 – Jungle Love! “Tarzan and the Leopard Woman” – Johnny WEISSMULLER, Brenda JOYCE, Johnny SHEFFIELD.

98 YEARS AGO

JUNE 22, 1921

At a regular communication of Sepulga Lodge No. 23, A.F.&A.M. held June 18, 1921, the following officers were elected for the ensuing Masonic year: Geo. W. Mixon, Worshipful Master; John T. Salter, Senior Warden; Claud C. Covan, Junior Warden; John E. Dean, Treasurer; Mark A. Lane, Secretary; David J. Morgan, Senior Deacon; C.G. Middleton, Junior Deacon; J.C. Pitts, Tyler; and F.M. Fletcher, Chaplain.

Another Homicide: Charlie Grace was arrested and placed in jail on Monday for the killing of Allen Jackson at Herbert one day last week. Little could be learned concerning the tragedy. The slain man was buried before the sheriff’s department was notified. Sheriff Kendall and Deputy Andrews went down Monday morning and arrested the alleged slayer.

A.E. Vickers this week assumed charge of Hotel Evergreen, succeeding W.B. Coker. Mr. Vickers is a trained hotel man and has a wide reputation as such in east Alabama where he has operated hotels for many years. He and his excellent family will be cordially welcomed to Evergreen. They came here from Ozark.

Burney E. Jones is now associated with J. Lamar Kelly in the practice of law, and is welcomed as a citizen of Evergreen. Mr. Jones was born and reared at Jones Mill. He was graduated from the law department of the State University in June 1914.

123 YEARS AGO

JUNE 26, 1896

Election of Officers: At the regular meeting of Greening Lodge No. 53, F.&A.M., the following officers were duly elected to serve for the ensuing Masonic year: H.A. Shields, Worshipful Master; J.T. Amos, Senior Warden; J.M. Sims, Junior Warden; W.H. Hawkins, Secretary; M.W. Etheridge, Treasurer; J.M. Bowden, Senior Deacon; J.E. Witherington, Junior Deacon; J.H. Stamps, Tyler; L.W. Savage and J.J. Sherridan, Stewards.

Mr. John McDuffie of Monroe County was in town on last Friday. Mr. McDuffie was the captor of the noted outlaw, Rube Burrows.

Arm Shot Off: Last Saturday, Geo. Murphy and some others were pranking with a gun when it was accidentally discharged, the load taking effect in Murphy’s arm, cutting it nearly off. It was amputated by Drs. Jay, Stallworth and McCreary.

The Masonic Installation: Seldom are there public occasions which afford so much genuine pleasure and enjoyment as did the occasion of the public installation of Masonic officers and basket dinner in the Mertins’ grove on last Wednesday.

From early in the morning to the time the meeting took place, people came in from every direction – some to attend the Masonic meeting and some to attend the public speaking at the Courthouse – and the town presented a scene seldom witnessed here.

The lodge was called to order shortly before 10 o’clock and by the time the 10 o’clock train arrived, all the preliminaries had been arranged and Past Grand Master John G. Harris of the Grand Lodge of Alabama was brought in and introduced the lodge.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Tues., June 25, 2019

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  2.35 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 24.65 inches.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily in Monroe County, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.405783N Lon -87.479861W. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-6, Station Name: Frisco City 5.0 WSW.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for June 24, 2019

A zebra-donkey hybrid, aka, a 'zeedonk.'

16 YEAR AGO

JUNE 26. 2003

Presley-Fluker finished their season as the 2003 Babe Ruth League Champions on June 19, 2003. Members of the team are Justin Gary, John Goodson, Nick Klaetsch, J.T. Murphy, Ryan Moore, Coach Glen Gary, Darvin Mims, Jesse Crawford, Jonas Claiborne, Chase Brown, Coach Jonas Claiborne, Daniel Ballard, Quinton Lee and Austin Murphy.

Taylor’s University completed their first rank testing on April 26, 2003, where 15 students received belts ranking yellow, orange and green. They also went to competition on May 17 where they won four trophies and four medals.

The Evergreen Youth 18 and Under Basketball Team has made it to the Alabama Sports Festival State Basketball Tournament to be held in Huntsville June 27-29, 2003.

They will play two games Fri., June 27, and two games Sat., June 28. If they win their pool, they will play in the championship game Sun., June 29, at 10 a.m.

Coach Ernest Boykin says his team has got a chance but they have to play smart.

23 YEARS AGO

JUNE 27, 1996

The Evergreen Tiger Cub Scouts, Den 1, were recently invited to tour Triple Z Farms in Owassa. Pat Poole, owner, provided a guided tour and even allowed the Scouts to pet a Zeedonk for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Poole, Shown are Pat Poole, an unidentified Zeedonk, Christopher Goneke, Lane Carrier and Gaston Bozeman.

48 YEARS AGO

JUNE 24, 1971

Award winners at the Fish & Wildlife Camp, sponsored by the Evergreen Rotary Club, were Art Renfro (Brewton), second place, junior camper; Allen Newton, first place, fly casting; Brett Gearhart, first place, rifle range, and second place, senior camper; Mark Chavers, first place, bait casting; Johnny Cook, first place, spin casting; Tim Johnson, best senior camper; Skip Stacey, head counselor’s award; John Price, skeet shooting champion; and Wesley Stuckey, best junior camper.

Serving as junior counselors at the 13^th annual Evergreen Rotary Fish & Wildlife Camp were Ray Webb, Tom Nielsen, Delane Hartzog, Scott Gearhart, Keith Pugh and Buddy Carrier.

Senior counselors at the Rotary Fish & Wildlife Camp last week were Skip Stacey, head counselor, Kenny Bodiford, Chuck Neese, Steve Dunn, Frederick Stevens, Eddie Dunn, Oliver Garrett and Harry Pipkins.

This large group of boys, mostly from Conecuh County, enjoyed the 13^th annual Evergreen Rotary Fish & Wildlife Camp at Tal Stuart’s farm and pond near Belleville Wednesday and Thursday of last week. The boys spent the two days and night in a trot as they were taught the many skills of the sportsmen by Rotarians and other volunteer adults and senior and junior counselors.

57 YEARS AGO

JUNE 21, 1962

The Orioles scored in every inning Friday night to down the Chicks, 18-4. David Rayburn went all the way on the mound for the Orioles to get credit for the victory. Larry Trainham was tagged with the loss. David Davis led the victors at bat with a triple and a single. Trainham got a double and a single to lead the Chick batsmen in the losing effort.

The Braves and Pirates fought to a 1-1 tie Monday night. It will not be played over but will count as half game won and half game lost for each team.

Steve Baggett of the Pirates and Ronnie Jackson of the Braves each pitched a three-hitter.

The Braves scored in the first on Sammy Brown’s double and Larry Ellis’ single.

Eric Pugh pitched the Pelicans to a 7 to 2 victory over the Orioles Monday night. Jo Jo Brown led the Pelicans at bat with three hits. Ralph Pugh started for the Orioles but was relieved by David Rayburn. Pugh was the losing pitcher.

75 YEARS AGO

JUNE 27, 1946

Evergreen Wins Two Games From Niceville by John Law Robinson: Evergreen handed Niceville two defeats last week to make its record 11 wins and one loss. The scores were 7 to 2 and 9 to 1.

In the first inning, the Greenies jumped on Bridges, Niceville pitcher, for six hits and five runs. But here the Greenies were stopped. They were held to six hits and two runs for the remaining eight innings. Hart held the visitors to 10 hits and two runs.

Page led the locals at bat in this game with three hits. Johnson, Barfield and Hart had two hits each.

In the second game, the locals played the best brand of ball that they have displayed this season. Clowers, opening pitcher for Niceville, held the locals in check for three innings before White started a rally. Bridges relieved him and checked the Greenies attack at this point. Windham started for Evergreen and was relieved by Hart in the sixth frame.

Johnson led the locals in hitting with a double and two singles. Bolton, second baseman, and White, catcher, looked good defensively for Evergreen.

Brewton’s Second Annual Horse Show: Athletic Field, Brewton, Ala. Promptly at 7:30 p.m. Wed., July 10, Free Barns! Free Care for Horses! Sponsored by Brewton Lions Club.

87 YEARS AGO

JUNE 23, 1932

Ladies Baseball Game Is Called Off: The baseball game scheduled for Thursday afternoon, June 23^rd, has been called off on account of the extreme heat and because so many of the ladies of Evergreen are leaving town. The Library Association reports that the game won’t be played as planned.

98 YEARS AGO

JUNE 22, 1921

The baseball game yesterday afternoon between Brewton and Evergreen resulted in a victory for the home team, the score being 3 to 2.

J.T. Salter and family of Manti and G.W. Salter of Georgiana passed through on Monday on their way to Chumuckla, Fla., where they will spend some time on a fishing trip.

The ball game between Evergreen and Monroeville on Thursday was quite a one-sided affair, the scoring standing 19 to 7 in Evergreen’s favor.

123 YEARS AGO

JUNE 26, 1896

Winchester Repeating Rifles, Shotguns, Single Shot Rifles – Our Model 1893 Shot Gun is now used by all the most advanced trap and game shooters. – Ask your dealer to show you this gun. Everything that is newest and best in repeating arms as well as in all kinds of ammunition are made by the Winchester Repeating Arms Co., Winchester Ave., New Haven, Conn.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Mon., June 24, 2019

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  2.35 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 24.65 inches.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily in Monroe County, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.405783N Lon -87.479861W. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-6, Station Name: Frisco City 5.0 WSW.

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

Alabama Lodge No. 3 at Perdue Hill.

23 YEARS AGO

JUNE 27, 1996

Jessica Stuckey, a Monroe Academy junior, has been named 1997 Monroe County Junior Miss.

Twelve Monroe County high school juniors rocked, bopped, limboed and twisted their way through competition at Nettles Auditorium Saturday night in a “Cruisin’ to the Fifties” program sponsored by the Hub CityEttes.

(Other top, award-winning contestants included Summer Harrison, Amanda Morgan, Jessica Nixon and Lori Wasden.)

Beatrice all-stars: Beatrice’s all-stars will compete in the Little League Baseball District 3 tournament for 11- and 12-year-olds Saturday when the team meets South Monroe at 3:30 p.m. in Jackson. (Members of the team included DeAundra Jones, Marlin Carstopheny, Michael Davis, Joseph Manuel, Dante Leffall, Richard Lett Jr., Charles Moody Jr., Cedric Marshall, Harold Stallworth, Cedric Young, Gary McCreary and Ikebia Salter. Coaches included Michael Stallworth and Rhodie Ruffin.)

First cotton bloom: Kayla Byrd, six, and Emily Byrd, two, daughters of Ritchie and Melanie Byrd and granddaughters of Rennie and Ella Wayne Byrd of Frisco City, display the first cotton bloom of 1996. Their grandfather and father found the bloom in their field outside Frisco City on June 17.

To celebrate 50^th: The children of Mr. and Mrs. D.W. Baas of Frisco City will honor them with a reception celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary Sun., July 7, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church of Frisco City. The couple was married June 29, 1946.

48 YEARS AGO

JUNE 24, 1971

First cotton bloom: The first cotton bloom reported to The Journal is this one from the Mims Brothers’ Farm in Uriah. The bloom, which was reported Wed., June 16, is considered late.

River travelers: Members of the senior MYF class of the First United Methodist Church of Monroeville left last Friday morning from Davis Ferry and traveled down the Alabama River to Mobile and on to Pensacola. Jim Lazenby, who led the group and returned them all safely, said the trip was nice, but they had trouble finding a good restaurant to stop at for dinner.

Park construction underway: Construction has begun on the parks at the Claiborne Lock & Dam. Shown above is construction on the administration building. Plans call for a fishing ramp below the dam, and a boat launch and boat house above the dam. Parking areas will be constructed at both sites.

The interdenominational Beulah Camp meeting will get underway today (Thursday), June 24, and will continue through July 4.

The camp grounds are located midway between Excel and Repton, one and one-fourth miles south of Highway 84.

The Rev. Mack Hamby of Florence, Ala. is president of the camp organization.

Sam Scott is awarded letter at LU: LIVINGSTON – Sam Scott of Uriah is among 15 members of the Livingston University track team who have been awarded letters, track coach Jerry Smith announced. Scott, a junior, was the District 27 three-mile champion this spring.

73 YEARS AGO

JUNE 27, 1946

Miss Nelle Lee, student at the University, and Miss Margaret Ellen Davis of Scottsboro, also a student at the University, attended the Parnell-McDaniel wedding at the Presbyterian Church in Monroeville, Sunday afternoon.

THREE BALL GAMES SCHEDULED HERE: Three baseball games are scheduled for Monroeville to be played on the local diamond. The first game will be played Thursday afternoon, June 27, second game on June 30 and the third is set for July 7.

Alabama Lodge Elects Officers: At a regular communication of Alabama Lodge No. 3 held on June 18, the following officers were elected for the ensuing year: J.T. McArthur, Worshipful Master; L.M. Moore, Senior Warden; Kermit Branum, Junior Warden; W.N. Wiggins, Treasurer; W.S. Nash, Secretary; L.R. Gulsby, Senior Deacon; J.L. Crutchfield, Junior Deacon; and F.M. Harper, Tyler.

Mills Celebration At State Park Saturday Afternoon: The annual Monroe Mills celebration was held Saturday afternoon at Little River State Park and attracted a larger gathering than at any time since 1937, when the industry was organized in Monroeville.

The annual affair is sponsored by the owners of Monroe Mills as a compliment to their employees and their friends and plans for the big party on Saturday were more elaborate than in any previous year.

Activities for the afternoon included swimming, dancing and various games. At six o’clock a barbecue supper was served, after which the fun and frolic continued until a late hour.

98 YEARS AGO

JUNE 23, 1921

Coffins and Caskets – When in need of anything in this line remember that we have a complete stock of Coffins, Caskets and Undertakers’ Supplies – Our prices are reasonable and prompt service is our motto – BROWN HARDWARE CO., Excel, Ala. – J.W. Brown, C.L. Roberts.

Monroe Lodge at Franklin celebrated a Lodge of Sorrow in the Methodist church at that place on June 12, as a memorial to recently deceased members of the Lodge. A number of visiting Masons assisted in the ceremonial which was beautiful and impressive and witnessed by a large congregation. Rev. A.E. Shafer delivered an appropriate address on the occasion. Visitors were given royal entertainment by the good people of the community.

LONE STAR TRAIL A NATIONAL HIGHWAY: The Monroe County branch of the Lone Star Trail was organized here this week with J.B. Barnett, chairman; H.J. Coxwell, vice-chairman; J.K. Kyser, secretary-treasurer.

The Lone Star Trail is being organized to run from St. Augustine, Fla. to Los Angeles, Calif. The work of organization is complete from the Alabama River at Claiborne to the Texas line. In each county along the line, as organized, there is a live bunch of good roads boosters organized for the purpose of promoting, marking, logging and advertising this proposed great national highway.

It is proposed to route the road from Claiborne by Perdue Hill, Mexia, Monroeville, Monroe Station and Burnt Corn to Evergreen. The work of organization is being conducted by H.L. Brain and J.M. Hughes of Winfield, La.

123 YEARS AGO

JUNE 25, 1896

Hon. Chas. L. Scott of Mount Pleasant came up Wednesday to attend the senatorial convention.

At a regular communication of Monroeville Lodge No. 153, the following officers were elected for the ensuing Masonic year: S.H. Daily, Worshipful Master; Jno. DeLoach, Senior Warden; S.W. Yarbrough, Junior Warden; D.J. Hatter, Treasurer; Q. Salter, Secretary; L.G. Steele, Senior Deacon; J.M. Sowell, Junior Deacon; S.F. Daniel, Tyler; and W.G. McCorvey, J.F. Fore, Stewards.

A note from “J.J.K.” requests us to announce that there will be an old-fashioned basket picnic at the bridge across Little Escambia on the road leading from Repton to Perdue Hill, but fails to advise us of the date. We presume however that all who enjoy occasions of the kind will be on the qui vive.

Accidental Shooting: One day last week little Charlie, the 12-year-old son of Capt. Charlie Johnson of River Ridge, accidentally shot his sister, Miss Willie, aged 18, inflicting painful though fortunately not serious injuries. We are gratified to learn that Miss Johnson’s injuries will not prove serious.

PERDUE HILL: M.J. Roberts is erecting another story on the old Roberts, Locklin & Co. building on Broad Street.

JONES MILL: Miss Maggie Busey is teaching school at the Escambia Creek, she has a very large number of pupils.

There is to be a basket picnic at the bridge on Escambia Creek near this place on the third Saturday in July, lets everybody go and carry our dinner.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Sun., June 23, 2019

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 1.55 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  2.35 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 24.65 inches.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily in Monroe County, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.405783N Lon -87.479861W. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-6, Station Name: Frisco City 5.0 WSW.

George Singleton describes May 1995 motorcycle trip to noteworthy sites

(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 “Having vagabond blood has its good points” was originally published in the May 25, 1995 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

Tuesday, May 16, started out like most all other days around our house. The almost perfect weather caused the vagabond blood that my dear wife says I have in my veins to begin to stir at a brisk pace.

After looking at the “honey do” list that she had left for me to struggle with, that blood really got going.

I knew that I would be in hot water when my darling wife came home from her job that evening and found that I had goofed off and had not completed the jobs that she had assigned me. But I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

There were places that I needed to go and many things that I needed to see again. So I mounted my motorcycle and headed for the nearest intersection in the highway. Here, I would make up my mind as to the direction I would take.

As I rounded the square, I decided to head north on Highway 41. I thought that I just might stop in Camden for a quick cup of coffee. And from there, I would decide what direction I would take.

Descending the hill toward Limestone Creek, the beauty of the countryside was breathtaking. Looking out over the vast valley where the pulp mill is located, the mist of the morning caused the large mill to resemble a huge sail ship in the distance. As I crossed Flat Creek, I decided to turn left and head toward the river. The idea of crossing the ferry entered my mind as I sped westward.

Thinking that I might catch heck when I returned this afternoon didn’t bother me too much. The beauty of what I knew lay ahead of me would be worth all the risk.

The quietness of the morning lay across the fields near the road like a heavy blanket. The dirt road that would carry me across Nancy Mountain and down to the ferry almost seemed to be from another time. The tall trees beside the narrow road gave the impression of entering a long, silent tunnel. Time seemed to stand still, only the movement of my transportation broke the stillness of the morning.

Knowing that I could never pass this way without stopping for a quick view from atop Nancy Mountain, I pulled over for a quick look across the vast bottom to the north and to reaffirm to myself that my God was yet in total control of his creation. Taking several deep breaths, I began to wind my way down the hill to the river and to board the ferry.

Listening to the splashing water from the paddle wheel of the ferry, I thought of those poor souls of our area who had never bothered to come this way and enjoy crossing the big river on the ferry. I found myself wishing that the trip across would last for hours, but all wonderful things must come to an end. After saying goodbye to the ferry operators and trying to convince them that I really didn’t know where I was going, I rode down the boat ramp and onto the hard ground on the west bank.

As I sped up the road through the area of Packer’s Bend, I thought of the many times I had wandered across this area. I thought of the old house places where once happiness and prosperity had abounded. I thought of the old burial grounds scattered throughout the area and the graves of many of the early settlers that had been forgotten and neglected.

Deep in thought, I realized that I was about to enter the community of Lower Peach Tree. I remembered the story of how the community of Upper Peach Tree had been totally destroyed by a terrible tornado many years ago. I thought of the story of a farmer who heard the braying of his mule as it was blown over the house by the destructive winds of the tornado. Days later, the mule was found several miles up river, grazing in another pasture where he had landed. He was unharmed except for a few scratches on his legs.

I thought of a small girl that I had gone to school with who, as a very small child, had been blown up into a large tree by the tornado. After the terrible tornado was over, her family had found her lodged high up in a tall oak tree. Her legs were twisted and broken; she was handicapped for the rest of her life. After its destruction, the community of Upper Peach Tree ceased to exist; it was never restored.

A short distance from Lower Peach Tree, I passed the old house place where a distant relative of my mother had lived. The story relates that he was a country doctor; at the ripe old age of 93, he still attended to his medical practice in the area. One day while trimming an apple tree that grew in the yard, he fell out of the tree and broke his arm. Too stubborn to seek medical help elsewhere, he set his broken arm himself and continued on with his work.

About a mile or so out of Lower Peach Tee, I pulled up into a little-used path. The underbrush had almost taken over the narrow dim trail. Parking my motorcycle, I walked about 300 yards to the northeast to an old burial plot. Little or no care had been given to this small cemetery for a number of years. The last burial here had been two years prior to my graduation from high school.

Here, beneath the tangled vines and underbrush, was the grave of one of my classmates. There was a time when he and I played together and had been the best of friends. There are none of his family around now to care for the lone burial ground. Standing there beside my friend’s grave, I vowed to return and clear away the tall weeds and brush around his final resting place.

Reaching the community of Sunny South, I wasn’t bothered with any heavy traffic. I saw only one automobile, and it was being worked on. Crossing Highway 5, I made my way northwestward to the community of Dixons Mills. Here, I turned to the north and soon I was in my big hometown of Sweet Water. My intentions were to go by and visit my older brother and perhaps bum a noon day meal; but he wasn’t home.

Before I realized it, I was approaching the town of Linden. Deciding not to go to the county seat of Marengo County, I turned to the east and passed right through the Magnolia community.

Like Sunny South and Sweet Water, the rush hour had not yet arrived here either by the railroad tracks. Thinking of the many good times that I had had here during my high school and courting days, I couldn’t believe how the years had passed. I had attended quite a number of dances there in the school house. I could almost hear the fiddle music as old Magnolia slow faded from view in my rearview mirrors.

Looking at my watch, I knew that time was approaching to head toward Monroeville and home. If I hurried, I might just have that cup of coffee and a sandwich in the town of Camden after all. Somewhere along the way, I had to come up with a good story as to why I had laid aside my dear wife’s “honey do” list and gone off on this wandering vagabond trip anyway.

(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 to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, 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. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. 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., June 22, 2019

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches.

Week to Date Rainfall: 1.55 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  2.35 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 24.65 inches.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily in Monroe County, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.405783N Lon -87.479861W. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-6, Station Name: Frisco City 5.0 WSW.

Eli McMorn & The Strange Case of the Missing Professor - Chapter 8

When I think back on that night in the Claiborne Sinks, I realize how unwise it was to stop for the night. It was a moonless, overcast night and soon became so dark that I couldn’t see the handcuffs in front of my face. To make matters worse, a thick fog rolled in, and the clearing where we sat was like a pit of inky, greasy blackness.

Officer Bill Friemann and I had spent the day stumbling around a thick patch of woods that should have been easy to walk out of. We were scratched up and exhausted, yet neither of us felt like sleep. My eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness, and I could see Friemann where he sat at the base of a moss-shrouded tree a short distance away.

The fog carried the faint smell of mud and must have moved into the woods from the Alabama River, which should have been a short distance west of where we sat in the clearing. If this was true, then the highway and should have been due south of our position. This was the same clearing where I’d found the missing professor’s possessions and where Friemann had handcuffed me hours ago, before our daylong tramp through the hot, snake-infested woods.

Friemann pulled out his police radio and fiddled with its switches. It was dead and useless. The battery had run down hours before. Even when it worked, he’d been unable to raise any of his fellow officers or Claiborne dispatch.

“I don’t understand it,” he thought out loud. “We should have been able to walk out of here easily. I should be home right now. It’s like something doesn’t want us to leave.”

I agreed but didn’t say so. I sat there in the dark, thinking about my Berretta stuffed in his utility belt and about where he’d stored the keys to the handcuffs.

An instant later, our ears were met by a long, low noise from the south. At first, I thought it was the horn from a riverboat, but it reminded me more of the blast from an old foxhunter’s horn. The sound startled us both, and we got to our feet.

“It’s the rescue squad,” Friemann said, excited by the prospect of finally being found. “We’re over here!” he shouted in the direction of the horn, his hands cupped around his mouth.

Another deep blast from the horn answered him, and it was followed a second later by a bone-chilling howl from what sounded like a large dog or coyote.

“Officer, take these cuffs off of me right now,” I said. Even then, I could sense that the source of the horn and howls were unnatural. I would need both hands to deal with what was coming.

Friemann turned and looked at me in the gloom, as if he’d forgotten that I was there. “Huh? No way. We’re about to get out of here, and you’re going to jail until we sort out everything that’s going on.”

In that moment, the forest went as silent as an empty church. Gone were the sounds of the insects and night birds that had filled the darkness only moments before. The wind had stilled. My mouth was as dry as cotton.

Another nerve-racking howl pierced the darkness, closer this time. We turned to face it and saw, about 50 yards away, a blue-white orb of light, floating a few feet off the ground.

“Friemann, you need to take these cuffs off me right now and give me my gun,” I said, an order, not a request.

Friemann ignored me. Instead, he pulled out his large flashlight, and I thought at first that he meant to strike me with it. He then clicked it on and began to wave it wildly in the direction of the slowly approaching orb. The flashlight’s beam cut weird shafts of light through the thick fog and caused odd shadows to move through the trees.

“Over here, we’re over here!” he shouted, again and again.

The strange orb picked up speed, and I could hear leaves on the ground being disturbed. I thought of the howls we’d heard and wondered if I’d be able to get my gun from the distracted officer even with handcuffs on.

Friemann continued to yell, but I knew that this was no rescue party. Another blood curdling howl let loose, and the source of strange light was close enough now that I could see the shape of a man, and something big and black at his side.

Friemann’s light sputtered and then died. In the light cast by the approaching orb, I saw confusion on Friemann’s face as he tapped the flashlight against his palm to get it to come back on. “Are we glad to see you,” he said to the man-shape that now stood at the edge of the clearing with an old-style lantern in one hand and coarse cloth sack in the other.

I backed against the giant ash tree at the edge of the clearing and mentally prepared myself to deal with what would come next. Into the clearing emerged the stranger I’d encountered the night before and at his side was a large, black hound. I could see that dog had abnormally large claws and teeth as it let loose another long howl.

“Quiet, Ol’ Shuck,” the stranger said, never taking his eyes off Friemann.

For whatever reason, I felt that the stranger hadn’t seen me. All of his attention was on Friemann, who was confused by the situation.

Friemann’s light snapped back on suddenly, and the beam shot out towards the stranger. I saw old spiderwebs all over the stranger’s black, old-fashioned clothes. Nasty, black hair hung down from beneath the dirty stovepipe hat that sat atop his large head.

The stranger leaned in toward Friemann, raised his lantern a little and asked, “Is you real?”

In the light of the stranger’s lantern, I saw Friemann clearly. Puzzled by the question and overwhelmed by the uncanny situation, Friemann answered in a voice that dripped with fatigue. “What do you mean? Yes, I’m real.”

The black dog began to growl, a sound that seemed to vibrate the moldering leaves at our feet. Gooseflesh broke out on my arms as the stranger’s twisted mouth broke into a hellish half-grin, exposing an unnaturally long canine tooth. Friemann swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple working up and down in his throat, his last noteworthy physical act before the end of his life.

In that moment, I looked away, my attention drawn to the cloth sack in the stranger’s oversized hand. Something small wriggled inside. The stranger’s lamp and Friemann’s flashlight both went off at once as my ears were met by the cries of a baby.

(All rights reserved. This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.)