Sunny South traces its unique name to a steamboat that was destroyed by fire on the Alabama River in 1867

The Old General Store in Sunny South, Ala.

The mild temperatures and bright sunshine on Friday got my wanderer’s blood to stirring, so I hopped in my truck and hit the road for a little exploring of Wilcox County’s highways and byways. I eventually found myself traveling west out of Pine Hill on State Highway 5 and then cut south on County Road 1. A few minutes later, I was in “downtown” Sunny South.

Sunny South, located about 22 road miles from Camden, is one of the most unique communities in all of Wilcox County, thanks in no small part to its distinctive name. According to Virginia O. Foscue’s 1989 book, “Place Names in Alabama,” this community was “named for the Sunny South, a steamboat destroyed by fire in 1867 at Portland, a dead town once located on the banks of the Alabama River in Dallas County.” (Other sources say the Sunny South sank near Mobile in April 1916.)

One of the most prominent landmarks in Sunny South is the Sunny South Baptist Church and its adjoining cemetery. On Friday, I took a few minutes to visit this old cemetery, which sits just a stone’s throw from the railroad tracks that run through the heart of Sunny South. Just eye-balling it, I’d say this cemetery contains about 200 graves, and the oldest marked grave that I saw belonged to Susie A. Agee, who passed away at the age of 46 in September 1902.

From there, I returned to Sunny South’s main crossroads and pulled over for a closer look at the Old General Store. No doubt this store served an important role in the town’s early history, and I could only guess as to when it was built. A pair of dogs down the street spotted me and began to bark at the stranger in front of the store, so I crossed the intersection to check out the small park catty-corner to the Old General Store.

Those who have been to this park before will know that it features a patriotic flag display and a covered bulletin board that welcomes visitors to Sunny South. A closer look at the bulletin board shows that it features an old photo of the Sunny South steamboat as well as a one-page history of the community written by Robbie Purser. Across the street from this display is another old wood frame building that looks like it may have also once served as a country store.

Sources say that there was a post office in Sunny South from 1888 to 1988, but standing there at this intersection one is left to wonder where the post office was located. Was the post office inside one of the old stores or was it elsewhere in the town? Did Sunny South have a train depot? If so, where was it located and what became of it?

A few minutes later, I got back in my truck and continued down County Road 1 to the bridge over Beaver Creek, which flows all the way to Thomasville if you follow it west. I pulled over for a closer look at this old creek and knew that it would have been an important water source for early pioneers as well as the ancient Indians who lived in this area centuries ago. No doubt many arrowheads and other artifacts rest along its lengthy sand and gravel creek bed.

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience with more information about Sunny South’s history, especially about the old buildings at the crossroads. I’m especially interested in hearing any old ghost stories or local legends from this community as well as any information about old Indian sites there. Now is the time to document this important information for posterity before it becomes lost in the fog of the passing years.