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| The "Overflowing Well" near Scratch Ankle, Alabama. |
Monroe County’s Scratch Ankle community is located on County
Road 61, about 12 miles northwest of Monroeville, but its exact borders are up
for debate.
Some longtime residents say that Scratch Ankle begins at the
artesian well at the southern end of County Road 61 and that it ends somewhere
around the old Faith Chapel church. Others say that Scratch Ankle begins about
two miles north of the artesian well and ends around Dees Circle. Despite these
differing opinions, it’s generally accepted that “downtown” Scratch Ankle is
about 2-1/2 miles north of the artesian well, in the vicinity of Lindsey Loop and
Johnson Drive.
The boundaries of Scratch Ankle are about as unclear as the
origins of the community’s name. Sources say the name first appeared on county
highway maps in 1969, but others say the name is much older. The late Dicky
Williams, who owned a drug store in Monroeville for years, said that the
community traces its name to a railroad conductor in the 1800s who saw local
residents sitting along the tracks scratching mosquito bites on their ankles
every time his train passed through the area.
Others say that the name involves the old Centennial School,
which served the community for a number of years. Sources say that people began
calling the area Scratch Ankle because so many people saw school children
scratching bug bites on their ankles during the school day. Interestingly,
there is no entry for Scratch Ankle in Virginia O. Foscue’s authoritative book,
“Place Names in Alabama,” which was published in 1989.
I found myself passing through Scratch Ankle on Friday
afternoon and stopped for a few minutes at the artesian well, which is called
the “Overflowing Well” by locals. I’ve stopped at this old well many times before,
and I always take the time to drink a few swallows of the water from my cupped
hands.
Those of you who have done the same will know that the water is surprisingly warm
and has a strong sulfur taste.
Older people in the area swear that if you consistently
drink this water, you’ll never get red bugs or ticks. Most
local folks also say that the well has always been there, at least as far back
as 75 years ago. Some say the well doesn’t flow as strongly as it used to, and that
Oscar McKinley laid the cement blocks around the current well site.
Today, the well is considered an asset to the community because
farmers use it to fill tanks and drums in order to water their livestock.
Others fill gallon jugs with the water and take it home to enjoy. Some people
even make wine from the water and report that it turns out just fine. (Others
say that water from the well makes the worst pot of coffee you’ve ever tasted.)
From there, I continued north on County Road 61, and my eyes
were met with signs of much activity. I passed a number of vehicles (some
pulling boats), women checking their mail, men tending to their gardens, and
dogs lounging in the late spring shade. I know that this community once boasted
its own school and a country store or two, but little visible evidence remains of
those bygone days.
I eventually turned around at the Franklin Church of God,
which locals call the “rock church” due to its unique cinderblock construction.
According to the sign out front, the Rev. Russell D. Lawley serves as the
church’s pastor, and they have services every Sunday and Wednesday. Oddly, even
though “Franklin,” the name of a neighboring community, is attached to this
church, some local residents consider this church to be located within the
confines of Scratch Ankle.
I have also been good-naturedly informed that it is a huge
social faux pas to confuse Scratch Ankle with the neighboring communities of
Franklin, Finchburg and Wainwright. For example, if you mistakenly say that
someone from Scratch Ankle is from Franklin, you will more than likely be
quickly corrected. Not that I blame them, since they are no doubt proud to be
from one of the most unique communities in all of Alabama.
On the way back down County Road 61, I passed several
clearcuts on both sides of the road, and I could not help but wonder how many old
Indian arrowheads had been washed to light by all of the recent rains. A number
of ridges pass through this area as does Bradley Mill Creek and Holly Mill
Creek. All of this, along with the nearby Alabama River, would have made this
prime real estate for ancient Indians centuries before this area was called
Scratch Ankle.
In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience
with more information about Scratch Ankle’s history. 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. Who knows, maybe someone out
there will even know exactly how Scratch Ankle got its name.
My pawpaw the late Mr Samuel bayles always told me that scratch ankles name came from all the people walking to church services scratching their ankles during services.Also he had told me many times of the red ball of light in the community would float beside him darting all around until he made it home from to and from church and that as soon as he would be in sights distance to the house he grew up in the ball of light would dart passed him and he never knew when he would see it next but it never bothered him. Born and raised in Scratch Ankle, Al up in top of the hill from the over flowing well.
ReplyDeleteBoth sides of my parents lived in the middle of Scratch Angle. Ambrose and Viola McKinley lived on County Road 6, and Lee and Alice Bayles lived at the end of the road (John's Road) that turns beside the Rock Church. I spent many of night at both homes. The thing I remember a lot is how dark it was at night. My daddy Robert Bayles told me he had seen the strange light. He would ride his bicycle to Monroeville and would be late coming back and some times he would just sleep on side the road before getting up the next morning to finish his trip home. He showed me where he would sleep and told me he saw the light on that ridge many times. He also said it would even come in the house. I never seen the light. If there was ever a railroad track in the Scratch Angle area, it was well before my time.
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