'Bigfoot letter' arrived at The Evergreen Courant four years ago

July 26, 2016 had all the makings of a typical Tuesday at The Evergreen Courant until our office manager Cheryl Johnston came back from the post office with the mail. When she returned, she handed me a white, standard-sized envelope that was addressed to me, and I noticed right away that the envelope didn’t have a return address.

I opened the envelope with my trusty pocketknife and pulled out two sheets of paper that would ultimately have a big, but unusual, impact on the local community. Here’s what the 176-word letter had to say.

----- 0 -----

Mr. Peacock,

In June, you printed a story regarding possible Bigfoot sightings in this area. I don’t know if this is the same thing, but on the afternoon of Sat., July 23, 2016 at around 2:30 or 3 p.m., a friend and I were traveling west along Highway 84 East. As we approached Sepulga River, we saw a moving figure run straight across the bridge in front of us.

For a split second, I thought it was a person running across the bridge, then I realized that the thing we were seeing was solid black. It ran very quickly with its knees appearing to be bent while it kept its head and upper body very erect. It jumped over the railing. It raised its arms to the sides as it jumped and they seemed to be very shaggy. We lost sight of it after that.

There were cars behind us on the road. We also saw parked vehicles near the water. Possibly those people saw it too, though I couldn’t say for sure if they did.

----- 0 -----

The letter, which was postmarked July 25, was unsigned, and quickly became the subject of much discussion in the newspaper office. Our general policy at the newspaper is not to print anonymous letters, but this letter seemed very different. Although unsigned, it seemed to carry all the earmarks of a writer who genuinely wanted to let us know about something important without making their name public.

Not long after that, I was reminded that this was not the first time that an unusual creature had been spotted near the Sepulga River. According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, a similar creature was reported near the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and the Sepulga River on Aug. 10, 2004. With that in mind, I decided to write a news story based on the anonymous letter sent to the newspaper, and that story was printed on the front page of the July 28 edition of The Courant.

As it turned out, the public’s response to that story was unlike anything I would have ever expected. I was soon flooded by phone calls, e-mails and personal visits from individuals who reported having seen “Bigfoot-like” creatures in and around Conecuh County, most notably the Acreman brothers of Pine Orchard. I even fielded questions from Bigfoot researchers from as far away as Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi.

Local radio personality Luther Upton, who is also on the Evergreen City Council, also took an interest in the Bigfoot stories as did local Bigfoot enthusiast Ashley McPhaul, a Navy veteran who lives just over the Monroe County line in Excel. The resulting wave of publicity even caught the interest of Bigfoot researchers associated with the TV show, “Killing Bigfoot.”

Bigfoot hunters Donald McDonald of Mississippi and Michael Humphreys of Oklahoma from the TV show “Killing Bigfoot” visited Conecuh County in January 2017 and even put on a program about Bigfoot at Evergreen’s Collard Green Festival. Based on a large set of claw marks they found in Pine Orchard, they declared that there’s definitely “monsters” in the woods in and around Conecuh County. All of this led to stories that went worldwide on AL.com and other big media outlets, including widely-syndicated radio shows like Rick & Bubba and Coast to Coast AM.

Around this same time, a group of local Bigfoot enthusiasts formed an organization called the Southwest Alabama Bigfoot Hunters and in February 2017, the Evergreen city council approved an official resolution declaring the City of Evergreen to be the Bigfoot Capital of Alabama because Evergreen seemed to be the geographic center of all the Bigfoot activity. All the while, Bigfoot sighting reports continued to flow in and eventually the Alabama State Senate declared Evergreen to be the official Bigfoot Capital of Alabama.

All the while, you could go down to CVS and buys all sorts of Bigfoot-related items including Bigfoot Capital t-shirts and caps. In the years to come, there has been a Bigfoot statue erected at Exit 96 in Evergreen, and Evergreen was also featured in Brandon Maughon’s 2020 documentary, “The Town that Loved Bigfoot.”

I say all that to say that the anonymous Bigfoot letter sent to the newspaper on July 26 was the tiny spark that started it all, and to this day, I still have no idea who wrote that initial letter. I’ve saved the letter and have even considered having it framed for posterity’s sake.

In the end, I’m asking for the author of that letter to consider coming forward, so that I can ask them more about what they saw near the Sepulga River on July 23, 2016. I think it’s important that we fully document what you saw, and, who knows, it might even prompt more witnesses to come forward with their own reports of Bigfoot sightings. 

America's 'Okra King' was born and raised in Lower Peach Tree, Alabama

One of my favorite things to do is to look through old newspapers. Not only is it entertaining and educational, but I almost always run across a few surprises. I ran across one such item the other day while looking through some area newspapers that were published in the 1960s.

Under the headline “King Pharr Born At Lower Peach Tree,” I read the following news item – “King Pharr, known all over the United States as the Okra King, established a reputation second to none for the superiority of his canned goods, specializing in okra. He was born in Lower Peach Tree, Ala., the son of John W. and Alabama (King) Pharr, the latter of whom died when King Pharr was three years old. Mrs. King was born in Monroe County and came from a distinguished family. Former vice president William R. King was her great-uncle, and her grandfather was the founder of Judson college.”

As best that I can remember, this was the first time that I’d ever heard of the famous “Okra King” from Wilcox County, so I decided to do more research on this prominent figure. As it turns out, the Okra King’s full name was John King Pharr, and he was born on Oct. 25, 1882 in Lower Peach Tree to John Wales Pharr and Alabama King Pharr. (Both of his parents are buried in Wilcox County – his father at Catherine and his mother at Lower Peach Tree.)

King Pharr eventually got into the vegetable canning business (especially the canning of okra), and his name first appeared on vegetable cans in 1904. The King Pharr Canning Company was headquartered at Catherine for over 40 years, and the Catherine plant was at one time the largest canning facility in the entire United States. The company would go on to have canning plants in many places, including Uniontown, Demopolis and Selma as well as in Georgia and Louisiana.

Unfortunately, King Pharr passed away at the relatively young age of 46 on Jan. 5, 1929. If you go to the New Live Oak Cemetery in Selma today, you’ll find King Pharr’s grave beside that of his wife, Lena Cammock Pharr. King and Lena Pharr only had one son, Goodwin Pharr, and the family business apparently passed to him when his father died.

After a devastating fire at its Catherine canning plant, the company moved its headquarters to Selma in 1944, and in March 1945, near the end of World War II, Goodwin Pharr sold his interest in the company, which moved its headquarters to Cullman a short time later. The company would go on to play a huge role in Cullman history. In fact, if you go to Cullman today, you’ll find a historical marker about the King Pharr Canning Company near the town’s middle school.

According to that historical marker, the McPhillips family of Mobile brought the King Pharr Canning Company to Cullman in 1946. Led by chairman Julian B. McPhillips, the plant became Cullman's biggest employer, employing up to 400 people in the Cullman area. Many hundreds more worked harvesting crops for the company, which had over 1,000 employees in all its plants.

Sources say that the company canned and shipped 33 different types of vegetables all over the country, including berries, green beans, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, and, of course, okra. At its peak in 1959, the company had contracts with over 2,000 individual vegetable farmers. The company produced 30 million cans of vegetables each year, but the business closed in 1976, largely due to the expansion of the fast food industry.

In the end, it can be said that King Pharr went on from humble beginnings at Lower Peach Tree to have a huge impact on the lives of many people all across the country. Not only did he help provide high quality food to many in the form of canned vegetables, but his company also put a lot of people to work. If anyone in the reading audience has any additional information about Wilcox County’s famous “Okra King,” please let me hear from you.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for July 29, 2020

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower

13 YEARS AGO

JULY 26, 2007

Local weather reporter Harry Ellis reported .13 of an inch of rain on July 16, 2007 and .52 of an inch on July 20. He reported a high temperature of 94 on July 20 and a low of 67 on July 20.

James M. Walker Jr., the Director of the Alabama Department of Homeland Security, visited Conecuh County last Thursday.

During a meeting of the Evergreen Rotary Club at the Evergreen Golf Club, Walker told club members and guests that the citizens of Conecuh County were fortunate to have Heather Walton as the county’s Emergency Management Director.

The members of the Alabama District Attorneys Association have elected officers for the coming year, and District Attorney Tommy Chapman has been selected to serve as a member-at-large on the ADAA’s executive committee.

By a unanimous vote, the Conecuh County Board of Education agreed to hire Tonya Dukes-Bozeman as the new principal at Evergreen Elementary School.

The vote came during a special called meeting Friday morning at the Board of Education’s office on Jackson Street in Evergreen.

Bozeman has been assistant principal at Hillcrest for the past five years and worked there as an English teacher for six years. She also worked as an English teacher at Holt High School in Tuscaloosa County for two years.

28 YEARS AGO

JULY 23, 1992

Weatherman Harry Ellis fell and broke his hip Monday morning. He was sent on to Montgomery for surgery. On his way to Montgomery, he insisted that his son, John Hart, get the weather information to The Courant. Everyone at The Courant wishes Harry a speedy recovery and asks our readers to remember him in their prayers.

The Weatherman reports .10 of an inch of rain on July 13, .45 on July 14, 1.10 on July 15, .58 on July 16, .10 on July 17 and .90 on July 18.

He reported a high temperature of 90 on July 13 and lows of 68 on July 18 and July 19.

It has been 19 years since he first put on his uniform. He has seen eight police chiefs named above him. Now, it’s Earnest Section’s turn.

Tuesday night the Evergreen City Council named the veteran police officer as the city’s third police chief within the past two years.

Section’s name first came to light as a chief candidate after the sudden resignation of Leroy Hall last year.

Lee F. Smith, two-time mayor-elect for the City of Evergreen, announced today he will seek a third term as the city’s governing leader.

Smith was elected to his first term in 1980 and was elected for a second term in 1988. He has been a resident and a community leader of Evergreen for 37 years.

District Four Councilman (Larry) Fluker received a ‘certificate of election’ as being the only candidate who qualified for the Aug. 25 election from that district. Since there was no opposition, he was automatically re-elected as the council representative for District Four.

43 YEARS AGO

JULY 28, 1977

Navy Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Third Class Alphonzia Daniels Jr., son of Alphonzia Daniels Sr., of 404 Cemetery Ave., Evergreen, Ala., has reported for duty with the Precommissioning Unit of the Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, Newport News, Va.

WEATHER REPORT: ‘Old Earl’ Windham and the country editor did not exchange words this week. In fact, they didn’t even nod their heads. However, Earl did report light showers of rain on three days during the week: .36 of an inch on July 18; .33 on July 19; and .45 on July 23.

(Windham reported a high temperature of 101 degrees on July 23 and a low of 68 on July 18.)

Oral history to be taken in Conecuh: The Alabama Historical Commission will begin an oral history and survey of related historical sites program, covering the era from approximately 1880, to the present, beginning next month in 10 counties.

The 10 counties, tentatively selected for the pilot project, are Lauderdale, Dallas, Barbour, Macon, Walker, Shelby, Marion, Greene, Clarke and Conecuh.

The Evergreen Chamber of Commerce is offering a prize of a $25 U.S. Savings Bond to the person who submits the best ‘slogan’ to be used to promote Evergreen.

58 YEARS AGO

JULY 26, 1962

Elsie Couey, chief operator of the Evergreen office, receives her 35-year pin from D.E. Hardy, district traffic manager, Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co., Mobile. The pin denotes 35 years of service with the company for ‘Miss Elsie’ which was the occasion for a party given by the staff of the local exchange at the Southern Bell Building Friday. Miss Couey’s 35 years actually ended Saturday.

Lofton Shell attended the Butler County Masonic Conference in McKenzie last Wednesday.

Aubrey H. Ryals, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse J. Ryals, Rt. 1, Repton, Ala., recently was promoted to specialist four while serving with the 51st Artillery, a Nike-Hercules missile unit at Fort Cronkhite, Calif.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Murrice G. Miniard, airman, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. Noble O. Miniard of Repton, Ala., is serving aboard the attack aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, which was scheduled to return to its homeport of Alameda, Calif. on July 17.

Dewitt T. Stuart, son of Mr. and Mrs. D.T. Stuart of 310 McMillan St., Evergreen, Ala., is undergoing nine weeks of basic recruit training at the Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

The Evergreen Chamber of Commerce is continuing its current push to attract more industry at the rapid pace developed in June. Contact was made with two more prospects last week and they were entertained in Evergreen and shown sites.

73 YEARS AGO

JULY 24, 1947

BROOKLYN CHAPTER O.E.S. INSTITUTED: Brooklyn Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, was granted dispensation by Grand Chapter and duly instituted at Dean Lodge, No. 112, Brooklyn, Ala. on Tues., July 22, 1947 at 2:30 p.m. with impressive ceremonies under the able direction of Worthy Grand Patron, Mr. Robert Moon of New Hope, Ala.

PARIS, July 22 – The return of U.S. World War II dead from European graves will get underway July 28, at Henry Chappelle Cemetery near Liege, Belgium, the American Graves Registration Commission announced today.

Announcement was made this week by J.W. Johns, chairman, that the next session of the Conecuh County Singers Convention will be held in the Evergreen High School auditorium Sun., Sept. 28.

Due to conflict with the Evergreen Rotary Club’s second annual horseshow, there will be no social tonight.

KODAK ROLLS: Developed and Printed, Portrait and Commercial, Also Frames and Folders, Owlen’s Studio, Over Morgan’s Store, Evergreen, Alabama.

Hog and Cattle SALES Will Be Held On Monday, July 28, Promptly at One O’Clock, Both Hogs and Cattle will be sold, Conecuh Cooperative Stockyards, ‘The New Pens,’ Evergreen, Alabama.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for July 29, 2020

22 YEARS AGO

JULY 30, 1998

 

Former NBA all-star and 10-year veteran, Joe Meriweather, is coming to Castleberry to conduct a youth basketball camp, Aug. 10-14. Joe played in the NBA with the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets and Kansas City Kings and was selected to the all-star game in his first year in the league. He also played professionally with the European Basketball League with Spain and Italy.

He will be joined at the camp by Evette Ott, former WBA all-star and League MVP. Evette was a three-time all-star in the women’s professional league and traveled with the USA International team in Italy. She graduated from the University of Kansas, where she was all-conference Big-8 and led her team to victory in the Big-8 championship.

The Brewton Area YMCA is hosting the week long event, being held at the Castleberry Junior High School gym.

37 YEARS AGO

JULY 28, 1983

 

These Conecuh County High School cheerleaders were among over 155 junior and senior high school cheerleaders who participated in the 15^th annual Alabama High School Athletic Association Cheerleading Clinic at Troy State University recently. Pictured are Sharon Baggett, Tammy Benjamin, Jacqueline Booker, Elizabeth Cantrell, Kim Covin, Tracy Covin, Teresa Jones, Missy Stringer, Robin Weaver, Vicki Weaver and Gloria Wiley. Sponsors Elaine Covin and Margie Kirksey also attended.

52 YEARS AGO

JULY 25, 1968

 

Mr. and Mrs. Roy Barrow visited Mr. and Mrs. Clifton W. Barrow, Sandra Kay, David, Theresa and Michael Lee; Mr. and Mrs. Dennis T. Barrow and boys, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Bealle, Edwin and Catherine Rose, and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Barrow, Joseph Trout and Johnny in Houston, Texas. Mr. Barrow attended the All-Star Baseball Game at the Astrodome.

67 YEARS AGO

JULY 30, 1953

 

The Evergreen Greenies edged the Baker, Fla. nine by a 7 to 6 score here Sunday afternoon. Edsel Johnson slapped a clean line single to left field in the bottom of the tenth inning to chase home J.W. Windham with the winning run.

Windham started on the mound for the Greenies but gave way to third baseman Johnson in the seventh inning. Johnson got credit for the win. Windham gave up four hits and as many runs while Johnson was touched for three hits and two runs during his stint on the mound.

Gillis Jones with four hits, two singles and two doubles, led the Greenie batters. Windham got three hits in five trips, including a triple. Sam Brown had three in six trips, including a double, and Johnson had two for three, one a triple.

82 YEARS AGO

JULY 28, 1938

 

Greenies 5, Pelicans 1: Tuesday afternoon Lee Anthony returned to the mound after a no hit game last Friday to hold the Panama City Pels to one run and three hits. The tall Kansan started off shaky in the first inning but settled down to shut the Pels out the rest of the way.

Besides pitching a three-hit game Anthony batted in three of the five runs with a slashing double to left center with the bases clogged. Anthony whiffed six would be Pelican batsmen. Joe Cudillo paced Greenie hitters with two safe knocks. Fred Dickey received the slants of Anthony to register his second low hit game of the week.

 

Richards Temporary Manager: Club officials let it be known that Charlie Richards, Greenie hurler and coach at St. Bernard Junior College had been named to replace Hilcher as the Greenie pilot. Richards will act as temporary manager.

 

The first all-star game of the Alabama-Florida League will be played in Troy next Thursday afternoon, July 28.

Eli McMorn and the Strange Case of Kill Devil Hill – Part Six

My metal folding chair creaked as I turned to watch the guard bring in Tommy Lawson. The guard, whose red, rummy eyes hung down like those of an exhausted hound, led Lawson around to the chair on the opposite side of the wooden table. Lightning flashed outside as a thunderstorm continued to ruin the dismal afternoon.

The links in Lawson’s handcuffs clinked on the tabletop as he sat. “You want me to leave his restraints on?” the guard asked. The badge on his faded gray uniform shirt said “Sherman,” which made me wonder if that was his first name or his last name.

I looked at Lawson and sized him up. He was scrawny and had seen better days. Rode hard and put up wet.

His craggy face was riddled with acne scars. Greasy strands of black hair hung down around his melancholy face. There was a macabre tattoo of a black widow spider on top of his right hand, faded with age.

“You can take the cuffs off,” I said. “We’ll be fine. Right, Tommy?”

Lawson nodded as the guard produced a stubby key from his shirt pocket. A few seconds later, the restraints were off, and the guard left the gloomy room.

“You want to know about Kill Devil Hill?” Tommy asked.

“That right. How’d you know?”

“I just know,” he said. “Just like me and you have never met, but I know you’re Eli McMorn, nightshift reporter at The Claiborne Herald.”

I figured the guard must have told him who I was and had maybe given him the option to deny the interview. It would have saved the old guard a few steps and simplified his shift.

On the other hand, Lawson could be a regular reader of the newspaper. For years, The Herald has dropped off a complimentary bundle of papers at the Haines Island mental hospital for its staff and inmates. I’d seen a copy of today’s edition at the nurse’s station when I walked down the hall.

“You were the lone survivor from that night,” I said. “I want to hear your side of the story.”

“Why?”

“People say it’s impossible to spend an entire night on top of Kill Devil Hill, and I plan to do just that,” I said.

A wide grin broke across Lawson’s face. “Your funeral,” he said. Through his parted lips, I could see a wet, moldering tooth in one corner of his mouth. Lightning flashed outside, boom of thunder followed, a whiff of ozone wafted down from the flickering fluorescent lights overhead. “You’ll find out if you go up there.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because if you’re not bright enough to let sleeping dogs lie, then you get what you deserve,” he said. “I wonder who’ll write the story about you. Maybe they’ll come see me one day with questions about you.”

I ignored him and tried to get him back on track. “What were you guys doing that night?”

“Just fooling around, like kids do,” Lawson said. “You know, something that was never mentioned is that I only knew one of the kids who died that night. Jimmy Creason was his name.

“He would show up sometimes to listen to my band, the Dagons. We had the same tastes in music. I didn’t travel in the same circles with the others.”

“So how’d you end up on Kill Devil Hill with the rest of them?”

“We’d talked about the hill before,” he said. “Jimmy knew that I could guide them to the hill in the dark. Which I did.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I was a lonely teenager who would do anything to fit in.” Lawson drummed the fingers of his right hand on the tabletop, and I observed that his fingernails had been chewed down to the quick. The spider tattoo on the back of his hand moved oddly with the roll of his skeletal fingers.

“So what happened?”

“I took them up there,” he said. “They set up their little tents and got a cheesy campfire going. We’d been there for a while, and everything was cool until Jimmy’s sister brought out that Ouija board. That’s when everything went sideways.”

(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.)

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

Kathy McCoy

14 YEARS AGO

JULY 27, 2006

Local readers will get its first look at the first ever written history of Monroe County today (Thursday) during two book-signings in downtown Monroeville.

Kathy McCoy, artistic director at the Monroe County Heritage Museums, will be signing copies of her new book, “Crossroads: The Early Years of Monroe County,” at the Monroe County Library beginning at 10 a.m.

McCoy will also sign copies of her new book during a book-signing event at the Old Monroe County Courthouse today between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Billed as the first written history of Monroe County, “Crossroads” details the county’s history from prehistoric times up to Reconstruction.

Swimming coaches Amy Harris and Jennifer Harris of Monroeville received awards during the Gulf Coast Area Aquatic League championships Saturday at the Fairhope Municipal Pool. Jennifer Harris received the league’s Coach of the Year Award, an award that is voted on by league coaches and swimmers. Amy Harris was presented with a plaque after the Monroeville Makos claimed second place in Division II at the championship.

Peebles will open Aug. 3: Peebles, a retail clothing store located at 185 South Alabama Ave. in Monroeville, will hold its grand opening Aug. 3, just in time for the sales tax holiday weekend.

Peebles, a division of Stage Stores, purchased the B.C. Moore & Son’s chain, and plans to reopen the Moore’s stores it purchased across the state simultaneously under the Peebles banner Aug. 3.

39 YEARS AGO

JULY 23, 1981

Hybart native is nominated for district U.S. attorney post: A Hybart native has been nominated for U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama by President Ronald Reagan.

J.B. Sessions III, 34, was nominated last week for the Southern District post. Now a member of the law firm of Stockman & Bedsole in Mobile, Sessions served two years as assistant U.S. attorney before joining the firm.

The son of Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Sessions Jr. of Hybart, the nominee graduated from Wilcox County High School in 1965 and Huntingdon College in 1969. He earned his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1975.

New track under way at MCHS: Monroe County public tracksters will have a new facility to stretch their legs on next track season, after the track at Monroe County High School is completed.

The 440-yard or 400-meter track (it is marked off for both measurements) will encircle the already existing Monroe County High School football field.

Completion of the track is expected by Aug. 15.

Rescue Squad captain resigns; Beard named: After six and a half years as captain of the Monroe County Rescue Squad, I.W. “Ike” Williamson of Megargel has resigned, and M.J. “Pete” Beard of Frisco City is his successor.

Williamson told The Journal this week his health was a big factor in his decision to step down. Williamson, who is a charter member of the rescue squad who helped organize it in 1960, said he will continue as advisor to the captain and plans to stay an active part of the squad.

89 YEARS AGO

JULY 23, 1931

Death Calls Mayor Clapp Saturday: Mayor E.T. Clapp, 43, died at his home here Sat., July 18. Mr. Clapp has been Mayor of Monroeville for the past three years. Before this, he was connected with the Burke Packet Co., operating out of Mobile, and afterwards represented the Ogburn-Davidson Co., wholesale grocers of Mobile, and at the time of his death was representing the Sherrill Oil Co. in this county.

Mayor Clapp was one of the leading civic workers and his passing is strongly felt. He was one of our highest esteemed citizens as the large attendance at his funeral and the beautiful floral offerings attested.

Boy Scouts In Camp at Brewton: The Monroeville Boy Scout Troop left Monday morning for Brewton to enter camp for one week. They were accompanied by Judge F.W. Hare, Dr. T.E. Tucker, Mr. W.M. Lindsey and Mr. Will Eager.

Following is a list of members of the troop who will enjoy the outing: Frank Lathram, Johnson Lathram, Charles Locklin, James Miller Dennis, Norman Barnett, Clifton Lindsey, Neal Kilpatrick, Francis Hare, Dantes York, James Marion Veazy, John Barnett, Frank Smith and Billie Fountain.

MASONIC CONFERENCE HELD AT FRANKLIN: The annual meeting of the Monroe County Masonic Conference was held with Franklin Lodge on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. Mr. J.W. Thurmond of Castleberry was instructor in the ritualistic work.

Lodges of the county were well represented and members of the order from Wilcox and Conecuh counties were in attendance. The next annual meeting of the conference will be held at Tunnel Springs.

114 YEARS AGO

JULY 26, 1906

An important capture was effected by Mr. C.E. Hunter, our efficient and ever watchful city marshal, last Thursday afternoon. On the train between Monroe and Peterman he overheard a conversation between two white men occupying seats near him, and from remarks made by one of them concerning a recent shooting affray in a nearby county, he strongly suspected the man to be a fugitive from justice. Acting on this belief, he placed the man under arrest and lodged him in jail here, having in the meantime wired the authorities of Covington County.

Advice was promptly received and the suspect proved to be C.S. Bowen, wanted for shooting and fatally wounding Charles Revill at Opp, Covington County, on July 12, and for whose capture a reward of $150 had been offered. Mr. Hunter left Friday with his prisoner whom he delivered to the sheriff of Covington and collected his reward.

After a painful illness extending over many months, Mr. John F. Deer died at his home in Monroeville at noon on Wednesday, July 25, 1906. The interment will take place at the Baptist cemetery this forenoon with Masonic honors.

Mr. Deer was one of our best and most universally esteemed citizens. He was twice elected to the office of County Treasurer, but was forced by ill health to resign just before the close of his second term. On the advice of his physician, he removed to New Mexico where he remained several months but the fatal malady with which he was afflicted had gained too firm a hold upon him, and he returned home without material improvement, resigned to die in the bosom of his family.

139 YEARS AGO

JULY 25, 1881

Mrs. Henrietta M. Dennis, wife of Mr. P.M. Dennis, died at her home in Scotland, June 24, 1881.

Bell’s Landing: Mr. and Mrs. Jno. McDuffie of Bell’s Landing came near meeting with a fatal accident a short time ago. While out buggy riding, the horse became frightened and ran off, throwing them out of the buggy, and made a complete wreck of the buggy. The horse so injured itself that it died shortly afterwards. Fortunately, neither Mr. nor Mrs. McDuffie was hurt. The horse was a very valuable one.

River Ridge – Dr. Aaron Bradley was bitten by a rattlesnake a few days ago. For a time, his life was despaired of. Look out for the venomous reptiles.

Perdue Hill – Mr. J.M. Agee sent to this office an open cotton boll on the 19^th.

Claiborne – Mrs. Robison, an aged widowed lady, died suddenly in Claiborne last Wednesday evening. She was sitting in a rocking chair and fell over dead before anyone could reach her.

Mr. Ben Grissett, formerly of Claiborne, and a brother of Mr. W.J. Grissett of Monroe, died at his home in Escambia County a few days ago.

Pine Apple – It is reported that Walter West of the Camden News is soon to remove his paper to Pine Apple.

The Camp meeting at Asberry Campground in the northeast of Monroe County will commence on Thursday, the 18^th of August, embracing the third Sunday.

Origins of historic Coon Trail Road remain shrouded in mystery

One of the oldest – and perhaps most mysterious – roads in all of Monroe County is the Coon Trail Road, a seven-mile stretch of road that connects County Road 30 and County Road 42 near Peterman and Tunnel Springs.

No one is sure just how long this road has been in use, but many say the origin of its name dates back to the time of the ancient Indians. One oft-repeated tale says that it came to be known as the Coon Trail Road thanks to a young Indian hunter who was stalking a large racoon through the deep woods of what is now Monroe County. As the Indian followed the racoon along a ridge, taking him farther and farther from home, this hunter used a hand axe to chop blazes into tree trunks so that he could find his way back to his village.

As time went by, other Indians began to use this blazed path for hunting and traveling, and their countless steps along this route left a well worn trail through the dense forest. As settlers began to arrive in this part of the world, the trail developed into a horse path and was later widened to accommodate wagons. During the early days of Monroe County history, long before the advent of State Highway 21, this wagon road was a major route for those traveling between northern Monroe County communities and the old county seat at Claiborne.

One day last week, my son James and I found ourselves in Peterman and decided to take a few minutes to explore the entire length of Coon Trail Road. For those of you who have done the same, you will know that one of the most prominent landmarks in this area is the Peterman Fire Station, which sits at the intersection of County Road 30 and Coon Trail Road.

About three miles up Coon Trail Road from the fire station, the pavement gives way to red dirt, and we found the road to be in good condition despite all the recent rain. I’ve heard tales of motorists getting stuck on this road, but we only had to cross a couple of washed out places as we made our way towards County Road 42. In many ways, we seemed to have the road all to ourselves, for we encountered only a couple of log trucks pulling empty trailers, a gray squirrel fast on his way to pressing matters elsewhere and a black snake that looked to be about two feet long.

There are more than a few homes and hunting camps on Coon Trail Road, but we saw no signs of any old churches or cemeteries. In days gone by, where did the people of this community go to church, attend school or cast their votes in local elections? No doubt the answers to these questions lie somewhere in the shadowed past.

Oddly, there are no bridges on the Coon Trail Road, a trait consistent with many old Indian paths, which seldom crossed bodies of water. Near the County Road 42 end of this road, what appears to be a branch of Brushy Creek does flow under the road through a large metal culvert. Perhaps this culvert replaced an older bridge that once took travelers across this stream.

In the end, while the origins of Coon Trail Road remain shrouded in mystery, there is little doubt that this road has seen many changes over the years. One is left to wonder what Coon Trail Road will look like a century from now or whether it’ll even be in use in the distant years to come. More than likely, it will continue to serve travelers just as it did in the days of Indian hunters and early settlers, who would likely be surprised to see the modern road that has replaced what was once only a dim path through the deep, dark woods.

Four UFOs were reported in Alabama during the month of June 2020

UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter.

It’s the fifth Friday of the month, so this week I’m giving you an update on UFO reports in Alabama from the previous month, courtesy of the Mutual UFO Network. A search for UFO reports in Alabama between June 1 and June 30 on MUFON’s website, www.mufon.com, resulted in four reports from within our state during that time.

The first incident occurred on Wed., June 10, around 9:30 p.m. in Enterprise, which sits across the Coffee and Dale county lines, not far from Fort Rucker. The witnesses in this case saw a strange object hovering near their home before it sped off into the sky. Blackhawk helicopters arrived a short time later, and the witnesses could hear shooting. The witnesses then saw multiple “swarming lights, moving in strange patterns, that all sped off.”

The second incident occurred on Sat., June 13, around 8 p.m. in Foley, which is in Baldwin County. The witness in this case reported seeing a bright object in the sky and noted that this object appeared to have a lot of windows. The witness said he wasn’t sure but wondered if what he saw was actually several UFOs traveling together.

The third incident occurred that same day, about an hour later, around 9 p.m. in the city of Warrior, which is a suburb of Birmingham. The witness in this case was standing with his girlfriend in his neighbor’s yard when they looked into the eastern sky and saw a star-like object moving erratically.

“We noted how it seemed to zig-zag, start and stop, and reappear after disappearing for a moment on its fairly straight flight path,” the witness said. “It eventually passed out of sight.”

The witness said that his girlfriend had a hard time seeing the object, but the neighbor could see it. 

“We noted how odd it seemed because it looked like a star or plane at extremely high altitude with random red and green flashing specks,” the witness said.

The fourth incident occurred on Sun., June 14, around 4:30 a.m. in Daphne, which is also in Baldwin County, not far from Foley. The witness in this case reported seeing a “long, straight line” in the sky that resembled a contrail left behind by a passing plane. However, this “line” in the sky was thicker and the object that left it behind moved faster than a plane, but slower than a shooting star, the witness said.

This object moved in a “perfect straight line” to the northeast, the witness said. “At one point, it seemed to separate in the middle, and there was a white ‘ball’ in center, then it went back together again.”

Before closing out this week, I just want to put it out there again that I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has witnessed a UFO, especially in Conecuh County. I think a lot of other people would be interested in hearing your story too, and I’m willing to accept your report anonymously.

Army solider from Lower Peach Tree was killed in France in July 1918

This past Wednesday – July 22 – marked 102 years since the death of John Henry Privette, who was killed in action during World War I.

It was on July 22, 1918 that U.S. Army Private First Class John Henry Privette of Lower Peach Tree was killed in action at the age of 23 while serving as a cook. Born on May 1, 1895, he is said to be buried in Liberty Methodist Church Cemetery in the Hestle community, west of Coy. (Liberty Methodist Church is also known as the Bear Creek Church.)

According to records at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery, Privette’s death was first officially noted on Army casualty lists on Sept. 27, 1918, and his death was widely reported in the Oct. 3, 1918 edition of The Wilcox Progressive Era. That story read as follows:

“The casualty list of the past week gives the name of John Henry Privette of Lower Peach Tree as having been killed in action in France on July 22. This makes the second Wilcox boy to pass over to Fame’s eternal camping ground. John Watson of Pineapple was the first, being killed July 15. May the heroic spirit of these two young soldiers go marching on till the tyrant of Europe pays the penalty of his atrocious crimes. Watson and Privette are the first gold stars in Wilcox’s Service Flag.”

According to Privette’s service records on file at the state archives, it appears that he was initially buried overseas. At some point, like many other soldiers, his remains were exhumed and transported back to the United States for reburial. Privette’s body arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey on June 19, 1921 – nearly two years after his death – and were then sent (probably by train) back to Wilcox County.

Privette’s next of kin was listed as Green Privette, who I presume to be his father. On his son’s service records, Green Privette’s address was listed as Sunny South, which is just north of the Hestle community and Liberty Methodist Church Cemetery. If you visit this cemetery today, you will find a marker for Green, but I’ve never been able to locate one for his son, John Henry.

As best that I can tell from state records, in addition to John Henry Privette and John Watson, at least 23 other Wilcox County soldiers were killed during World War I. Those soldiers include Charley Blackman, William Boykin, William Dumas, William Kelsaw, William Reaves, Harry I. Savage, Howard Singleton and James Williams, all of Camden; Henry M. Autrey, Vivian T. Deaton and Jenkins Jones, all of Sunny South; Oscar L. Autrey, Henry C. Boutwell and Charles E. Treaster, all of Pine Hill; Jimmie A. James and Willie Gay Williams, both of Furman; Fletcher E. Smith of Lower Peach Tree; Frank C. Brooks of Coy, Fred Battle of Gastonburg, John Butler of Snow Hill, Daniel Robinson of Prairie, Frank Stallworth of Bellview, Wiley McMurphy Steen of Pine Apple and Samuel C. Watford of Caledonia.

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience with more information about John Henry Privette or any of the other World War I casualties listed above. Also, if you know of any other soldiers from Wilcox County who were killed in World War I not mentioned above, please let me know and I will add them to the list.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for July 21, 2020

Gov. B.M. Miller

13 YEARS AGO

JULY 19, 2007

Evergreen weather observer Harry Ellis reported 1.03 inches of rain on July 11, 0.01 inches on July 13, 0.05 inches on July 14 and 0.04 inches on July 15. He reported a high of 94 degrees on July 10 and a low of 68 degrees on July 15.

Memorial service at Belleville UMC Cemetery: The family of Third Sgt. and Dr. Henry Smith Skinner descended on the Belleville community this past Sat., July 14, 2007 to remember him in his service to his county.

Dr. Skinner, born 1839 in Missouri, moved from Virginia to Conecuh County about 1860 with his family. He and his brother, John, answered the summons to war and joined the 3^rd Florida Cavalry at Milton, Fla. This company, along with four others from Florida and five more from Alabama, were consolidated, being designated as the 15^th Confederate Cavalry, better known as the Simpson Mounted Rangers.

Living in Belleville, Dr. Skinner practiced dentistry for 55 years, was a member of the Methodist Church, the Masonic Order, and the United Confederate Veterans. He died in 1922 and is buried in the Belleville United Methodist Church Cemetery located on U.S. Highway 84.

On Saturday, flags waved, muskets sounded and the sweet melodious sounds of a bagpipe filled the still breezes in Belleville. Emcee for the event was Bert Blackmon, dressed as a Virginia Infantry Captain.

38 YEARS AGO

JULY 15, 1982

Local weather observer Earl Windham reported 0.03 inches on July 5, 0.84 inches on July 8, 3.05 inches on July 9, 0.10 inches on July 10 and 0.50 inches on July 11. He reported highs of 95 degrees on July 5 and July 6 and lows of 68 on July 6 and July 10.

John W. “Johnny” Andrews Jr. of Route 1, Repton, is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for member of the Conecuh County Commission, District 2, Place 3. This is his first political race.

Navy plane crash kills two Tuesday: Two U.S. Navy officers, one a woman instructor, were killed when their training aircraft crashed near Evergreen’s Middleton Field Municipal Airport at about 10:20 o’clock Tuesday morning during a routine training exercise.

The officers’ names were withheld pending notification of the next of kin. Machinist Mate Gary Edwards, a member of the Whiting Field (near Milton, Fla.) Security Alert Team that responded to the crash, said that the victims were a female lieutenant commander, who was apparently the instructor, and a male officer, who was a student pilot.

Conecuh County Sheriff Edwin Booker’s deputies said that the plane crashed about two miles south of Evergreen city limits. The crash site was “down a maze of dirt roads” near Middleton Airfield.

Unofficial reports said that the airplane was already in flames and that there was no chance to rescue the occupants.

63 YEARS AGO

JULY 18, 1957

Two Local Boy Scouts Attending Jamboree: Conner Warren, 13-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Byron Warren of Evergreen, and Andy Moses, 12-year-old son of Mrs. Ruby Moses also of Evergreen, are representing Evergreen Troop 40 at the National Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America at Valley Forge, Pa., July 8-21.

Warren is a Star Scout and Moses is a 1^st Class. They left Pensacola by bus on July 7 and will return home around the 28^th of this month. The boys carry their own camping equipment and will sleep out in tents and do their own cooking during the time they are there.

47-Inch Squash Grown By Robert Brooks Here: Robert Brooks of 206 Factory St. proudly brought into The Courant office Tuesday a huge Japanese squash which he had raised.

The squash measured 47 inches long, and was curved almost like a boomerang. It weighed 4-1/4 pounds. The huge vegetable looked more like a gourd than a squash, but Robert firmly assured the skeptics that it was truly a squash. He explained that the smooth skinned plant could be cut in two, while still on the vine, and it would continue to grow, replacing the severed part.

Telephones Increase In Evergreen Area: The number of telephones serving Evergreen continues to increase, P.J. Kreis, local Southern Bell manager, reports that more telephones were in service here at the end of June than at the end of last month. The increase raised the total to 1,412.

88 YEARS AGO

JULY 21, 1932

Caffey Appointed To Fill Solicitor Vacancy: Gov. B.M. Miller late Saturday afternoon appointed Hugh M. Caffey of Brewton as Solicitor of the 21^st Judicial Circuit of Alabama, composed of Baldwin, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties, the vacancy being caused by the death of Solicitor L.S. Biggs, which occurred Sun., July 10.

Mr. Caffey is a junior member of the well known firm of Hamilton & Caffey at Brewton. He is a native of Lowndes County but has resided in Brewton for a number of years where he has engaged in the practice of his profession. He will fill the remainder of this term, which expires in January 1935.

Coast Artillery Outfit To Camp Here 28^th: Mayor J.L. Kelly is in receipt of a request from officers of Battery A, 69^th Coast Artillery, The Searchlight Battery, for permission to camp here Thursday and Thursday night, July 28, the outfit being enroute from Camp McClellan, Anniston, Ala., to Pensacola. The battery is made up of about 60 men and officers. They will have 15 trucks.

Mayor Kelly states he has complied with the request by informing the officers of the outfit that the city will be glad to have them spend the day and night here and will assist them in whatever way necessary to make their stay pleasant and comfortable. They will probably use the grounds at the City School for camp. The equipment of the battery will be open for the inspection of local citizens who desire to see it.

113 YEARS AGO

JULY 17, 1907

The machinery of The Courant printery is now propelled by a gasoline engine, which has just been installed and which runs as smoothly as a new watch. Many interested spectators have already been in to watch the rapidity with which printing is dispatched. We are now enabled to execute promptly all orders for printing from the smallest to the largest.

At a competitive drill held on Monday night in the armory of Co. K, the prize (a box of cigars) was presented to Lofton Jones as the best drilled member competing for the prize.

REPTON: Repton’s still on the upward climb. Mr. Dees has just completed a nice residence on Belleville Street.

Messrs. Robinson & Knight will soon erect a brick store on Broad Street, east of the railroad.

Also, the building of the bank has been contracted for by Will Ward of Pine Apple.

T.C. Millsap has arrived here with his family and has assumed control of Hotel Evergreen.

The town health officer says he has caused arrests to be made of persons who have failed to comply with the town ordinance in reference to keeping their premises clean and sanitary.

J.H. Broom has been here several days in the interest of the local camp of Woodmen of the World. He has succeeded in increasing the membership of the order to about 50 or more.

138 YEARS AGO

JULY 20, 1882

CONECUH-ESCAMBIA STAR

Col. P.D. Bowles and Mrs. Stearns have returned from the Eastern shore.

The following are the officers elected by Armor Lodge, Knights of Pythias, No. 31, for the ensuing six months: J.F. Tate, P.C.; P.A. Travis, C.C.; J.W. Deming, V.S.; P.C. Walker, P.C.; B. Savage, K of R and S; D.N. Nicholson, M of F; A. Jacoby, M of E; F. Simmons, M at A; W.L. Stallworth, I.G.; S. Weis, O.G.

The health officer thinks the sanitary condition of Evergreen not what it should be. We are sure, however, that the town authorities will not permit this state of things to exist long; indeed, we are informed that steps are already being taken to remedy the evil.

Miss A.B. Monroe takes pleasure in informing the public that she will reopen her school in Evergreen on the first Monday in September.

Mr. Jonathan Anderson of Monroe County has been in Evergreen this week, prospecting for a site upon which to erect a steam mill. From what we have learned of the above gentleman, we are sure he would be a desirable acquisition to any community. We hope he will find it to his interest to become a citizen of Evergreen.

Mrs. Lincoln, wife of the former president of the United States, died at Springfield, Ill. last Sunday.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for July 21, 2020

Brian Bateman

13 YEARS AGO

JULY 19, 2007

Bateman captures top honors in golf: Brian Bateman, 34, of Monroe, La. captured first place in the Buick Open pro golf tournament on July 1 in Warwick Hill, Mich.

Bateman is the son of Dr. Bill Bateman, a 1961 graduate of Evergreen High School, and the grandson of Scotty and Bill Bateman, formerly of Evergreen. He is the great nephew of Virginia Key and the late Judge Robert E.L. Key of Evergreen.

Bateman, who began his professional golfing career after graduating from Louisiana State University in 1996, took home $882,000 and a brand new Buick for his win in the Buick Open. The tournament’s total purse amounted to $4.9 million.

With his win at the Buick Open, Bateman became the first player to capture his first PGA TOUR win at the Buick Open since Tom Pernice Jr. in 1999. At age 34, Bateman has already had a long and successful golfing career.

Cassie Gomes, nine, of Bossier City, La. won this year’s Bayou State 3-D Archery State Championship. Gomes, a fourth-grader at Benton (La.) Elementary School, captured top honors in the Pee Wee Division at the event, which was held on June 9 at the Fort Buhlow Recreation Area in Pineville, La. Gomes is the daughter of Heath Gomes and Summer Coleman. She is also the granddaughter of Ivon and Mary Gomes of Andalusia and the great-granddaughter of Bob and Lillie Gaskin of Evergreen.

38 YEARS AGO

JULY 15, 1982

Conecohi sets practice for ‘little’ teams: The CCHS Tiny Mite and Pee Wee football teams will begin fall practice Mon., Aug. 2, at 5 p.m. Age groups are: Tiny Mites, 8-10, and Pee Wees, 11-13. All eight and 11-year-olds please bring your birth certificates. Anyone wishing to participate this year is urged to sign up. For additional information, contact Gary Darby or Eddie Garner.

Girls tryout for BB at Jeff Davis: Jefferson Davis State Junior College in Brewton will be holding tryouts for girls interested in playing basketball for this coming season on Tues., July 20, from 1-3 p.m. Tryouts will be held at the college gym. Interested girls need only to bring basketball attire.

Length limit is lifted on bass at Monroe Lake: State Lake Supervisor Bill Reeves of the Game & Fish Division of the Alabama Conservation Dept. announces today that the 16-inch minimum length limit on largemouth bass at Monroe County Lake was removed as of Wed., July 14.

Reeves said that the bass population in the lake has improved dramatically and the balance between bass and bream is excellent. Reinstatement of the length limit may be necessary next year if the bass harvest becomes excessive, he warns.

Reeves said that the creel limit for bass will remain at 6 per day, per fisherman.

63 YEARS AGO

JULY 18, 1957

Garland Takes Twin Bill From Lyeffion Sunday: Garland took both ends of a doubleheader Sunday from Lyeffion in Conecuh County Amateur League play.

Wesley won the first game for Garland, 3-2, and Beverly and Capps pitched for Garland in the second game, winning 4-2. Stuckey pitched both games for Lyeffion, proving to be a real workhorse. In the 14 innings Stuckey pitched, he allowed seven runs and struck out 14.

Garland now has a four-won, five-lost record for the season.

EVERGREEN JUNIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE – Reporters: Oz Hansen and Rooster Croft:

Chicks Check Orioles 13-6: The Chicks picked up 13 runs off two hits as the Orioles issued 13 free tickets to first base Tuesday night. Oriole Glen Bolton got the only hit off winning pitcher Joe Glass.

Giants Rock Red Sox 5-1: The Giants rallied behind the steady pitching of Ronnie Byrd to check the Red Sox Tuesday night. The Giants were never in trouble scoring a run every inning off Johnny Snowden, making his second appearance on the mound for the Sox. In the last inning, Johnson and Fountain hit successive singles for the Sox and collided on second base. After some wild base running that confused the fans and Giants both were tagged for a double play. Byrd struck out the last man to end the game.

Chicks Peck Pels 10-3: The league-leading Chicks met the Pelicans Thursday night and with one hit, a triple by Faulkner, ran the score to 10 in five innings. Baggett, Rue and Patten, Pelican pitchers, failed to find the plate and walked a total of 16 men. Allison Gaston Pel keystoner belted a single and a double in three tries for the losers.

88 YEARS AGO

JULY 21, 1932

Evergreen To Play Greenville Today: In a very one-sided contest played at Gantt Field last Thursday afternoon, the local baseball team defeated the McKenzie outfit, 12-5. This victory gave Evergreen two wins out of three games played with the McKenzie team.

Today, Evergreen meets Greenville in Greenville in the third contest this season. Each team has a game to its credit and the game today will be a battle to the finish for the odd game. A large number of fans are expected to accompany the members of the team to Greenville to witness what is believed will be one of the best games to be played this summer.

Thus far this season Evergreen has played five games and of the five has won three. The local team is recognized as one of the strongest and most successful amateur outfits in this section of the state.

Castleberry Plans Checker Tournament: Castleberry, July 20 – Plans for a countywide checker tournament have been laid here for the first two weeks of August.

Any checker player in the county is invited to enter the tournament. No admission will be charged, the only stipulation being that the name of the would-be entrant must be filed with the Castleberry Checker Club not later than Aug. 1.

Present plans call for the tourney to begin Aug. 1 and be concluded Aug. 15.

SWIMMING – Every Evening At STEVEN’S POND – Thomas G. Stevens

113 YEARS AGO

JULY 17, 1907

OWASSA: Dear Editor – Please allow me space in your paper to reply to the article in last week’s issue from Garland. It might appear to those who were not there and witnessed the games that Garland won both games from the way it was reported. But I am sure it didn’t to those present. It is true that Garland got away with the first game to the tune of 15 to 7, but it wasn’t the Garland team that turned the trick by any means. They saw fit to play only one of their regular men. The others were the picked from Georgiana and McKenzie teams.

King clearly out-pitched Walton, the crack pitcher from Pollard, in the morning game, that accounts for the walk-over.

The afternoon game was quite interesting from start to finish. King started in to duplicate the morning feat, but he didn’t have Mr. Walton as his opponent this time, and there was a different tale to tell. However, he held his own with Mr. Guice until the latter part of the game, when he weakened and our boys touched him up with several hard bingles, including a homer which nearly took the breath out of his backers. He soon realized that he was no Mathewson or Maxwell, and couldn’t win a doubleheader in one day, so he quit the game in the ninth inning, the score a tie, 10 to 10. His successor was easy. The final score was 15 to 10 in favor of Owassa. Garland failed to do anything in their half of the tenth, Guice finishing strong.

L.C. Gaston, F.D. and Herbert Moorer went fox hunting a few mornings ago. They had a fine race, saw the fox at a shooting distance, but being three of the tenderest hearted boys they let him go for another race and returned home tired and hungry. Lee is a fine young man but not much to carry a gun on a fox hunt.

Travis Bridge is historic river crossing and landmark in Conecuh County

Travis Bridge in Conecuh County, Alabama.

Just a few days ago, I was sitting in the newspaper office on Rural Street and happened to look out the window to see rays of bright sunshine shining down on the vehicles, buildings and trees outside. This got my wanderer’s blood to stirring and, not having anything pressing at hand to worry about, I decided to jump in my truck for a little exploring. I struck off down U.S. Highway 31 and before I knew it, I found myself at Travis Bridge.

Located about 11 miles from downtown Evergreen, Travis Bridge carries travelers back and forth over the Sepulga River. Sources say that the name “Travis Bridge” first appeared on county highway maps in 1965, but county residents know this name to be much older. In fact, Travis Bridge shows up in newspaper stories from well over a century ago.

Sources say that before a bridge was built over this site years ago, an old ferry took travelers back and forth over the Sepulga River. According to Aubrey Padgett, who has lived in this part of the county for most of his life, the current bridge at this location is the third such bridge to have been built there since at least 1900. One is left to wonder who built the first bridge there and when.

A few seconds after I crossed the bridge, I turned left onto the dirt road that took me under the bridge and down to the boat landing. A few minutes later, I found myself standing at the water’s edge. For the most part, I had the place all to myself except for a turtle who was sunning himself nearby on a half-submerged log.

On this particular day, the river was up and flowing fast, carrying its brown waters down to Staples Bridge, Bull Slough and points beyond. It was then that I was reminded that the name “Sepulga” is believed to come from the Choctaw word for “smokey.” Others say the river’s name comes from the Creek expression for a “grove of yaupon,” an evergreen holly shrub that we’ve all seen.

Travis Bridge is also the uppermost point on the Sepulga River Trail, which attracts many kayakers and canoeists to this part of Conecuh County. Many tell of finding fossils and shark teeth during these long trips down the river. During my brief visit to Travis Bridge the other day, I didn’t see any fossils or shark teeth, but I did spot a nest of recently hatched turtle eggs in a bed of sand near the river bank.

While there, I also spent a few minutes looking at the old flood monitoring station that’s located a short walk into the woods from the landing. This tall concrete structure was built years ago to keep track of the river’s depth and potential for flooding. I could only guess as to when it was originally constructed, but I’d say it’s been around at least since the late 1940s.

Eventually, I climbed back into my truck and pointed it towards Evergreen. On my way back into town, my thoughts returned to Travis Bridge and all that I had seen there. No doubt for many years, this important river crossing has played a major role in the lives of many county residents.

In the end, I’d like to hear from any readers with more information about the history of Travis Bridge. I’m especially interested in hearing any old ghost stories, tall tales or local legends from this area. Also, let me hear from you if you know of any old Indian mounds or villages sites in this neck of the woods.

Ancient Indian village of Sakti Hata was located near Bridgeport Park in Wilcox County, Alabama

The site of the ancient Indian village of Sakti Hata is a place that many Wilcox County residents have likely driven by many times without realizing that it was once heavily populated by Native Americans.

According to National Geographic Society maps, Sakti Hata, which means “White Bluff” in the Choctaw language, was located near the intersection of present-day County Road 37 and County Road 43, not far from the entrance to Bridgeport Park. The location of this old village is one of the best documented Indian sites in Wilcox County as it was originally marked on French maps of the area made in 1733. (Today, you can also find Sakti Hata on Google Maps.)

On Friday afternoon, after a hot round of cutting grass at home, I got the itch to get out and do some riding around. With Sakti Hata in mind, I pointed my truck towards Bridgeport Park and a short time later found myself in the area shown on my trusty National Geographic map. When I got to the intersection of County Road 37 and County Road 43, I pulled over and stepped out into the warm sunshine.

For those of you who have been to this location before, you will know that it’s heavily-wooded private property. What’s not so readily apparent is that this area is on somewhat of a high point, with an elevation between 151 and 200 feet. By way of comparison, Bridgeport Park has an elevation of just 100 feet.

As I stood there beside the road, I tried to imagine what this area must have looked like hundreds of years ago during its heyday as a large Indian village. No doubt the proximity of the Alabama River played a major role in the lives of those Indians as it provided a source of freshwater and food. In many ways, this place would have been a paradise for those early Wilcox County inhabitants.

Another prominent Indian village in this area was the village of Tali Huli, which I’ve seen spelled “Talle quile” and “Tali Hieli.” Tali Huli, which means “Standing Rocks” in Choctaw, was also listed on 1733 French maps of this area, but its exact location remains somewhat uncertain. Historical sources say that it was more or less one mile above Bridgeport, while University of Alabama maps say that it was located at Bridgeport.

A mile or so above Bridgeport would place Tali Huli in the vicinity of modern-day Roland Cooper State Park. This location too would have been an ideal site for a large Indian village as it offered ready access to freshwater and plentiful fish and game. One is left to wonder if any old artifacts or relics have ever been uncovered on the park grounds.

In the end, I’d like to hear from any readers with more information about Sakti Hata and Tali Huli. I’m especially interested in hearing any old stories about this area, including any old folk tales, local legends or ghost stories associated with these sites. Also, if you know of any old Indian mound sites in these areas, please let me hear from you.