Monroe County's old Axle community was once a thriving village

McWilliams-Davison Cemetery at Axle.

I was looking through some old newspapers the other day at the library in Monroeville and ran across a prominent news item that described a large Thanksgiving event that occurred in the old Axle community 120 years ago. Under the headline, “A Joyful Day,” it was reported that a sizeable crowd of people on Nov. 29, 1900 celebrated Thanksgiving at the Zion Baptist Church in Axle. The Rev. A.P. Majors preached a sermon at the event, which also included much singing, the reading of an essay written by Miss Anne E. McWilliams and a closing address by W.R. Lambert.

The old Axle community was once a thriving village, and it shows up in many old newspaper stories from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Axle was located on The Ridge Road (County Road 42), about three miles east of State Highway 41. Historical maps indicate that “downtown” Axle was located near where Ajax Road and Murphy Road run into The Ridge Road, and this area was once so heavily populated that it even had its own post office from 1885 to 1916.

I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d been up that way, so I climbed in my truck last Friday with an eye towards seeing if any remnants of Zion Baptist Church still remained. All told, Axle is about eight and a half road miles from the downtown square in Monroeville, and those who have traveled this route before will know that you have to take North Mount Pleasant Avenue out of Monroeville to where it eventually gives way to Highway 41 and takes you over Limestone Creek. After about five miles, you’ll want to turn right on to The Ridge Road and follow it for another three miles to reach the Axle community.

Generally speaking, most maps show that Axle was located between the Farish Road-Ridge Road intersection and where the county landfill is located today. On Friday afternoon, I made several passes along this short stretch of road, but saw no trace of the old Zion Baptist Church amongst the scattered homes that line this portion of The Ridge Road. However, that is not to say that all traces of the community’s past have disappeared.

Just east of Murphy Road, I spotted a nearly-hidden cemetery on the south side of the road and pulled over for a closer look. The gate to this secluded cemetery was so overgrown with brush and thin, green vines that it took me a few minutes to open it just far enough for me to slide through. Once inside the fence, I began to examine the graves and quickly realized that I was in one of the oldest cemeteries in the county.

Later research revealed that this was the old McWilliams-Davison Cemetery, a burial place that I’d heard of before but had never visited before Friday. Just eyeballing it, I’d say that this cemetery contains at least 50 graves, most of which are obviously very old. The oldest that I saw on Friday belonged to James Davison, who passed away at the age of 23 or 24 in 1836, that is, a quarter of a century before the War Between the States.

After a good, long look around the cemetery, I decided to head home, and as I pointed my truck back towards Monroeville, my thoughts turned to the many unanswered questions about the heyday of the old Axle community. Where was the old Zion Baptist Church and Axle Post Office located? Did the community have its own school, and if so, where was it located?

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience with more information about the old Axle community. I’m especially interested in any old ghost stories, local legends and Indian lore from this part of the county. Now is the time to document this information before it becomes lost in the fogs of time like so much of our local history.