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

Harper Lee of Monroeville.

31 YEARS AGO
JAN. 18, 1990

Coke closing FC location: Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Frisco City will close its doors Feb. 2. The 61-year-old company bottled soft drinks until 1971 and has since served as a distribution center.
William Davis, warehouse and route supervisor and company employee for more than 38 years, said the closing is a result of Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper Bottling Co. (also known as Montgomery Bottling Co.) cutting costs and changing its delivery system.
The old building, facing Alabama Highway 21 in Frisco City’s downtown, is owned by Montgomery Coca-Cola. The company bought the building from the Long family and Bellingrath Estate in 1974.

Monroe County High School’s varsity boys won their third invitational basketball tournament of the 1989-90 season Saturday when they came from behind to upend Greenville High 68-64 in Beatrice.
MCHS coach Joe Allen, whose Tigers were ranked ninth in last week’s 5A state poll, defeated 2A McIntosh High 76-38 to open J.F. Shields High’s tournament Friday.
(Top players for MCHS in those games included Joseph Curry, Shannon Curry, Terry Fountain, Darren Gibbs, Toraino Hill, Jeffrey Holley and tourney MVP Derek Roberts.)

New store planned: A new ECON convenience store will be open by March in Uriah, replacing an old hotel there, said Butch Feaster, company president. The building, formerly owned by Mrs. Doris Turberville of Uriah, will be demolished in time to start construction in three weeks. The 1.5-acre site is along Alabama Highway 21.

56 YEARS AGO
JAN. 21, 1965

Harper Lee Invited To Inauguration: Nell Harper Lee, Monroeville, was one of 50 prominent artists and authors invited to be guests of President L.B. Johnson at the Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony.
Miss Lee, author of bestseller “To Kill A Mockingbird,” is in Monroeville and was unable to attend. She is recuperating from a serious burn suffered recently.

Monroeville To Be Host To Pine Belt Tournament: Monroe County High School will be host to the 13-team Pine Belt Conference tournament beginning next Wed., Jan. 27, and continuing through Saturday, at the Monroe Regional Coliseum.
Drawing for the tourney was held Monday night in Grove Hill.
Monroeville’s Tigers were awarded the No. 1 seed on the strength of its 9 and 1 record.
(Other teams in the tourney included Chatom, Clarke County, Coffeeville, Excel, Frisco City, Jackson, J.U. Blacksher, Leroy, Millry, Repton, Silas and Thomasville.)
In last year’s Pine Belt tourney, Uriah topped Monroeville in the finals.

Junior Miss Goes To Birmingham: Nancy Nettles of Monroeville, Monroe County’s Junior Miss representative in the statewide contest, will go to Birmingham Friday and Saturday for the state competition.
She will be accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Mickey Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy is chairman of the Monroeville Jaycees Junior Miss local pageant.
It was announced that Miss Nettles had received an additional award for winning the county event, a $25 award from the Coca Cola Bottling Co. of Frisco City.

81 YEARS AGO
JAN. 18, 1940

Beatrice Is Lashed By Cyclone Sunday: A cyclone struck near Beatrice about three o’clock Sunday morning, doing considerable property damage and killed two people. Phylis Lindsey, an aged woman, was instantly killed. Her body was found about 200 yards from her home, which was completely destroyed. Robert Cary died during the day Sunday.
At this time, there is a total of 32 injured, nine very seriously, and 15 homes destroyed.

BANQUET HONORS FOOTBALL BOYS: The Monroeville Chamber of Commerce is entertaining the 1939 football team of Monroe County High School with a banquet tonight (Thursday) at the new LaSalle Hotel. About 125 are expected to be present at the banquet.
Mr. A.V. Culpepper will act as toastmaster for the occasion. Boyd Pullen Jr., captain of the team, will make a short talk.
Included on the interesting program, planned by the program committee of the Chamber of Commerce, will be appropriate talks given by Prof. J.A. York, principal of the school; T.C. Huckabee, football coach; Mr. H.G. Greer, County Superintendent of Education, and others.

Western Auto Supply Store To Open Feb. 1: Mr. A.B. Blass, formerly of Waynesboro, Miss., will open a store in Monroeville about Feb. 1 for the sale of auto products of the Western Auto Supply Co. The building formerly occupied by the Lee Motor Co., next door to The Monroe Journal office, will be the location.
Mr. Blass and his family are welcome to Monroeville as residents. They are occupying one of the new dwellings recently completed by Mr. O.B. Finklea.

106 YEARS AGO
JAN. 21, 1915

Mr. L.M. Sawyer assumed the duties of the office of Sheriff on Monday, the 18^th. Messrs. Claude Kilpatrick and J.W. Urquhart are members of his official staff.

Left my home Jan. 17, 1915, one medium size hound, red with white breast and feet and white ring half round neck, tip of tail white, blaze in face. Liberal reward for any information as to his whereabouts. – R.C. Casey, Excel, Ala.

Bridge Letting: I will attend at the Snell Bridge on Flat Creek on Fri., Jan. 29, at 11 o’clock a.m. for the purpose of contracting for the building of a new bridge. Specifications furnished on the ground. – A. Holloman, Commissioner.

Representative Kyser has been assigned to two important house committees, those on local legislation and public roads and highways.

Prizes will be awarded to members of the Boys Corn Club by Prof. Duncan at the Farmer’s Institute at Monroeville on Feb. 16. All boys are urged to be present.

Mr. Owen Burgess, a student of the Monroe County High School, was chosen Senate Messenger by the unanimous vote of that body on the organization of the legislature.

TAKEN UP – One bay horse, medium size, blaze face, three white feet, white spot on left side. Owner can have same by paying for this ad and feed. – P.W. Waters, Burnt Corn, Ala.

Messrs. Watt Graham of Burnt Corn and R.L. Lewis of Peterman were here Saturday attending the Methodist quarterly conference.

131 YEARS AGO
JAN. 17, 1890

This winter has been easy on the poor, but hard on weather prophets.

Winter has been long delayed, but when it did come, it came with full force.

The cold wave that struck us Tuesday was a God-send to those having hogs to kill.

Col. B.L. Hibbard of Birmingham spent a few days in Monroeville this week on a visit to Judge Leslie.

The County Alliance met in Monroeville Monday. Twenty-four out of the 26 subordinate alliances in the county were represented which speaks well for the interest felt in the organization. The meeting was pleasant.

A man was buried alive while cleaning out a well at Enon last week.

ROAD CARTS! YOUNG GENTLEMEN – If you want a nice looking and well-constructed ROAD CART cheap, go to Roberts, Locklin & Co. They have them for $17 each.

The supreme court has rendered a decision in the celebrated Hawes case, appealed from the Jefferson criminal court. Hawes, it will be remembered, murdered his wife and little children in Birmingham about a year ago, was tried, convicted and sentenced to be hanged last July. The case was appealed on special plea for change of venue. The supreme court affirms the judgement of the criminal court and the date of the original sentence having expired, fixed Feb. 28 as the date of the execution.